Kindergarten Lesson

Jasper Johns Name Lesson

I modified this Kindergarten Lesson (provided by Lucy Solazzo, now the art teacher at Sterling Middle School) to teach students at Discovery Elementary the techniques made famous by American Abstract Expressionist, Jasper Johns. I showed the class a fun video about how the artist made the ordinary extraordinary when he created emphasis and rhythm with repetition. I demonstrated the steps needed to fold a large piece of paper, fill the resulting squares with my name in crayon, overlap those letters multiple times with different colors, then create a watercolor resist by painting a wash over each square. I provided all of the materials and helped students fold, balance their compositions and paint neatly in their spaces. This required two half-hour classes, so I asked students to stack their work-in-progress on the drying rack to retrieve and finish painting later. They enjoyed this lesson and I got to know their names.