Sculpture with Purchased Materials

In the event that I end up in a school with a budget that allows for some extra quality materials, I would love to teach a sculpture lesson with wire.  I had never handled wire before my Intro to 3D class in college, so I had a decent learning curve before being able to create a decent sculpture.  So introducing some upper-level art students to wire and how to properly use it to create a sculpture in the round would be a great experience for those planning to pursue art in college or those who need a challenge.  The lesson I would use with my students would be for them to create an animal out of wire.  For example:

Like these examples, the students' work would have to be in the round, not simply a flat drawing out of the wire.  The sculptures would need to be 10" tall, 12" long, and 3" wide, but bigger would be encouraged.  Students would be able to use thick wire for the skeleton and thinner wire for details, if needed.  If they can create a strong composition that meets the size and shape requirements using only one type of wire, then that is fine, but I would love to see what some students would do with the thinner wire to add details, like in the beetle sculpture.  To help the students create a successful 3D work, I would have demonstrations on how to use pliers to help manipulate the wire, as well as how to braid the thicker wire using drill to create a thicker, stronger wire for support of the structure.