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Grade 3 · LESSON 471 OF 519

Backpack Penguin: Poses That Talk

Make a three-pose drawing featuring a penguin with an oversized backpack. The character wants to carry one library book, but packs so much that the bag tips backward. One possible ending: it uses the empty bag as a book sled. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

45 minutes; extend to a second meeting as neededPencil, eraser, and optional black drawing pen on paperCartooningBody Language

One way your story could work

The character wants to carry one library book, but packs so much that the bag tips backward. One possible ending: it uses the empty bag as a book sled. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer. An upright reaching pose becomes a slumped or puzzled pose, then an open, confident pose. The body carries the feeling.

The image introduces the character and prop; it is shared across ten different skill lessons. Follow this lesson’s directions to make its specific finished piece, using your own design.

Explore Cartooning →
Modern Art Lessons Studio Guide
YOUR STUDIO GUIDE SAYS

This is one of ten skill lessons using the Backpack Penguin story seed. Teach it independently or keep the character for a short skill sequence. Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change. A character study is shared across this sequence; the written worked example explains this lesson’s specific outcome.

STUDENT WORKSHEETPlanning, material testing, midpoint revision, and reflection prompts matched to this project.
OPEN + PRINT WORKSHEET ↗

Right-sized challenge · Grade 3

Core goal: Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.

Before starting: Try one small body language sample. If the main action is unfamiliar, model it before the full project.

If it feels too hard: Reduce the number of details; offer prepared panel boxes, larger tools, a partner, and dictated labels.

If the skill is already secure: Make a second version with a different visual choice and compare how an unfamiliar reader understands it.

Adult support: Students choose their own designs. Adults prepare tools, supervise binding, and preview external resources.

Time: One 45-minute meeting for a focused study; two for a flipbook or a longer revision. Finish the core skill before optional decoration.

Safety: Use school drawing tools. Adults handle stapling and difficult cuts. Keep jokes kind; do not caricature classmates or stereotype identities. No public account or upload required.

Suggested teaching starting points, not fixed ability bands. Adjust after observing the learner. Informed by NAEYC process-art guidance and the National Core Arts Standards framework.
Studio Guide introducing the project

THE STUDIO GUIDE'S PROJECT PLAN

What students are making

Make a three-pose drawing featuring a penguin with an oversized backpack. The character wants to carry one library book, but packs so much that the bag tips backward. One possible ending: it uses the empty bag as a book sled. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

Student directions

  1. 1

    Your finished project is a three-pose drawing featuring a penguin with an oversized backpack. Read the story seed: The character wants to carry one library book, but packs so much that the bag tips backward. One possible ending: it uses the empty bag as a book sled. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

  2. 2

    Start with oval body, short flippers, and a large rectangular bag. These are helpful shapes, not a tracing template.

  3. 3

    Draw a simple curved action line for wanting, struggling, and solving.

  4. 4

    Build large body shapes around each line. Tilt the head and shoulders to support the feeling.

  5. 5

    Keep faces simple so the pose does the storytelling. Separate arms and props from the body outline.

  6. 6

    Cover the faces. Ask a partner which pose looks most determined and why. Redraw a stiff or unclear pose. Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.

Artist connection

Mo Willems OPEN THE DIRECT EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE · TEACHER PREVIEW REQUIRED

The Eric Carle Museum describes how simple shapes create expressive characters. Classroom connection: notice how a small face or pose change can communicate a feeling. For this lesson, investigate body language using your own a penguin with an oversized backpack.

Teaching rule: borrow the artist’s question, process, material thinking, or relationship to audience—not a recognizable style.

Current art-world practice

Original cartoon storytelling through body language. This classroom task studies visual communication; it does not reproduce a published character or strip.

Ask students where they might encounter this practice today: a museum, public space, screen, community event, landscape, or temporary installation.

