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A Case of Ge-OWL-metry

A Case of Ge-OWL-metry

Students will use a compass and other measurement tools to construct a geometrically inspired owl.
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Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Colored Pencils
  • Compass
  • Construction Paper
  • Construction Paper Crayons
  • Glue Sticks
  • Heavy Paper
  • Paper Scraps
  • Ruler
  • Scissors

Steps

  • Step 1

    Review or introduce students to geometry terms, perhaps through a book such as "You Can Master Geometry Through Stories," by Jenny Kellett. Encourage students to notice terms relating to shapes.

  • Step 2

    Discuss circles using geometric and measurement term. View images of owls and ask the class to evaluate and describe the shape, symmetry, and details and then draw these creatures, using a compass and specific measurements.

  • Step 3

    Have students start by drawing two dots on construction paper, each 2" down from the top left and right side. Connect the dots with a horizontal line, then, find the center of the line and mark it. Using a compass, draw two circles each with a 2" circumference to make the owl's eyes.

  • Step 4

    Draw a 2" vertical line straight down from the center of that horizontal line. Find the center of each of the two circles and draw a diagonal line down to the end of the 2" vertical line to form the owl's beak.

  • Step 5

    Create the rest of the owl using circles or other shapes to form the body. Then have them design a background scene for the owl, perhaps stars in the sky, a tree limb to perch on, and anything else they'd like.

Standards

LA: Develop real and imagined narratives.

MATH: Analyze, compare, create, and compose math ideas using written, oral, and drawn lines, shapes, forms, and patterns.

MATH: Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight.

Adaptations

Read and discuss the poem by Edward Hersey Richards: "A wise old owl lived in an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why can't we all be like that bird?" Can students recall other stories or poems where animals are personified to impart a life-lesson? Students could create their own poem about an animal or a life-lesson.

Follow similar steps to create a different geometry-inspired animal, perhaps as a panda bear, cat, dog, dragon, or fish.

Why is the owl a symbol of wisdom? Students can research Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom and why her symbol is the owl.