Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was collaboratively taught by Tess and myself (Carolyn), in which second-grade students created their own origami puppets based on their favorite animal and later used them in roleplay with one another. As this was our first day of the workshop, students began the lesson by creating individualized nametags so we could all get to know one another. After that, we moved on to introducing the topic of our lesson and explaining some important vocabulary for the day. We then passed out a worksheet called "Who Am I?" in which students drew the animal they wanted to make along with answering some basic questions about that animal including their name, their favorite food, what color they are, etc. 

When the introduction and animal info worksheet were completed, we guided the class in folding the base of our puppets: origami cups.  Once everyone had their basic body forms they moved on to transforming them into their chosen animals by using supplies on hand such as feathers, googly eyes, string, colored paper, and markers. As students finished their puppets they were encouraged to use their worksheet and their imagination to introduce their characters to their peers, engaging in play and puppetry.  

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

This was a successful lesson in which students were able to engage in play and detailed creation of a real or imagined animal. Origami was a very familiar thing for most of our students so we were able to see a lot of artistic confidence come out early in the project. The students worked well with their peers and created some very detailed puppets unique to their interests, some of those being, a dog accompanied by treats to feed it and a gila monster with an extra long tail. The kids really jumped into this project and made it their own without any extra pushes needed from Tess and me. 

In the future, I might use the "Who Am I?" worksheet as the introduction activity to get students engaged with the lesson content right off the bat. We also had planned to have a formal introduction of our puppets by going around the circle but ran out of time so it was more casual (not a bad thing but we missed some of those interactions between students because of it). I may allow more time for the actual usage of our puppets in the class if I were to do this lesson again. I also noticed that some of our students struggled with some of the processes of folding the origami cup and cutting out different additions for their pieces. It might be a good idea to have some pre-cut items around to help aid some students with different levels of fine motor skills or attention spans. Having those ready may help keep kids engaged and increase the likelihood of them completing the project.  

Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was taught by Tess to second-grade students. They were tasked with creating watercolor habitats and silhouettes of endangered animals. To start off the lesson, students were asked to create their 'ultimate creature' or a creature that could survive anywhere, thinking about what makes that creature so strong and how it is able to adapt to any surroundings. This transitioned into a conversation about endangered animals and what that title means.

Students were then given a handout that outlined endangered animals and some of their habitats to get them thinking about the day's project. Tess went over some watercolor techniques with them and did some practicing using scratch paper. Once students were comfortable with the materials and had chosen their animal they got started with their final pieces. They painted the habitat of their chosen animal and then drew and cut out a silhouette of their animal to paste onto their environment. 

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

Students did a great job creating unique and detailed environments for their pieces. They struggled a bit with the concept of silhouettes but came up with a great solution as a class which was to search an image of their animals and then trace them from the class monitor. The students were engaged in their artmaking and added a lot of elements to their habitat paintings and animals. 

If this lesson was taught to a slightly older age group I think I would add the element of requiring multiple watercolor techniques to be included in their piece. With the way things were set up in this workshop, it was a little difficult to teach a lot of different techniques to this age group with the time we had allotted. In a regular classroom, I might have one day for material exploration and practice and then another day for the application of those techniques through a project like this one.

Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was taught by me (Carolyn) to second-grade students. Students were tasked with using mostly natural materials to create radial patterns and designs on clay slabs. To start off the lesson, an example was shown and radial patterns were discussed and demonstrated, giving students tips on how to gently use their rolling pins to impress their materials into the clay. A few artist examples helped students understand the two main techniques to be used in the lesson; impressions and patterns using natural materials. A short discussion of what 'natural materials' are was had as well as how to responsibly and sustainable forage for such materials. 

After the demonstration and introduction, students were oriented to the communal resources available to them (natural materials and clay tools), handed a slab of clay and a rolling pin, and that once they had inscribed their names on the back of their slabs they could begin creating. Students were asked to pick only 3 natural materials from the communal resource table to begin with so as to promote the creation of patterns using repeated impressions. Once their impressions were complete we set them to dry in front of a fan for a few minutes while the teachers helped students get glaze and brushes ready for painting. With a semi-dry surface, students were able to glaze their pieces using underglaze, again trying to use repeated colors in their designs to achieve radial patterns. 

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

Students were very engaged during this lesson and created some very accomplished pattern impressions. They really enjoyed experimenting with different textures and were very intuitive and innovative in the way they worked with materials. I saw a lot of exploration and artistic choices being made throughout the lesson which was very gratifying. 

Most students got done with their designs quicker than I'd imagined so in future renditions of this lesson I think I would either have them work slightly bigger or introduce a new challenge in the work - like breaking the circle up into more sections (most did four like the example piece I showed them), having them make another one, or spending more time gathering natural materials with them and having a longer conversation about that process as we physically engage in it. 

Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was taught by Tess to second-grade students. The focus was on exploring the connections between plastic waste and the environment as well as how meaning can be made through juxtaposition. Students were tasked with solving the artistic problem of creating a sea creature made of recycled materials and examining how plastic waste impacts the Earth. At the start of the lesson, students answered questions about pollution and its effects on the environment. After this conversation, Tess introduced the art project and explained some possible uses for the materials on hand. A short demonstration was done alongside the showing of some example pieces made by Tess.

