Level I-Art Lesson 7: The Owl From Bali

The lesson is suitable for students in grade 1 through adult.

Art Lesson Description:

The lesson begins with a wood carving of an owl from Bali:

• The carving’s simple lines make the owl easy to draw, and
• The monochromatic wood color is an invitation to explore possibilities for coloring the owl.

Interesting problems for the artist to solve:

• Learning to use contrasting warm and cool colors to make the owl stand out from its background
• Learning to create an interesting pattern of lines that help the owl contrast with its background.

Preview the lesson HERE

This lesson includes both POWERPOINT and VIDEO versions of the lesson plus 2 downloadable printouts: a warmup and a drawing of the owl.

List of Supplies for Each Student:

• 1 copy of the warm-up (it comes with the lesson)
• 1 fine tipped permanent black marker (#ad)
• 1 charcoal white pencil (#ad)
• 1 sheet of black or dark blue construction paper (#ad)  —9” x 12” or 12” x 18”
• Oil pastels (#ad)

Suggestions for Cross-Curricular Connections:

Science: Some resources to help you learn about owls:

• The Owls Don't Give A Hoot (#ad) by Timothy Smith.
• Owls For Kids: A Children's Book About Owls, Owl Facts, Life, and Pictures (#ad) by William Widman.
• Owl Puke, the Book, (#ad) by Jane Hammerslough. Owl pellets, the food chain, and lots of interesting science. For older children.
• Owls, (#ad) by Gail Gibbons. Explore the mysterious world of owls: habitats, life styles, and species.
• Owls, by Sandra Markle. Focuses on some of the hunting skills of owls.
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: pictures of several species of owls and information. Listen to owl calls. 
• Watch videos of owls in the wild and hear their calls.
• Find more books about owls and raptors.
• Do research about owls: Follow the plan here.

Literature:

• Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl, (#ad) by Stacey O'Brien. A scientist adopts an injured owl, cares for it for 19 years, and makes astonishing discoveries about owls.
• Good-Night Owl! (#ad) by Pat Hutchins. A bed-time story with a funny surprise ending.
• In My Tree (#ad) by Sara Gillingham is a story for toddlers, but the artwork will be inspiring for anyone doing this lesson.
• For middle school students: HOOT, by Carl Hiaasen. The Newberry award winning book plunges readers into a touching, funny, ecological mystery.
• Create a mini-unit for Christmas by combining this lesson with The Christmas Owl (#ad)

Geography:

• Learn about the island of Bali and the country of Indonesia at this website.
• Find points of interest that one traveler discovered in Bali.
• Learn about cooking in Bali.

Approximate Lesson Time to Complete the Art Class:

• Warm-up: 20 minutes
• Coloring with oil pastels: 60 minutes
• Total time: 80 minutes