Artspalooza

Facilitators: Donna McKenzie, Ashley Smith, Renee Riley, and Linda Adams

Overview:
Art, art, art! It is everywhere. Won’t you come and experience it with us? You can create your OWN piece of architecture, sculpture, children’s book or masterpiece on canvas! You can learn about the history of art, how to draw in different ways, how to help the environment with your art and how to work as a children’s author. Come with us and we will bring out the artist in you!

Guiding Questions:
• How does the use of art allow for self-expression?
• How do we use art to connect to different aspects of society?
• How can art better society?
• How can the use of art be incorporated with English, science, and math to resolve human needs?

Focusing questions:
• What is the nature of art?
• What is the history of art as a function within society and the environment?
• What are the different forms of art?

Connections:
• How does art contribute to the world as a better place to live?
• What impact does art have on individuals and how they see their place in society?
• How do art galleries benefit society as a place to consider contemporary takes on our culture?

Practice:
• How does art play an integral part in numerous professions?
• How important is the study of art today, given the problems and needs of humans in the world?

Identity:
• Why is art important to you?
• Of all the art experiences encountered today, which could you relate to the most?

Generalizations:
• Art contributes to the world in many ways.
• Art is a creative outlet for many in the world today.
• Many cultures have contributed greatly to art as we know it.

Dispositions:
Critical thinking, respect for diverse talents, abilities, and perspectives

Learning Experiences
-Children’s book author and illustrator
The students will watch a video about the writer and illustrator Eric Carle. After viewing the video, the teacher will go to www.ericcarle.com to show the students how to make his artwork. TTW explain to the students that Eric Carle is a children’s book author. TSW then do a KWL chart to see what they want to learn from the center. We will then discuss self-expression and what this means. TTW ask the students how art can be used in different aspects of society and how this art can better society. The teacher will ask the students what they know about writing a story and what they want to know about writing a story. The teacher will go over the parts of a story with the students. After this, the students will do their own artwork. While the artwork is drying, the students will start writing their own children’s book. Students who don’t want to write their own children’s book will have the opportunity to do a stain glassed art piece and write about what they have created. The post test will be the L part of the KWL chart, writing what they have learned as well as “publishing” their book in the art gallery.

Science and Art
In this unit, students will look at what happened in Haiti. We will focus on the use of art and how it can help in the restoration of the environment. Students will look past the disaster to formulate ideas to re-beautify Haiti by researching scientific ways to make the environment better. Students will use hypothetical questions and answers to give solutions to real-life problems with the environment concerning natural disasters. Students will do an outside project to reconstruct the environment. They will resurface their own disaster area and beautify that environment. Next, the students will make their own landscape using dirt, rocks, and seeds, to symbolize how the environment can be rebuilt. They will take this project to their homes in order to observe the changes in that environment. Students will do a reflective writing on the future restoration of Haiti.

What‘s the dirt on art?
The students will start by watching a power point presentation on the history of art. The presentation will begin with prehistoric cave art, going into landscape, portrait, and ending with types of modern art. The students will research petroglyphs. After doing research, they will create their own pigments using dirt. They will explore the different colors of soil. The students will be able to choose from different activities: Using Dubuffet as an example, the students will use mixed media to create a piece of prehistoric cave art, sandstone petroglyphs, and create a symbolic mural that ties into prehistoric art.

Architecture (Skyscrapers)
The students will use the knowledge of structures and functions of an efficient skyscraper through internet research. Students will understand some of the building basics used by engineers and architects to design some of the world’s largest skyscrapers through a power point presentation by the teacher. The student will discover the various uses of geometrical shapes by drafting their own skyline. Students will create index cards with basic facts about skyscrapers. The students will write five to ten fun facts on sticky notes to post around their illustrations. Students will use construction paper, pop sickle sticks, straws, and paper towel rolls to create their own skyscraper. The student will take a poll of which career (s) the student found most appealing as well as describe the different views/angles of their sculpture in their journals.