Cardinals

Ugh, the never ending winter here in Boston has forced me to try and appreciate something other than the endless cold and snow.   After staring out my window, I saw a glimmer of hope!  A beautiful cardinal perched on a tree branch made me think about creating a winter still life with my 2nd graders.  To get the students thinking about cardinals I grabbed a favorite book, In Novemeber by, Cynthia Rylant to read to the class.

Although this book is about Thanksgiving, its illustrations capture winter scenery and is perfect for this lesson.  I had the students pause and look carefully at the pages where the cardinals were present. We talked about their coloring, shape and appearance.  I had the students practice drawing cardinals in their sketchbooks before making a commitment with Sharpies for their artwork.  

Next steps will be to add some branches, berries and snow!