Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

Art Integration Lesson Plan

LTC 4240: Art for Children
Lesson Title & Big Idea*: Weather Events
Grade Level*: 5
Understanding the phenomena of the world in which you live.
Lesson Overview/Summary*: Students will watch videos on YouTube and news outlets about Mike Class Periods Required:
Olbinski and his artwork. After looking at art pieces of different types of storms, students will
(please circle)
discuss weather events, how they work, and how they are different based on their prior
knowledge. Then, students will have a group read aloud of the book Mad Scientist Academy: The 1
2
3
Weather Disaster by Matthew McElligott. Students will participate in a whole group discussion
about what they learned from the book and the scientific processes of weather events discussed
within it. After the read aloud, each student will write a personal narrative about a storm they
have seen or been in. Once students have completed their personal narrative, they will create a
diorama depicting the storm they wrote about using a variety of materials and techniques.
Students will share their personal narrative and diorama with the class. Students will participate
in a whole class discussion about how to handle scary situations and strategies students can use
to remain calm during storms. Throughout this lesson, students will log their thoughts and
information they have learned in their writing journal so they can reflect on what they have
learned throughout the lesson.
Key Concepts (3-4): What you want the students to know.*
Essential Questions (3-4)*:
1. Visual Art: Students will know how every storm is unique
What are the different forms that water can take?
and different types of storms create different visual images.
How does water transform from one form to another?
2. Literacy: Students will know how to write a personal
What are the key components of a personal narrative?
narrative using dialogue, correct punctuation, sentence
How can different materials be used to depict a storm?
structure, and descriptive details in a clear manner.
3. Science: Students will know how the water cycle works, the
different forms of water (solid, liquid, and gas), and how water
is transformed during different types of weather events.
Lesson Objectives: (Excellent resource at http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/new-teacher/48345.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1): What you
want the students to do. *
1. Visual Art: The students will be able to create a diorama depicting a weather storm they have witnessed using a variety of
materials and techniques.
2. Literacy: The students will be able to write a personal narrative using dialogue, descriptive words, and clearly organized
writing.
3. Science: The students will be able to explain different forms of water and the processes that take place in changes of

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

weather.
National Core Visual Arts Standards (3-4) http://tinyurl.com/hndaaa8
1. Visual Art: VA:Cr2.1.5.: Experiment and develop skills in
multiple artmaking techniques and approaches through
practice.
2. Literacy: W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive
details, and clear event sequences.
3. Science: 5-5.2.E-b: Identify the different forms water can
take (e.g., snow, rain sleet, fog, clouds, dew) as it moves
through the water cycle.

Content Areas Integrated*:

1. Visual Art (Inspiration Artist: Mike Olbinski)
Mike Olbinskis work, time lapse photography of storms
turned into videos, what different weather events look
like, how storms evolve and change
Creating diorama that depicts weather event that the
student has experienced using a variety of materials
and techniques
2. Literacy
Mad Scientist Academy: The Weather Disaster by
Matthew McElligott, book about types of weather, how
storms are created, what storms look like
Writing personal narrative about storm students have

Identify & define common vocabulary that connect the art

form with the other identified content areas:
Personal narrative: true story that the storyteller
personally experienced
o Students will learn how to write a personal narrative
and they will create a diorama to visually depict the
experience of their personal narrative.
Process: a series of steps taken to reach a particular goal
o Students will go through the process of writing a
personal narrative as well as through the artistic
process of portraying an idea and a story to their
viewer through a diorama.
Event: moment in time
o Students will learn about weather events, such as
different types of storms that occur in the world on any
given day, and they will reflect on a personal
experience during which they witnessed a weather
event and will try to recreate that event in a still shot
diorama.
Lesson Activities & Procedure(s) (please be very specific):
Day 1
1. Will have tabs open on computer to display on projector of
videos about Mike Olbinski and his personal website.
2. Students will watch a YouTube video introducing Mike
Olbinski.
3. Students will watch a news broadcast video about Mike
Olbinski.
4. Students will explore Mike Olbinskis personal website to
examine his pictures and time lapses of weather events.
5. Students will write in their writing journals about what they
have learned about this artist. Students will answer questions
such as these: Who is the artist? What does this artist create?

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

experienced or seen, key components of a personal
narrative
3. Science
Different forms water takes, how storms evolve, storm
movement, how different weather events begin and
conditions in which they occur

How does the artist create his artwork?

