CHARACTER REFERENCE · CREATE YOUR OWN3138

Grade 4 · LESSON 539 OF 584

Raincoat Dog: Make a Place for the Story

Make a cartoon setting with a character featuring a dog with a tiny raincoat. The character wants to keep dry on a walk, but the coat covers only the head. One possible ending: it uses the coat to shelter a smaller friend. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.

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

One way your story could work

The character wants to keep dry on a walk, but the coat covers only the head. One possible ending: it uses the coat to shelter a smaller friend. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer. The character is largest near the important object. Three simple environmental clues locate the action without filling every space.

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 →

YOUR STUDIO GUIDE SAYS

This is one of ten skill lessons using the Raincoat Dog story seed. Teach it independently or keep the character for a short skill sequence. Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback. 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 4

Core goal: Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.

Before starting: Try one small settings 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.

THE STUDIO GUIDE'S PROJECT PLAN

What students are making

Student directions

1
Your finished project is a cartoon setting with a character featuring a dog with a tiny raincoat. Read the story seed: The character wants to keep dry on a walk, but the coat covers only the head. One possible ending: it uses the coat to shelter a smaller friend. Invent a different kind ending if you prefer.
2
Start with floppy ears, long body, and a small hood. These are helpful shapes, not a tracing template.
3
Choose an ordinary place where this problem could happen. Draw two small arrangements.
4
Place the main character and prop first. Add only three background clues that explain the location or problem.
5
Use overlap and a clear ground line; keep background marks quieter than the character’s outline.
6
Ask a partner where the scene happens and what they notice first. Remove or move one distracting detail. Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.

Artist connection

Charles M. Schulz OPEN THE DIRECT EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE · TEACHER PREVIEW REQUIRED

The Schulz Museum explains storytelling in four cartoon panels. Classroom connection: study the order of a teacher-selected strip, then tell an original everyday story. The page describes paid workshops; purchasing one is not required. For this lesson, investigate settings using your own a dog with a tiny raincoat.

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 settings. 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 Charles M. Schulz resource and choose one classroom-appropriate example. No purchase or whole-film viewing is required.
Prepare a quick settings demonstration using a different original character.
Prepare a page or card layout for a cartoon setting with a character featuring a dog with a tiny raincoat; print the matching worksheet.
Offer large paper and short word banks; an adult may scribe dialogue.

Demonstration notes

Begin with floppy ears, long body, and a small hood.
Choose an ordinary place where this problem could happen. Draw two small arrangements.
Place the main character and prop first. Add only three background clues that explain the location or problem.
Use overlap and a clear ground line; keep background marks quieter than the character’s outline.
Show one unclear version and explain a small revision rather than presenting a perfect picture to copy.

Learning goals

Practice settings through an original cartoon.
The setting supports the story without hiding the character or important prop.
Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.

Materials

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

Teaching sequence

1
0–5 MIN · LAUNCH — Introduce a dog with a tiny raincoat. Read the goal and obstacle; let students propose an ending.
2
5–10 MIN · MODEL — Demonstrate Choose an ordinary place where this problem could happen. Draw two small arrangements. Use floppy ears, long body, and a small hood. Explain that the character reference is not a finished assignment.
3
10–15 MIN · TRY — Place the main character and prop first. Add only three background clues that explain the location or problem. Students compare small trials before committing.
4
15–32 MIN · MAKE — Use overlap and a clear ground line; keep background marks quieter than the character’s outline. Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.
5
32–40 MIN · TEST + REVISE — Ask a partner where the scene happens and what they notice first. Remove or move one distracting detail. Record the partner's response before explaining the intended meaning.
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 dog with a tiny raincoat and the chosen skill.
The setting supports the story without hiding the character or important prop.
The student makes an original choice rather than copying the reference.
Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.

Teacher questions

How can we show that the character wants to keep dry on a walk?
Which visible clue shows that it the coat covers only the head?
Ask a partner where the scene happens and what they notice first. Remove or move one distracting detail.
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

Reduce to one character and one main visual change; rehearse the skill in a small sample.
Compare two arrangements and revise one unclear visual clue after peer feedback.
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 — The setting supports the story without hiding the character or important prop.

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

settingforegroundoverlap

Student reflection

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

National Core Arts Standards

VA:Cr1.1.4a — Brainstorm multiple approaches

VA:Cr2.1.4a — Develop artwork through materials

VA:Cr3.1.4a — Revise using insights

STUDENT PROMPT

Make a cartoon setting with a character featuring a dog with a tiny raincoat. The character wants to keep dry on a walk, but the coat covers only the head. One possible ending: it uses the coat to shelter a smaller friend. 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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