Mirar sitio en español
Share
Lesson Planning in the Context of Projects
Helping Children Sketch and Draw from Observation

Introduction: Sketching and Drawing from Observation in Project Work

A sketch is a quick drawing that shows interesting features of something observed. Drawing, on the other hand, usually refers to a more careful process that includes greater attention to detail. All drawing involves skills, techniques, and tools that are basic to the visual arts, but making sketches or drawings from observation is not necessarily an artistic process. It can also be used to represent data gathered during a study or an investigation. 

Preschoolers are often more comfortable than adults are with representing ideas through drawing. However, young children are likely to have more experience drawing “from imagination” or memory rather than drawing what they see around them. For a preschooler, learning to “draw what you see” can provide important tools for communication, understanding, and documentation. It can be especially useful to those who have not yet learned to write.

Sketching and drawing from observation can be key aspects of fieldwork during a project. Sharing and discussing their own and classmates’ drawings with one another and the teacher may enhance children’s understandings of the topics they are investigating. Sketches and drawings can also become the basis for more complex representations in other media.

For the teacher who uses the Project Approach but must submit lesson plans, sketching and drawing provide a number of pretexts for lesson planning.

Return to Top

Lesson Planning Suggestion: The First Sketches

Preparation

It’s a good idea to give children some practice in sketching and drawing from observation before they start their project fieldwork. Because most preschoolers are not yet able to write, their field sketches and drawings will be an important way for them to document and share their observations.

There is no single “right” way to introduce sketching and drawing from observation. Some teachers like to start by demonstrating exactly what is meant by the term “sketch.” They believe that if the teacher shows them how to sketch, children are likely to better understand what is involved in the process. Other teachers start by setting up the classroom so that, after a few simple directions, the children can begin sketching right away. In other classrooms where children are familiar with drawing, a teacher might simply invite children to join her in drawing an object from observation; she sketches along with them and comments on her own process as she works. This lesson planning aid takes the second approach: the teacher sets out objects, provides basic directions, and lets the children sketch.

When working with 3- and 4-year-olds, it may be best to introduce sketching to small groups of children at a time. For the first sketches, teachers can provide objects that are related to the topic. The objects should have some interesting details but not be very small, very large, or complex. Simple tools, classroom equipment, fruits or vegetables, seeds, leaves, and parts of machines or other large objects are popular choices. Teachers will want to give children a chance to select which objects they would like to draw. It’s best not to use live animals; their movements make sketching difficult.

When planning for the lessons and activities mentioned in this lesson planning aid, teachers should keep in mind that the tools and materials that they provide can affect children’s experiences. Teachers often comment that newsprint paper may be too fragile for use during fieldwork. They also report that offering brightly colored markers or crayons may distract children from focusing on details other than color. Black or dark blue fine-point markers or sturdy soft-lead pencils are preferred over crayons or colorful markers. 

Materials

Procedure

Figure 1Figure 1. Preschoolers sketch from observation during a site visit.Return to Top

Extending the First Experience

Following Up

If some of the children don’t seem to grasp the purpose of sketching after their first experience, you might ask a few of them to watch as you “talk your way” through a sketch: “I’m going to sketch this chair. I’m making my marker sketch what I see. This line is the back of the chair. I can’t see the front, so I won’t sketch that. The chair leg has a bump on it, so I will sketch the bump….” When your sketch is finished, hold it next to the object. Ask the children to take a look at the chair and the sketch. What are some things that they notice? Ask if they see anything about the chair that is not in the drawing. You might also ask, “Did I draw anything that isn’t really there?”

Routines

Language Arts and Literacy Connections

Figure 2Figure 2. A 4-year-old has labeled drawings of a ladybug, ladybug eggs, a larva, and a pupa. She has also arranged them to show the ladybug’s life cycle.

Detailed Drawings from Observation

When the children have some experience sketching, you may want to plan a lesson focused on drawing carefully from observation. As with the sketching, several approaches to the initial lesson are possible. For example, you might set up a table and materials as with the sketching activity, with room for a small group of children around an object related to the project.

Tell the children that people draw slowly and carefully when they want to show as much information (data) as possible about objects they are drawing. After giving them several minutes to draw, invite the children to show their drawings, and ask for comments.

Return to Top

Ideas for Later Activities

Activities related to sketching and drawing can be ideal bases for lesson planning during any phase of a project.

