In this lesson, kids explore the many ways that pencils can be expressive! Teachers offer descriptive prompts that make kids aware of the variety of gestural, graphic and compositional choices that they can make with this tool, setting them up to work as self directed experts in their own discovery process.
Take time to listen to your pencils! An audible pencil voice is optional!
Steps Explore & Describe Drawing
Share ideas from your pencil. Choose three ways to describe your pencil’s idea verbally, while you show it in the air. Then have them do it in the air before they draw it on the paper.
Sample Script
Repeat with another line and three different descriptors if needed. Students may spontaneously start talking about what the lines remind them of or make them imagine! Allow some time for that conversation. Try a turn and talk.
Steps Explore & Describe Drawing
Ask kids for an idea that everybody can try. Ask for 2 or 3 specific descriptors. Have the whole class do and draw ideas that their peers’ pencils suggest.
Sample Script
Repeat so that multiple students get a turn and the class can 1) gain confidence trying out their own ideas and 2) practice meeting the challenge of making more specific choices.
Steps Explore & Describe Drawing
While students work, teacher circulate to
Before this activity, assess! Are your students kinesthetic learners? Are they unfamiliar with the descriptive language you want to use in this lesson? If either (or both) are true for your class try this quick pose warm up.
Before this activity, assess! Are your students shy about verbalizing their ideas? Are they Multi Language Learners? If either (or both) are true for your class, watch this video to see how you can invite kids to share their ideas physically and build language by describing what they show you and how to use sound effects to engage kids’ voices.
Kids’ suggestions will move organically from lines into shapes. To go deeper consider…
Take a look at some of the connected activities at the bottom of this page for ideas about reflections and using drawing to create puppets and puppet settings!
Once your students have started using their pencils to make simple puppets and puppet backdrops, it can be helpful to do another Explore & Describe lesson for texture. This lesson will help kids to discover techniques for adding more detail to their work. Consider introducing texture vocabulary beforehand by playing the move and pose game.
Take a look at some of the connected activities at the bottom of this page for ideas about reflections and using drawing to create puppets and puppet settings!
In this activity, the teacher models getting ideas from their magical pencil. The pencil is always very specific and descriptive about exactly how it wants to draw!
How will you model describing what your pencil wants to draw? Use the Describing Tool Drawing with Pencil to find words you will use to describe and prompt drawing.
Guidelines for choosing your descriptive prompts
Choose 3 descriptors for each line or shape.
Check out the Planning and Prep Guide-Explore & Describe Drawing
Watch this video and pay attention to how the child moves their body & their pencil. Notice what part of their body they use and their pressure, speed and energy. Practice describing what you see. For support use the
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 1: How do artists engage their senses?
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 2: How do artists engage with others?
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 3: How do artists use time?
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 4: What is an artists’ process?
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 5: How do artists use their body & space?
Artists might work in ways that are unusual in a school environment. During independent art making time, be curious about how your students choose to work. Watch these videos for ways to support the kids in your classroom as they discover how they work as artists.
Video 6: How do artists at work sound?
