The Child’s Culture Lesson 3

Exploring personal themes

Teacher: Emily Dimov-Gottshall

Assistant to the Teacher: Jeff Cornwall

Documenter & Interested Adult(s): Jeff Cornwall & Sarah Thompson

Unit Title: Culture

Lesson Title: Making our own historical culture

Grade Level: 3 and 4 grade

Number of Students: 20

Lesson #: __3_ of __1__ projected lessons.

BIG IDEA (UNIT):

The Child’s Culture

BIG IDEA (LESSON):

Meme history and making our own culture

ART / ARTIST(S) OF RELEVANCE:

Daniel Arsham: Contemporary artist in the US. He works in plaster

and raw materials such as minerals. He takes everyday cultural

items and gives them new meaning based on a feeling of decay and

elements of historical archaeology.

Writing assignment:

Something to think about

Name:

What do you expect will happen?

What happened?

How do you feel about the outcome?

Would you do this again?

To be played at end of class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuxZAShZ4PM Video on Daniel Arsham’s work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOMJbg-e-jQ&t=1s more explanation

Books

I spy spooky night: a book of picture riddles

by Wick, Walter; Marzollo, Jean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2lUERukgg4 Toy Designer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVVTB8TSdc Toy Con

Prompt Ideas:

http://drawlloween.blogspot.com/

PREREQUISITES:

Students should be familiar with and know how to manage glue guns, scissors, know to pour items carefully, listen to instruction and follow order of plaster measurements

Students will need to understand how their art interacts with other students work in the classroom. Concept of selves in relation to others.

SAFETY HAZARDS:

Students will encounter plaster of paris, play doh, air drying clay

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:

This lesson connects to history as it encourages students to explore their personal history (i.e. culture) by exploring items they connect with or feel represent themselves. Students will answer several questions regarding the process and expectation. This will be used as part of their artist statement.

How does this lesson connect to other subject areas outside of the visual arts?

This connects with subjects outside of the visual arts by thinking of performing arts, how will students present their work at the gallery. It also incorporates Science as we will be measuring water and plaster to get the right consistency, as well as observing how fluid things can become solids.

Where do you connect reading and writing into this lesson plan? The questions will engage students and help them to question what it is we are doing. What strategies are incorporated to help your students see the connection between reading/writing and art making? We have books they can read about toys in culture as well as the handouts which stimulate written responses.

I-B. UNIT OVERVIEW (RATIONALE)

I want to have the students realize that culture is not just something that is handed to us or inherited. We are makers of culture and an manipulate it to form or own histories.

In this unit, students will experiment with plaster, molds and manipulation of items from their lives as they explore ideas and a sense of what they want their culture to look and feel like.

I-A. LESSON OVERVIEW (RATIONALE)

This lesson jumps off of last's week discussion on culture and what is culture to the children. This lesson is important because it will allow the children to investigate culture and to add plaster castings to their pieces or start another installation that connects with the first one.

II. LEARNER OUTCOMES

Students will learn to take different aspects of what they want to identify with and use these things to create a larger, deeper piece about their culture.
Students will decide what ideas they chose to explore and use this as a theme to carry out through their work.
Students will gain a basic understanding of plaster molds and casting and will make an impression of their chosen items.

III-A. NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

3rd VA:Cr1.2.3a

Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.

4th VA:Cr1.2.4a

Collaboratively set goals and create artwork that is meaningful and has purpose to the makers.

3rd VA:Re8.1.3a

Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.

4th VA:Cn10.1.4a

Create works of art that reflect community cultural traditions.

III-B. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STANDARDS

9.1. Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts

H. Handle materials, equipment and tools safely at work and performance spaces. • Identify materials used. • Identify issues of cleanliness related to the arts. • Recognize some mechanical/electrical equipment. • Recognize differences in selected physical space/environments. • Recognize the need to select safe props/stage equipment. • Identify methods for storing materials in the arts.

I. Identify arts events that take place in schools and in communities.

J. Know and use traditional and contemporary technologies for producing, performing and exhibiting works in the arts or the works of others. • Know and use traditional technologies (e.g., charcoal, pigments, clay, needle/thread, quill pens, stencils, tools for wood carving, looms, stage equipment). • Know and use contemporary technologies (e.g., CDs/software, audio/sound equipment, polymers, clays, board-mixers, photographs, recorders)

9.2. Historical and Cultural Contexts

A. Explain the historical, cultural and social context of an individual work in the arts.

D. Analyze a work of art from its historical and cultural perspective.

IV. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR LESSON

Drawing materials (for sketchbooks), air drying clay, plaster of paris, mixing containers, play doh, table for set up, plaster of paris, food coloring, paper to cover tables/counters,

V. TEACHER ACTIONS / EXPECTED LEARNER ACTIONS

VI. ENDING THE LESSON

Closure of Lesson What will you do to end this lesson?

