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Making a Bird’s-Eye View

Grades

This lesson plan was written for grades 6–8.

Objectives

Students will create a bird’s-eye view of their classroom, school, or community.

Materials

Materials needed are:

Procedure

1. Have students access information about the history of Texas bird’s-eye views.

2. Read the explanation about how and why the views were created and discuss the reasons why a bird’s-eye view of the students’ classroom, school, and community might be helpful and to whom. Have students chart their answers on the Bird’s-Eye Views All Around You worksheet.

3. Allow students to explore the bird’s-eye views on the Amon Carter Museum’s Texas Bird’s-Eye Views Web site. Challenge students to look for ways the views could be used and by whom.

4. Read the section “The Artistic Process.” Have students develop an individual plan to collect data for their classroom, school, or community bird’s-eye view.

5. Allow students to choose an audience and create a bird’s-eye view of their classroom, school, or community using the data they have collected.

6. Display the completed views in a gallery, whether it is in the classroom, hallway, or school lobby.

Assessment

Have students answer the following questions for their bird’s-eye views:

TEKS Connections

Social Studies

Language Arts

Art

This lesson plan was created by Wendy Coleman, Fort Worth ISD educator, to accompany the Texas Bird’s-Eye Views Web site produced by the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, and was made possible by a generous grant from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation representing BNSF Railway Company.