This document provides instructions for an art lesson where students will create a collaged figure depicting an Olympic athlete. The lesson will take 2 sessions of 45 minutes each. Students will focus on using cut paper shapes to depict the athlete's movement, as well as using lines and warm or cool colors to emphasize movement and draw attention to the figure. Background information is provided on the Olympics and how artists can depict movement through elements like line, shape, and color. Step-by-step instructions are given for making a painted paper background, cutting out the figure from shapes, and adding radiating lines and a contrasting background to complete the artwork.

1. What You’ll Need
Topics Covered
Movement,
Line & Color
Time Needed
2 Sessions at
45 Minutes
3
OLYMPIC SPORTS

2. Capture the excitement of watching your favorite Olympic sport with
this lesson that has students creating a collaged athlete from the sport
of their choice. Students will focus on using the included source images
to create bent and angled limbs that depict a specific movement.
They’ll learn how lines can direct attention to a focal point and then
finish their figure off with radiating lines that echo their chosen
movement while using warm or cool colors to add color and further
emphasize the figure.
ABOUT THE OLYMPICS
The OLYMPICS are a world-wide sports competition.
Thousands of athletes from over 200
nations around the world come
together in a chosen location to
compete. The Olympic Games are
usually held every four years, but
every two years, they cycle between
either summer or winter Olympic Games;
each featuring different sports and
competitions. The Olympic Games
originated in Greece.
What You’ll Need:
12” x 18” white sulphite paper (2)
Liquid tempera paint
Medium round paintbrush
Texture making tools (fork, texture
comb, etc.)
Small circle tracer
Scissors & glue
Black oil pastel
Pan watercolor paint
OLYMPIC SPORTS
Olympic Symbol Landmark. Image from HERE.
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 2

3. ABOUT MOVEMENT
Movement can be created in art in a variety of
ways. Different elements like line, shape and color
can be used to suggest movement and lead the
viewer’s eyes through the work of art. In this
lesson, body position is used to suggest motion
and radiating lines emphasize the figure and the
movement taking place.
You can use the boat and waves example on the
Movement poster to reinforce the concepts taught
in this lesson.
Optional Resource
Connections
• The position of the body is used to suggest
motion.
• Radiating lines are also used to lead the viewer’s
attention back to the figure and emphasize the
motion taking place.
QUESTIONS
• What are some ways that an artist can create
movement?
• How can movement be used to emphasize a
focal point in a piece of art?
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 3
MOVEMENT is the journey the viewer’s eye takes
through a work of art. Movement can be a path
along lines, edges, shapes and color that creates
the feeling of action taking place in the work of art.
OLYMPIC SPORTS
TEACHER GUIDE

4. MAKING THE PAINTED PAPER
• Start with a piece of 9” x 12” white
sulphite paper with a messy mat
underneath.
• Choose a COLOR SCHEME to work
with; either WARM
COLORS or
COOL
COLORS.
• Warm colors
are the colors
of things that are
warm or hot, like the
sun or fire. They are red, orange
and yellow.
• Cool colors are the colors of things
that are cool or cold, like water or
shadows on snow. They are green, blue
and purple.
• I chose to use cool colors for
my example.
• Begin by painting a small portion of
the paper with liquid tempera paint.
• Before the paint dries, when it still
looks shiny, use a TEXTURE-making
tool, like a plastic fork or texture comb
to scrape LINES in the wet paint.
• Continue painting the rest of the
paper in small sections until it is
all covered.
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 4
WARM
COOL

5. • Use the handout on page seven to choose a sport
and create a simple figure using a few SHAPES.
• Trace a small circle on the back of
the painted paper. I used a
condiment cup lid near the top
left of the paper.
• Cut off a strip along the edge,
including the traced circle.
• Cut out the circle for the head.
Use the long rectangular strip for the body. Trim it
down to a size that makes sense with the
PROPORTION of the head.
• Cut strips from the paper for arms and legs.
• For bends in JOINTS of the arms and legs, you can
either cut two pieces for the upper and lower portions
of the limb, then join them together, or you can cut the
entire limb with the bend.
• Set out the entire body in your chosen position,
checking to make sure that the sizes of the limbs, torso
and head work in relation to one another.
• Trim the corners off each piece to make
rounded edges.
• Glue the pieces together to make the person.
• TEMPLATE: We’ve also
included a template to
trace on page eight to use
for adaptive art or to
simplify the lesson,
if desired.
Handouts on page 7 & 8
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 5
MAKING THE FIGURE

6. MAKING THE BACKGROUND
• Use a pencil to lightly trace your figure in the
center of a 9” x 12” piece of white sulphite paper.
• The orientation of your paper will depend on the
direction of your figure, whether vertical
or horizontal.
• Pick up your figure.
• Use an oil pastel to create RADIATING lines out
from the figure. This will help to EMPHASIZE the
MOVEMENT of the figure.
• You can use STRAIGHT LINES, or experiment with
WAVY, BUMPY or ZIGZAG lines. Recognize that
each different type of line will further communicate a
type of movement in the artwork.
• Use pan watercolor to paint each section of the
background, using the opposite color scheme as you
used for your figure.
• Since I used cool colors for my figure, I used warm
colors for the background.
• Using the opposite color scheme add CONTRAST
to your artwork, which will help your figure stand out
against the background.
• Glue your figure to the background.
• If your figure has any extra equipment, like ski
poles or a soccer ball, you can use scrap paper from
your figure to add that as a last step.
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 6

7. OLYMPIC SPORTS H A N D O U T
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 7

8. OLYMPIC
SPORTS
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 8
A D A P T I V E A R T
T E M P L A T E
To use, print on card stock, cut then use as a tracer.

9. © DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 9
OLYMPIC
SPORTS
Lynn Dupuis Hansen
Grade 3 Students

10. © DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 10
National Core Arts Standards - 3rd Grade
O L Y M P I C S P O R T S
CRE ATI NG
CONNECTIN G
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of
view with reasons.
After students finish their art, you can have them fill out the
artist statement worksheet (located in Teacher Aids). This information
leads them to reflect on the process of art making while forming an opinion about their own
work based on the processes used, materials used, inspirations, etc.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
You can emphasize to students the importance of using conventions of standard English
grammar when writing their answers to the artist statement worksheet. This is a wonderful way
to help students see cross-curricular connections between subjects!
CCSS.ELA.Literacy.W.3.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
After students complete their artwork, they can write a narrative about their athlete, including
descriptive details about them and their backstory.
VA:Cr2.1.3a - Organize and develop artistic ideas and work - Create
personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and
materials.
VA:Cr2.3.3a - People create and interact with objects, places, and
design that de
fi
ne, shape, enhance, and empower their lives. -
Constructs representations, diagrams, or maps of places that are part of
everyday life.
VA:Cn10.1.3a - Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal
experiences to make art - Develop a work of art based on observations
of surroundings.

11. I
Can
Statements
O
LY
M
P
I
C
S
P
O
R
T
S
©
DEEP
SPACE
SPARKLE
&
THE
SPARKLERS
CLUB
11
Today
I
will
learn
about
COLOR
so
that
I
CAN
use
a
WARM
and
COOL
COLOR
SCHEME
to
create
CONTRAST
in
my
artwork
that
will
help
my
figure
stand
out.
Today
I
will
learn
about
SHAPE
so
that
I
CAN
cut
basic
shapes
from
my
painted
paper
and
assemble
them
to
create
a
figure
with
bent
joints
to
show
MOVEMENT.
Today
I
will
learn
about
MOVEMENT
so
that
I
CAN
use
radiating
LINES
to
emphasize
the
feeling
of
motion
in
my
artwork.

12. Criteria
Craftsmanship
E
ff
ort
Composition
Did you follow all steps?
Were you satis
fi
ed with
the end result?
Did you use the
supplies correctly?
Did you do your best?
Excellent Needs Work
Successful Progressing
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB
2-4
2-4
2-4 2-4
TEACHER ASSESSMENT
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Time to evaluate your work! Review your project and check the box with your answer.
Student Name:__________________ Class:__________ Project: Olympic Sports
Student Name:__________________ Class:__________ Project: Olympic Sports
Did the student create contrast in their artwork
by using both warm and cool colors?
Did the student create a
fi
gure from cutting out
basic shapes?
Did the student use radiating lines around their
fi
gure to create the feeling of movement?

13. COLOR SCHEME
JOINTS
OLYMPICS
O L Y M P I C S P O R T S V O C A B U L A R Y
© DEEP SPACE SPARKLE & THE SPARKLERS CLUB 13