I.

OVERVIEW

LESSON TITLE: Flying High With Dragons!

LESSON SUMMARY:
In this lesson, students will explore mythology and Western and Eastern depictions of dragons to
create their very own dragon compositions. Inspired by the artist, Jennifer Neondragon Peffer;
Students will use black crayon watercolor paint, geometric shapes, and organic shapes to create
their pieces. This assignment will be completed in time for Chinese Dragon Festival at the end of
March.
TEACHER(S) NAME: Rachel Bouton and Arielle Fouks
GRADE LEVEL: 3rd Grade
CLASS NAME: Visual Art
CLASS SIZE: 20-25
CLASS TIME/DATE: 45 Minutes 6 Day Schedule 3 Day Lesson
A. BIG IDEA:
Mythology
B. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:

 Mythology is the study of folklore and other stories that define a culture or group
of people. It has been the subject of countless works of art, both contemporary and
historical. Myths and legends are still an active part of many cultures today, including
Japan and China. They heavily influenced ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece,
and the Roman Empire. The exploration of mythology in art can reveal a lot about the
beliefs of the artist, and their interpretation of these legendary figures/creatures.
C. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What is mythology?
What are Chinese characters?
What is a tradition?
How can artmaking traditions affect our art?
D. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After discussion with the Cooperating teacher, it was learnt that students have
used watercolor paint in previous projects. As such it is assumed that they will have
experience with the material, and that only a brief reintroduction to the medium will be
needed. Due to their prior knowledge a demonstration will be given, but it will not be too
detailed. Students will also have previous knowledge as to what a dragon is due to current
popular medias. It is assumed that most students will be unaware of Chinese characters;
they will be instructed on how to properly copy the symbols. This knowledge will further
their to grasp and reproduce small details, as well as improve their control of their
pencils. It will also introduce students to a new forms of communication. Students are
expected to behave on a level on par with third graders; they will be expected to complete
the assignments in an orderly and timely fashion. Students will quietly enter the
classroom and go to their previously assigned seats. They will await instructions, and
have a single representative from each table gather and return supplies. Students will wait
at their desks until they are dismissed to line up at the side of the classroom, until their
primary teacher has arrived to collect them.
E. MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT, ROOM ARRANGEMENT
1. MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT:
Projector/Projector screen
Pencils and erasers
Watercolor paint
Paint brushes
12x14 paper
Black Crayon
Black Sharpie
2. ROOM ARRANGEMENT:

 The room will be arranged with six tables each corresponding to a

color on the color wheel, with 5-6 students at each table. Each table will have a
supervisor who will assist the teacher in handing out supplies.
F. VOCABULARY and REFERENCES/SOURCES
1. VOCABULARY:
a. Dragon Dance- A traditional Chinese dance performed during the
Chinese New Year. The dragon is a symbol of China, and is believed to produce
good luck.
b. Mythology- An old story typically involving supernatural beings or
elements.
c. Tradition- The passing of customs or belief from generation to
generation.
d. Geometric Shapes- A two dimensional shape that is man made,
mechanical, or mathematically created.
e. Organic Shape-A two dimensional form that is free flowing and
unpredictable.
2. REFERENCES/SOURCES:
Jennifer Neondragon Peffer
http://neondragon.deviantart.com
Various example pages from Dragonart Evolution:
How to Draw Everything Dragon by Jennifer Neondragon Peffer. ISBN
978-1440302527.
Various example pages from Dragonart: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy
Creatures by Jennifer Neondragon Peffer:

3/25/10. Photoshop digital painting.

Frost Dragon


Tidecaller 3/5/09.
Photoshop digital painting.
Include a small digital image of the selected artist
and example of her/his artwork. Include the title, date, medium, subject,
meaning/concept, etc.
Chinese Dragon Parade

Chinese Dragon Costume

Ni-Hao Kai-Lan! Kai-Lan

and Friends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WUnWPpRslM
Childrens Cartoons

Long (Dragon Form)

