This is a lesson for fifth grade students and is designed to be taught collaboratively between the school library media specialist, the art teacher, and the fifth grade teacher. The lesson will be built around content that corresponds with the fifth grade Social Studies unit on Japan and the fifth grade Art unit on art forms that utilize unconventional media. The lesson will begin at the library with a showing of a short animated video that is completely comprised of origami, entitled Papiroflexia by Joaquin Baldwin. Students will be given an information problem in which they will be asked to locate library resources to retrieve instructional guides on how to make origami shapes and historical information about the art form. With materials supplied by the art teacher, the students will use the origami instructional guides that they find to make one piece of origami. Students will also work in groups of four to design posters about the history of origami that will be put on display in the school library around the completed artwork.

Instructional Goals:

 

• Students will be able to successfully locate Internet and library resources to complete their research project.
• Students will be able to create a poster about their research project.
• Students will be able to create a hands-on art project.

 

Learning Objectives:

 

• Using the Internet, students will locate two sources that discuss the history of origami, and be able to write three facts about the history of origami.
• Working in groups of four, students will design a poster identifying the three most interesting or important facts they learned about the history of origami.
• Using the library’s collection, students will locate one book that depicts how to make origami shapes.
• Using one book that contains instructions for making origami, each student will create one origami shape with materials provided by the art teacher.

Animated video at

http://www.pixelnitrate.com/papiroflexia-large

visual displays consisting of actual origami shapes and images of origami,

group discussion, brainstorming,

teacher feedback,

Lecture,

Discussion,

Computer,

Elmo Projector,

Internet,

List of Subject Areas,

History Worksheet,

Short Review,

Student Research,

Group Work

Library Resources,

Poster Materials

Assortment of Origami Paper

Group Presentations,

Challenge Activity

Day One:  The SLMS plays a short animated video that is completely comprised of origami shapes.  After the video, the SLMS will discuss with the students what shapes or portions of the video most captured their attention and why.  The SLMS will have many different origami shapes placed around the learning environment, and attempt to have color copies made and displayed of some of the origami based images from the book Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell George.  The SLMS will also generate discussion about the images and pieces of origami placed around the room, asking if any of the students have experience with this art form.

      From there, the SLMS and the fifth grade teacher introduce the concept of origami as an art form that has its origins in Japan.  The SLMS and the fifth grade teacher will then do a brainstorming activity to think about what purpose origami might have served to that specific society.  Their ideas will be written down on a whiteboard as the instructors provide feedback.

      Once this activity is completed, the SLMS begins to introduce the task.  At the end of the task introduction, the SLMS will provide a recap of the learning objectives.

 

Day Two:  SLMS gives a short lesson on how to use the OPAC to locate books in the library and how to use the Internet to locate historical information about origami.  The students will view the interface of the OPAC catalog on a projection screen.  The SLMS will brainstorm ideas on keywords to use in a sample search for a related topic, such as kirigami, and then demonstrate the search.  The SLMS will then lead a group discussion on the pros and cons of searching in this manner.  The same process will be repeated on the Internet using a preselected search engine.  The SLMS will explain that the Internet resource needs to provide instructions on making a simple origami shape.  The class will use the subject of kirigami to again brainstorm what search terms will yield the best results.  At the conclusion of this lesson, students will have received a refresher on how to use OPAC and the Internet to find information on a precise topic.

      The SLMS will then provide the students with a list of different subjects from which they can choose to make an origami shape.  The SLMS will explain that there is at least one book on each subject in the library, but encourages students to share in the event many students choose the same topic.  The SLMS will also provide the students with a history worksheet to complete while they are researching historical information about origami.  The SMLS will explain the components of the history worksheet and how this will help them gather and organize the information needed for their poster project.  The rest of the class period will be devoted to student research.  The SLMS will continually circulate to provide feedback as the students embark on their projects. 

 

Day Three:  The SLMS provides a recap on the entire assignment.  The SLMS then directs the students to continue both their Internet and library research.  Again, the SLMS will provide feedback as the students undergo this process.  When the students have completed their history worksheets, the SLMS and fifth grade teacher will break them into groups of four to start their poster project.  Materials for this project will be provided by the fifth grade teacher and art teacher.  However, the students will also be free to use library resources (i.e. the computer print stations).  

 

Day Four:  The SLMS will provide another overview of the whole project.  Students will resume group work on the poster project.  Once they have completed the poster project, the art teacher will provide some basic instruction on how to fold paper appropriately.  Students will then commence individual work on their selected origami shape.  They will rely on their library book for the instructions on how to make this shape.  Materials will be provided by the art teacher.  The art teacher and SLMS will provide feedback on this process.

 

Day Five:  This project will be spread out over five class periods.  At the end, all students will need to have the history worksheet filled out, and groups will present their poster and individual origami shape to the class.  Students have also been given the opportunity to complete extra credit work by creating a piece of action origami in the form of a jumping frog.  Those students who took part in the extra credit will be invited to participate in a frog jumping contest.  Awards will be decorative origami papers.

 

The SLMS and fifth grade teacher will work collaboratively to provide students with the assistance and observation of two teachers during the poster project portion of the assignment.

The SLMS and art teacher will work collaboratively to provide students with the assistance and observation of two teachers during the creation of the hands on art project.

During the creation of their origami shape, students will be referring to the instructions found in their library book, thereby demonstrating that they found, located and used this source to make origami.

By completing the history worksheet, students will demonstrate that they have written three facts about origami from two Internet sources.

The ability of the students to work in groups will be assessed by the teachers.

The end result of the project will be an oral presentation about the most interesting or important facts the students learned about the history of origami. This will demonstrate the students' comprehension of the task and their ability to use the Internet to find specific information.

SLMS, 5th grade Social Studies teacher, and Art teacher