Crazy Clay Critters
Pat Knight and Cheryl Lawrence

State Standards for Writing: Use an imaginative style mode. Structure information in clear sequence, making connections and transitions among ideas, sentences, and paragraph.

Benchmark: To develop a clearly sequenced body that contains identification of main topics and supporting details about the topics.

Lesson plan:

Objective: To have the students use their imagination to write an adventure with a clearly sequenced beginning, middle, and end of a story.

1 ) Read one or both of the text provided depending on the time. These text are:

'You Look Ridiculous' by Bernard Waber

'The Mixed Up Chameleon' by Eric Carle

These provide ideas for making their Crazy Clay Critters and story writings.

2) After reading the story, model how to work the clay by squeezing and pinching instead of pounding it, using the wax paper as their work surface. Model making a critter with characteristics from at least three different animals.

3) Once the display critter is completed begin discussing the criteria for a story to go along with it. Brainstorm on the paragraph topics.

The first paragraph should contain what their crazy critter looks like, its name and where it lives. Even though their clay critter is one color, in their writings it can have different colors and textures.

The second paragraph should discuss what is the problem found within the story.

The third and concluding paragraph should contain how the problem in the story was solved.

4) The Crazy Clay Critters and their stories should be-share with the group.

Materials / Supplies

Modeling Clay (4colors in a box)
Wax paper (work surface)
Ziploc sandwich size baggies (to store their clay)
Post Its (to help with spelling words)
Journals and pencils