Saturday Morning Art Workshop
Hosted by the University of Iowa Art Education program, Saturday Morning Art Workshop (SMAW) is taught by students in the program. Each group leads a small group of elementary students in making art from a variety of mediums and subject matter for 8 weeks in a row. SMAW culminates in a celebration and exhibition of the student work held in the 8th week. SMAW 2023 was held in the University Visual Arts Building. I worked with 10 first graders creating in a range of mediums from collaborative sculpture to individual paintings.
Week 7: Make a Noise!
Age: 1st/2nd, 6-7 years
Teachers: Madigan, Anna, Liv, & AJ
Date: 11/12/22
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson TLW makes unique sounds using upcycled materials.
By the end of the lesson TLW reimagine new uses for recycled and/or tossed out materials.
By the end of the lesson the learner will make their own instrument from 2 or more sustainable materials.
Lesson Summary
Today was a collaborative teaching endeavor. I opened the lesson with two vocabulary words written on the board: sustainability and upcycling. I asked the students if anyone knew the meaning of both and then defined them. To elaborate on the fact that upcycling involves giving something old or used a new purpose and connect to the lesson, I showed students a video of the band STOMP performing music with trash can lids plastic garbage bins. The students enjoyed discussing what the trash bins and lids became in the hands of the musicians- cymbals and drums.
For the technical demonstration, Anna introduced students to the materials - rubber bands, paint sticks, recyclables and popsicle sticks- and prompted them to imagine kinds of instruments they could create. Liv showed and played the teacher examples of noise makers. Finally, I set the requirement for students to chose at least 2 materials to create their own instrument with, and asked them to consider how the instrument would be played, what noise it would make and how it would look.
Students explored the materials and began experimenting immediately. The most popular instruments being shaped were guitars and drums. Two students shared with me that they were at a loss for ideas and we got to brainstorm and problem solve together. One of these students became excited about the process and discovering new ways to make sounds with popsicle stick and a jar. The other didn’t want to persist in the process, but after encouragement and the introduction of a new material (thanks Dr. Rowe!), she was excited about creating something unique.
After work time, students cleaned up the materials and met back at their seats with their instrument. After some reminders about respectful listening to ensure instruments remained un-played until it was time, AJ began explaining the noise making group game. He began the game by making a noise on his homemade washboard, the instructors joined in one by one, then each student joined in playing their instrument when signaled.
Final Outcomes
Each student made an upcycled, original instrument that made a sound and was decorated with paint sticks. The class played their instruments all at once to create a group sound. We are excited to display the instruments and share the recording of the collaborative sound at the final exhibition.
The students were enthusiastic throughout the process of creating their instrument and were more than willing to play their instrument individually and with the group. Every student asked if they could take their work home right after class so it seemed they were excited to continue to use and share the final outcomes.
Future Modifications
This would be an interesting lesson that integrates art with music class in an elementary setting. Students could learn about bands like STOMP, how instruments are designed and made, acoustics, etc. in music class and then practice applying the knowledge by building their instruments (and being successful because the process will be based in knowledge about instruments). Then after they make their instrument in art class, they could do the collaborative song back in music class.
This is a chaotic and active lesson that could be overstimulating for students. Having a quiet space available for students who need a break would be a great tool to consider. Offering headphones or other noise cancelling options would also support students who would experience sensory overload. Breaking the room into work space and practice space (where they can play their instrument) could help mitigate the sound as well.
For students who struggle to come up with an idea or who aren’t excited about the lesson having special materials (larger, unique, attractive) to offer can help spark engagement.
Week 6: Crafting Creatures
Model Magic Monster Sculptures
Age: 1st and 2nd grades
Date: 11/5/22
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson the learner will be able to identify the terms form, shape, and abstraction by their definition or a visual example.
By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to demonstrate the hand-building technique, pinching.
By the end of the lesson the learner will be able to assemble a small sculpture from a clay-like substance (Model Magic).
By the end of the lesson the learner will be able to abstract an observation or idea.
