Links to the Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum Outcomes:

• CP7.10 – Create visual art works that express ideas about the importance of place (e.g., relationship to the land, local geology, region, urban/rural landscapes, and environment).
• CP7.12 – Use image-making skills, tools, techniques, and problem-solving abilities in a variety of visual art media.
• CR7.1 – Respond to professional dance, drama, music, and visual art works using analysis, personal interpretation, and research.

Brief Overview of the Lesson:   

The class will brainstorm ways to save money around the house. Each student will be asked to complete a diorama of a room in their house, showing ways that they can save money by saving on energy costs. Upon completion, the dioramas will be shared with the whole class.

Estimated Time Required for Implementation:

• Two periods

Materials Needed:

• Boxes, coloured paper, scraps of material, glues, craft supplies, etc.

Suggested Implementation Strategy:

*Before the class begins, ask the students to bring in a shoebox or a similar kind of box, and any craft supplies they may have at home.

Period One:

• Show the class the two pictures of the room dioramas provided.
• Ask the class to look at the rooms and brainstorm ways that people could save money around the house. For example, turn off the bedroom lamp whenever they leave the room, hang up wet clothes to air dry, rather than use a dryer, don’t leave water taps running.
• List their ideas on a board or chart paper.
• Tell the class they are to choose a room in their house and make a diorama that depicts ways to save money in that room.
• Allow this period to work on the dioramas. The teacher may want to ask them to finish this task for homework.

Evaluation:

Period Two:

• Each student shares their diorama with the whole class, explaining how a person can save money in this particular room.
• The teacher can assess the creativity of the dioramas and the ideas they were able to depict in their room about saving money around the house.

Possible Link to the Home Program:

• Bank It or Bust – A game about saving! – On the Web – Ages 14-16

Extended Learning Opportunities:

• Ask the class to write a summary of how their dioramas show ways to save money around the house. Then display the dioramas, with the summaries, in the school so others can learn how to save too.
• View the following website to read electricity saving tips. http://kids.saveonenergy.ca/en/what-is-electricity/electricity-saving-tips-page-1.html

Articles:

• How You Can Save Energy – http://www.tvakids.com/electricity/conservation.htm
• Top 10 Rules for Saving Energy – http://www.alliantenergykids.com/EnergyandTheEnvironment/SavingEnergy/022391
• 10 Easy Ways to Save on Energy at Home – http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewable-energy/energy-efficiency/save-money-on-energy.aspx