Lesson Plan With Butterfly Origami Middle School
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Lesson of the Day: 'The Modern Life of Origami, an Art as Old as Paper'
In this lesson, students learn about the art of origami and make their own creation as a holiday gift.
Find all our Lessons of the Day here.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: "The Modern Life of Origami, an Art as Old as Paper"
The art of paper folding goes back thousands of years in Japan.
In today's lesson, you will learn more about the history of origami and how it has grown and is flourishing today. In a Going Further activity, you will create your own origami as a holiday gift.
Teachers: Students will need paper and scissors for today's lesson — as well as access to a computer to follow a short online tutorial. Ideally, students will use 6-by-6-inch square origami paper. However, any kind of notebook or printer paper will do. The tutorial video in the warm-up activity will show students how to fold and cut paper into a square. (You can find more details on using and making origami paper here .)
Warm Up
Have you ever done origami? Have you ever wanted to?
Before reading, take out a piece of paper and take a few minutes to do your best to fold it into an interesting shape or an object — say a box or a cube? Or an animal? Or maybe a star?
How was that? Any luck? Were you able to make something? If you are in a classroom setting, hold up your creation for others to see. What strategies or techniques did you use? Which were most successful?
(Don't fret if you were not so successful. We are about to provide a little more guidance and support.)
Next, working individually or with a partner, watch and follow along with the five-minute tutorial video below to make an origami fish.
For this second attempt, we recommend using 6-by-6-inch square origami paper. If you don't have square paper, don't worry; the video will explain how to use scissors to cut your paper into a square.
A few tips:
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Feel free to stop, pause and rewind the video as needed.
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Good, sharp and precise creases really help in making your fish.
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You can skip the musical intro and go straight to the instructions starting at :30.
Afterward, if doing this activity as a whole class, share your creations and reflect on the process together:
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What was hard about making your origami fish?
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What was fun?
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What strategies and techniques might help you be more successful if you were to make the fish (or another origami creation) again?
Finally, quickly scroll through the images of origami objects featured in the article:
Are you impressed? Do you think you could ever make any of these dazzling paper folding creations?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article , then answer the following questions:
1. What are the origins of origami? What are some of the essential techniques in origami? Which ones did you use in the warm-up? Which would you like to try next? Which is the most intimidating?
2. How have paper-folding techniques been applied outside the world of origami? Which of the practical uses described in the article do you find most intriguing or surprising, and why?
3. What are the keys to creative and successful origami making, according to the article? What does the author mean by this statement: "The goal is to arrive at the most efficient and elegant means of achieving a particular effect"?
4. What does Koshiro Hatori, a master folder, mean by the statement: "I feel my works are collaborations between paper and me"? Why is selecting the right paper so important to origami?
5. Why does Toshiko Kobayashi, an art therapist, believe that origami has the ability to heal? Do you think making origami would have a calming or healing presence for you?
6. Look more closely at the photos and select your favorite: Explain why you chose it and what aspects you admire. After reading the article, do you think origami should be more widely appreciated as an art form?
Going Further
The article features many dazzling origami creations. Now it's your turn: Create an origami object as a gift for the holidays.
Think of someone you'd like to make an origami gift for and then check out some of these videos demonstrating how to make a box, bookmark, butterfly, heart, dog, cat, crane, star, dinosaur, dreidel, menorah, Christmas ornament or Christmas tree. You can also do your own online research and come up with another idea.
Be sure to choose an origami object that is appropriate for your skill level. And keep in mind that, as in all things, practice makes … if not perfect, then better. So you may have to try several times before you get your origami creation just right.
Feel free to get nice origami paper, but remember the admonition from the article to be wary of the fanciest or prettiest paper — it may not fold and hold its shape well. If you don't have access to specialty paper, here are some more tips on how to make origami paper as well as additional folding techniques.
Lastly, here are a few more keys to success to guide you as you make your origami object:
1. Fold each crease very well.
2. Follow the instructions.
3. Be patient.
4. Have fun!
Lesson Plan With Butterfly Origami Middle School
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/learning/lesson-of-the-day-the-modern-life-of-origami-an-art-as-old-as-paper.html
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