1st Grade Toucans

After learning about artist J. J. Audubon, my 1st grade students tried their own hand at drawing a bird with all of the details. We looked at a photograph of a toucan as we drew. This began as a guided drawing. We looked at the photo, and I said, "see how the beak curves? Make a line like this for the beak." Then, as we progressed, the students used their own judgement to draw what they saw. For example, on the beak, I showed them the orange shape, and the red tip, but then I asked them to draw the blue parts however they thought it looked. Then, I asked them to find a green crayon that they thought was the right one for the rest of the beak. Most students chose yellow-green, but a few chose regular green. Both options were fine, because I really want the students to learn to draw what they see on their own. We finished the picture by drawing tree branches (again the students had much freedom here), and blue liquid watercolors for the sky.