Submitted by Ken Rohrer
Decatur Middle School
Lesson Plan: Monster Transformation

Summary

Students will discuss monsters in literature and film. The anticipatory set might be like this:

We see monsters all the time on TV and in the movies. What are your favorites? Why? Why do you think people like being scared? Do you know about old monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, or Wolfman? Most people felt sorry for the old monsters of black and white movies. They many times were the victims. There are only certain ways you can kill make-believe monsters. What is the only way you can kill a vampire or Dracula? [Stake through the heart or sunlight] What about the Wolfman? [Silver bullet] What about Freddy or Jason? If you could turn into a monster, what would it be?

Today we will become monsters. We will create a half-face monster and half-face portrait of ourselves. We start with black construction paper and then use pastels to create our picture. Half their face is drawn by looking at a photograph of themselves or looking in a mirror. The other half is a monster. The background will be a very important element in the design. Will it have a castle? Will it have a thunderstorm with lightning? Will it be divided into simple design elements?

Materials

• Black construction paper
• Pastels
• Mirrors and/or student photos
• White penciles [They may use this to sketch the outline before they add color]