Drawing Lessons
Choosing a Subject to Draw

The lessons in the Draw Write Now books have the children look at a picture to build their drawing skills, but you can provide real objects to draw, too. Here are some tips for choosing your subjects:

Choose a subject that has concrete shapes and lines, such as a bicycle. The wheels on the bike are circles. The frame and spokes are straight lines.

Show the side or front view. It is easier to draw the front of a face, than it is to draw a face that is partially turned to the left or the right. It is easier to draw a bike that is leaning flat against a wall, than a bike that is standing on the kick-stand.

Keep the images clean -- don't have overlapping subjects or objects. Show a boy with a dog at his side, rather than a boy with a dog sitting on his lap.

Show the complete subject. Draw the entire dog -- head, four legs, tail.

Nurture Creativity

Drawing instruction nurtures creativity when children are given the tools and skills to express their own ideas. Give children plenty of opportunities to draw. The more they draw, the more they will explore their creativity.

"The Little Red Hen in the Garden"
by Kolter, age 5
Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary.
De Smet, South Dakota ~ Mrs. Aughenbaugh Drawing Lesson for Children

Encourage children to use their own ideas in their background drawing. Mrs. Aughenbaugh's class made a book about the Little Red Hen. Each child illustrated a part of the story. Kolter's unique contribution was the Little Red Hen in the garden. The diagonal rows of seedlings, garden sign, blue sky and sun work beautifuly together!

"Batter Up!"
by Tyler, age 5
Drawing Lesson for Children

Tyler made the drawing of the boy as his mother gave instructions. She left to do the breakfast dishes, while he completed his background drawing.

A week or two prior to this, they had read a picture book together. One of the illustrations included a cow, but only the head was shown on the page. Tyler had seen cows before, but he asked, "What is this animal?" When given the answer, he said, "But it doesn't have legs." His mother had him look through the window to the tree growing in the yard. Their conversation went something like this:
"Can you see the top of the tree?"
"No."
"Is the top of the tree there?"
"Yes."
She explained that the page in the book was like a window. The artist knew that cows have legs, but the artist chose to show only the head.

His mom didn't think much more about the conversation until that morning when she returned to the dining table and saw Tyler's background drawing. Tyler had drawn an arm -- an arm without a body -- throwing a ball to the batter. He had made the connection.

"Asian Elephant"
by Dustin, age 7
Drawing Lesson for Childlren

Dustin created this elephant drawing toward the end of the school year, but on the first day of class, Dustin's drawing caused Mrs. Hablitzel to question if he was color blind. His drawing stood out due to his unique color combinations -- a red tree trunk, blue grass. What was going on? As the school year progressed, he developed a distinct style of simple backgrounds with chunks of color. His choice of colors took on an interesting look. His elephant's red sun and yellow sky made his drawing the hottest drawing in the class!

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Poppy drawing lesson from Draw Write Now, Book 4.

"In the seven years these lessons have been part of my curriculum, I have watched my students gain confidence in their drawing skills, enabling them to draw creatively on their own.” — Virginia C., 1 & 2 grade teacher

Drawing Enriches the Curriculum

Drawing enriches the curriculum, giving children practice in managing tasks, noticing details, and developing observational skills. The poppy lesson begins by looking at a flower or a drawing of a flower. The instructor helps the students notice and find the basic shapes and lines, training them to draw what they see. After drawing the flower, the children are encouraged to create their own background.

Managing Tasks

Drawing instruction helps children realize that a visually complex object can be reduced to smaller, more manageable pieces.

The swan lesson, in Draw Write Now, Book 1, may appear difficult at first. The child realizes that they can draw the swan by focusing on the head and neck, before focusing on the body and wings. This approach to problem solving carries over into the rest of the curriculum.

Details

Regular drawing practice helps children notice details. The heron in the Great Blue Heron lesson, Draw Write Now, Book 6, is basically the same form as the swan, it simply has more details. What may appear complex, is simply a task with more details.

Observational Skills

Drawing helps children observe their world. The mud in the heron drawing is a darker brown than the dry ground, and the heron's blue feathers are many shades of blue. Model observational skills -- look for opportunities to point out the color of the evening sky, the unique shape of a leaf, or the pattern on the surface of a pineapple.

Spatial Reasoning

Guide the child who is beginning to draw.

Scale:
"Where should the swan's head be placed on the paper, so there will be enough room for the tail feathers?"

Proportion:
"Compare the size of the heron's head and its body. How much smaller is the head?"

Speaking Skills

Ask a child about their drawing. Drawing provides a topic to focus discussion.

"How many eggs did you add to the nest?"
"Did something happen to make the swan flap its wings?"

Following Directions

Drawing instruction helps build listening-skills:
"Now draw the wing. It curves up and back. It is lower than the swan's head."

Build Vocabulary

Demonstrate the meaning of words as the child draws:
"The swan's eye is in the center of the oval."

Use descriptive words -- horizontal, diagonal, curved, over, and under.

Integrate Drawing Instruction Into the Curriculum

Daily

Marie Hablitzel, who created the Draw Write Now lessons, was a 2nd grade teacher and gave a lesson each morning, lasting about one hour. This was her schedule:

Class Instruction
5 to 10 minutes, 1. Present the Subject
15 minutes, 2. Draw the Subject

Independent Work
15 minutes, 3. Draw the Background
While the children worked independently, Marie helped individual students or talked about the subject being drawn.

Class Instruction
15 minutes, 4. Handwriting Practice

Independent Work
15 to 20 minutes, 5. Color

The coloring time was actually scheduled during centers. The children rotated through the centers right after doing Handwriting Practice.
Group 1 - color the drawings at their desks
Group 2 - writing composition with teacher or aid
Group 3 - reading with teacher or aid
Group 4 - word puzzles