6. Whole group discussion of prior knowledge of weather
events. Students will answer questions such as: How does
weather work? What are some weather processes? What
causes weather events? What are the different forms that
water can take?
7. Students will write in their writing journals about what they
already know about storms after participating in the whole
group discussion.
8. Whole group read aloud of Mad Scientist Academy: The
Weather Disaster by Matthew McElligott. As a new weather
process is introduced and explained in the book, we will take
a few minutes to go more in depth about that weather
process and to check for student understanding.
9. Students will write in their writing journal details from the
book and information they have learned about weather
events and processes.
10. Whole group discussion of what students have learned
about weather events after reading the book. Students will
answer questions such as: What new information did you just
learn? Was any of this information different from what you
thought before reading the book? Is there anything you still
want to learn more about?
11. Students will write in their writing journals any extra
notes they may have missed about the book after
participating in the whole group discussion about the book.
Day 2
1. Mini lesson on personal narratives. Will include what
components are found in a personal narrative, the point of
view it is written in, and a review of what makes a good
writing piece (i.e. capitalization, punctuation, good
descriptive words, etc.).
2. Students will write in their writing journals the components

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

of personal narratives. Students will take note of expectations

for their writing and information that should be included in a
personal narrative.
3. Students will think about a time they have witnessed a
storm or been caught in a storm. If needed, I will give
examples and descriptions of storms students may have
experienced before (i.e. thunderstorm, blizzard, tornado,
etc.).
4. I will share the personal narrative that I wrote about a
weather event I experienced in order to show students an
example. I will point out components of a personal narrative
in my writing to show students my expectations for their
writing and a real-life example of what the components of a
personal narrative look like.
5. Students will write in their writing journal a quick rough
draft or outline of their personal narrative as they are
thinking about their experience.
6. Students will then write a personal narrative describing
their personal experience with a weather event. An example
narrative will be shared with the students to show them what
a personal narrative looks and sounds like.
Day 3
1. I will show students the diorama I created based off my
personal narrative. I will explain that this is just an example
and that the students can create their dioramas however
they see best fit.
2. Students will gather materials needed to create a diorama
that depicts the weather event they wrote about in their
personal narrative.
3. Students will create their dioramas using a variety of
materials (colored wire, crayons, markers, magazines, cotton
balls, etc.) and a variety of techniques (painting, collaging,
coloring, etc.).

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

Anticipatory Set (Gaining Attention)*: Students will watch a

video about Mike Olbinski and what kind of art he creates.
There are multiple videos on YouTube and news sources that
explain how he is a storm chaser that creates time lapses of
storms to combine them together to capture videos of how
storms move and evolve. After watching the videos of who this
artist is and getting a little glimpse of his work, we will look at
his personal website to explore more pieces of his work to get
a fuller look and understanding of his artwork. After exploring
Mike Olbinskis artwork, we will discuss what happens in a
storm in order to lead into the book that explains weather
processes.

4. Students will write in their writing journals about the

materials they needed to create their dioramas and the
process that they went through to create it. Students will
note why they used certain materials to depict certain
aspects of their storm.
5. Students will read their personal narratives to the class.
6. Students will show their diorama to the class, describe how
they made their diorama, why they used the materials they
did to depict the storm, and the scientific processes involved
in the storm they depicted.
7. Students will write in their writing journals about this
lesson as a whole. They will note things they learned, what
they still want to learn more about, how they felt creating
their personal narratives and dioramas, etc.
8. Whole group discussion about emotions and feeling during
a storm and strategies students can use to relax and stay
calm even when they are scared during a storm in the future.
Closure (Reflecting Anticipatory Set): Students will look back
on all of their journal entries that they completed throughout
this lesson. Students will participate in a whole group
discussion about this lesson as a whole. Students will discuss
what they learned, what they enjoyed or what they struggled
with, information they want to learn more about, other
related subjects that they would be interested to learn more
about, etc. Students will share their feelings about this lesson
and any emotions they may have felt during the storm they
discussed in their personal narrative. As this could be an
activity that brings up scary memories for students, it will be
good to reflect on this experience and to work through the
emotions they may have felt during that time or emotions
that may have been brought back up during this lesson. We
will discuss as a class good strategies to use when we are
scared or afraid of something like a storm, so if students

