Drawing sea turtles

By Linda Dow

(More about the illustration)

One of the most effective ways to promote observation skills is to lead your class in step-by-step drawing. I can hear the chorus of complaints, “How can I teach it if I can’t draw?” But you can! It is simply a matter of breaking down your subject into simple forms and lines.

This is a lesson plan that I have used over the years with hundreds of elementary-aged students. They created wonderful pictures and came away with a much clearer understanding of the physical structure of a sea turtle.

Please encourage your students to embrace the individuality of their drawings. Visit a website or show them photos of sea turtles. No two turtles are exactly alike, and so your students’ drawings should not all look exactly alike.

• See the table of contents or begin reading: The upper shell

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