Da Vinci

Mona Lisa

5th Grade Lesson Plan

Leonardo Da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, town planner, inventor, scientist, writer, musician, one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known.

Da Vinci lived in Italy about 500 years ago, during a famous period of art and learning called the Renaissance, a time of new ideas and inventions.  He wanted to learn everything about the world.  He asked questions about everything.  He took things apart and drew pictures of every little detail he found inside.  He was one of the first scientists to cut open dead animals and humans to study the muscles and bones.  His drawings were so good that Doctors used his pictures in medical books for hundreds of years.

Have children draw from the inside out.

   (Suggestions:  broken cassette tape, grapefruit, orange, computer disk, chicken wing, squirt gun, broken appliance, ball pint pen, flashlight, stapler, broken video tape, flower bud, broken watch)

Draw the object from the outside first, including all details (screws, lettering, switches, textures, threads, edges)

Next, take the object apart.  Ask for adult help if needed to use tools, or if the object has dangerous parts inside.

Now draw the inside, lift parts out and draw them too.  Find out the name of the parts and label the drawing with neatly lettered words and tiny arrow.  Draw until the details seem complete.