Early Childhood

The Essential Question
What shapes can we use to draw a rocket ship?

Objective
Students will experiment with various shapes and color media to create a rocket ship composition.

Materials
12 x 18" (30 x 46 cm) watercolor paper, pencils, neon-colored oil pastels, brushes, cups of water, tempera cakes

Procedures
1. Share images of rocket ships and ask students to name the shapes they see. Draw the shapes on your board or a large sheet of paper while students call them out. Tell students they will draw their own rocket ships using a variety of shapes.
2. Distribute watercolor paper and pencils. Draw a rocket ship along with students and assist them individually as needed. Students draw a shape for the body, the wings, the top of the rocket, the windows and doors, and flames.
3. Distribute neon oil pastels and ask students to color their shapes. Explain that there should be no white in the rocket ship, and instruct them to add stars in the background to show that their rocket is flying in space.
4. When they are finished with the pastels, students add paint to their space background. Demonstrate mixing blue and black paint. Set aside the completed works and let them dry.

Assessment
Did students use various shapes to create the different parts of their rocket ship? Can students identify these shapes? Did students use the oil pastels and paint as instructed?

Colleen Lam is a visual arts teacher at Edgewater Elementary School in Edgewater, Colorado.