Dragontales Cast

American Dragon Jake Long Jake

How To Train Your Dragon Movie

Poster

Shrek Dragon

Pokemon Dragon-type Pokemon

Yu-Gi-Oh! Red-Eyes
Black Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon
Other Sources:
http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/articles/mythology_folklore/chi
nese_dragons.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_dragon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dragons_in_mythology_and_
folklore
A. STANDARDS:
NJ Art:
1.3.5.D.2 - Identify common and distinctive characteristics of artworks from
diverse cultural and historical eras of visual art using age-appropriate stylistic
terminology (e.g., cubist, surreal, optic, impressionistic), and experiment with various
compositional approaches influenced by these styles.
This lesson is based in Chinese culture and tradition contrasted
with Western beliefs. We asked students to think about and reflect upon those
ideas and how they could implement them in their designs
1.4.5.A.2 - Make informed aesthetic responses to artworks based on structural
arrangement and personal, cultural, and historical points of view.
Students are asked to create their dragon designs based on those of
Chinese or Western culture, but to also include their own personal touches. They
were provided with information on the difference in the roles of dragons in
Eastern and Western culture, and asked to let that information influence their
decision on what type of dragon to make.
NJ Non-Art:

 Social Studies 6.1.4.D.19: Explain how experiences and events may be

interpreted differently by people with different cultural or individual perspectives.
Dragons from Eastern and Western cultures differ so much because
of the beliefs of the people from those regions.
B. OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to...
Students will demonstrate an understanding of watercolor through application of
paint to their dragon designs. (Technical)
Students will show an ability to recognize geometric shapes through combining of
at least three separate shapes in a preliminary worksheet and final sketch. (Technical)
Students will construct their dragon in a singular style of either Eastern, Western,
or animal based dragon designs. (Conceptual)
Students will analyze, identify, and critique the influences in Jennifer
Neondragon Peffers artwork through class wide discussion. (Contextual)
III. LEARNING EXPERIENCE
A. INTRODUCTION: (Motivational Dialogue)

DAY 1
Introduction:
Introduce self to class (2 min)
Who are we- Hello my name is Ms. Fouks/Ms. Bouton
Why are we here- We are from the College of New Jersey, we are
learning how to become art teachers etc.
Favorite medium to work in
One interesting fact about yourself
What is mythology PPT (5 min) -Visual & Auditory
Gather student definition of mythology by calling on selected
students- Has anyone heard of mythology before? Do you know what a myth is?
Provide technical definition of mythology
Ask students to provide examples of mythological creatures- Can
anyone give me an example of what a myth is? What made this story a myth?
What kinds of mythical creatures were in the story?
Introduce dragons
Chinas Dragon Dance-Video clip
Examples of modern dragon interpretation-East/West/Animal
inspired
Introduce the artworks of Jennifer Peffer- What kind of animal
does this dragon look like? How many feet does this dragon have? Does this
dragon have wings? etc.
B. SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZER
DAY 1 (continued from intro above)

 Unveil posters-explain that simple shapes will be used to create dragons, LARGE
touch three sides of the paper, they have creative freedom (2 min) -Visual
Teacher led demonstration on whiteout board, begin with forming the head of the
dragon move onto/select body type (3 min) -Auditory & Visual
Complete worksheet (7 min) -Linguistic & Tactile
Begin Sketches (15 Min) -Tactile
Conclusion:
Ask for volunteers to explain the design of their dragon, and show how far along
in the process that have gone. (3 min)
Clean up: place pencils back in the correct bin and stack worksheets and papers in
the center of the table. (2 min)
Line up at the wall of the room quietly/single file for their retrieving teacher.
DAY 2
Watercolor, paint brushes, and water containers will be prepped before the
beginning of class
Introduction:
Video of Chinese New Year dance will be introduced (2 min) Visual & Auditory
Brief reminder/class discussion of the various dragon body types (2 min)
-Auditory
Artmaking Activity:
Brief demonstration of proper watercolor application and technique, as students
have used this medium in the past (3 min) Visual & Auditory
Saturation will affect the appearance of the watercolor
More water makes the color lighter, less water
makes the color darker
Return students worksheet and sketches (1 min)
Students will resume working in pencil (10 min) -Tactile
Once sketches are completed, students will trace all pencil lines with black crayon
(5-7 min) Tactile
Students will begin to apply paint (15 min) -Tactile
Students do not need to finish painting, they will have time in the
next class period
Conclusion:
Students will be expected to clean their brushes, and return all supplies to their
proper locations. (5-7 min)
If time permits students will be allowed to show classmates their works
progression.
C. CLOSURE/CULMINATING EXPERIENCE (Sharing & Reflecting)
DAY 3 (last day of lesson)
Introduction:
Students will gather on the carpet instead of their assigned seats

