Skip to Main Content
Lesson Plan Image

Ocean Scenes and Coral Reefs

The ocean is home to many living organisms. Children will learn about some of them and create a colorful piece of artwork.

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.

  • Corrugated Cardboard

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask children to name animals and plants that live in the ocean. Explain that there are fish (which have gills that allow them to breathe underwater), mammals (that come to the surface for air), crustaceans (which have shells), seaweed (that provides shelter for many sea creatures), coral (that might look like colorful rocks but is actually made of of tiny animals called polyps), and many others.

  • Step 2

    Have children look at images of some of the many creatures and plants that live in the ocean. Then ask them to create an underwater scene using a watercolor crayon resist technique which will give the art a sense of fluidity. To do this they will draw images by pressing firmly with crayons onto construction paper, then painting over it with watercolors. They can create a sense of texture by placing the construction paper over a textured object such as a piece of corrugated cardboard before drawing with crayons.

  • Step 3

    When their art is dry, have children present their ocean scenes and discuss why it's important to protect this habitat that is home to so much life.

Standards

LA: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

LA: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably

LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

LA: Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

MATH: Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.

SCI: Obtain and share information on the role of the ocean in supporting a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shaping landforms, and influencing climate.

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.

VA: Use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.

Adaptations

Read a book such as "Commotion in the Ocean" by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz (which introduces various sea creatures in fun poems) or "Life in a Coral Reef" by Wendy Pfeffer and Steve Jenkins (which introduces coral reefs and the marine animals that live there).

Take a virtual tour of an aquarium. Suggestions include the Monterey Bay Aquarium (montereybayaquarium.org) which has live cams of their jellyfish, kelp forest, sharks, and others, and the Shedd Aquarium on YouTube where you can watch penguins, turtles, and many other creatures.