First Grade Lesson Plan

Title of Lesson:
Teacher:
Medium/technique:
Date to be Taught:

Dreamcatcher Weaving
Tyler Riordan
Painting and Weaving
Multiple dates and classes

Key concepts about medium/technique:

Watercolors:

Watercolor paints can only be used when you make your paintbrush wet first.

When you add a lot of water and a little bit of paint, thats called a watercolor wash.

You can color large areas of your paper very quickly with watercolors.

Its really easy to mix and blend colors to make new colors while youre painting.
Weaving:

Making yarn go over and under itself to make a pattern.

Moving yarn in specific ways around the hoop to make shapes.

Moving the yarn through the holes of your hoops.

Adding beads to the yarn while weaving.

Vocabulary Acquisition:

Dreamcatcher: A decorative item invented by the Ojibwe Native American tribe, that catches bad dreams
in its spiderweb-like net and lets good dreams go through to you.
Watercolor wash: When you use a little bit of paint and a lot of water to paint a large area of paper.
Hoop: A circular object that can be used for many things (dreamcatchers, weaving, embroidery, hula
hoops.
Weaving: Making string or yarn go in stripes over and under itself in order to make cloth or fabric.
Ojibwe nation: a Native American tribe.

Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural exemplars:

See PPT- Includes photographs of traditional dreamcatchers, as well as modern variations.

Artmaking Materials Needed:

Pencils
Colored pencils
Crayons
Paper plates with the center circle cut out (one per student)
Watercolor paints
Paintbrushes
A single-punch holepunch
A skein of yarn
Brightly colored beads (plastic is best)
Craft feathers

Procedures:

DAY ONE:
ATTENDANCE
INTRODUCTION: (5-10 minutes)
o Introduce concept of dreamcatchers
What do you think they are they used for? (Catching bad dreams)
Who made/invented them (members of the Ojibwe nation of Native
Americans)
Different shapes, colors, sizes, decorations, etc
o Vocabulary of dreamcatchers, painting, and weaving, (use throughout, have
written on PPT)
o Today we are going to work on painting our hoops! Think about the kind of
colors you want to use- maybe colors like orange and yellow and red, bright
warm colors because they are happy colors and will bring happy dreams? Or

First Grade Lesson Plan

blues, greens and purples because they can show nighttime, and make you
sleepy so you can go to sleep and have dreams?

DEMONSTRATIONS: (3-5 minutes)

o Painting demo: Before you begin painting, WRITE YOUR NAME (and class code)
on the back on the plate!
o Show how to use watercolor paints- remind them how to do a watercolor
wash, and how to rinse your brush before switching colors.
o Emphasize painting the whole plate- leave no white spots!

DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (~18 minutes)

o We are going to paint our plate hoops today!
o DIRECTIONS FOR STUDIO:
Teacher will pass out paper plates to students who are sitting quietly
and respectfully.
Once you have your plate hoop, take a paintbrush and paper towel and
go to your seat.
Write your name on the front of the plate! We will be painting on the
back.
You may begin painting after you write your name. The paints are
already at the tables.
o Students will work on painting while teacher walks around giving help when/if
necessary.
o Teacher gives 5 and 1 minute time warnings before clean up.

CLEAN UP: (5 minutes)

o Make sure names are on plates.
o Pick up the brown support paper you were painting your plate on and carry it
with your plate over to the drying rack.
o Once plates are on the drying rack, recycle your paper towels and put your
paintbrushes in the soapy water cup at the front table.
o Teachers will collect the paint trays.
o Wash your hands (if time)
o Sit quietly at your tables with your heads down until your table is called to line
up.

DAY TWO:
ATTENDANCE
INTRODUCTION: (5-10 minutes)
o Who remembers what we worked on last time we had class?
(We painted/ made dreamcatcher hoops)
o Today we are going to add yarn to our dreamcatchers in order to weave the
net that catches the dreams. Does anyone remember what we said it looked
like last time?
(Spiderwebs)
o Weaving is a very old kind of art that can be used to make many things,
including clothes, blankets, carpets, and dreamcatchers!
(Show examples of weaving looms for kids and adults.)
o Vocabulary of dreamcatchers, painting, and weaving, (use throughout, have
written on PPT)

First Grade Lesson Plan

DEMONSTRATIONS: (5 minutes)
o Show how to run the yarn through the holes- use the pointed tape end to poke
into the holes.
Follow the holes the way they are numbered, like in connect the dots!
Pull the yarn all the way through. Its very long so this will be hard, but
its an important step because otherwise it wont make the net shape!
When you are weaving, you can also use beads! Use the pointed tape
end of the yarn to go through the bead and move the bead up the yarn
until its where you want it to be. Then, keep weaving the yarn through
the holes in the hoop!
The last hole it goes through is number one again- see the star? When
you get to the star, then youre done!
When you reach the star, raise your hand and I will come
around and tie the yarn for you.
If students finish very early, hole punch an extra 3 holes in the bottom
of their hoop plates for the feather strands. They may start adding
beads to yarn tied to these holes. Feathers will be on day three.

DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (15-20 minutes)

o Students will work on weaving yarn onto their hoops while teacher walks
around to help when/if necessary.
Students may need help adding beads or pulling yarn all the way
through. Focus on this.
CLEAN UP: (5 minutes)
o Put back any beads you didnt use.
o Wrap any extra yarn around your hoop so it doesnt drag on the floor.
o Stack your hoops on your table.
o Sit quietly with your heads down until it is time to line up.

DAY THREE:
ATTENDANCE
INTRODUCTION: (3 minutes)
o Today we are adding beads to our dreamcatchers! You might want to make
your beads go in a pattern, or choose colors that match your dream catcher,
or just use beads you like! However, you can only have 20 beads, so Im going
to need you to count to twenty when you put your beads on, alright?
o Vocabulary of dreamcatchers, painting, and weaving, (use throughout, have
written on PPT)
DEMONSTRATIONS: (3 minutes)
o Demonstrate how to add beads to your yarn- run the end through the bead
and move the bead up the yarn until its where you want it to be.
o Demonstrate how to put the end of the yarn in your mouth to make a
point/keep it from fraying so the bead slides on easier.
o Demonstrate how to tie the last bead on- either by looping it back through the
bead a second time, or by teaching them to tie it using the 4 visual method.

DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (~15 minutes)

o We are going to finish beading our yarn, and we might get to add our feathers
too!

First Grade Lesson Plan

DIRECTIONS FOR STUDIO:
Teacher will call your name and pass you your hoop. You may go right
to your table and start working- there are already bead boxes at each
table.
When you are at your table you may begin adding beads to the three
feather strings at the bottom of your dreamcatcher. Think about what
colors you want to use! Are you going to make a pattern?
After you add beads to your strings, make sure the end gets tied up.
Raise your hand and ask the teacher for help with this step if you need
it.
If you finish all your beading and get your tie-beads on, you can add
feathers to the bottom of your strings- push the end of the feather
through the bead and place your dreamcatcher on one of the brown
painting mats to bring to the teacher. The teacher will add a small glue
dot to make the feathers stay.
Remember, Dot dot, not a lot!
o Students will work on beading (and potentially adding feathers) while teacher
walks around helping when/if necessary.
CLEAN UP: (5 minutes)
o Put all unused beads back in the boxes.
o Put all unused feathers back on the trays.
o Get a piece of brown support paper- put your dream catcher on it, and make
sure the string with your glued feathers is on top of the paper, not hanging
off! Put the dreamcatchers on the drying rack.
o Sit quietly at your tables with your heads down until it is time to line up.
o

DAY FOUR:
ATTENDANCE
INTRODUCTION: (6-7 minutes)
o
o
o

o
o

Today we are finishing our dreamcatchers! We are going to finish adding our feathers.
Some of you may need to finish bead first though, so I will give you a bead box when
you come up to get your dream catcher when your name is called.
However, before we get started, I have a video I want to show you. It is an animated
cartoon that somebody made, that shows how they think a dreamcatcher might work
when you hang it in your bedroom. Lets all be quiet so we can hear the video, okay?
*Play Video* (3-4 minutes)

What do you think the Blue spirits were? How about the Purple ones?

Then, what do you think the Green spirit was?

*DEMONSTRATIONS*
If you are all done with your beads AND your feathers, and you have given me your
dream catcher on the painting mat to glue later, then please find your sketchbook in
your class box. Think about all the good dreams youd like to have when you bring your
dreamcatcher home- are you going to dream about having a million puppies? Are you
going to dream about swimming in ice cream, or becoming an astronaut? Draw the
dream you would like to have in your sketchbooks! You may use colored pencils or
crayons for this if you want to color it in.
Vocabulary of dreamcatchers, painting, and weaving, (use throughout, have written on
PPT)

DEMONSTRATIONS: (3 minutes)
o

Demonstrate how to add feathers- put a bead where you want the feather to be, and
push the end of the feather into the bead. Make sure its pretty far in, so it wont fall
out! After youve added all your feathers, put your dreamcatcher on a brown paper
mat and bring it to the teacher. The teacher will add a small dot of glue to the inside of
the bead where the feather is so that it stays secure.

First Grade Lesson Plan

DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (~15 minutes)

o

We are going to add our feather strings today, and finish our dreamcatchers! They will
still need to dry before you can take them home though, so we wont be taking them
home today.

DIRECTIONS FOR STUDIO:

Teacher will call your name and pass you your hoop. Collect your hoop, choose
your feathers (2-3, depending on how many strings the dreamcatchers haveone for each string.)

Some of you may need to finish beading first- collect the bead box
from me and finish beading BEFORE you get your feathers.
When you are at your table you may begin adding feathers through the tie
beads at the bottom of your strings. Remember to push the quill all the way
through the bead so that it sticks out on top!
If you are still beading, after you add beads to your strings, make sure the end
gets tied up. Raise your hand and ask the teacher for help with this step if
needed.

Now you can also add feathers to the bottom of your strings- push the
end of the feather all the way through the bead.
When all your feathers are on, put your dreamcatcher on a brown paper mat
for the teacher to add glue, and collect your sketchbooks so you can draw the
dreams you would like to have!

CLEAN UP: (5 minutes)

o
o
o
o

Put all unused beads back in the boxes.

Put all unused feathers back on the trays.
Get a piece of brown support paper- put your dream catcher on it, and give it to the
teacher to glue later.
Sit quietly at your tables with your heads down until it is time to line up.