Cassie Stephens: back to school lesson

Showing posts with label back to school lesson. Show all posts

Sunday, August 2, 2026

How to Make a Paper Chain Larry the Line

Hey there, y'all! I'm coming to you today with a new Larry the Line lesson (I had a brain explosion recently and came up with so many lessons to go with my book Larry the Line! And I have one more to come...so stay tuned for that!).

For the other Larry the Line lessons, just tap the link:

* Larry the Line Spiral Printout

* Larry the Line How to Draw

* Larry the Line Watercolor Lesson

This lesson serves as a perfect introduction to lines or a line review! It also can be used for sub plans too. My students LOVE making paper chains. And this one is interactive! Now they can make their own paper snake and create lines with that. Video lesson here:

This lesson does come with a free download. I used both the download and paper strips to make Larry a little longer...and to add more color to him. I decided to keep those strips of paper blank. I think it works because you really only see the strips of paper with the lines on it!

Free download here!

I love colorful copy paper so of course I had to print this on that! BUT if students love to color, you could always print on white paper! And then they could add color that way.

This project is an easy one that I think would work for kindergarten up to second grade! Again, that download is here.

Now, if you are new to the Larry the Line lore then you might not know that after reading my book to my students, I use a stuffed carnival snake. It's a lot of fun...actually a little too much fun ;) The kids LOVE Larry and I thought this would be a fun way for them to take home their very own!

Once created, students can quiz each other by forming their snake into lines and naming the lines!

And all ya need for this lesson: markers, scissors and a glue stick. I love low mess at the start of the school year!

Have fun, friends!
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The Perfect Back-to-School Art Project: Getting to Know You Sculptures!

Every single year I do a paper sculpture lesson with kindergarten to kick off the school year. In fact, we do it on the very first day of art! You can see me teach that lesson to kindergarten on their first day of art right here.

Because that lesson is always a hit, one year, I decided to level up the lesson and share it with my other grade levels, first through fourth. BUT I put a spin on it and we called it our Getting to Know You Sculptures!

Now, we start this lesson AFTER our First Days of Art Rules/Routines, which you can learn all about here:

The above post comes with several free First Day of Art downloads so you'll definitely want to check it out.

If you are new to teaching elementary art or if you are looking to level up your classroom management game, I dive into all that AND SO MUCH MORE in my book Art Teacherin' 101!

Okay, back to the lesson at hand...

For supplies, you'll need base paper (I used 12" black or white paper) and cut strips of paper. I sprinkled in some unclaimed artwork as well as strips of neon copy paper for the sculptures. You'll also need glue as well as these two totally free downloads!

Find one here!

And the other one here!

I like to keep them in sheet protectors to keep them from getting too crusty with glue.

Now, if you have never done a paper sculpture with students, don't you worry! I've got a couple videos that will walk you through the process. Start here:

And here's a video I created of this very lesson when I was going to be out for a couple of days:

The artists had a blast creating these! The only problem...storage! We had these piled EVERYWHERE. BUT they only had to make it to Open House...and then we hung them all up for display!

OF COURSE these als make for the perfect LINE review! Which is where you can use my book Larry the Line!

What I loved most was that when we displayed these at Open House, they were interactive. Meaning family and friends used a decoder sheet to "read" about the artist! That was so fun to see!

Just wanted to share this low-mess/low-stress back to school lesson that is always a hit. Happy BTS season!

Line and Shape Paintings!

Y'all, I don't know if you have noticed but...I'm on a bit of a lesson-sharing roll lately and I hope you all are here for it! Because...I have much more to come. The best way to stay tuned is to check back here often, join my email list or subscribe to my YouTube channel. My lessons are always FREE and usually come with free downloads too.

I'm so excited about this lesson!

This video lesson has THREE lessons in it...and you can decide what works best for you and your artists. Before we dive in, here are the supplies I used:

* Oil Pastels (I like neon ones, you can find them here)

* Square paper (I only use 80lbs paper)

* Ink-filled bingo daubers

* Watercolor Paint

This first portion of the lesson goes perfectly with my book Larry the Line...if you don't have it and would like to take a look, you can find it here.

This video is broken down into three different lessons. It's perfect for a wide range of learners! Here's what I would recommend: K-6th Grade: Everyone can do the first portion of this lesson! It's a wonderful line introduction and review. Students will also learn how to use their watercolor paint to add color. 3rd-6th Grade: The second portion of this lesson is great for these learners as it will introduce them to geometric and organic shapes as well as positive and negative space. 4th - 6th Grade: The final portion is perfect for these learners but does require paint pens (I am using the POSCA brand) or metallic Sharpies. I know these supplies can be pricey so you may wish to limit this portion of the project based on the supplies you have available.

The second half of this lesson focuses on SHAPE. I dive into all things shape in my book Alfred the Ape Knows his Shapes!

I dive in deep in this book...I wrote it when I noticed that most books on shape just focus on learning the names of shapes and seem to cater to very young children. I used the second grade curriculum to guide me in writing this rhyming book and it covers ALL things shape!

For this final portion, students can use paint pens or metallic sharpies. Both can be pricey...which is why I recommend this for your older students who may take better care of supplies.

Regardless of which portion of this lesson you use, I know you and your artists will love it! I especially know they will love the first portion of creating lines from sounds!

If you have not used ink-filled bingo daubers, I have lots of info about it here. It's one of my very favorite art supplies!

Thanks for letting me share, y'all! Have a great weekend!

Let's Draw Wonky Winter Houses!

Happy New Year, friends!

If you are heading back next week and looking for a lesson that the kids will love, have I got one for you! I did a variation of this lesson years ago and my students, first through fourth, LOVED it! You can see the different spin I put on that lesson here. There's a video for that particular lesson and you can find it on that blog post.

If you are like me, when I come back from a break, I feel completely out of sorts. Supplies are scattered, nothing is where I remember it to be...and I'm just trying to get used to getting up at a 'normal' hour. So! For this updated spin, I decided to ONLY use permanent markers and markers, water and a paint brush. Not only that but...I shrunk the paper! That way, this is an abreviated lesson that will help you regain your sea legs so you are ready to dive into the new year...but maybe in a week or two ;)

By the way, in this lesson, I'm using my Prang markers which ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Seriously. I've not turned back since I started using them. The colors are SO juicy and perfect for this kind of spin on painting with markers. You can check them out here.

Did I mention that I have a free download for you and your artists?! Yep! My students loved this download! I never made it available before...but had many requests so...ask and you shall receive! Here it is!