 Introduce students to Chinese characters (2 min)-Auditory/Visual

Ancient Chinese emojis
Demonstration on the proper way to construct Chinese characters (5 min)Auditory/Visual
3 examples of separate characters
Dismiss students in small groups to their seats
Return student work
Art Making Activity:
Call representatives from all tables to gather supplies (2 min)
Watercolor paint
Brushes
Water bins
Chinese character worksheets
Once students have completed painting the interior of the dragon they may begin
selecting characters; minimum of one character needed (15-20)-Tactile
Characters will be drawn in pencil, then after brief consultation they will be given
sharpie to go over the character
Limited characters, flexibility in naming the dragon is necessary on
the student's part
Assisting certain students in construction of characters
Once characters are completed they may paint the background a single color they
did not already use in the body of the dragon (5 min)-Tactile
Students who completed the assignment early were allowed to free
draw or read quietly on the carpet
Some students who took longer painting were told to focus on the
dragon and character creation. The background completion was not a necessary
component of the lesson.
Conclusion:
Students placed finished work on the drying rack after presenting them to either
student teacher
Clean up (3 min)
Students are asked a series of closing questions: (5 min)-Auditory
Who remembers what mythology is?
What did the Chinese believe the dragon dance meant?
What character did you use to name your dragon?
What powers did your dragon have?
What style was your dragon designed in?
D. ADAPTATIONS/MODIFICATIONS

For students with visual impairments/blindness, one modification may be to

switch to 3D material and have them create a sculptural representation of an Eastern or
Western dragon. The two types of dragons have distinctly different body types, so these
students would get the same options as their sighted peers.

 For auditory learners, perhaps playing traditional Chinese music typically heard at
New Year's celebrations might inspire them.
If the student is having a really hard time writing the Chinese characters, there are
websites that exist that can show the stroke order for the character step by step, which
could help them break the character down into a simpler approach

IV. LESSON ANALYSIS

A. STUDENT ASSESSMENT
1. Pre-Assessment: Student knowledge of mythology will be deduced through a class discussion, and
introductory powerpoint.
2. Formative Assessment: Students will complete a worksheet, with specific questions pertaining to the
design process as well as a preliminary sketch.

How many legs will your dragon have?

Will your dragon have wings?
Is your dragon from the East/West/Animals based (circle one)
What are your dragons powers?
Use the area below to sketch your dragon
3. Summative Assessment:

Criteria/Objective

Exemplary (A)
(or point system10 points)

Good (B)
(or 9 points)

Satisfactory (C)
(or 8 points)

Students will
demonstrate an
understanding of
WATERCOLOR
through
application of
paint to their
dragon designs.

Color is fully saturated Shapes

are carefully filled in
completely and neatly with
paint.

Color is applied.
Most shapes are
filled in
completely with
paint.

Color is not
saturated.
Certain shapes
are and filled
in with paint.

The student's work reflects the

various dragon composition
styles presented. The design is
innovative and creative,
echoing the various cultural

The student
presents less than 2
composition styles.
The design is
original and reflects

The student will

examine
MYTHOLOGY
by designing a
dragon.

The students
dragon
represented a
singular
composition

traditions explored.

various cultural
explorations.

style. The design

reflects a single
culture.

The Student will

analyze Jennifer
Peffers work
and what
influences her
designs.

The student actively

participated during discussions
in class. The student
demonstrated firm knowledge
about cultural traditions and
Jennifer Peffer S/he raised
hand to contribute insightful
knowledge.

The Student
participated during
class discussion.
The student
demonstrated
knowledge about
cultural traditions
and Jennifer Peffer .

The student
demonstrated
some knowledge
about identity
cultural
traditions When
prompted s/he
contributed.

Students will
show an ability
to recognize
GEOMETRIC
SHAPE through
combining at
least three
separate shapes

The student successfully used

3 different types of geometric
shapes in a manner that
created a complex dragon.

The student
successfully used 2
different types of
geometric shapes to
create a dragon
composition.

The student
successfully
used 1 type of
geometric shape
to create a basic
composition.

Student has selected a

Western, Eastern, or animal
based style.

More than one style No clear style is

has been used in
present
design

All lines are carefully traced

with marker in the final
artwork. Shapes are carefully
outlined and filled in
completely and neatly with
paint.

Most lines are

traced with marker.
Shapes are fully
filled with paint.

Students will
construct their
dragon in a
SINGULAR
STYLE
Craftsmanship

Total Points or
Grade:
Teacher
Comments:

Some lines are

traced with
maker. Most
shapes are filled
with paint.

V. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
A. TEACHER EXEMPLAR:

Kind Wind Dragon. Rachel Bouton. 02/06/16. 18x24

inches. Pencil, ink, watercolor paint.

Traditionally, Chinese dragons are more serpentine and

benevolent in nature than their Western lizard-like and destructive brethren,
and commonly have long whiskers and fur, so I tried to incorporate these
traditional elements in my dragon design. The Chinese characters mean kind
and wind, emphasising the gentle nature my dragon has and its relation to
the 4 elements that Eastern dragons are generally related to.
Reflections:
Rachel: I was really scared at first that this lesson would be too complicated for the students. I
wasnt particularly worried about them being interested in the subject matter, just that the work
that was involved might prove too much for them. I am so glad I was proven wrong. The
students did a great job. We decided to break down the dragons into simple shapes on the large
papers we hung in the front of the class so that students could see that even the most complicated
of forms can be broken down into something simpler. This helped the students a lot and could

easily be seen in many of their designs. Showing them how to break down the Chinese characters
was also a good decision, as many of them were having a hard time trying to figure out how to
copy them. Overall, I was very pleased with both the behavior of the students and their resulting
works. It was amazing to see how talented these students were, and how creative they were with
their dragons names, designs, and powers. They were very excited to create their own dragons
and tell the stories they made to go along with them. There was one particular student I took note
of during this lesson, because she was very excited and made a very well drawn dragon. Turns
out, she was Chinese and was really excited we were doing something that involved her own
culture! She didnt even need the reference sheet when she named her dragon! If there was
something I could change, there would be two things. One, I feel like the students could have
been given another day to paint. It would have given them the time to do more detailed work and
not rush, as some were rushing to finish in the last ten minutes of the last day. Two, there were
times where the instructions I gave conflicted with the instructions Arielle gave, which confused
some of the students. For example, some finished with some time left to spare. I tried to give
them free draw paper, and Arielle told them they could do a background with a single color, even
though we initially decided we werent going to let them do that. Eventually I started telling
students they could do a background with one color, but some of them just did a background
with multiple colors and I realized it far too late to stop them. Regardless, the dragons still came
out very well! It was really wonderful to see how involved the students were, and we were really
happy when we heard that the other grade levels were getting jealous of our third graders and
wanted to make dragons too. I definitely think this is a lesson that could be done with any grade
level and still go very well. Id be excited to see the differences.
Arielle: When beginning this lesson plan I was initially worried that students would be unable to
create the complex design of the dragon. This is why we decided to break down the form making
aspect into simple geometric shapes; an element that the students would have already had
experience working with making the more comfortable with the new assignment. I believe that
this decision was key to the success of the lesson, and is what allowed the students to create such
intricate designs. When this lesson was initially presented we struggled with the technology that
the school provided, as a result some of our PowerPoint was presented on my laptop which is a
fairly small screen. I could see that the classes that had the information presented to them on a
larger screen became more involved in the project making and the PowerPoint i than the class
that had been presented with on the smaller screen. To me this was a moment of learning as I
experienced how much the initial hook of a lesson can draw a child in. Another aspect of this
lesson that surprised me was the differing abilities of the student body. The lesson was created
for third graders however; I was able to see that some students were more mature than typical
third graders whilst others still had a second grade mentality. The more mature students seemed
to have better control of their hand and eye coordination and as a result were able to create pieces
that were more detailed than that of their classmates. This moment showed me how much an

assignment might be altered within a singular classroom in order to cater to individual student
needs. A project can be altered not only for those who have learning impairment but for those
who are gifted and talented as well (which is a topic we went over as a class in our differing
needs presentations). An aspect that I would consider changing about this project is how we
handled the painting/color application. If I were to use this lesson again I would add another day
(this was not possible given our time constraints), and go over complimentary colors as well as
value. We briefly went over the idea of value with the students, in terms of adding and
subtracting water to the color and how this affects the saturation of color. We were limited to a
three day lesson and such focused more on the creation of form than the color combinations. We
limited students to three colors for the inside of their dragons. Students were able to choose any
colors they desired, and as a result some choose colors that when placed next to each other
combined to form a brownish color. I believe that the mudding of some colors may have been
prevented if we had presented the students with more information pertaining to color theory.
Over all I was pleasantly surprised with the level of intricacy and details occurring in the student
work. Occurring to our cooperating teacher not only were the third graders very excited to be
creating dragons, but older grades wanted to participate as well. I believe that this lesson could
be altered to be compatible with older grade levels.