ART Journal

READ & DRAW

This Read and Draw activity will be implemented for Grade 5 and two books will
be used for this activity.
1) One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
2) Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson

I chose these 2 books because they highlight the Loggerhead Turtle which is the
largest hard shelled marine turtle in the world and because this species is
considered Threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act.

The purpose of this activity is two fold: 1) Listen with purpose to the read aloud
and contribute to class discussions through their representations of ART 2) Identify
local examples of Canadian Species at Risk and learn to become an environmental
steward that makes positive change.

One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies tells the growth story of a baby Loggerhead
turtle - what habitats are essentially for the turtle as it grows and develops, what

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food the turtle eats as it matures, the age of maturity with a focus on the females
reproductive goal to lay eggs and increase the natural population, and the human
and natural threats the turtle faces during its lifetime.

Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson tells the
story of girl named Vivienne who moves to a town in South Carolina. On the first
day at her new school Vivienne’s teacher asks the class to find a Community Action
Project that they can all solve together. Vivienne learns that the beaches in her
community are Loggerhead turtle nesting sites and she discovers that the lights
from the Beach houses threaten the survival of baby turtles. She and her
classmates develop a solution to this problem and the whole community gets
involved to make changes to protect the local Loggerhead turtle population. This
book clearly outlines the steps for a Community Action Project - 1) Identify a
problem, 2) Plan and gather information, 3) Take Action, 4) Tell the Story - show
how to make a difference, and 5) Reflect - what did you do and what can you do
next. The book also discusses the human made issues that threaten the
Loggerhead turtle population (house lights on the beach and plastic found in turtle
habitats).

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This lesson will focus on the following Ontario Language curriculum Grade 5
expectations.
Strand: Oral Communication
Overall Expectation: listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a
variety of situations for a variety of purposes.
Specific Expectation:
Extending Understanding 1.6 extend understanding of oral texts by connecting the
ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts
including print and visual texts; and to the world around them.

Strand: Reading
Overall Expectation: read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary,
graphic and informational texts using a range of strategies to construct meaning.
Specific Expectation:
Demonstrating Understanding 1.4 demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts
by summarizing important ideas and citing important details
Extending Understanding 1.6 extend understanding of texts by connecting the
ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience and insights to other familiar
texts and to the world around them.

Some key points from the Effective Guide to Literacy, Vol.5 that will also be
addressed during this lesson include:
1) Student’s unique identities and diverse experiences can contribute greatly to a
rich learning environment
2) Oral language is the foundation for literacy
3) Literacy skills are transferable to all subject areas
4) Students learn best when they are actively involved in their own learning
5) Reading, writing, talking, listening and thinking, viewing and representing are
inter-related parts of learning literacy
6) Developing critical thinking and critical literacy skills will help students develop
into active and responsible global participants

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 Grade 5 Langauge Lesson Plan

Strand: Oral Communication and Reading

Level: Grade 5
Big Idea/Overarching Question:
How do my everyday choices impact animals and plants?
What Species at Risk are found in my community, my province?
How can I make a difference for Species at Risk?
Minds On:
Read and Draw Activity
Teacher reads the following books:
1) One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies
2) Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson
Students are asked to draw during the read alouds - they are welcome to include
text within their artistic depictions of how they are feeling, what they learn from
the story or creative expressions that are unrelated to the reading.
Sharing Circle
Students share their artistic representations about the story, what they were feeling
or what they created.
Teacher/Student discussion: How does the Read and Draw activity benefit you
during Read Alouds?

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Working On It
Introduce the Species at Risk Act (SARA) which is Canadian legislation that aims to
protect endangered and threatened wildlife species and their habitats.
Introduce students to the following website where they can search for plant and
animal species by province and by status (extinct, endangered, threatened and
special concern)
h t t p s : / / s p e c i e s - r e g i s t r y. c a n a d a . c a / i n d e x - e n . h t m l # / s p e c i e s ?
sortBy=commonNameSort&sortDirection=asc&pageSize=10
Discuss the steps to take for an Action Project (Identify, Plan, Take Action, Tell the
Story and Reflect)
Introduce the following Research Action Project:
1) Identify and research 1 animal or 1 plant species within your province that is
identified as a Species at Risk
2) What is the status of this animal or plant?
3) What is the primary habitat that this animal or plant is found in?
4) Why is habitat protection important for your chosen species?
5) What can you do to help this species? Provide realistic examples and solutions -
How did you take action? How can we all make a difference? What are the next
steps to take?
Your Research project can be presented in any format.
Some ideas are: research paper, google slide presentation, visual poster, website,
blog post, podcast, video, graphic novel, drawings/paintings as an artistic story.
Students can work alone, in pairs or in small groups (up to 4 students). Each
student should equally share, contribute and participate in the research and design
of the project. Students are encouraged to present their projects in class.
Consolidation/Sharing
Read and Draw: students are invited to share the ART they created during this
activity and reflect whether this activity helped them during the Read Aloud.
Students are invited to present their Research Action Project to the class.
Assessment
Student participation will be recorded for the Read and Draw activity - sharing of
their art work will be encouraged but not mandatory. Students will submit their art
work to the teacher.
For the Research Action Project students will be assessed on the 5 steps outlined for
the project as well as for creativity and presentation. The project will be graded
out of 50 marks with emphasis on how the student took action. A grading rubric will
be discussed and provided to each student.
Home Connection
Our daily actions impact animals and plants and their habitats.
Consider how we can change our actions to help Species at Risk and protect their
habitats.

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Benefits of Read & Draw Activity for my grade 5 lesson
This read and Draw activity is an opportunity to foster and build student creativity
in my classroom. It is an opportunity for students to freely express their emotions,
their imagination, their lived experience, and how they see the world. It is an
opportunity for students to respect and learn from each other as they will each
draw and represent something unique. It is an opportunity for students to take
chances and risks through ART and not be constrained by perfectionism. It is an
opportunity for teacher and students to learn that ART is not about skill, it is about
participation.

Areas of literacy covered by Read & Draw Activity in my grade 5 lesson

There are many areas that are covered by this Read and Draw Activity such as:
• Listening to build language and comprehension skills
• Meaning making from texts - applying strategies and skills to determine the
purpose of text, activating student prior knowledge, analyzing the meaning of
text to acquire a deeper understanding
• Critical analysis - texts represent a perspective and they are not neutral. Students
use higher level thinking as they deconstruct the author’s message and recognize
multiple points of view
• Independence in learning and taking responsibility for learning
• Communicating and sharing of student ideas and learning
• Building confidence and willingness to share ideas and learning

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