2nd Grade Geometric Shape – Lesson Plan

Project – Castle and Sun
Artist   – Paul Klee

 

Materials:

• Black Construction Paper, 9×12 in size
• Geometric shape templates (circles, squares, rectangles and triangles)
• Construction paper crayons in various colors including white

Set Up:

1. Each student should receive the following:
   • 1 piece of black construction paper, 9×12 in size
   • 1 white construction paper crayon
2. Each table should receive the following: 
   • Bowl of construction paper crayons in various colors
     
   • Geometric Shape Templates – squares, triangles, circles and rectangles.

Discussion:

Discuss the art concept of Shape (see Shape Discussion Notes). 

Discuss the Artist Paul Klee (see Paul Klee Bio piece). Paul Klee had was artist that said, “A line is a dot that went for a walk”.  Last month we discussed Line.  Discuss how the concepts of Line and Shape are related.  We use Lines to draw the contour lines of shapes.  Paul Klee’s later works incorporated the use of geometric shapes as well as letters, numbers and arrows.  They were often painted using a variety of color palettes – from nearly monochromatic (one color in different shades and tints) to highly polychromatic (many colors).  His works have been associated with a variety of art movements, including Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism.

The kids will be replicating Klee’s Castle and Sun (see Castle and Sun samples).  A color copy of this piece is provided for you to show your students, along with a few other works of Klee’s.

Class Time:

• Tell your students that they will be creating a block-like castle – similar to what they may have built with actual, wooden blocks when they were younger.  This castle, however, will be flat. 

SUGGESTION – Bring in some wooden blocks from home, if you have them, and construct a small castle of your own prior to class.  Display this on the front table for the kids to look at, in addition to the project samples.

• Have students put their names on the back of their black paper.
• Starting from the bottom of the paper, trace the “base” of the castle using the white construction crayon. 
• Moving upward, continue tracing a variety of shapes to form a castle – creating pointed towers, possibly bridges, windows, etc.
• Trace a circle in the sky for the “sun”.
• Color in all the different shapes using a variety of colors, as Klee did in his artwork.
• Mount on color paper