Mix and blend melted crayon colors to create ocean in motion scenes.

• 1.

  Choose Crayola® Crayon colors similar to the hues you have seen in ocean water. Peel the paper wrappers from the bottom of the crayons.

• 2.

  Cover a warming tray with aluminum foil. Turn the tray on to low heat. Select an adult or partner to hold white construction paper on top of the aluminum foil, wearing protective hot pads.

• 3.

  Slowly and gently, draw and swirl the crayon on the paper as the heat melts the wax. Blend colors. Vary shapes and lines. Cover the entire paper.

• 4.

  When finished, remove paper from heat. The picture hardens in a few seconds. When held up to a window, it resembles stained glass.

Standards

• LA: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
• LA: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
• LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• LA: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
• LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace
• VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Adaptations

• Organize a collection of photographs from oceans around the world, during various seasons. Have photos organized in a PowerPoint presentation for students to view as a whole class or in small groups. Encourage students to focus in on the movement of the water, noting the season, weather conditions, lunar position, etc. that would influence the water's movement. Note, as well, the color(s) of the water. What influences the movement? What influences the color of the water?
• Encourage students to create an undersea environment in the classroom. Listen to recordings of surf and whale sounds. Have students analyze how these sounds make them feel. Hang fish next and have student-created ocean life "get caught" in the nets. Collect and display shells. Student-owners identify where these were found.
• Students investigate the lives of large sea animals, such as whales. How large do they grow? What is an average weight? What types of habitats allow them to thrive? What, if anything, is happening in oceans today to negatively influence these habitats and threaten the animals? What can be done to halt the destruction of these underwater habitats?
• What is whaling? What products do men get from whales? Is whaling still practiced today?
• Interested students investigate coral reefs and determine why these are endangered. Students should be prepared to share their organized research with classmates.
• Interested students write a poem about the ocean, its inhabitants, habitats and/or endangering ocean life. Share original poems with classmates.