Model Making
Description
What Is It?
In the creative teaching strategy Model Making, students use an artistic medium such as aluminum foil, clay, or newspaper to show a three-dimensional representation of a straightforward vocabulary word or a complex, multi-faceted concept.
Why Use It?
Students use the art-making process to explore what they know about a topic, represent it concretely or symbolically, and then explain the thinking behind their creative process and product. Model Making helps students visualize a topic, from a straightforward vocabulary word to a complex, multi-faceted concept.
Instructional Steps:
1. Introduce Model Making.
2. Introduce the art medium, time as a creative constraint, and review how medium can be manipulated to create a sculpture.
3. Give two minutes of exploration time to practice manipulating art medium(s).
4. Provide prompt and brainstorm symbols and examples that convey the meaning of prompt.
5. Facilitate reflection with one model, as a class, and then with the artist.
6. Provide a second prompt and brainstorm symbols and examples. Give students a three-minute time limit to create a model.
7. Facilitate a Gallery Walk to view the models as an anonymous collection.
8. Facilitate reflection as learners with the collection of models.
Quick Tips
As the students experiment with the material, discuss how “mistakes” can actually lead to better ideas, introducing the idea of “happy mistakes.”
To practice considering how art can symbolically represent ideas, look at an abstract sculpture with the class, and ask students if this were representing a given topic “X” what might the sculpture be communicating about the topic? What do you think is the artist’s perspective?
Did you know?
Point out that students can use the concepts they are learning in Art to support their intentional construction during Model Making, such as balance, proportion/scale, texture and form.
Because everyone's identity is unique, no two models will be the same!
Students are making a symbolic representation vs. a literal replica.