Drawing Lessons Choosing a Subject to Draw The lessons in the Draw Write Now books have the children look at a picture to build their drawing skills, but you can provide real objects to draw, too. Here are some tips for choosing your subjects: Choose a subject that has concrete shapes and lines, such as a bicycle. The wheels on the bike are circles. The frame and spokes are straight lines. Show the side or front view. It is easier to draw the front of a face, than it is to draw a face that is partially turned to the left or the right. It is easier to draw a bike that is leaning flat against a wall, than a bike that is standing on the kick-stand. Keep the images clean -- don't have overlapping subjects or objects. Show a boy with a dog at his side, rather than a boy with a dog sitting on his lap. Show the complete subject. Draw the entire dog -- head, four legs, tail. *Nurture Creativity* Drawing instruction nurtures creativity when children are given the tools and skills to express their own ideas. Give children plenty of opportunities to draw. The more they draw, the more they will explore their creativity. "The Little Red Hen in the Garden" by Kolter, age 5 Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary. De Smet, South Dakota ~ Mrs. Aughenbaugh Encourage children to use their own ideas in their background drawing. Mrs. Aughenbaugh's class made a book about the Little Red Hen. Each child illustrated a part of the story. Kolter's unique contribution was the Little Red Hen in the garden. The diagonal rows of seedlings, garden sign, blue sky and sun work beautifuly together! "Batter Up!" by Tyler, age 5 Tyler made the drawing of the boy as his mother gave instructions. She left to do the breakfast dishes, while he completed his background drawing. A week or two prior to this, they had read a picture book together. One of the illustrations included a cow, but only the head was shown on the page. Tyler had seen cows before, but he asked, "What is this animal?" When given the answer, he said, "But it doesn't have legs." His mother had him look through the window to the tree growing in the yard. Their conversation went something like this: "Can you see the top of the tree?" "No." "Is the top of the tree there?" "Yes." She explained that the page in the book was like a window. The artist knew that cows have legs, but the artist chose to show only the head. His mom didn't think much more about the conversation until that morning when she returned to the dining table and saw Tyler's background drawing. Tyler had drawn an arm -- an arm without a body -- throwing a ball to the batter. He had made the connection. "Asian Elephant" by Dustin, age 7 Dustin created this elephant drawing toward the end of the school year, but on the first day of class, Dustin's drawing caused Mrs. Hablitzel to question if he was color blind. His drawing stood out due to his unique color combinations -- a red tree trunk, blue grass. What was going on? As the school year progressed, he developed a distinct style of simple backgrounds with chunks of color. His choice of colors took on an interesting look. His elephant's red sun and yellow sky made his drawing the hottest drawing in the class!	HOME PAGE DRAW WRITE COLOR UNIT STUDIES SAMPLE LESSONS This site is by the authors of the Draw Write Now series. Our Shop 1. EIGHT BOOKS Draw Write Now 2. HANDWRITING StartWrite Software 3. IN HAND Pencils, Grips 4. PAPER Paper, Workbooks, Puzzles 5. COLOR Crayons, Color Pencils 6. OTHER FAVORITES Wikki, BookZup, Rubber Bands Site Map Contact Us	Poppy drawing lesson from Draw Write Now, Book 4. *"In the seven years these lessons have been part of my curriculum, I have watched my students gain confidence in their drawing skills, enabling them to draw creatively on their own.”* — Virginia C., 1 & 2 grade teacher Drawing Enriches the Curriculum Drawing enriches the curriculum, giving children practice in managing tasks, noticing details, and developing observational skills. The poppy lesson begins by looking at a flower or a drawing of a flower. The instructor helps the students notice and find the basic shapes and lines, training them to draw what they see. After drawing the flower, the children are encouraged to create their own background. Managing Tasks Drawing instruction helps children realize that a visually complex object can be reduced to smaller, more manageable pieces. The swan lesson, in Draw Write Now, Book 1, may appear difficult at first. The child realizes that they can draw the swan by focusing on the head and neck, before focusing on the body and wings. This approach to problem solving carries over into the rest of the curriculum. Details Regular drawing practice helps children notice details. The heron in the Great Blue Heron lesson, Draw Write Now, Book 6, is basically the same form as the swan, it simply has more details. What may appear complex, is simply a task with more details. Observational Skills Drawing helps children observe their world. The mud in the heron drawing is a darker brown than the dry ground, and the heron's blue feathers are many shades of blue. Model observational skills -- look for opportunities to point out the color of the evening sky, the unique shape of a leaf, or the pattern on the surface of a pineapple. Spatial Reasoning Guide the child who is beginning to draw. Scale: "Where should the swan's head be placed on the paper, so there will be enough room for the tail feathers?" Proportion: "Compare the size of the heron's head and its body. How much smaller is the head?" Speaking Skills Ask a child about their drawing. Drawing provides a topic to focus discussion. "How many eggs did you add to the nest?" "Did something happen to make the swan flap its wings?" Following Directions Drawing instruction helps build listening-skills: "Now draw the wing. It curves up and back. It is lower than the swan's head." Build Vocabulary Demonstrate the meaning of words as the child draws: "The swan's eye is in the center of the oval." Use descriptive words -- horizontal, diagonal, curved, over, and under.
*Integrate Drawing Instruction Into the Curriculum*
Daily Marie Hablitzel, who created the Draw Write Now lessons, was a 2nd grade teacher and gave a lesson each morning, lasting about one hour. This was her schedule: Class Instruction 5 to 10 minutes, 1. Present the Subject 15 minutes, 2. Draw the Subject Independent Work 15 minutes, 3. Draw the Background While the children worked independently, Marie helped individual students or talked about the subject being drawn. Class Instruction 15 minutes, 4. Handwriting Practice Independent Work 15 to 20 minutes, 5. Color The coloring time was actually scheduled during centers. The children rotated through the centers right after doing Handwriting Practice. Group 1 - color the drawings at their desks Group 2 - writing composition with teacher or aid Group 3 - reading with teacher or aid Group 4 - word puzzles	.	Weekly Some teachers integrate the lessons into their curriculum by breaking the lesson into fifteen minute segments, Monday through Friday. Monday 15 minutes, 1. Present the Subject Tuesday 15 minutes, 2. Draw the Subject Wednesday 15 minutes, 3. Draw the Background Thursday 15 minutes, 4. Write or Talk About the Drawing Friday 15 minutes, 5. Color the Drawing Draw Write Now, Books 1 - 8 include step-by-step drawing instruction and short sentences for writing practice. In addition, each book is a complete unit study for exploring history, geography, science, and social studies. The lessons are flexible and easy enough for children to use independently or as a fun family activity. The series has received numerous awards for its value in the home as well as in the classroom.