We will end the lesson with a mini art show of our work. At the close of the class, students will tidy up and line up for to try out the singing bowl.

Transition to Next Lesson How does what happens in this lesson set the stage for what will occur in the following lesson?

This class is the start of helping students to self direct and focus on their interests. We will use it as a guide to set up our lessons and stations to give students more choices and focus on their interests.

VII. REFERENCES TO MATERIALS CONSULTED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuxZAShZ4PM Video on Daniel Arsham’s work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOMJbg-e-jQ&t=1s more explanation

Books:

Toys: amazing stories behind some great inventions

by Wulffson, Don L

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuxZAShZ4PM Video on Daniel Arsham’s work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOMJbg-e-jQ&t=1s more explanation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2lUERukgg4 Toy Designer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzVVTB8TSdc Toy Con

VIII. THE CLASSROOM AS A THIRD TEACHER

We will have stations around the room for students to work and see what they are drawn to. The space gives off a studio vibe which will encourage curiosity as well as bring in dialog of what it is to be an artist and how to respect the space/keep it organized.

Teacher Actions:

9:00-9:20

Welcome Students. Pass out

Sketchbooks/settle in

Prompt idea, if they chose to use it

9:20 intro (10 min)

Ask for attention, use singing bowl if you need to. Show slide presentation of what we talked about in our previous class, and introduce how to use items from our personal history and culture for our project. Introduce Daniel Arsham, artist who uses plaster works and creates his own interpretations based on everyday objects creating a new cultural identity.

Use singing bell to focus children onto next task.

9:25

Discuss installation/group projects.

Ask: “How do you define culture?” Answers may include: Culture is simple ‘being’. It’s our way of life.”

Show them the slide show of what we will be working on with our plaster molds and exquisite corpse.

9:35

Think about what you want to represent yourself in your plaster mold. How will you arrange your items to reflect this. Ask if they brought their items for the molds. If anyone has not brought items, show them a basket to chose things they might like to use.

While we wait our turn, students will work on their expectation handout. Once they finish, they can work on the communal group project, Exquisite Corpse.

Exquisite corpse is a game where you add a drawing onto the paper without seeing what someone else has drawn. You fold the paper into ⅓’s and 1 person draw a head, another a torso and the last the legs. See what will happen.

Show slideshow of the process we are going to use. Lining up, taking turns, waiting by drawing on the exquisite corpse.

9:45

-Exquisite Corpse Station (Station is on the side counter on the left of the room).

- Mold making Station

-press toy/object in clay mold and remove.

-pour in plaster

-let harden

-remove

9:55

Activity time. While the molds are being made/drying, the students will work on their expectation handout and large drawings, while listening to music.

10:40

See if some of the molds have hardened and if they can be pulled apart to see the effects.

10:50

Clean up time (use bell if needed)

Teachers will remind students which table needs to pick up supplies and put away.

11:00

Remind students of the next weeks project, finger knitting. Ask the little girl who knows how to finger knit, would like to share this with the class. Have students think about places they would like to tag with their knitting graffiti either in Patterson, SOVA or the Arboretum.

Expected Learner Actions:

9:00-9:20
Sit and decorate/draw/write in their journals with markers or pencils, charcoal, pastels (Baskets on each table)

Students will pick a person to collect journals from their table.

9:20
Repeat instruction of singing bell/reminder. At the end of class, they will get to line up and try out the singing bowl once cleanup is done. (incentive to quickly tidy up).

9:25
Listen to presentation. Ask questions by raising hands and jotting down ideas (if they want to).

9:35
Students will raise hands if they brought their items. If they didn’t, have them come to the basket to chose 3-4 items.

Students will wait for their turn to use the molds by writing out their expectations and working on the exquisite corpse. They will raise their hands if they didn’t get to try the molds.

9:45

Students will either be waiting their turn by drawing on the paper, pressing their objects into the molds and finishing up their expectations handout.

9:55
5 students will line up at a time to work on their molds while the others finish their expectations and the communal art drawing.

10:40
Students will look at their works and see if it is what they expected. They will record their findings on the handout.

10:50
Clean up time
Each table will be assigned a task. One will take care of gathering supplies and wiping tables down.

11:00
Students will leave their projects in drying stations and tidy up room. Students will line up so they can try the singing bowl.