Lesson Summary
Introduction
Ms. Liv opened the lesson with a drawing warm up activity. She asked students to pick up a drawing utensil and switch it to their other hand so they were drawing with their non-dominant hand. Then she asked students to draw a giraffe with that hand. She noted that it might not look perfect, which is part of the fun. After the activity, she started a conversation about abstraction. She had images on her iPad which she held and showed the class as she spoke to them. The first image was of Ms. Liv’s cat, which she used to illustrate how things could be abstracted. At the whiteboard, Ms. Liv asked students what she should draw to portray her cat accurately. After adding whiskers, fur, pointy ears to the accurate cat, she began drawing another cat, this time abstracted. She began at the ears making them super long and pointy, which got oohs and ahhs and whats?! from the class. After she drew her abstracted cat, she further defined what abstract means. Then she went into introducing the lesson.
Technical Demonstration
Ms. Liv shared with students that today they would be working in 3D, sculpting with model magic. To build suspense on what they would make in 3D, she held up a closed wooden box and told the class they had to behave because she was going to introduce them to what was in the box. At this point, students were leaning in or moving closer for the unveiling. Finally, Ms. Liv opened the box and one by one introduced the creatures inside. She showed students which of the sculptures were good and bad examples, holding each one up as she elaborated. She asked students to use more than one color because the monochromatic monsters were sad. She suggested that they make the creatures in the larger side so they could easily add a lot of details.
Next, Ms. Liv quickly modeled a few sculpture techniques. She gave each student a bit of model magic and had them roll it into a ball, then a log. Then she had them get out their crab fingers and pinch the model magic to make a new tear drop shape, noting that these could be tears, teeth or toenails. The students practiced the techniques along with her.
Work Time
Now it was student work time. Ms. Liv dealt out red, white, blue and yellow model magic to each student, reminded them to use at least 2 colors, and asked that they produce at least 2 creatures from their imagination. She also reminded them that the creatures could be completely made up and not look like a real animal. She played music and checked in with students individually, asked them questions and described their work. A few times, she made suggestions to the whole group on how they could mix two colors together to make new one by rolling them in hand or to think about what sound their creature might make if it could talk.
Final Outcomes
When it was time to clean up, Ms. Liv gave each student a paper with their name on it and had them put their finished creatures on the paper. Then students cleaned up their area, and got to take any extra model magic home with them. After clean up, Ms. Liv offered for each student to share their creations and make the noise that each creature makes for the class. Each student shared their work and the creatures had indivudalized, unique noises ranging from a simple “Hiii” to an outright, shrill screech.
Future Modifications
The lack of clean up for this lesson is fantastic! I would love to incorporate this lesson into an elementary school classroom. I would maybe give students 2-3 colors if the model magic was more limited, or have them pair up to share the sculpting material.
To extend the lesson I would begin or end with a 3D sculpture lesson creating habitats or homes for the creatures, or even have the class city from earlier in the workshop have a more permanent end result so the creatures could reside in the city.
To adapt the lesson for older students (4th/5th grade), I would have similar prompts but think about using clay and have students fire their work. This would bring in a ceramics unit and incorporate hand building techniques. Students could either glaze the work, or they could paint with water colors after the work is fired.
Week 5: Cartoon Day
Age 1st-2nd grades
Teachers AJ Bouland
Date 10/29/2022
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson TLW redesign 3 animated characters using 3 different drawing materials.
By the end of the lesson TLW be able to define redesign.
Lesson Summary
AJ began the lesson by wishing the students “happy cartoon day,” and introducing the instructors again- (Princess Peach, the fairy Silvermist, Adventure Time’s witch ghost Marceline and Batman for cartoon day). The instructors as characters mirrored the lesson concept around character redesign. Then he began a PowerPoint outlining today’s lesson. He highlighted some vocabulary with student interaction by pointing out the evolution of the design for Mickey Mouse across time, then asking students to point out similarities and differences of several classic character redesigns such as Rapunzel, Batman, etc. Students were eagerly raising their hands to be a part of the conversation about each character and AJ had students repeat the vocabulary back to him as he talked about redesigns. For the technical demonstration he moved over to the whiteboard and introduced what the students would be doing for the lesson. They would be reading a description of a character and draw out their own imagining of the figure based on the descriptive words. He demonstrated this on the board- Anna read the description and he asked students to volunteer ideas for what should be included in the character as he drew it based on what the words brought to mind. The example description read: woman, hero, strong, flies. Students called out “wonder woman!” and AJ asked what should be included in the drawing of wonder woman- (boots, a head band, the iconic W). He drew the cartoon-esque rendition of wonder woman on the board as they contributed ideas.
