Unit 2 - Year 1 Lessons

Overview

Students will complete Unit 2 Year 1 activities using digital art workflows.

Target skills:

• Visual Communication
• Digital Illustration
• Creative Problem Solving

Tools:

• Pixilart

Outputs:

• Student-created digital artifact(s) saved to class folder.

Week 1 - Thaumatrope (Paper Flip Animation)

Lesson 1 - Make a Thaumatrope

Goal: Create a spinning paper disc that blends two drawings into one.

Materials

• 2 small papers per student (circle or square, ~ 5×5 cm)
• Pencils, color pencils, erasers
• Tape or stapler
• Small straw, stick, or round handle

Steps

1. Introduction - What is animation?
   Explain that animation is showing pictures quickly so they look like they’re moving. A thaumatrope is one of the first and easiest animation toys.

2. Show examples. Spin a sample to show how two images combine.

3. Design time - Choose a simple pair that lines up in the center:

   • Cloud + lightning
   • Fish + bowl
   • Bird + cage
   • Flower + pot
   • Snowman + snow globe
   • Chair + person

Tip: Avoid tiny details (e.g., fingers, ants). Keep designs big and bold.

4. Draw together. As a class, rough one example (e.g., fish + bowl). Center each drawing so they align when spun.

5. Color & assemble. Color the drawings, then tape or staple them to opposite sides of the stick/straw.

6. Spin to animate! Hold the stick and spin between fingers to see the images blend.

Lesson 2 - Iterate

Brainstorm new pairs and make another thaumatrope repeating the steps above.

Week 2 - Digital Thaumatrope (Pixilart)

Lesson 1 - Two-Frame Blend Animation

Goal: Make a 2-frame animation in Pixilart.com that blends like a thaumatrope.

1. Talk about animation
   Ask: “What is animation?” > “When two or more pictures are shown quickly so they look like they’re moving.”
   Show a quick thaumatrope example (real or video). Say: “Today we’ll make a digital version with two drawings that blend when animated.”

2. Start a new drawing

   • File > New
   • Canvas size: 64×64 px (or 128×128 for more room)
     
   • Click Create > OK

3. Plan your design (two parts of one idea)
   Example pairs: Bird + cage, Fish + bowl, Flower + pot, Cloud + lightning, Snowman + globe, Light bulb off > on
   
   Keep drawings big and simple so they read clearly.

4. Draw Frame 1
   Use the pencil and fill tools. Keep the art centered so Frame 1 and Frame 2 will align.

5. Add Frame 2
   Click + Add Frame in the timeline.
   
   Draw the second image, matching placement so the two frames combine when animated.

6. Preview
   Press Play (or Spacebar) to watch the two drawings blend. Use the speed slider to adjust playback.

7. Finish & Save

   • Click Download (arrow/box icon) > Export as GIF
   • Save to Google Drive > Students > NAME > file.gif

Lesson 2 - Repeat with New Idea

Repeat the previous lesson with a different pair, still limited to 2 frames.