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

experience another storm they will have good coping
mechanisms and they can think back to this lesson and
remember why storms look and sound the way they do.
Formative Assessment strategy: After watching the videos Summative Assessment strategy*: For the summative
about Mike Olbinski, students will discuss their prior assessment, students will present their personal narratives
knowledge about weather events so the teacher can see what and dioramas that they created about a weather event they
students already know and where they are already at in their personally experienced or witnessed. Students will be
understanding of this topic. After reading Mad Scientist expected to read their personal narrative, explain their
Academy: The Weather Disaster students will discuss what diorama, how they made their diorama, why they chose to
they learned from the book and anything that they thought use the materials and techniques they did to create their
they knew about storms that was proven differently by the diorama, and to explain the weather process that took place
book. The personal narratives that the students will write and during the storm they experienced. This will show the
turn to me in will act as a formative assessment to show me students understanding of the weather processes discussed
what they know and how well they understand personal at the beginning of the lesson and as well as a giving the
narrative writing.
teacher an understanding of student thinking during their
diorama making process.
What student prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon? Students will need have known how to write well using
correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and dialogue structure since they will be writing a personal narrative piece.
Students should also know a variety of good descriptor words and words they can use in place of saying said when utilizing
dialogue. This is also a part of good writing. A good add on to this lesson would be to create two anchor charts, one for words
to use other than said and one for good descriptive words that would be created by the students in the class so it is more
meaningful for them.
How will you engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this lesson? I will engage students in
imagining by having them place themselves back in the time that they experienced a storm and reimagining what it felt like,
what their emotions were, what was happening, and what it all looked like. I will engage students in exploring by having them
think about all the different types of weather events that are possible and the ones in which they have been able to
experience themselves. Students will also explore the properties of storms, the processes in which they cycle through, and
how they visually evolve and change over time. Students will also engage in experimenting by trying multiple techniques to
depict the storm they experienced in a diorama, by testing out different materials to use to visually show their storm, and by
experimenting with the best way to organize their diorama to best depict the scene of the weather event they experienced.
How will this lesson allow for/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways? Students are encouraged to solve
problems in divergent ways as they must find the best way to depict their storm in a diorama. Recreating a storm in a 3D
visual can be challenging, so students should think about the best way to display their storm so people that examine their

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

diorama can feel as if they were there in the storm themselves. Since each of these weather dioramas will be created from a
students personal experience, each student must think critically about what their storm looked like and how to depict it on
their own. Students will not just be able to mimic or copy the work of a peer as each diorama should be as unique as the storm
of which it was modeled after.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning? Students will engage in routinely reflecting on their
learning by logging each step of this lesson in their writing journal. Students will begin the lesson by writing about what they
already know about storms and weather events. After watching the videos about Mike Olbinski, students will reflect on what
they learned about this artist and the evolution of storms over time as seen in Olbinskis time lapses. After reading Mad
Scientist Academy: The Weather Disaster, students will write notes in their journal about the weather processes they learned
about, the forms water takes, and anything else they learned from the book. Students will be able to look back on these notes
that they wrote at the beginning of the lesson to better construct their dioramas and personal narratives. Students will again
have an opportunity to write in the journals after completing their personal narratives and dioramas. After students have
completed their journal writing, they will review their journal and reflect back on everything they learned about, thought
about, and felt throughout this lesson.
How will you adapt the various aspects of the lesson to differently-abeled students? For ELL students, I will pair them with
another student to write one personal narrative and create one diorama. This will allow ELL students to better understand the
language involved in weather processes and to focus on the content of weather events and writing personal narratives rather
than the rest of the language involved in having to write a personal narrative on their own. The ELL student will describe the
weather event of their choice to their partner in as much detail as possible. Then, the partnership will write the personal
narrative together and proceed to create their diorama. The non-ELL student will do the writing for the narrative, but the
students will work together to ensure they get the details correct and effectively write their personal narrative to then create
their diorama using the details in the personal narrative. The partnership will also present their personal narrative and diorama
together. For special education students, the same measures will be taken. The special education student will be paired with
another student and the partnership will create their personal narrative and diorama together as well as present it together.
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work? After
students have discussed what they already knew about weather events prior to beginning the lesson, students will have the
opportunity to revise their understanding by participating in a whole group read aloud of Mad Scientist Academy: The
Weather Disaster. Through reading this book, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the processes involved
in weather events and the actual scientific explanations behind storms they see in their lives regularly. Once students have a
solid understanding of weather processes, they will apply this knowledge to a weather even they have witnessed. This will
improve their understanding of weather processes by having the students actually break down a real-life event they have
experienced into the scientific processes that occurred during the event and thus showing the students improved knowledge
of the concept.

Emily Forsythe-Art Integrated Lesson Plan

What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning in this lesson? Students will have the
opportunity to share their learning in this lesson after watching the videos about Mike Olbinski and sharing with their peers
about what they learned about this artist and how storms evolve overtime. After reading Mad Scientist Academy: The
Weather Disaster, students will again have the opportunity to share their learning in this lesson by discussing with their peers
what they learned from the book about whether processes. After students have completed their weather event dioramas, they
will share with their peers their personal narrative, what their diorama represents, and what processes were involved in their
specific weather event.
Lesson Resources/References (please be very specific by providing links, authors, titles, etc.):
Mcelligott, M. (2016). Mad Scientist Academy: The Weather Disaster. Random House.
Mike Olbinskis Website: http://gallery.mikeolbinski.com/stormchasingarizona/h2e7f5212#h2e7f5212
PBS Video about Mike Olbinski: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/photographer-following-storm-produces-awe-inspiring-results/
YouTube video about Mike Olbinski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2vNRvBrKpA
* Include this information during your final presentation.
References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts
%20Integration.pdf