Bee Golding’s Art Education

Lesson Plan Format

Teaching Plan # 2

Teachers: Alivia, Tayler, Bee

Age(s) of students: 9-10

Room request (include top 2):  JKB 3109 or 3115 

National Art Standard: VA:Cr1.2.4a: Collaboratively set goals and create artwork that is meaningful and has purpose to the makers.

Learning Goal(s): Students will be able to understand there are platforms other than a canvas in which art can be created on. Students will learn to create artwork meaningful to them using a rock and paint medium.

Materials needed: 

• Art Supplies
  • Clay
  • Sculpting tools
• Cleaning Supplies
  • Papertowels

Professional Art Images to be shown: Lesson 2 – Clay Pots

Pick-up activity: Alliterated Names

Description of how you will teach it: 

• As students arrive, ask them to think of descriptive word for themselves that starts with the same letter as their first name. 
  • I will then use my name as an example “For example, I’m Bubbly Bee”
• We will then go around in a circle, starting with myself, and saying the alliteration and name of the previous people and ourselves.
  • For example: “Awesome Alivia, Tenacious Taylor, and I’m Bubbly Bee”
• We will go around as time allows or when most people are getting everyone’s names.

Time expected: 10 minutes max

Who is leading?: Bee

Starter activity: go over the different rules and tactics for using clay, and show pictures of what we have made in clay. Also have them practice making a small pinch pot with a piece of clay.

Description of how you will teach it:  (things I will say and show)

• Explain the rules about how to avoid things breaking in the kiln: THICKNESS must be avoided. Make sure that no part of your clay piece is thicker than your thumb.
• Air bubbles will lead to explosions as well. If you are having a hollow part of your piece, make sure there is a place for the air to escape.
• We are now going to make a pinch pot to begin. Start by forming your clay into a ball. Use your hand to hit the clay hard and form the ball.
• Once the ball is formed, stick your thumb into the middle of the clay ball and push down. Then, pinch with your thumb and your pointer finger all around the pot. Try to pinch from the bottom of the hold. Do not allow your fingers to go through the bottom of the clay. (image on slide included)
• Then you can add your own touches! (multiple slides included with examples of details)
• You guys did a great job with that, so now we are going to have a little bit more freedom and create something else! (last slide contains many examples) 

Time expected: 10 minutes

Who is leading?: Alivia

Project(s): Clay creations. 

Description of how you will teach it: What I will say: 

• Today we are going to be doing the first steps of a multi-week project. This week we will make our creations out of clay, and then we will put them in the kiln while you guys are gone. A different week, we will glaze the clay
• So to start out, think about what you want to create. Make sure to remember what we learned about how to avoid things exploding. You can also work on fixing or adding things to your pinch pot if you would like, but also create something new. You could create something to hold other things, something to be used in your house, a decoration, or anything that you want! Ask us if you need help!
• Remember that you can use the water in the middle of the table if your clay is getting too wet. You do not want your clay to be too wet or too dry. We also have all of these tools (ones provided in the classroom) to use. 

Time expected: 35 minutes

Who is leading?: Alivia

Drop-off activity: We will play the game, rose, thorn, hippo. 

Description of how you will teach it:  

We will say something like:

• A rose is something good that happened during class today
• A thorn is something bad that happened today
• A hippo is something random that happened today
• Then we will all go around and share our answers

Time expected: 5-10 minutes

Who is leading?: Tayler

Sample Work:

Teaching Plan # 1

Teachers: Alivia, Bee, Tayler

Age(s) of students: 9-10

Room request (include top 2):   N/A

National Art Standard: VA: Cr2.13a: Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

Learning Goal(s): Students will create a painting of something that describes them using a variety of unique materials: Q-tips, pipe cleaners, or their fingers. They will experiment with tools that are unusual for painting.

Materials needed: We will need something to show the images, such as access to the projector. We will also need paint, paper, q-tips, and pipe cleaners. We will also need the table covers to protect the table from paint, and possibly paper towels if students get messy. If we have access to some form of apron to protect clothing that would also be great!

Professional Art Images to be shown: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MCcXu-hwxPTF-cIqXjTu-TOAlJint7BJaMyBqNmvjgo/edit#slide=id.p

Pick-up activity: Two truths and a lie to get to know each other! 