Now it was worktime. AJ asked students to draw three different characters, using three different materials (pastels, markers, crayons), based on three different descriptions. To check clarity he asked students what they should be doing and they responded accurately. Students worked for the rest of class, involving peers and instructors with ideas and sharing completed drawings throughout.
Final Outcomes
Students created 3 different drawings of 3 different characters based on brief descriptions. Some character inspirations were clear and students drew them based on their memory of the known character and some descriptions were more mysterious so students drew more from imagination. A few students made their drawings resemble comic book style by creating separate narrative scenes of the character. Some students drew all of their characters together in one scene and some made more iconic renderings of one figure dominating one full page. At the end of class students who wanted to shared their final drawings and AJ shared the inspiration behind the descriptions (ex: blue, happy, alien = Stitch; hero, spider senses, blue and red = spiderman).
Future Modifications
To focus on the concept of redesigns over time I would include the name of the character with the description and have students draw the character intentionally keeping classic elements of the character but adding their own intentional twist to them. I would also consider further highlighting the idea of redesign by having students draw three different renditions of the same character.
To increase student confidence and help kick off worktime, I would teach a step by step figure/cartoon drawing during the technical demo so students had a base to start from. I would remind students in a more traditional classroom setting how to draw figures in general (torsos have two sides, legs are rectangles not sticks, etc.) to get fully formed characters rather than stick figures. Generally, I would offer a range of skills or tips before students began working so they would be able to confidently have a starting point. This can be adjusted based on group size and student skill levels.
Week 1: Build-a-City Collaborative Sculpture
Build-a- sculpture
mixed material sculpture
Age 1st-2nd grades
Teachers Madigan Young and Anna Schlictmann (photography and observation by Liv and AJ)
Date 9/29/2022
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson TLW construct a collaborative, scaled down cityscape made of individual work and at least 15 different art and building materials.
By the end of the lesson TLW recall and identify what a city is composed of in a group brainstorm discussion.
By the end of the lesson TLW design their own building made of at least 3 different materials and suited to an intended being.
Inspiration artwork Bodys Isek Kingelez, part of City Dreams, mixed materials sculpture
Activity Summary
Introduction
This was the first day of the Saturday morning art workshop (SMAW) so we began with introductions. First, as students came in we offered free drawing paper and crayons and a blank name tag at the table. Anna had each student share their name and their dream pet they would pick- any animal, real or imaginary.
Lesson Introduction
After introductions introduced the lesson. I asked the students if any of them knew what the first image of the slide show way (birds-eye view of Iowa City). One student called it out right away. I asked students “Do you know what an architect does?” and talked about architects planning buildings, then pointed out that builders execute architects plans. I told students “Today, you get to be an architect and builder.” The first few slides instigated student participation throughout the presentation. I showed real examples of sky scrapers and local buildings that students recognized. I pointed out design aspects of the local buildings (Hancher is a very wide building, the Englert theater has a sign/awning sticking out, skyscrapers are super tall) and pointed out the students could think about adding similar details and decide whether their sculpture would be really wide or really tall. Finally, I talked about Bodys Isek Kingelez and how he created city sculptures with imaginary buildings, and showed images of his work. I told the students that as architects they would design their own individual building- imaginary OR inspired by a building they know- and then build it. I showed them my teacher example and asked them what kind of building they thought it might be - they said skyscraper. Next, I shared who we were creating a city for, a sculpture creature (made by Liv which students will make in a few weeks), to incorporate imagination and storytelling + provide context for scale. The sculpture was also the size of a rubber duck, we pointed this out for familiarity. We had both the sculpture character and duck out for students to engage with. To further explain scale I showed them how the character would be able to fit through the door of the example sculpture.
