Imagine you've found the lost underwater city-nation of Atlantis as you use Crayola® Tempera Paint, Markers, and Colored Pencils to draw your discovery.

• 1.

  Research the legend of the lost city of Atlantis using library and computer resources. Use Crayola® Colored Pencils to take notes and make sketches of your ideas about Atlantis.

• 2.

  Spread recycled newspaper over your work area. Make a background, watery-looking wash on a large sheet of dampened watercolor paper. Use Crayola Watercolors, Washable Markers, Tempera Paint, and Paint Brushes for the wash. Older children might try Crayola Portfolio Series Acrylic Paint thinned with water.

• 3.

  Experiment with the painting techniques described here on a sheet of white paper. Then add the appropriate effects to the background. Sponge paint: Using a natural sponge, press paint onto paper. Spatter paint: On wet paper, pull a craft stick over a stiff, paint-loaded brush. Texture: Lay plastic wrap on top of a wet tempera or acrylic wash. Let the paint dry. Remove the wrap to reveal rock-like textures.

• 4.

  Paint foreground objects on the dry background with tempera. Add details with markers or Crayola Colored Pencils.

• 5.

  For even more texture, use Crayola School Glue to attach colored tissue paper to the surface.

Standards

• LA: Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
• LA: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• LA: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
• LA: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
• LA: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
• LA: Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
• LA: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• SS: Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: DK Readers: Atlantis, The Lost City by Andrew Donkin; Atlantis: The Legend of a Lost City by Christina Balit.
• Invite students to research Plato, who he was and his connection to the lost city of Atlantis.
• What is Utopia? Atlantis was thought to be such a city. Students investigate the meaning of this term and plan how they, if in charge of construction, would create a Utopian society.
• Students collaborate in small groups to compose an original story focused on the journey to and discovery of Atlantis. Create illustrations to accompany significant scenes in the story.
• Invite a local archeologist to visit with the class and discuss how an archeological dig is determined, organized, carried out, etc. In anticipation of the meeting, students compose questions for the expert. Afterwards, students post learning to a class blog.