Description of how you will teach it: 

• Ask if the children have ever played two truths and a lie
• Explain directions: in your head, think of two fun facts about yourself, and make up one thing that is not true to trick everyone! Then we will all go in a circle and say the three things, and everyone has to guess what is the lie!
• Give the children time to think of their truths and lies
• Take turns listing out the three things
• Guess for each person

Time expected: 5-10 mins

Who is leading?: Alivia

Starter activity: The starter activity that we chose was to show the kids different examples of artwork where the artist used anything but paintbrush to complete their artwork. Then we would have the kids try and guess what kind of tool the artist used.

Description of how you will teach it:  

I will say something like,

• I have a few paintings that I want to show you guys
• The artists that painted these did not use any paint brushes, they used some other sort of tool
• Take a look at these paintings and tell me what you think the artist could have used to paint these
• Use your imagination

Time expected: 5 minutes 

Who is leading?: Alivia

Project(s): The project that we chose to do is titled, introducing yourself with no paint brushes.  We will have q-tips, pipe cleaners, paper, and acrylic paint laid out for the kids to use to create their own painting. We want them to paint either a hobby of theirs, their family, or something that describes them so we can get to know the kids better. They will be able to use their fingers and any equipment that we have laid out in order to create this painting. The only catch is that there will be no paint brushes. 

Description of how you will teach it: 

We will say something like,

• You are going to be painting a picture about yourself today.
• It can be anything from your favorite hobby, to your family, to anything you want. 
• We have laid out paints for you to use and these pipe cleaners and q-tips for you to use as well
• You might realize that there are no paint brushes here.
• That is the catch. You are not allowed to use paintbrushes.
• So be creative, use these tools, use your hands, and create a painting that describes you! 

Time expected: 30 minutes

Who is leading?: Tayler

Drop-off activity: For this drop off activity, we will play A Rose, a Thorn, and a Hippopotamus

Description of how you will teach it:  

• Students will be asked to reflect on the best part of their day, their least favorite part of their day, and a random part of their day for one minute
• After a minute, we will go around the circle and share our rose, thorn, and hippopotamus.

Time expected: 5-10 minutes

Who is leading?: Bee

Sample Work:

Name of the medium: Charcoal

Characteristics of this type of drawing medium:  Charcoal is quite powdery and the dust can spread quite easily. It blends in the sense it will darken other colors. Charcoal must be fixed to the page after completion of the project using hairspray or other professional fixative.

What age levels is it most appropriate for and why? Charcoal is most appropriate for 1st graders as it is a new material to explore working with that is similar to other mechanical instruments such as a pencil. It’s expanding the students’ horizions but still feels familiar to give them creative confidence going into a project using this medium.

Project Ideas:

One fun project idea is charcoal drawings of lego. This project would be for an older age group to teach dimension and shading, as well as reinforce ideas of shape.

Another fun project would be to use Rulers and Circular Objects to trace the edges of various shapes. This allows the student to execute great lines as well as be creative with what they can create using only two types of lines then shading with the charcoal.

Professional Artworks:

Artwork Example:

Name of the medium: Oil Pastels

Characteristics of this type of drawing medium:  This medium is oily and it does not blend easily. It is between vibrant and dull but closer to vibrant with more muted colors. It does not need to be fixed.

What age levels is it most appropriate for and why? This medium is most appropriate for 1st graders as anyone younger should be using non-toxic materials according to the National Art Standard. Introducing new materials is important to that age group but the technique is similar to crayon. If the oil pastel is non-toxic, this could be appropriate for kindergarteners.

Project Ideas:

One project idea using oil pastels is to Reverse Draw by completely covering a page in oil pastels, putting two blank pages on top, then drawing on the top blank sheet. The result is a multicolored, oil pastel drawing on the middle sheet of paper.

Another project idea is Texture Rubbings by laying something with a bit of actual texture (such as a leaf or a lego) under a paper, lay an oil pastel down sideways and rub it back and forth. You can incorporate different colors overlayed on top.

Professional Artworks:

Artwork Example:

Name of the medium: Chalk pastel

Characteristics of this type of drawing medium:  This medium is powdery and blends very quickly. The colors are quite vibrant, even when blended. It needs to be fixed to the page via hairspray or professional fixer or else it will spread.

What age levels is it most appropriate for and why? Chalk Pastels are appropriate for introduction starting in 1st grade, as this new material provides a chance for that age level to learn proper procedure using a new material that’s similar to chalk or crayons. This development is important according to the National Art Standard.

Project Ideas:

One project idea would be Chalk Circle Smears (link here) where students use circle cut outs and use the long edge of chalk pastels to create smears. Students will have the opportunity to overlay various colors and understand the idea of pressure while applying chalk pastels.

