Drawing from Description

Engagement

10 minutes

Hold a small, simple object (toy, block, etc.) in your hand or in a bag and explain that you will describe it without showing it.

The students will draw a picture of it in the air (using their finger as a sky-writer) as they hear words that describe it. Use simple descriptions at first so that everyone is successful: “It is round,” “It has four lines,” “It is smaller than my hand,” etc.

Ask the students to be scientists, using the clues to draw the object and think about what it could be.

Let them know they will be doing a drawing activity, and they are only going to get an oral description so they will have to listen carefully!

Exploration

20 minutes

Explain that without looking at a picture, the students will be drawing a creature.

Guide the students through a drawing discovery activity:

Ask everyone to open their science notebook to a clean page. Explain that you will ask students to draw one part at a time of a special creature. The students will have to listen carefully.

Read the drawing directions:

• I have 2 parts. One is big and the other is smaller. They are oval in shape. Draw 2 body parts! (You may provide scaffolding by giving more information—put one oval near the side of your paper, draw another oval so that one side touches the first oval.)
• The small body part has a pair of biting jaws. Draw them. (You can demonstrate with your finger and thumb, moving back and forth.)
• The small body part has 2 pincers. Draw 2 pincers. (You can demonstrate by moving hands and thumbs together, describing the pincers coming out of the small oval.)
• Put tiny bristles on both pincers (little lines).
• The small body part has 4 pairs of walking legs. Draw the 4 pairs of walking legs.
• Each walking leg is armed with claws. Draw claws on each walking leg. (Again, a visual image of fingers shaped to look like claws may be helpful.)
• The large body part has 12 segments. Make 12 segments (lines) on your animal.

Now your creature is complete—does it look like a living animal?

Explanation

10 minutes

Have children pair up and share the animals that they drew in their science notebooks.

Then, show the drawing of the pseudoscorpion (they are less than 1/3 of an inch long).

Read a description of the pseudoscorpion from one of these sources:

Utah State University Extension

Description of pseudoscorpions from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

If you have the book, The Nature of Southeast Alaska, there is a interesting description of the pseudoscorpion!

Elaboration

Give each student a small drawing of a pseudoscorpion that matches the size of the science notebook. Students can glue this in their science notebook next to their own drawing. Have children compare their drawing to the scientist’s drawing. Some students may go on to label each part or write a short description of the pseudoscorpion.

This activity could be repeated with an animal or plant description that is very common to the local area. Students will have the opportunity to continue to practice listening and drawing skills.

Evaluation

Notice children who are able to draw from oral description, and those who may need more experience with the vocabulary that describes a pseudoscorpion.

Extension

Allow children to practice giving clues to others for drawing.