Drawing a Line

Preparation:

Familiarize yourself with the Drawing and Paint programs and choose the most appropriate for the needs of your class. To make sure Drawing is open in Word, click View, then Toolbars. If there is no check mark next to Drawing, click on it so that a check mark appears. You can add an eraser, pencil, and picture function by going to the View menu, clicking Toolbars, then clicking Customize. Check Tables and Picture. An alternative is separate application, Paint. This can be accessed by clicking Start, then Programs. Click Accessories, and then click Paint.

Activity

• Demonstrate how to use the tool you selected. Ask students to watch before having them open this particular program. There is a tendency for students to dive right in and try it while you are trying to walk them through it. After you show them the functions, students can learn to use it quite easily by experimenting so it is probably best to let them learn as they go. Have students try to draw something for practice.
• Pair students and ask one student to think of something that he or she wants the other student to draw. (Preferably something simple like a square, a house, or a cat.) They should not reveal to their partner what they will ask him or her to draw.
• Tell the students that they can describe or explain about the object they want their partner to draw, but they cannot tell the artist the name of the object until the partner guesses. (You may want to review commands and some vocabulary that they might need to use.)
  

Variations:

• Teach students how to write text and label parts of the drawings.
• After drawing cartoon characters, demonstrate how to add dialogues in bubbles (AutoShapes/Callout).
• After drawing, students write about what have drawn and why.
• One student draws or paints using abstract art techniques, then each student writes what she or he thinks their partner has drawn.