Technical Demonstration
Anna did a demonstration on how to begin by collecting materials and thinking about the base of the building, the shape and function and finally the design/how it looks. Students were eager to begin and volunteered ideas and physical help during Anna’s technical demonstration. I told the students we could begin work time, and had them choose individually if they wanted to work right on the city street (the paper on the ground) or at their table spot (a teacher would help them move the building once it was complete).
Work Time
Once students began working (instantly, once we cued work time), they independently gathered materials and made their way to a work space of choice. Anna and I checked in with students while AJ and Liv took photos. We helped students keep buildings together or find materials but they designed their buildings on their own. Once they completed their construction, I either prompted them to add design aspects or if they had those, I let them know they could add landscaping on the street/paper with crayons or tissue paper. Students eagerly accepted this role as well.
Conclusion
We were crunched for time from fitting both general workshop and lesson introduction, so with 5 minutes before parent pick up, all students brought their buildings to the street and added any last minute details. Then I thanked the students for coming (and they thanked us!) and said the teachers would clean for them today.
Order of Events
Write name tag/free draw
Introductions and expectations
Lesson Introduction/slide show (architects, builders, buildings & artist inspiration)
Technical Demonstration and scale model
Work time- individual building creation
Work time/wrap up - combine buildings into one city
Final Outcomes
The final outcomes of this lesson included high student engagement, exploration of different materials, employing the artist behavior: engage & persist, and original individual sculptures combined into one collaborative sculpture of an imaginary city block.
High Student Engagement
Our group of students was talkative (if not right away, by the end of worktime), and excited to create. They had active imaginations and intelligent, original ideas. The students created drawings before and throughout introductions and were beyond happy to share about their drawings. They were excited with the idea of using the materials to create any building they wanted and began working and brainstorming right after and almost during the technical demonstration. They also had ideas to contribute while Anna was demonstrating.
Exploration of Materials
Most of the students gathered blocks or boxes to begin their sculptures. Once they had their structures- most of which had interior space as they envisioned the character interacting with the building- they explored the colorful add on elements such as pipe cleaners, tissue paper or drawings with crayons.
Practicing engage & persist
Several students had challenges with their sculpture falling apart on the first try or had to reinforce their structure with tape or a larger base to build it up. None of them got frustrated but instead asked for assistance (mostly with tape), advice, or simply tried again. Students also had a vision of what their building was before building it and used the various materials available to create the shapes that brought their vision to life. For example, one student wanted to make a hat shop shaped like a witch’s hat and intentionally sought out a large triangle shape to use for the main profile of her sculpture.
Original Individual Sculptures
Students created one building for their city made of at least 2 materials (more in most cases). We had a hat shop, an ink factory, a factory with a road and delivery car out front, telephone wires, and 4 houses of various styles and sizes. Most of the buildings had a very 3 dimensional structure with “functional” space inside for the character to enter into. Students completed their sculptures by adding details around their building on the street paper- they drew the street and/ or bushes/plants. Each student worked the entire time and happily yet emphatically shared what their building was and why it was designed that way when asked by Anna or me. If their sculpture wasn’t quite complete or the exact way they imagined, they explained their future plans for it (one student shared that a pipe cleaner design she created was laying down inside the house but would eventually stand up when she created the roof).
One Collaborative Sculpture
Several students chose to work “on site”- exactly where on the city street their sculpture would go. Four of the twelve chose to work separately at their table spot, to move their building later. This allowed students to decide their work environment- did they want more space with more controlled and quiet energy at their table spot, or were they okay with a more collaborative chaotic space constructing right next to each other in the city. I found this aspect of choice allowed for a very active, almost urban/busy atmosphere that was still comfortable for each individual working in the space.
The final result - with all of the sculptures assembled on the paper street- was a reflection of the busy, chaotic, exciting process. Our group sculpture was not obvious as a city block instantly, it wasn’t neat or orderly with a street in the middle and buildings on the side. I was satisfied with the final result even though it wasn’t an obvious, extremely aesthetic city sculpture. It was rewarding to see the students engaged and excited as they imagined what they could create in response to the lesson prompts. If we would have managed time to allow for more collaboration and tweaking once the sculpture city was placed, it would have been fun to see the students work as a team to be intentional about how their individual work would come together as a final sculpture.