After the initial introduction period, students got right to work creating their creatures. Each student used a recycled bottle as the base of their creature and then embellished them using smaller recyclables, string, markers, paint pens, and more. Students were able to use the majority of the class for work time. Because all of their work was so different, Tess and I were floating around the room during work time to give individualized instruction to students who needed help achieving their ideas. 

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

Students were very engaged during this lesson and many made more than one creature. Students were fairly self-sufficient during this lesson speaking to the level of comfort they had in using the materials on hand. We even had one student go above and beyond the lesson by using recycled materials to show how creatures are impacted by plastic pollution - catching her fish in plastic webbing, or getting them stuck in a bottle. There was a lot of room for interpretation with this project which is what made it so successful in my eyes. 

In the future, I would maybe expand the topic to land creatures as well as I noticed some of our students weren't as interested in the sea creatures idea. Opening it up to more creatures could reduce any barriers in that regard. I think the discussion portion of this lesson went really well. I would love to take a page from one of our students and add the element of including the finished animals interacting with plastic debris. Tying this back in at the end of the lesson could help students understand how plastic pollution affects animals more thoroughly. 

Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was taught by me (Carolyn) to second-grade students. The focus was on exploring how trees help support the lives of other animals, plants, and insects. To begin the lesson, students helped me brainstorm what kinds of animals, insects, and plants lived in or around trees. We added their response to a diagram drawn on the board. Next, I talked to them about what relief printmaking was, orienting them to the materials we would be interacting with to create our printing plates. The students then used pens to carve their designs. During this time, Tess and I walked around checking in on compositions and what kinds of elements were being included. 

Once their designs were carved they came over to the inking/printing station and received a demonstration of the two methods available to them (inking with paint or using markers and spraying water). Once the demos were finished, they chose which method they wanted to try first and got to work. They continued the printing process until they felt content with the quality of their prints, trying different colors and the two offered techniques. Tess and I were there to help guide students through the printing process if needed. Each print was then laid out to dry at the end of class. 

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

The students did a really nice job creating their printing plates - they included many animals, insects, and plants often showing interactions with one another, making them lively scenes. The printing process went pretty smoothly as well and once they had one or two prints under their belt, they were able to continue without much extra guidance. 

In the future, I would try to make more space for the inking station - it got a bit crowded at times which felt overwhelming and sometimes like a barrier for students who wanted to get printing. I might also try to look for thicker foam blocks as the ones we used were almost paper thin - this made it easy for their lines to be filled with ink during the printing process, making the design disappear. The marker method may also need to be workshopped as it more often than not blurred the design too much or didn't spread the ink enough for the design to show up. 

Lesson Breakdown

This lesson was co-taught by me (Carolyn) and Tess to second-grade students. To start things off we talked about what installation art is by looking at some of Jenny Kendler's artwork. We went over how all of the artwork made today would be displayed together to create one whole, collaborative piece. We then talked a little bit about how our focus would be on the eyes of the animal kingdom - going over the parts of the eye, and how different animals have different kinds of eyes for many reasons. Once we touched on basic anatomy and how to construct our eyes students began working.

Students either chose to create the eye of an animal they already knew of or create a new creature with an imagined eye. There were paper stations set up as well as a communal materials table that contained items like glue, aluminum foil, pipe cleaners, and more. Students took the majority of the class to work on constructing their eyes, but if they finished early they participated in creating a tree branch to add to our installation. Students crinkled up brown paper for the bark, sculpted small branches using tin foil, cut out leaves, and helped assemble the piece. 

Final Outcomes and Future Modifications

Students created a bunch of unique pieces during this lesson. Most of them chose to get creative and make up their own animal or monster to base their eyes on. They handled the problem of figuring out how to construct their individual designs well and often found original ways of using materials. One student needed glitter for their design, and when we didn't have any they decided to tear up and use tin foil as a solution. 

If I did this lesson again, I would scaffold the making of the base of the eye a bit more. Students were very crafty in how they decorated their pieces but I noticed them struggle to use the stencils provided to them and a little bit of hesitance at the beginning of our worktime. If I had some more unfinished example pieces available to look at I think students would be able to understand the process a bit more which would boost their confidence in creating. 

Exhibition Reflection:

While preparing for the SMAW art exhibition Tess and I considered how we were going to display the artwork students had been working so hard on for the past few weeks. Once in the exhibition space, we could finally get a better understanding of what we had to work with. We displayed  2D paintings and prints by matting them or hanging them in a grid pattern. For the larger exhibits like the bottle fish or animal eyes, we used more complex exhibition techniques like creating a fish tank of sorts with the display table and plexi topper. We also had to figure out how we wanted to position the food/drink tables as well as the free-draw and art activity station. It worked out well to have the food/drink right as people entered the gallery and the art/drawing station right outside the door. There was never too much clutter in one area this way. I was feeling very excited for the students to see their work all hung up in the large space. As soon as they got into the gallery, students would rush over to their work with smiles on their faces explaining the work to their parents. I saw a lot of excited faces and energy in the gallery during the exhibition. There was a great turnout with lots of family members and friends involved.