Sketching and Drawing from Observation during Phase 1

During Phase 1, lesson plans might involve giving children opportunities to sketch or draw items that you have brought in to spark initial interest in the project topic. It’s a good idea to encourage them to handle the objects so they can become familiar with textures, patterns, and other details before trying to sketch or draw them. You might plan a simple lesson in which you introduce magnifying tools and invite the children to sketch what they see through a magnifier.

Sketching and Drawing from Observation during Phase 2

Teachers in Project Approach classrooms report that their classes use sketching most often when on site visits during Phase 2 of the project. The teachers note that the children are motivated to sketch in the field by knowing that what they draw will help them in future discussions and will enable them to answer some of their questions related to the project. 

Sketching or drawing during fieldwork can be a basis for lesson planning. You may want to keep in mind that on a site visit, children may feel overwhelmed by trying to include all parts of complex or unfamiliar objects in their sketches. They may have trouble focusing on details if there are many distractions (for example, loud noises). It’s a good idea to take them back for a second visit if possible. Some teachers will videotape a site visit so children can watch it later, pausing the video as needed to finish their sketches and drawings.

Figure 3Figure 3. Children talk with an expert, a piano tuner, during a site visit.Figure 4Figure 4. This boy has sketched the interior of the piano.

“Revisiting” to sketch or draw an object a second time can also be the basis for lesson planning. Invite children to sketch and draw the same objects several times—perhaps over a period of several days. “Time 1,” “Time 2,” and “Time 3” (T1, T2, T3) drawings can show the child’s growing awareness of an object’s features. Encourage children to examine their own T1, T2, and T3 drawings and note how their representations change.

Figure 5Figure 6Figure 7Figures 5-7. These Time-1, Time-2, and Time-3 observational sketches show a preschool child’s growing awareness of detail in the tree. Note that her placement of the limbs and leaves becomes increasingly detailed and accurate.

Children might also photograph something they are studying and then draw it from the photograph. This approach can be especially helpful if they want to draw moving parts or live animals.

Children’s dictations about their sketches or drawings might provide a focus for a teacher-initiated language arts experience during Phase 2.

Figure 8Figure 8. A 4-year-old has made an observational drawing in color of a ladybug and has dictated comments about it to the teacher.

The resulting text can be added to a display of sketches and drawings. Lesson planning during Phase 2 might include showing children how to use sketches and drawings to report to others about what a small group has found out during a site visit.

You might also plan to have children arrange drawings in sequence to show changes in things they have drawn (for example, changes in trees during spring).

Children’s sketches and drawings can also provide a focus for teacher-initiated math experiences. For example, children can refer to their drawings to count how many of various parts an object has (for example, how many lug nuts are on a truck tire or how many lobes on a leaf). They might also make comparisons of quantities or sizes (for example, the number or size of lug nuts on a truck tire compared to those on a car tire).

Sketching and Drawing during Phase 3

In Phase 3, children can use their drawings as the basis for 2- and 3-dimensional representations of what they have done and learned. For example, Figure 9 shows a preschool-age boy visiting an outdoor sculpture to sketch it. Figure 10 shows the same boy creating a 3-dimensional model of the sculpture; he has used the drawing as a guide.

Figure 9Figure 9. A boy examines a large outdoor sculpture for details to include in his field drawing.Figure 10Figure 10. After he returns to school, he uses “boxes and junk” to create a model of the sculpture based on his drawing.

You might want to photocopy a child’s sketch on a transparency sheet then project the image on the wall, so the child can trace it to make a very large version of the original drawing. This activity allows children to elaborate on their original drawings, adding color with paint or crayons.

Another Phase 3 activity that can support lesson planning is “adding to” drawings. Photocopy a child’s drawing and invite him or her to “add to” this copy with crayons, paints, or color pencils. A later lesson could focus on creating a display of the original drawings and the “added-to” versions.

Figure 11Figure 11. A child has added watercolor paint to a photocopy of his self-portrait made at the beginning of the school year.Figure 12Figure 12. This is a significantly more detailed self-portrait made by the same child 6 months later.

The process of making a book of the children’s drawings and sketches may also provide opportunities for lesson planning to address benchmarks in language arts and visual arts.

