STEAM Sub Plan - Symmetry in Nature: Bugs Edition

Exploring Symmetry Through Creative Insect Drawings

This lesson, from Cool Classroom Stuff, is both versatile and engaging. It may be used as a STEAM activity; art sub lesson; or learning center activity. 

Symmetry in Nature: Bug Edition

Students look at illustrations of symmetrical insects from art history as the teacher reads the script. Examples of student work and templates of bug shapes are provided. Print out the templates you wish to use, along with simple materials, and you have it covered.

This lesson plan is fully scripted, making it easy to implement in any setting.  Whether you're a seasoned teacher or a substitute, you'll find this lesson plan straightforward and effective.

This lesson plan is not just about drawing; it's about understanding the beauty and importance of symmetry in both nature and art.  By engaging in these activities, students will develop their artistic skills, enhance their understanding of symmetry and enjoy a hands-on learning experience.

You can find this lesson at the TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff.

Insect Mandala - STEAM/STEM - Art Sub Lessons

Art Sub Lesson Plans for STEAM | Art and Math

Cool Classroom Stuff’s TPT shop has an art activity that could be used with an art sub, a center, or an early finisher activity. This could be used by elementary, middle, or high school students.  Create Insect Designs with Radial Symmetry - STEM/STEAM

This activity may be set up as a classroom learning center; an activity for early finishers; or as a teacher or sub led lesson.

This PowerPoint includes:

-Four drawing templates featuring spacing guidelines and lightly drawn insects. (Butterflies, spiders, crickets, and bees.)

-One drawing template featuring spacing guidelines without insects so that students may draw their own insects.

-Five sample drawings, showing a variety of media. They may be hung in the class as visuals for a lesson or hung in a learning center. 

-One sheet with a composite of the sample drawings that may be hung in a learning center.

-One sheet of sample ways to divide a circle into a design of radial symmetry.

-Three sheets that include information about radial symmetry and directions on how to do the design.

The designs may be created with pen, crayon or marker.

STEAM Art Sub Lesson with Insects

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind. All of the directions have been included for their ease of use. There are multiple ways to use it. It may be printed out so that the sub may present it up close on paper or shown as a PowerPoint presentation.
It integrates science with art in an “ugly bug ball.” Including art history rounds this out even more!

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The lesson begins with a discussion about masterpieces featuring insects by the artists Balthasar van der Ast, Nicolaes de Bruyn and then William Heath-Robinson. The lesson then leads the students to creating an imaginary scene of insects at a party. Each slide includes questions and statements for the students to think about including in their drawing.

I have taught this lesson to all levels, K through Fifth. My subs who have used this lesson have left feedback that they and the students thoroughly enjoyed the lesson.

I hope that this will be a well loved lesson for you and your students and that it helps you when you are in need of a sub lesson. 

The materials needed for this lesson are the most simple: paper, pencils and crayons or markers. Here's what another buyer had so say about that: "Great lesson to leave for a sub as everything needed was included and the prep was minimal and used things commonly found in the art room. "

Here's a comment from a buyer:  "The kids produced wonderful drawings and images. The sub used the plans for my intermediate groups grades 3-5 and she loved working with the kids as the plans were so meticulously laid out!"

You may find this lesson here:  TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons

Bugs and Insects - STEAM Art Sub Plans

Bugs and Insects - STEAM Art Sub Lessons

Now that spring is here, people are interested in nature art lessons. Here are some related to bugs and insects.

Here is one on TPT that was written easy enough to be taught by anyone; art teacher, sub, classroom teacher, or random person off the street.  Ugly Bug Ball

This one is also on TPT.  It could also be taught by anyone. A multipurpose lesson, it could be used as a center activity, an early finishers activity, or an art sub lesson.  Create Insect Designs with Radial Symmetry - STEM/STEAM

This is a coloring/doodle/patterned Monarch Butterfly activity on TPT.

The images in this blog post are great.  As an upper elementart art sub lesson, you could do some step by steps of how to draw a simple insect and add a pattern chart.  Kids could do some beautiful drawings with crayons or markers. This is over at Laura Kelly's blog, Me and My Inklings.

Here's another good one with lots of visuals and instructions.  Still, for a sub, you might want to add a few more step by step visuals unless you have a person who is comfortable doing simple shape drawings.  I would also keep the lesson to just crayons or markers.  It is a nice lesson.  Visit the Laugh Paint Create blog.

KinderArt, always a good place to check out lessons, has a lesson called Bug In A Jar. It was written for middle school art, but could be adapted,  I'm sure.

Crayola is always a good place to get ideas. Often there are plans on their site  you could use as well. This one would need more detailed directions for a sub, but you could write up some step by step ones that would work with this. Crayola

Art Sub Lesson for Kindergarten - Bugtown Boogie

Kindergarten Art Sub Lesson for Bugtown Boogie

You should check out this art lesson.  When I first saw it, I missed that a good chunk of the lesson was lower down on the page, so don’t overlook this. There are a good number of instructions down there.

This sweet lesson was inspired by the book, Bugtown Boogie, by Warren Hanson. 

If you’d like to check out this book, you can find it performed on YouTube here:  Bugtown Boogie

The version of the lesson that this Mom uses with her son involves rolling a dice to choose bug body parts. You can find this lesson at:  Deceptively Educational.

This reminds me a lot of my sub plan, Ugly Bug Ball. 

If you’d like a fun elementary art lesson about bugs, that’s all ready to hand to a sub, check that one out at my TPT shop. It’s no prep; fully scripted, and full of visuals. It would work best for 2nd grade through 5th grade.

Here's another primary lesson you might like at my TeachersPayTeachers shop.

How to Draw and Paint a Pattern Beetle

Video Art Sub Plan

This cute insect and pattern lesson can be found on YouTube here:  How to Draw and Paint a Pattern Beetle. It is on the channel "Artventure."

I think I may try a version of this for my next sub's lesson.  I would burn the video to DVD so it can be played on the DVD player.  (I'll write a post this weekend on how to do this.)  The sub would play the video the whole way through. Then, for the drawing part, the students would work along as the sub played the video bit by bit.

I would make it a crayon or marker lesson unless I knew the sub could deal with block tempera for the resist.

Ugly Bug Ball - Art Sub Lesson

Ugly Bug Ball Elementary Art Lesson for Subs

I came up with this elementary art sub lesson during my sick leave after knee surgery.  Unfortunately, my first few days at work were too taxing to teach my regular curriculum, and I had to teach this sub lesson to a few classes.  All levels seemed happy to do it though.

Many grades in the spring are studying insects, so this is a natural tie-in to their curriculum.

If you go to my blog for art room videos, and search for "ant" or "insect" you will find lots of videos that you can tie into this lesson.

The main idea for the lesson is from this video, "Ugly Bug Ball."  Since it is a Disney video, I suppose they could take it down at any time.  You can do a web search for it if it isn't on YouTube anymore.  The video has Burl Ives singing this sweet song about the ugly bug ball and then ends up showing animation of said ball.  The kids loved it!

After watching the video, we talked about the things that you might find at an ugly bug party.  What kinds of bugs?  What would they be doing?  How would they be dressed for the party?

Materials:
black pens
markers or crayons
12 x 18 white paper

The kids drew the bugs, trying to include the body parts they had learned about.  They dressed them all in party attire and with the proper surroundings.

When they were done, I collected the papers and showed them to the class.  (We always clap after each work is shown.)

If there is time left at the end of that, the sub may show the other videos on insects.

If you would like a fully written version of this lesson, ready for a sub to pick up and teach, you may purchase my plan at this link:  TeachersPayTeachers.    The materials are the simplest:  pen or pencil, marker or crayon, paper.  It would be perfect for an emergency art lesson or just a regular art lesson.