Instead, the final collaborative sculpture was more of a patchwork collection of individual parts brought together swiftly, highlighting the fact that process and activating student imagination was emphasized more than the physical final product.
Future Modifications
To aim for a clearly communicated display of a collaborative city sculpture, I would prepare the street space ahead of time with the street, landscaping and lots outlined. I enjoyed the fact that students had full choice when it came to their individual sculptures + where it resided/what that street space looked like. Their imaginations are powerful enough to not require that imagery to see the street space. However, if we weren’t disassembling the work after class, it would have been nice to provide more structure to create a visually clear cityscape, either by drawing/painting paper or a large piece of plywood or cardboard for a stable, movable base.
Along those lines, another modification would be to design the lesson to create a more permanent sculpture that remains standing. This would lead to a more celebratory result to view at a final exhibition. Using similar materials (wood blocks, PVC, legos) I would incorporate hot glue (supplied by a teacher) to hold the individual structures together. Or I would provide different materials, focusing mainly on recyclables and art materials (cardboard, construction paper, etc.) that could be glued and taped more effectively.
To activate imagination/storytelling even more, I would further involve the beings we created the building for. Rather than introducing the clay character simply for scale, I would introduce the students to the character right away or precede this lesson with the lesson where students create their own sculpted being.
Finally, one main modification regardless whether I want to change the lesson or repeat it more closely, I would structure the time better and allow for time to wrap up and collaborate more at the end.
Week 2: Storytelling with Foam Prints
Age 1st-2nd grade
Date 10/8/22
Teachers AJ and Liv
Learning Objective
By the end of the lesson TLW collaborate with other learners to make a linocut print of a page of a storybook without using any words.
Summary of Activity
AJ began class by welcoming students and reminding them of the instructor names (do you remember my name? etc.) Then he began the lesson with a full class warm-up activity looking at different animated images on the power point and asking students to share what they saw happening in the pictures. This was to get them practicing seeing that stories were being told solely with images. Then AJ briefly introduced 3 artists and printmaking artworks. Next, Liv introduced what printmaking is and showed students the brayer, foam board and pencil. She had students repeat “brayer",” and “relief print” back to her after she defined them and continued having them say the words as she gave instructions mad libs style. Liv demonstrated the print making process at one of the students’ work tables and had everyone gather around her. She showed students how to make marks/indents in the foam with a pencil and passed the foam around for every student to make a mark or doodle. She said once they were done, students would raise hands and have a teacher give them one color of ink. Then, she showed students how to roll the ink on using the brayer. Emphasizing that a teacher would help with the final step as well, she flipped the foam onto the final paper and modeled how to gently and thoroughly rub the foam so the image would fully transfer. Then she asked if anyone wanted to pull the print, and all hands went in the air. One of the students pulled the foam up and revealed the collaborative example piece. Students were excited and pointed out the marks they made. Throughout the demonstration and upon introducing what they would be doing today, Liv also showed another teacher example. As she held up her alien print and foam board, she pointed out that the words were backwards to begin with and printing would flip everything the opposite way.
To begin worktime, AJ and Liv handed out 2 foam pieces and pencils to each student. One foam was for the ink, the other for the print. Students were so excited with their visions that they began drawing and making marks in the foam as soon as they had it. AJ and Liv adapted by allowing the students to have complete choice over what their print would be of instead of adding the prompts after students began (originally students were making a wordless collaborative story and each table would draw in response to a one sentence prompt that represented each scene). Students were focused and engaged throughout work time and excited to move through the steps. Liv handed out ink by offering one color at a time and having students raise hands for what color they wanted.
As students began wrapping up (around 10:25am at the earliest) they made ghost prints/ second prints or went back to their free drawing. Liv assisted with clean up at the sink, having students bring the brayer and foam boards to the sink themselves. We kept the foam boards and the final prints, most of which were dry enough to stack at the end after students headed out.
