Original Origami Paper

1. Share Nathaniel Lachenmeyer's The Origami Master with students as a read aloud. Have students view and discuss the illustrations. Inquire what students already know about origami. List student prior knowledge on a class white board using Crayola Dry-Erase Markers. Invite students to create personal, original origami figures.
2. Students can personalize origami designs by creating their own origami paper. Use the sides of Crayola Triangular Crayons with the wrappers removed to create rubbings of different textures. Look for textures in unexpected places. Lay paper over the textured item and rub with any side of the crayon—they’re just the right shape for rubbings. Some hard, flat surfaces to try are coins, bricks, tile floor, rubber stamps, or a woven basket…the possibilities are endless! Experiment to choose the textures you like best.
3. Cut paper into a square. Make crayon rubbings. Students cover work area with recycled newspaper. Paint over texture design using Crayola Washable Watercolors. The crayon will act as a wax resist and the texture will show through the paint. For best results, use less water and apply several coats. Air-dry between each paint layer. Fold paper in any design you wish. Here are two possibilities.
4. To fold an origami cup, place your decorated paper face down. Fold the square in half diagonally, creasing along the center line running between opposite corners. This will create a large triangle. Orient the paper so the point is facing away from you and the folded edge is toward you. Take the right hand point and fold it over to the left edge. The point should intersect the left edge about one third of the way down the edge from the top point. The top edge of the smaller triangle you just created should be parallel to the bottom edge of the original large triangle. Now grasp the top point and fold one layer of paper down so the undecorated side of your paper shows. Crease this fold along the top edge of the smaller triangle created in the last step. Flip the paper over and repeat the last two folds on the other side. Your origami cup is complete!
5. To fold a dog face, place your decorated paper face down. Fold the square in half diagonally, creasing along the center line running between opposite corners. This will create a large triangle. Orient the paper so the point is facing toward you and the folded edge is away from you. Take the top left point over to the top right point and create a center line crease from the top edge to the bottom point, then unfold. Flip your triangle over so the fold rises like a mountain. Make sure the point is still pointing toward you. Take the left point and fold it over to create an ear. Make the crease approximately halfway between the left point and the center line. Repeat this step using the right point to create a mirror image. Fold the bottom point under and create a crease parallel to the top of the dog’s head. If you choose, glue on eyes, a nose, and a mouth to complete your dog’s face.
6. In preparation for displaying original origami figures, students write a short paragraph sharing how the paper was created and the type of figure created. Post writing alongside origami in the classroom display.

LA: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

LA: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text.

LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.

MATH: Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.

SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.

SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Students work in small groups to research the history of origami. Students practice creating origami figures by replicating illustrations contained within reading resources.

Working in small groups or teams of two, students compose directions for others to use in order to replicate an original origami figure created by a classmate.

Arrange for student projects to be displayed in a public area of the school. Encourage students to name their original artwork and compose a summary paragraph describing their creation.