Other very good suggestions for such activities can be found in books from Reggio Emilia, such as Theater Curtain, Reggio Tutta: A Guide to the City by the Children, and Making Learning Visible.

Return to Top

Documenting What Children Know and Do

Children’s drawings can provide data that teachers can use to plan the next steps for the class and for individuals. For example, in Figure 13, a 3-year-old’s drawing and dictation indicate that he has some knowledge of ladybug body structure (that is, they have antennae.) He seems to misunderstand what antennae do, however; he states that ladybugs “have antennae to eat.” The teacher might want to arrange experiences that will help all the children understand the purpose of the ladybug’s antennae.

Figure 13Figure 13. A 3-year-old has drawn a ladybug and dictated a sentence that shows a mistaken idea about the insect’s antennae.

What a child does during planned class discussions about the drawings can provide a window on his or her ability to move from nonverbal to verbal expression (that is, from drawing to talking about the drawing). A series of sketches or drawings can show changes in a child’s fine motor control or awareness of detail.

Teachers who collect children’s Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 drawings have a ready source of evidence of changes in a child’s understandings of an object or situation over time. The sketches and drawings can also provide evidence of children’s misunderstandings, which can be addressed with future teacher-initiated activities.

Return to Top

Planning to Include Children with Special Needs

Teacher-planned observational sketching and drawing activities can easily include children with special needs. Regardless of a child’s ability to focus on a task or to hold a pencil, the “artistic” quality of a finished sketch is not as important as the child’s process of noticing and recording.

Children who have difficulty with motor control may be able to make field sketches and drawings using the same kinds of assistive or adaptive technology that enables them to write. Use of clipboards usually makes these activities accessible for students with wheelchairs. Some students with walkers or with certain motor control disabilities may work better at a table or while sitting down, instead of using clipboards, however. 

Children who are easily frustrated—including some typically developing children—may benefit from teacher-planned opportunities to trace objects shown in a photograph before trying to draw them freehand.

Children who find it difficult to focus on an activity may be able to participate fully in planned sketching and drawing activities because they can successfully record data in their sketches in a relatively short time. The feedback that they get during conversations with peers about their drawings may also help them to focus longer the next time that they draw.

Children who find expressive language challenging may be able to use drawings to express complex ideas and observations more easily than they can with words.

Return to Top

Planning for Children with Home Languages Other Than English

The teacher can plan ways for children who are not fluent in English to use drawings to record observations and express complex ideas. The children and their classmates can then use the drawings as the basis for conversation. Drawings and sketches help the teacher and classmates to see what the child has noticed or thought about. They also provide contexts for the teacher to provide appropriate vocabulary. In dual language classrooms, conversation about drawings can take place in both languages, helping all the children gain vocabulary and skills in their target languages.

Benchmarks Addressed When Children Draw and Sketch from Observation

Illinois teachers of young children are often asked to include state benchmarks in their lesson planning. The chart below suggests benchmarks that are frequently met through observational sketching and drawing activities in preschool. Other benchmarks may also be addressed.

Benchmark

Benchmark Description

Can be seen when…

Language Arts
1.A.ECa                

Understand that pictures and symbols have meaning and that print carries a message.

…a child discusses sketches or drawings with others.
…a child labels parts of the sketched/drawn object.

Language Arts
3.C.EC               

Use drawing and writing skills to convey meaning and information.

…a child signs his or her name to a drawing/sketch.
…a child includes details that make the sketch or drawing recognizable to others.
…a child uses a sketch or drawing as the basis for conversation with others.

Language Arts
4.A.EC                  

Listen with understanding and respond to directions and conversations.

…a child draws only what she or he sees (following the teacher’s instructions).
…a child pays attention to a classmate’s comments about the drawings.

Language Arts
4.B.EC                  

Communicate needs, ideas, and thoughts.

…a child shares the drawing with others or refers to it when discussing the project topic.

Language Arts
5.A.EC                  

Seek answers to questions through active exploration.

…a child closely examines objects during the sketching/drawing process to address questions related to the project.

Language Arts
5.B.EC                  

Relate prior knowledge to new information.

…a child uses current drawing skills to create new sketches or drawings.

…a child applies information from drawings as the basis for other work (e.g., models, murals).

…a child adds color or other details to a copy of an earlier drawing.

Language Arts
5.C.EC                  

Communicate information with others.

…a child discusses his or her sketches/drawings with classmates.