Order of Events
Free drawing time
Lesson Introduction
Showed images and asked students to describe what was happening in them
Introduced print making materials, focusing on the brayer and relief printing on foam.
Technical Demonstration
students made the marks with pencil on the foam
instructor applied printers ink to the foam
instructor flipped the foam on to the paper
student pulled the print
Materials handed out
Work Time
Clean Up
Final Outcomes
Students successfully created mono colored foam relief prints and were able to (mostly) independently follow the step by step process of print making. They had full choice when it came to what their print would be of and about so there was a range of resulting subjects from aliens to houses to pumpkins. Students were engaged with the work and excited to begin. They also learned what a relief print is, what a brayer is and what it does. They were able to explore image reversal in the print making process, and some even practiced writing backwards to get intentional results. There were some individual conversations about storytelling as well. Using the example book, Goodnight Gorilla, I asked students what the story was about, then pointed out that there are few words in the book so the story is mainly told through pictures showing the power of images. I reminded students they could create a story using only pictures and they could practice this in print making. Print making is quite the process, so having students simply practice that as a skill is a great introduction to this medium. This lesson would be a good preface leading into a print making lesson around a specific theme.
Highlights
clean up on time!
Students learned the print making process
tons of student choice in what to draw
students were focused and excited
Future Modifications
I would modify this particular lesson by waiting to hand out materials until the lesson prompts were fully introduced. The students were eager to begin working which is a great thing- but led to them beginning before there was a chance to assign the prompt they would draw for. This impacted the thought provoking outcomes of the lesson and decreased the teaching around storytelling. Students lost the opportunity to think more deeply about what they were making. Free choice had already occurred during free drawing and the structure put in place with storytelling would have given students a new perspective on what images can communicate. That being said, I would use this lesson as an introduction into print making for this age group. It was a concise, quick way to effectively teach the print making process and concepts.
Finally, I would change the introduction into the lesson by incorporating the example print artworks and/or the story books by having students assess what stories they were telling. This would efficiently engage the students with the theme of the lesson and the medium right away. I like the idea of using wordless stories to show students the power of images as a storytelling tool that doesn’t necessarily need words for context. I can see the possibility of using wordless storybooks in my future classroom as the hook for lessons across different mediums.
Overall Modifications
hand out materials after all of the instructions
use this lesson as an introduction into printmaking for young students
use the example artworks and/or storybooks in the introductory examples around storytelling
Week 3: The Painting Game Landscape Paintings
Age 1st-2nd grade
Date 10/14/22
Teachers Madigan
Learning Objective
In this lesson TWL apply perspective techniques to depict depth in a landscape painting.
In this lesson TWL compile 3 or more imaginary ideas with observations of daily life to create a new representation of a personally meaningful place.
In this lesson TWL practice following step by step prompts to complete one final painting.
David Hockney, Mullholland Drive, the Road to the Studio, acrylic on canvas, 1980, 86” x 240,” LACMA
Lesson Summary
Introduction
I began the lesson by introducing the David Hockney painting above. I asked students to share what they noticed about the painting. The students pointed out that it looked like a city, had buildings, that it also looked like fields with windmills and it had a big mountain in the middle of it. The students also said it was crazy and had a lot of colors. I asked them if it looked exactly realistic and they agreed that it didn’t. I told them that Hockney painted this landscape from memory and it portrays where he drives on the way to his studio.
Drawing/Initial Worktime
After the brief discussion of the Hockney piece, I shared that we were going to paint landscapes together today, noting that they could use their memories or real places and their imaginations. I handed out the papers while Anna prepared the paint palettes and brushes. Students already had drawing materials in front of them. I had my example painting and a blank paper up on the white board and began step by step instructions, drawing with them as I went. Here is a breakdown of the steps and how they went.
First, I introduced the concept of the horizon line by asking students if they knew what it was (one said that it divides the sky from land), and I had one student point out the line on the example painting, highlighting that it is not perfectly straight, and is near the middle of the painting. I asked the students to begin their landscape by drawing their own horizon line across the center of their page.
The next prompt was for students to add a body of water (I asked them to name a few) to their paper.
