“Prints of Pollination” Art Lesson Plan

In this interdisciplinary lesson, students in grades 3-5 will explore the roles of pollinators, specifically honey bees, through the art of printmaking. The objective is for students to create prints that represent various plants beneficial to pollinators, using these prints to visualize and understand the importance of biodiversity in pollination. By integrating art with science, the lesson aims to deepen students’ appreciation for pollinators and their critical role in our ecosystems and food supply, while highlighting the impact of human activities on these essential creatures.

Begin with a discussion about the importance of pollinators and the challenges they face, focusing on the Four P’s: pesticides, pests, pathogens, and poor nutrition.

Introduce students to printmaking by demonstrating how to apply ink to their chosen materials and create impressions on paper.

Allow students to experiment with creating different textures and layers.

They should use the pre-cut stamps and natural materials to create a series of prints that represent a pollinator-friendly garden.

As they work, facilitate a discussion about how each plant supports the health of pollinators and the interconnectedness of the ecosystem.

Conclude the activity with a gallery walk where students present their artwork and discuss the ecological roles of the elements they chose to depict.

Creating
Students engage in generating and conceptualizing artistic ideas by designing prints that represent a pollinator-friendly environment.

Presenting
They interpret and share their artwork, explaining the environmental messages
depicted through their choices.

Responding
Students evaluate and interpret the artworks of their peers, deepening their understanding of art as a form of communication.

Connecting
The project connects art-making with environmental science, enabling students to relate artistic ideas to societal, cultural, and ecological contexts

3-LS1-1 (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes)
Students use prints to explore plant life cycles and their roles in supporting pollinators, highlighting the unique and diverse life cycles but all share birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

4-LS1-1 (From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes)
Students explore how environmental changes can affect plant and pollinator traits that support survival and reproduction. The printmaking activity helps them visualize and understand the adaptations that plants develop to attract pollinators.

5-LS2-1 (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics)
The printmaking project serves as a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment, illustrating how ecosystems function and the critical role of pollinators like bees in these systems.

5-ESS3-1 (Earth and Human Activity)
Students integrate information about how human actions can protect or harm pollinators and their environments, reflecting on the impact of human activity on Earth’s systems and exploring solutions that can mitigate environmental problems.

Grade 3
Focus on the life cycles of plants and how pollinators affect these cycles. Assess students based on their ability to explain how their chosen plants support the life cycle of pollinators. Enhance learning by having students start a small pollinator garden at school, applying their knowledge practically..

Grade 4
Concentrate on the ecological roles of the plants in their prints and their interactions with pollinators. Assess understanding through creative descriptions in their gallery walk presentations. Consider extending the project by having students research and report on one plant’s specific impact on pollinator health.

Grade 5
Dive deeper into the ecosystem interactions depicted in their prints. Assess students on their ability to articulate how different elements within their artwork interact to support a healthy pollinator population. Enhancements could include a project where students design an ideal pollinator habitat based on their research and present their findings to the class.