Recording your observations

Where to Make Observations

Drawing from Observation

1. Start with Observing: Taking time for initial observation makes the drawing process smoother. Students benefit from guided initial observation, lists of areas of focus, or guiding questions to answer with observation and drawing to direct their drawing efforts.

2. Map out Proportions: Accurate proportions allow for recognition of the whole, direct comparison between objects, and connection between parts. When proportions are marked out at the start of the drawing process, they act as a map for the drawing to add shapes and details to

3. Lay Down Basic Shapes: Breaking the object into basic shapes such as circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, and even stick figure‐like lines supports the understanding of the overall shape and placement of elements. Placing these basic shapes over the proportion map serves as a scaffold for more refined shapes and details. 

4. ) Refine Shapes and Add Detail: Shapes can be refined and details laid down in additional passes or layers. Slowly building form through stages of refinement encourages observation and in the end is more accurate. It is good advice to address the whole drawing with each pass rather than completely refining and detailing one section at a time.

From Drawing for Natural Science Learning Module 4 ISU 2025

Assessment

The purpose of drawing activities and their roles in instructional units should be decided when designing the activity because the roles of drawings dictate their use for assessment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjOlG7vUfIc 

Why this lesson

Students can take notes with very little engagement or understanding by simply writing down some of the words they hear or read.Drawing, on the other hand, requires students to actively engage with concepts in a holistic way. Rather than just grabbing words that seem important, students must consider how ideas relate to each other and how to represent complex concepts visually. 

Drawing With Thinking Maps

Thinking Maps are a student-directed strategy, not a teacher-directed task. While it may be tempting to give students a blank template for a Thinking Map and have them fill it in, students get the most benefit when they construct their own Maps from scratchThinking Maps ask students to determine which kinds of thinking are required for the learning task and draw out their Thinking Maps themselves. For example, when classifying things using a Tree Map