Monster Exchange Lesson Plan

(This is a draft –I have not finished it yet). Feel free to edit and make changes. I will add the technology standards later.

Grades 2 and 3.

Overview: Students will draw a monster, then describe the monster in writing, send their description to another class and the other class will try to draw monster based only on the description. Both groups upload the drawings for comparison and revisions after the fact.

• choosing vocabulary that communicates their messages clearly and precisely;

• revising and editing speech and writing

Building Background and Anticipatory set. Read There’s a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer (alternative book: Where the Wild Things Are).

Ask the students who has seen the movie Monsters Inc. [Show the Monsters Inc. trailer clip] Ask students to describe one of the monsters. Practice drawing the monster they describe on the SmartBoard (Allow your drawing to depart from the movie character enough that the students will have to give more specific descriptions). Tell the students about the collaborative project and tell them that they will be working in six groups to draw, then write a description of their monster that others will be able to recreate.

Step 2.

Introduce key vocabulary: long, short, skinny, fat, round, square, curly, straight, spiked, etc. Students, in groups of four will work together to decide what kind of monster they want to draw. Students must take turns and share in the drawing. (For simplicity you may limit the students to three different color crayons).

Step 3.

Refer back to the vocabulary and the writing objective. Have students begin first drafts. Students may choose to outline first. They should collectively come up with a name that fits their monster and agree upon a main idea sentence. Each student will be responsible for writing one of the sentences. Here is an example: My monster is called Jelly Belly. First, he has a blue body that is round like a jelly fish. Next, there are five blue, short, squiggly legs like tentacles underneath. Also, he has three, long, mushroom shaped heads that are red. In each head are three round green eyes. Finally, he has a mouth with sharp, pointed teeth in the middle of his body.