Third, I introduced the idea of creating depth in the painting - making things seem closer and farther away. I asked students to start by drawing a plant/tree really big at the bottom of their paper with a lot of detail, then a second set of plants between the bottom and the horizon, and a final set of tiny plants on the horizon with hardly any detail.
The final all together prompt with the drawing materials was to draw something big that catches your eye in the painting. I asked them what catches their eye in Hockney’s painting (the mountain and the telephone wires) and shared my teacher example that had a rollercoaster and I drew a giant peach to show a range of how imaginary they could get.
Throughout the prompts students continuously worked, mostly following the prompts and asking if they could do variations (I always said yes). They worked much more quickly than expected so I didn’t need to incorporate movement or suggest they add more details and kept moving.
Painting/Work Time
Now it was time to paint. I had students put painting aprons on and instructed them to not start painting right when they received paints (they also got brushes after paints which helped manage that). Before I set them loose, I gave one more rule to follow- choose at least one realistic aspect of their painting and paint it an unrealistic color (i.e. paint the sky yellow or a tree purple). The students were enamored by this and shared their plans aloud as they began painting.
As they worked, I asked students if they wanted to tell me anything about their painting (one highlight was a student told me the mountain was his brain and it was the scary part of his mind as he painted it grey and black, another was a student who drew an eagle and a whale). Students were excited to share what they were working on. As they began painting I could assess their skills (all of them had said they painted before) and called out some tips. I reminded them to dip their brush in water to start, dip in water and brush off the paint on scrap paper to change colors and asked if they knew what colors to mix for purple, or to make things lighter etc. I visited with each student more individually during work time to continue to ask and answer any questions. I also offered tips to the whole class, reminding them they could add new details to their landscape, or characters (who lives there?) etc.
Conclusion
When students were complete, I asked them their favorite part of the final piece and why, and what the most challenging part of their painting process was (usually coloring the sky or land without accidently blending over the lines and getting brown). Then I had them bring their brushes and water cups to the sink and guided cleanup individually.
Final Outcomes
Students created their own individual landscapes. The works varied in level of details and painting techniques (splatter paint, blended, showing brush strokes). They almost all had mountains and a few had animals or other details. There was variation in the type of horizon they had and students successfully placed the horizon near the center. Students created depth in their work, by painting details getting smaller from the bottom of the page to the horizon. Students followed the steps with focus for the most part, with one or two finishing early, not wanting to add more.
Students recalled places they have traveled, places they live and invented places that exist in games or their imaginations. They recreated these places from memory/invention on the paper. Students were enthusiastic about what they included in their paintings and were more than willing to share with instructors and peers. Students dove right into painting, quickly following any tips about technique as I went. They were able to experiment with brush size, brushstrokes, diluting paint with water, and mixing colors.
Breakdown of Outcomes
students created individual landscapes inspired by real/remembered and imagined places
there was a variety of different landscapes, with different levels of detail
students successfully followed steps
students were invested in and excited about their paintings
students learned about the horizon line and creating depth by varying size/placement of objects
students experimented with painting techniques
Future Modifications
To adapt this lesson for a classroom (me teaching alone with 25+ students), I would have the students gather materials themselves after explicit instructions. I would also add more painting technique instruction into the prompted step by step. I would also consider breaking the lesson into two parts, with one focused on landscapes, using my originally planned warmup where students draw onto a printed out landscape before drawing the initial set up prompts. The second day would be about filling in the painting and providing more technique oriented tips.
In a classroom I would also need to need to be clear about how to cleanup and what to do when students are done, because there would be more of a range in finishing times.
For the classroom, alternative materials could be watercolors and oil pastels, doing the initial steps in oil pastel and then taking advantage of the wax resist to color it in with watercolors. This would allow students to achieve the details they are used to with drawing.
In the classroom I would also use tempura paints rather than acrylic so the paint is washable, and because it would likely be available.
Students were invested in the steps and followed the prompts well. To push them a little further and include more meaning and variations in their work, I might add in options with the steps or intentionally sit with silence and give students more time with each step.
The lesson could be adapted to incorporate SEL by including step by step prompts that ask students to paint things in response to emotions or specific memories (ex: think about how you feel right now and paint the sky how that might look, paint the grass so it looks angry etc.)
