Paleoartists Capture Prehistoric Creatures at Capdeau!

Capdeau, 5th-8th Grade | Science & Visual Art
Ms. Bailey and Ms. Chiarizio

Ms. Bailey and Ms. Chiarizio’s 5th through 8th grade SPED classroom has been learning about fossils, paleontology, and scientific drawing. Students studied fossils through text, photographs, and observing real fossils. We discussed the types of lines we observed in the fossils’ shapes and textures and used movement to act out the lines we saw and even pretended to be the organisms we were studying. Using this knowledge of line types and shapes, we worked on scientific drawings of a fossil, carefully capturing the details we observed and labeling each specimen. Then, after looking at the work of paleoartists, students added watercolor to a photocopy of their drawings to imagine what their prehistoric organisms looked like when they were living. Our students impressed us with the enthusiasm they brought to each lesson, the careful attention they paid to details in their drawings, and the creativity in their work as paleoartists to bring their prehistoric plants and animals to life!