Teacher preparation

  • Preview the linked Mo Willems resource and choose one classroom-appropriate example. No purchase or whole-film viewing is required.
  • Prepare a quick body language demonstration using a different original character.
  • Prepare a page or card layout for a three-pose drawing featuring a penguin with an oversized backpack; print the matching worksheet.
  • Offer large paper and short word banks; an adult may scribe dialogue.

Demonstration notes

  • Begin with oval body, short flippers, and a large rectangular bag.
  • Draw a simple curved action line for wanting, struggling, and solving.
  • Build large body shapes around each line. Tilt the head and shoulders to support the feeling.
  • Keep faces simple so the pose does the storytelling. Separate arms and props from the body outline.
  • Show one unclear version and explain a small revision rather than presenting a perfect picture to copy.

Learning goals

  • Practice body language through an original cartoon.
  • Three poses show different intentions even when faces are covered.
  • Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.

Materials

  • drawing paper and scrap paper
  • pencil and eraser
  • optional black drawing pen
  • ruler for panel guides when useful

Teaching sequence

  1. 1

    0–5 MIN · LAUNCH — Introduce a penguin with an oversized backpack. Read the goal and obstacle; let students propose an ending.

  2. 2

    5–10 MIN · MODEL — Demonstrate Draw a simple curved action line for wanting, struggling, and solving. Use oval body, short flippers, and a large rectangular bag. Explain that the character reference is not a finished assignment.

  3. 3

    10–15 MIN · TRY — Build large body shapes around each line. Tilt the head and shoulders to support the feeling. Students compare small trials before committing.

  4. 4

    15–32 MIN · MAKE — Keep faces simple so the pose does the storytelling. Separate arms and props from the body outline. Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.

  5. 5

    32–40 MIN · TEST + REVISE — Cover the faces. Ask a partner which pose looks most determined and why. Redraw a stiff or unclear pose. Record the partner's response before explaining the intended meaning.

  6. 6

    40–45 MIN · SHARE + CLEAN — Collect the work and one revision note. Do not grade drawing speed or realism.

What success looks like

  • The work addresses a penguin with an oversized backpack and the chosen skill.
  • Three poses show different intentions even when faces are covered.
  • The student makes an original choice rather than copying the reference.
  • Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.

Teacher questions

  • How can we show that the character wants to carry one library book?
  • Which visible clue shows that it packs so much that the bag tips backward?
  • Cover the faces. Ask a partner which pose looks most determined and why. Redraw a stiff or unclear pose.
  • What does the reader understand without your explanation?

Common problems + responses

  • The picture is busy — remove a background detail that does not support the skill.
  • The character changes accidentally — compare its three identifying features.
  • The ending is unclear — strengthen the visible clue before adding more words.

Access + differentiation

  • Provide the page divisions or large head outlines; let the student choose the expression and action.
  • Use large, clear shapes and show one understandable change.
  • Extend by trying a second version with a different viewpoint or pacing and explaining the effect—not by adding unrelated materials.

Material substitutions

  • Use pencil only if drawing pens are unavailable.
  • Use larger paper, adapted grips, a partner recorder, or spoken reflection.
  • For motion, arrange numbered drawings and move through them by hand if flipping is difficult.

Four-part assessment rubric

SKILL — Three poses show different intentions even when faces are covered.

STORY — A viewer can identify the intended action or idea.

PROCESS — Trials and a purposeful change are visible.

REFLECTION — The student cites a reader response or visible detail.

Vocabulary

gestureposeaction line

Student reflection

What did you notice? Which choice feels most like yours? What would you change next?

National Core Arts Standards

VA:Cr1.1.3a — Elaborate imaginative ideas

VA:Cr2.1.3a — Create personally satisfying art

VA:Cr3.1.3a — Revise through reflection

STUDENT PROMPT

Make a three-pose drawing featuring a penguin with an oversized backpack. The character wants to carry one library book, but packs so much that the bag tips backward. One possible ending: it uses the empty bag as a book sled. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

Make your own version. Test an idea, notice what changes, and keep the choices that help your meaning.
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