Another idea is Abstract Shapes using chalk pastels (link here). Students can overlay shapes and colors and learn about fixing the chalk and using chalk pastels while maintaining their desired colors.

Professional Artworks:

Artwork Example:

1. Title of artwork: Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda

2. Artist: Carl Heinrich Bloch

3. Photos:

4. Elements of Art and Principles of Design:  

One major principle of design shown in this artwork is emphasis using shadows. Bloch includes many shadowed characters in the piece who are still very real, present, and important to the scene being depicted. This includes the main character aside from Christ, the man being healed. Also important are the characters who are looking on the scene from the shadows as it leads the onlooker to imagine what they might be thinking and pay greater attention to the piece as a whole.

A significant element of art used in this piece is color. Bloch uses the primary colors – red, blue, and yellow, to emphasize tertiary characters who repsent what it might’ve been like or feel to be a witness at this event so the only emphasis isn’t just on Christ and miracle at hand. Bloch also uses white for Christ’s as a color of purity amongst dark and dirty surroundings.

3. How was it made?

This artwork was created via oil on canvas in the late 19th century. I believe Bloch sketched multiple variations before starting to add layers of oils and revisions to this painting.

4. What does it feel like?

This work invokes emotions of gratitude for me due to the nature of the work and the artist’s attention to details. Christ is so calm but the ailments seen by the attendants of the Pool of Bethesda makes me feel nervous. I feel kinship with the man in the red cap and bandages looking on with interest and hope over his neighbors interaction.

6. Do you like this artwork?  Why or why not?:

Overall, I like this artwork because of the depth in color, detail, foreground verse background, and the various characters represented. I am generally a fan of more abstract artists such as Cocco or Van Gogh but I can appreciate the realism represented here.

7. What spiritual connections can you make with this work?:

I personally love this piece of artwork because it symbolizes Christ’s ministry beautifully – he’s healing a man unseen (both literally and represented figuratively in this painting) while surrounded by others with various degrees of emotions. It feels very real compared to some of the slimmed down stories of Jesus as it represents what its like to look at Christianity in this world.

Vocabulary:

Clay – a stiff, sticky fine-grained earth, typically yellow, red, or bluish-gray in color and often forming an impermeable layer in the soil. It can be molded when wet, and is dried and baked to make bricks, pottery, and ceramics.

Ceramic – Pots and other articles made from clay hardened by heat

Pinch Pot – A simple form of hand-made pottery produced from ancient times to the present. Simple clay vessels such as bowls and cups of various sizes can be formed and shaped by hand using a methodical pinching process in which the clay walls are thinned by pinching them with thumb and forefinger.

Kiln – A special kind of oven for firing things like pottery and bricks. A ceramic artist might use a kiln once a week to fire the bowls he’s made

Explosion Avoidance: Clay might explode in firing for two different reasons. One way your clay might explode is if there are air pockets. Oxygen expands while heating and won’t stay contained in the now hardened clay. You can avoid this by identifying any air pockets and taking a sharp tool to poke a hole.

Another way your clay may explode is if your clay form is thicker than the width of your thumb. Because your clay is wet in order to mold, if you fire a piece too thick, the water will expand in the middle but have no where to go without breaking your piece too escape. If your form is too thick, consider removing any excess clay or create a hole or hollow.

Age Level Adaptations: For very young students, consider simple projects such as a pinch bowls. If they are very small, they might have to use their elbows or knee to create the initial divot.

For older students, consider creating more details or various other forms. Details could include a handle for a pinch bowl, engravings, twist accents, etc.. Other forms could include an animal figurine, making sure they are using the explosion avoidance techniques.

Project Idea: One additional art project that would be appropriate for engaging students with clay would be creating replicas of one (or a few, if time permits) of their favorite objects from their life. This gives them quick yet personal inspiration from their life for them to start working on. This project idea comes from Chapter 9 of our classroom textbook, Integrating the Visual Arts Across the Curriculum : An Elementary and Middle School Guide by Julia Marshall on page 113.

Cultural Tie-In: Clay pottery is an art form across many cultures. One unique culture impacted by clay potter is the Ancient Natives of Iowa’s lives, as modern day Iowa is home to many beds of clay. Clay pottery creations can be simple pots or highly etched and/or painted cups. Prehistorically, the clay pottery was used to create food vessels, decoration, storage, and even helped to transport new types of foods for ancient natives in Iowa. In the 19th century, colonizers created a thriving pottery business to support the United States expansion. People who create clay pottery are known as potters.

Artwork Example: My creation is two sides of the moon with a significant quote etched in.