Magic Mountain Mansion

1. Open a discussion with students focused on vacations they have taken with their family and/or friends. What types of housing did they stay in while vacationing? Where were the vacation spots located? What types of amenities were available?
2. Ask students to think creatively about how they would design a dream vacation mansion. Where would it be? What would it look like? How many stories would it be? What kind of rooms would they have? What would the setting look like?
3. Provide each student with black Crayola® Markers and a piece of white construction paper. Ask students to draw an outline of their vacation mansion on the white paper.
4. With a partner, discuss and then write creative descriptions for each of your mansions using Crayola Colored Pencils. Partners document contributions on white lined paper. Students write on every other line so they can fit in more details when revising descriptions later.
5. With classmates, brainstorm a list of colorful adjectives that might be used to describe Magic Mansions and their surroundings. Students write words on a chart using Washable Markers. Keep the word chart posted for easy accessibility.
6. Students review their mansion and setting descriptions. Encourage them to include new adjectives that best describe their imagined scenes.
7. Students re-read their descriptions and use the writing as inspiration to add color to their mansions and settings.
8. Provide time for students to present their artwork to classmates.

LA: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

LA: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, or clear event sequences.

LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

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.

SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.

VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

After examining photographs of various environments, students determine how they would dress to go undetected in a self-selected destination. Prior to creating their camouflage hats, students sketch an environmental scene that they believe they will be arriving in when transported by their hats.

Small groups of students may choose to investigate similar settings. If so, the group can collaborate to write a play about a camouflage adventure. Students can use recycled materials to create large-scale sets for their play. Present the play to classmates and parents.

Students select an animal and study its markings used for camouflage. How do these natural markings help the animal survive in its selected habitat? How does the camouflage assist with getting food?