Description of the Unit –

“Our Eyes” – Students take turns observing each other’s eyes and drawing them.

Activity statement –

This lesson invites students to truly gaze. Students will feel silly at first, sitting face-to-face just staring at one another, and there will be embarrassed giggles all around, but the idea is to prompt students to notice two elements in particular: the shapes they see within the features of the eyes, and the texture of the eyebrows.

I might invite students to think about the kinds of lines, or marks, they may want to make to show shape or texture. I may model dashes, scribbles, stippling and feathering and ask students to think about what they might want to use when showing such things as lashes, lids or eyebrows.

Once they begin to identify these elements they can take turns expressing them as they draw each other’s eyes, rotating partners throughout the class period to get in as many pairs of eyes as they can.

I like to have them share their drawings with the whole class at the end of the period. This gives them an opportunity to delight in the resulting images, as well as notice how different the same pair of eyes turned out by different students.

Goals –

Students should…

Understand: What is meant by looking for shapes when observing an image or thing

How different types of lines can be used to render texture or shape

Know: How to create a simple expression of texture using lines (for the brows, for example)

Be able to: Break down parts of the eyes into basic shapes

Resources and materials –

• A reference sheet or teacher modeling different lines, like scribble, stipple, dash, etc., to help with rendering texture
• Drawing paper
• Colored pencils
• Erasers
• Clipboards, if drawings are not done at tables

Questions –

When you look at your partner’s eyes, what do you notice?

What does each eye contain?

What shape is the iris or pupil?

What shapes could you see using for the eye?

What shapes could you use for an eyebrow?

How can you draw the texture of the brow?

Evaluation –

Did students:

Include all features of the eye (including brows and lashes)?

Understand how to break down the features of each eye into shapes?

Create a sense of texture for the eyebrows?

Informal:

• Group discussions
• Completed drawings of eyes for at least three classmates

• Drawing
• Kindergarten