I would use the paper covering the table as the paint palette and ask the students what colors they wanted, in order to reduce cleanup and waste.
I would lay down behavior expectations at the start of class, specifically reminders to raise hands, let everyone have a turn to talk, note the boundaries of the room. I would also be cognizant of enforcing the correct behavior. I was too relaxed when students desires trumped my original expectations, which is a trend that I get stuck in. In the future I will better establish and stick to my classroom expectations.
Week 4: Casting Shadows - Light & Shadow Sculptures
It all begins with an idea.
Age 1st-2nd grades
Teachers: Anna Schlictmann (assisted by AJ; observation and photography by Liv, AJ and myself)
Date 10/22/2022
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson TWL develop structures of shadows and light by creating a sculpture and using
flashlights.
• By the end of the lesson TWL recall what positive and negative space means.
• By the end of the lesson TWL experiment with various materials by using at least 2-3 materials.
• By the end of the lesson TWL practice working in a team by checking in with everyone in their group.
Lesson Plan by Anna Schlictmann
Lesson Summary
Before the students arrived, Anna set up the skeleton for the collaborative sculpture the students would be making. She used masking tape to bind PVC pipes together in a 3D rectangular shape about 4 ft tall and attached to the end of one of the work tables.
Anna began by introducing students to some large light sculpture installations. She asked them questions about the images being displayed; What do you notice about the sculpture? What materials do you see in these sculptures?
Next, she started a conversation about positive and negative space, briefly defining each. This lecture piece transitioned directly into the technical demonstration. Anna passed out paper, drawing materials and scissors to each student. She explained they would draw a shape on their paper, then cut it out and tape it to create a stencil. She modeled as she explained, allowing students to contribute suggestions. As she drew the requested heart, she noted students could choose any shape, then began to cut the heart out. She reminded them to cut the whole shape out as one, then demonstrated how to tape the paper back together to create a stencil. At this point students were already drawing their own shape and she signaled that it was now work time. As students began to cut their shapes out, Anna reeled in the chaos for a moment to share that students should add their stencils to the sculpture when they were done. Then she introduced more materials students could manipulate and add to the sculpture, including trash bags, larger paper, aluminum foil and glow sticks. The glow sticks were an absolute hit, and both the glow sticks and the aluminum foil were covering the sculpture and students themselves by the end of the lesson.
Final Outcomes
Students created a colorful sculpture that could expand beyond itself in light and shadows. The final PVC pipe structure was covered in both familiar and unfamiliar, abstract paper cut outs, glow sticks chains, aluminum foil panels and blue painter’s tape. Students individually created 2-3 paper stencils, some made several stencils on one sheet of paper. They also linked glow sticks together, intentionally choosing certain colors and sometimes adorning themselves as well. The final touch was the aluminum foil as mirror adjacent panels. Individually and collaboratively, students added the elements to the PVC pipes. The tape was used as another element to add stripes and color in addition to adhering everything to the structure. Students were playful and active throughout the lesson. They did an excellent job cleaning up, working together and following directions.
Future Modifications
A simple, easy to understand stencil method would be to have students fold their paper in half and cut their shape out that way. Several students used this method in this workshop and it would be something to consider directing students toward in a classic classroom setting. To push students toward more abstract and unique shapes, I would model this method and suggest students play with “zig-zag, curvy, and straight” lines when they draw and cut their shape.
To integrate the negative/positive space vocabulary into the lesson I would have the students draw their shape, then color the inside of the shape black, and finally ask them to “cut the negative space out” to emphasize the negative space. Then I would remind them the light will shine through the negative space and the positive space will cast shadows.
Finding a space to place the sculpture for a big reveal would be really cool. I would consider finding a dark room or making a kind-of fort to place the sculpture in, then having everyone shine phone lights or flashlights on it together to see the light and shadows. If this were the part of the project I want to really emphasize I would also include some colorful translucent materials like plastic sheets, tissue paper etc. to play with color and light. having more mirrored or reflective surfaces could also contribute here. For the final exhibition we will play with light and shadow in the display of this piece.