Mathematics
6.A.ECa                

Use concepts that include number recognition, counting, and one-to-one correspondence.

…a child pays attention to number of parts and pieces of an object being drawn.

Mathematics
6.C.ECb

Connect numbers to quantities they represent using physical models and representations.

…a child represents an object accurately showing a specific number of parts (for example, lug nuts on a wheel).

Mathematics
7.B.EC  

Show understanding of and use comparative words.

…a child depicts objects more or less “to scale” in terms of size, location, etc.

Mathematics
10.A.ECa             

Represent data using concrete objects, pictures, and graphs.

…a child sketches something he or she has seen or observed, providing key details.

Mathematics
10.B.EC                

Gather data about themselves and their surroundings.

…a child uses sketching as a way to record information.

Science
11.A.ECa             

Use senses to explore and observe materials and natural phenomena.

…a child looks at and handles an object while sketching or drawing to find out more about it.

Science
11.A.ECb             

Collect, describe, and record information.

…children draw what they see in order to find answers to questions.

Science
11.B.ECb             

Become familiar with the use of devices incorporating technology.

…a child becomes familiar with properties of various drawing tools (pencil, ballpoint pen, felt tip marker, etc.).

Science
12.C.EC

Make comparisons among objects that have been observed.

…a child looks at and discusses Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 drawings.

…a child notes similarities and differences between the details of his/her drawing and classmates’ drawings of the same object.

Science
13.B.ECb             

Begin to be aware of technology and how it affects their lives.

…a child uses sketching or drawing to show machines, tools, and other aspects of the built environment.

Social Science
14.A.EC

Recognize the reasons for rules.

…a child draws only what he or she sees, in keeping with the goal of representing objects accurately.

Social Science
16.A.EC

Recall information about the immediate past.

…a child refers to a sketch or drawing as a reminder when making a report to the class about his or her fieldwork.

Physical Development and Health
19.B.EC

Coordinate movements to perform complex tasks.

…a child positions herself comfortably and employs eye-hand coordination in order to draw an object.

Physical Development and Health
19.C.EC

Follow simple safety rules while participating in activities.

…a child uses the drawing tools safely.

…while drawing, a child pays attention to safety information provided by adults (“Do not touch”, etc.).

Physical Development and Health
24.A.ECa             

Use appropriate communication skills when expressing needs, wants, and feelings.

…a child explains aspects of a drawing in ways that others can understand.

…a child listens and responds to comments of classmates or others about his/her drawing.

Fine Arts
26.A.ECd             

Visual Arts: Participate in the visual arts.

…a child learns and uses representational drawing skills that are basic to visual arts.

…a child encounters and uses drawing tools (pencil, marker, eraser) that are basic tools of the visual arts.

Fine Arts
26.B.EC

Use creative arts as an avenue for self-expression.

…a child uses his or her drawing as the basis for creating a model, mural, or other expanded representation.

Social/Emotional Development
31.A.ECb             

Exhibit eagerness and curiosity as a learner.

…a child closely and carefully observes objects as he or she sketches and draws them.

Social/Emotional Development
31.A.ECc              

Exhibit persistence and creativity in seeking solutions to problems.

…a child figures out ways to represent complex objects with lines on paper.

Social/Emotional Development
32.A.ECd             

Use the classroom environment purposefully and respectfully.

…a child collaborates with classmates and teacher to create an informative display that incorporates drawings and sketches.

Social/Emotional Development
32.B.ECb

Begin to share materials and experiences and take turns.

…children report to the class about what they observed and drew during their fieldwork.
Figure 14 Figure 14. By drawing a ladybug and its eggs, and by dictating two sentences that explain the drawing, a 4-year-old addresses several Illinois Early Learning Benchmarks. Return to Top

Beyond the Benchmarks: Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

Drawing from observation involves several different kinds of knowledge, skills, and dispositions that may or may not be directly addressed in the benchmarks. For example, when children draw and sketch, they…

When children take part in class discussions about sketches and drawings, they…

At other times during the project, children may…

Teachers or students who are learning to prepare lesson plans may find it helpful to mention some of the above benefits of involving a class in sketching and drawing from observation.

Return to Top

Resources about Sketching and Drawing

Note: Photos and scans courtesy of University Primary School, Champaign, Illinois.

Return to the Lesson Planning Aids main page.