The Arts · Grade 5

Active learning ideas

Basic Animation Principles

Active learning works especially well for animation principles because motion is a physical experience students can feel before they see it. When students bounce playdough balls or role-play anticipation sequences, they connect abstract concepts to muscle memory, making digital animation more intuitive and expressive.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• B1.2

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Squash and Stretch Ball Bounce

Partners share a device to animate a bouncing ball over 12 frames: stretch upward, squash on ground, subtle side wobble. Play back, adjust squash intensity, and compare versions. Discuss what makes it feel heavy or light.

Explain how the animation principle of squash and stretch makes an animated object appear more lively.

Facilitation Tip

During the Squash and Stretch Ball Bounce, ask students to record the number of frames before and after impact to quantify exaggeration.

What to look for

Show students a short animation clip (e.g., a bouncing ball). Ask them to write down one sentence describing how squash and stretch is used and one sentence explaining what makes the movement look lively.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Anticipation Jump Sequence

Groups storyboard a character jumping: three frames of wind-up crouch for anticipation, then launch. Animate digitally, time the hold, and add squash on landing. Present to class for votes on suspense.

Describe a short animation sequence that demonstrates the principle of anticipation.

Facilitation Tip

In the Anticipation Jump Sequence, have students time their character’s crouch using a slow count to internalize the rhythm.

What to look for

Provide students with a prompt: 'Describe a character preparing to throw a ball. What specific pose or action would demonstrate anticipation?' Students write their response on an index card.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Principle Gallery Walk

Students upload 5-frame animations to a shared drive. Class rotates stations, labeling squash/stretch or anticipation with sticky notes and reasons. Debrief identifies strongest examples.

Examine a simple animation and explain what makes its movement look fluid or expressive.

Facilitation Tip

For the Principle Gallery Walk, group students by principle so they can compare multiple interpretations before discussing differences.

What to look for

Students create a two-frame animation loop demonstrating either squash and stretch or anticipation. They then exchange their work with a partner and provide feedback using the prompt: 'Does the animation clearly show [principle]? What could make it clearer?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Expressive Object Walk

Each student animates a familiar object, like a shoe, walking with anticipation lean and squash steps. Export and reflect in journal on principle effects.

Explain how the animation principle of squash and stretch makes an animated object appear more lively.

Facilitation Tip

During the Expressive Object Walk, supply a variety of small objects (e.g., pompoms, erasers) so students choose based on deformation potential.

What to look for

Show students a short animation clip (e.g., a bouncing ball). Ask them to write down one sentence describing how squash and stretch is used and one sentence explaining what makes the movement look lively.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with hands-on demos to ground abstract concepts in the physical world, then transition to digital tools to reinforce experimentation without fear of mistakes. Emphasize iteration over perfection, using peer feedback to refine work. Research shows that students grasp timing better when they first act out motions themselves before animating.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying squash and stretch or anticipation in animations, explaining how these principles affect movement, and applying them independently in their own short loops. You will see students discussing timing, revising poses, and giving specific feedback to peers.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Squash and Stretch Ball Bounce activity, watch for students who treat squash and stretch as a purely stylistic choice rather than a simulation of real physics.

  Ask students to press playdough balls against a ruler to measure compression, then compare the flattened shape to their animation frames. Guide them to label the force and mass in their sketches.

• During the Anticipation Jump Sequence activity, watch for students who skip the preparatory pose entirely or make it too subtle to notice.

  Have students mark the crouch pose with a colored pencil and count the frames before the jump. Use a class timer to demonstrate how anticipation adds 3–5 frames of clarity to the action.

• During the Expressive Object Walk activity, watch for students who animate every frame at the same speed, believing more frames always improve quality.

  Instruct students to animate the same object twice: once with even spacing and once with spaced-out keyframes. Display both loops side-by-side to show how exaggeration creates fluidity with fewer frames.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning