Create Your First Project
Start adding your projects to your portfolio. Click on "Manage Projects" to get started
Rethinking Radial Symmetry
Source:
Contemporary Artist Images & Site - Anila Quayyum Agha
Lesson Overview:
The goal of this lesson is for the students to demonstrate the principles of radial symmetry to create their own Mandala/radially balanced work of art with a contemporary twist through a culturally informed lens. The students will also practice linoleum carving, printing, line variety, and coloring techniques using chalk and marker (or any other preferred medium). Overall, students will be guided through:
- A guided research project on a Mandala of their choice
- Formative exercises practicing block carving, printing, and mark making
- A scavenger hunt to find radially balanced objects in nature
- Class discussion using VTS
- Creating their Mandalas!
Lesson Additions/Learning Objectives:
I have shifted the original lesson with the following additions and modifications:
Student's will be able to research a Mandala from a specific chosen culture/historic background as opposed to being assigned a predetermined research topic.
- Students will practice linoleum carving on small tiles so they can get the feel for the technique and to practice developing physical works of art which was not included in the original lesson.
- On top of practicing carving, students will also practice using the materials they choose to extend the printed image to the edges of the paper (they have a choice in the medium as opposed to the original lesson in which they were limited to chalk and marker).
- Students who prefer to learn visually and kinesthetically will take part in a scavenger hunt around the campus to find radial balance outside of the classroom.
- To practice responding to art, they will use visual thinking strategies to analyze a wide range of mandalas (from their research projects) in a class discussion.
- Students will be able to print their custom carved linoleum blocks onto the center of a paper.
Learning Supports:
Relating art to context:
You will be provided a worksheet to guide you through your chosen research process. I want you all to be as informed as possible, so I will provide you with necessary reading materials, sites, and videos to use in your research.
GUIDED RESEARCH WORKSHEET:
Responding to art:
- A scavenger hunt is an option for you to walk around campus and search for radially symmetrical objects and organisms that stick out to you such as a flower, a clock, a pinecone, an eye, logos, etc. This is for students who learn best while moving and exploring their environment.
SCAVENGER HUNT BRAINSTORMING WORKSHEET:
- You will demonstrate VTS in a class discussion, viewing and learning about a range of diverse types of mandalas, and radially balanced art. You may also take notes on what you are noticing visually, so it may be discussed in a progress check-in after class.
VTS GUIDED QUESTIONS:
Developing works of art/design:
- To build technical skill in a low-risk environment, you will carve a small practice tile with a design of your choice, and print it onto paper, a clothing article, backpack, whichever you prefer.
- You may also create digital radial designs using programs such as Photoshop and Procreate. You can use these to create the design that extends past your linoprint or use it as a guide when carving the block itself.
PRINTING WORKSHEET/DEMO VIDEO:
Supporting Diverse Learners:
Linoleum Block Carving Supports:
Supporting students in linoleum block carving involves providing accessible tools and techniques. For students with visual impairments, tactile guides like waxed twine or thread can be applied to the block to assist with carving. Specialized handles are essential for students with dexterity issues, ensuring a comfortable grip and facilitating the carving process. Tech-savvy students can create their designs digitally using software like Procreate or Photoshop, and then transfer these designs onto a linoleum block for carving with guidance from an instructor. Additionally, using alternative, more malleable mediums for carving, such as styrofoam, can accommodate various students' needs and preferences.
Block Printing Supports:
When it comes to block printing, having an adult present to guide students step by step through the process is crucial. Providing larger rollers or alternative methods for applying ink, like stamp pads or sponges, ensures that students can participate comfortably. Creating guided lines on the paper for placing the linoblock allows students to maintain radial symmetry in their designs. To aid students with reach and range of motion, modified or slanted surfaces can be used. Tactile guides, such as waxed thread, tacs, or clay, can assist in mark making, while specialized grips for mark-making tools like pencils and brushes can be beneficial. Additionally, mark-making technology like Spinart or Doodle Doug can be introduced for creating unique designs that may not be perfectly radial.
Coloring/Painting Supports:
In the coloring and painting stage, students are encouraged to use mediums that match their skillset and abilities. Painting offers flexibility and can be adapted to various tools, such as sponges, brushes, stamps, or found objects. For some students, para assistance may be needed to physically apply the marks on paper following their direction. Texture can enhance the experience for visually impaired students, incorporating materials like beads, sand, yarn, glue, or tinsel to provide a tactile element to their work. For those comfortable with digital tools, students can scan their physical work and continue their project using digital programs, offering a versatile approach to artistic expression.
_edited.jpg)
Change and Transformation Unit
In middle school, students are going through life altering changes. They’re meeting new people, they’re in a new environment, their bodies and minds are changing, etc. No middle schooler comes fully equipped with the coping mechanisms for these changes this early in life, so it’s incredibly hard for them! Clay is a medium that is transformative in all its stages. Using clay to develop meaningful projects that deal with the struggles these kids are going through, can teach them more about the beauty of change and transformation; and like clay, our lives and bodies are everchanging and ever evolving, and when we learn early on to accept change, the better mind set these students can be in for the future!
Project 1: Pinch Pot Time Capsules
This project requires students to access their memories and think about how they would translate said memories into a 3D medium. To help with this translation, students will create ideation drawings in their sketch books. Assuming students have worked in clay before, pinch pots are a common preliminary/intro ceramic project that they likely have practiced.
On top of making pinch pots, they are also learning techniques such as score, slip, and smooth to add elements like handles and decorations. They are also asked to use tools to apply texture and create lids with slabs of clay.
Lesson 1 Presentation & Learning Supports
Classroom Images:
Project 2: Gifted Artifacts
This lesson is geared towards collaboration, as students will be interviewing each other and creating a small, sculpted artifact demonstrating the additive and textural skills they learned in the previous lesson. They will be making 2 objects, one for themselves and one for the classmate they’re interviewing. What they are sculpting is an objective representation of their peer based on objects they find important in their day-to-day life (for example, a pet, a favorite food, an accessory, a movie/show, etc.). Due to time, and fairness, students will be able to make their own object and will be able to compare their own and the one that was made for them. The main things being introduced are the interview sheet, sculpting forms, and the idea of Artifacts.
Lesson 2 Presentation & Learning Supports
Classroom Images:
Students were asked to answer these questions for themselves, then interview a partner and ask them the same questions. They used these worksheets to make an artifact representing their partners current self and interests along with making one relavent to themselves.
Students were asked to answer these questions for themselves, then interview a partner and ask them the same questions. They used these worksheets to make an artifact representing their partners current self and interests along with making one relavent to themselves.
Project 3: Slab Self Portraits
For this lesson, we will be thinking about our big idea which is change as it relates to the future. This last project will be a reflection and a look inwards, to show the viewer who they will be in twenty years. Their goals, careers, and their perceived appearance will be considered as they look forward into their life. The focus on this project will be on the glazing aspect as opposed to sculpting. They will be able to work back into techniques they used to glaze their pots from the first project, and revise mistakes they may have made the first time around. Examples of figurative surface designs in ceramics such as Greek amphoras will be shown, along with some design techniques having to do with line variety and negative
space.
Lesson 3 Presentation & Learning Supports
Classroom Images:
IDEAL Family Night
On our final work day, the school plans a fine arts night for families to come and enjoy their kid's hard work they accomplished throughout the eight weeks we were with them. My co-teacher and I bought supplies and planned out a display weeks in advance to showcase all of the finished and in-progress work, along with their artist statements and some reading material about the course and its content. At a separate table, we had a sculpting activity with Model Magic, a more forgiving and less tedious 3D medium. We had a jar of prompts people could choose at random, and the kids took to it very well.
Family Night Images:
Exploring Shaving Cream Printing
Overview:
Students will explore the messy and chaotic nature of shaving cream printing through an explorative and choice based process. They will practice patience and be gentle with messy materials while managing their workspace through close proximity instruction. Students have the creative freedom to choose their colors, and the way they manipulate the shaving cream. After multiple iterations, they will have at least one print to frame, and one print to turn into a button. This button is a good way to encapsulate the chaos in the moment of creating in the form of a functional keepsake.
Learning Objectives:
-
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of shaving cream printing by working exploratively and playfully in a *chaotic* medium that is new and engaging for them.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the steps and process of making their marbled prints (with support) after it is demonstrated for them.
- Students will be able to brainstorm ideas for their own personal work by thinking visually and responding to teacher examples.
On the first day, I made a board of sample prints to show to the class as an introduction. This allowed for me to show them some finished products, explain the process briefly, and strike some interest within the activity before we create! I used a variety of colors and line to show the students the sort of outcome they can expect from their own! These visuals helped them to brainstorm for the next class.
Here are some images from the lesson along with some of the students prints and buttons!
Teacher samples demonstrating a variety of lines and colors.
Student making their button.
Students and I making their shaving cream prints!
Extra buttons we made for the students teacher, Ms. Russo
Putting together their buttons and prints in goodie bags with goodbye notes!
UWM Formatted Lesson Plan:
Cooperating Teacher Evaluation Form: