Draw Sky, Surface, and Under the Sea

This lesson teaches students how the can easily show several different planes or spaces in one, two-dimensional drawing.  First I showed the students the example project and we talked about each of the four spaces in which we could see objects.
1)Up in the sky
2)The surface of the water and land
3)The ocean depth
4)The ocean floor

I demonstrated how to draw the three lines that separate these spaces and we talked about where a bird, a boat, a fish, or coral would be drawn.  After this the students are free to add anything they want.  You may want to spend more time brainstorming so that the students can come up with their own ideas.

As always, it's great to bring in photo reference.  Many ocean books have photos that show above and below the water.  The non-fiction section of the library is an endless source of inspiration to me!  For ideas that aren't photographs, check out Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor.