Graduate Research PDF: Creating Mindful Learners In Postmodern Art Classrooms
Graduate Research PDF: Creating Mindful Learners In Postmodern Art Classrooms
Graduate Research PDF: Creating Mindful Learners In Postmodern Art Classrooms
Enlargement and Exploration Drawings
This unit was taught within the IB MYP curriculum: 8th grade students selected a photographic reference image to enlarge using a gridding technique. Students learned realistic drawing techniques and practiced adding accurate proportions to their grid drawings. Next, students experimented with a variety of materials and mediums in order to select a chosen material to add realistic shading, value, and color. Students completed both formative and summative assessments throughout the unit.
Reality and Fantasy
Surrealist Collages
This unit was taught within the IB MYP curriculum: 6th grade students studied the works and lives of surrealist artists, including Salvador Dali, MC Escher, and contemporary artists Krista Franklin and Nathaniel Mary Quinn. They sketched a plan for a landscape that combined elements of reality and fantasy together and created a collage or drawing that incorporated layering, juxtaposition, and scale shift.
Op Art and Perspective
Drawings
This unit was taught within the IB MYP curriculum: Students practiced a variety of one-point perspective and op art techniques in their process journals and then created a sketch that incorporated at least one of the practice techniques (formative assessments). They studied the lives of contemporary and historic op art artists and also learned about kinetic art. Then students created a unique drawing using materials of their choice.
Social Justice Zines
Summer camp students created zine layouts that combined skills in illustration, collage, and book binding. Zines focused on a social justice issue that was important to them. Students created list poetry on words such as "oppression" and "worry" for idea generation.
Social Justice Silhouettes
7th and 8th grade students looked at the work of Kara Walker to learn about social justice advocacy in the realm of art. They learned about positive/negative space, silhouettes, composition, body language and gesture. Students acted out gestures that related to a social justice issue and used a photographic reference to create a silhouette. Class conversation focused on whether or not silhouettes, where critical visual information is mostly anonymous, become stereotypes for greater societal issues.
Layers of Me
"Selfie" Portraits
Middle school students used a photographic reference to trace the contour line for a self-portrait. Students practiced shading, layering, and hand-lettering techniques to incorporate aspects of their identities into their portraits. Connections to social media and online identities spurred class discussion as they used art making to share meaningful information about themselves.
Custom Screen Printed T-Shirts
8th grade students combined text and image to create a graphic style image that was printed onto a T shirt. Students used silk screens, drawing fluid and screen filler to transfer their design to the positive/negative space of the screen. Next, the students used squeegees and fabric ink to print their designs.
Text as Art
Linoleum Block Print Mantras
Middle school students learned about graphic design and typography to create a unique mantra using EZ cut linoleum, block printing ink, and mixed media (for the backgrounds). 6th students created a single word while 7th and 8th created a phrase. Websites, such as dafont.com, allowed for student choice and differentiation.
Digital Photography Alphabet Redesign
This unit was completed within the IB MYP curriculum during remote learning: After learning about the photographic rules of composition and completed a photo scavenger hunt, 6th grade students practiced using common objects to creatively redesign the alphabet (their name, favorite words, or from A-Z).
Pattern Exploration Squash Books
6th grade students learned how to construct a squash book using complex paper folding techniques. Next, they received a variety of prompts to create an abstract painting based on pattern, mark-making, and material exploration. They used white crayon, watercolor, and India ink to design their works. They used triangular and square templates to cut sections of their paintings and attach the pieces inside of their squash books. Developmentally, this provided students practice to refine their craftsmanship, to create the book, and simultaneously use play and freedom to incorporate loose, abstracted brush strokes into these expressive books. When not displayed, the books fold into a small square and are tied with a ribbon.
Altered Books
8th grade students used a pre-existing, functional book to develop new strategies for creating sculptures and exploring material uses.They practiced transforming paper through folding, cutting, gluing, and painting. The results ranged from narrative, symbolic objects to abstracted sculptural responses.
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
Accordion Books
5th grade students read the book "Life Doesn't Frighten Me," a poem by Maya Angelou featuring paintings by Jean Michel-Basquiat. Students then brainstormed a time in their life they used empathy to help someone overcome a fear or a time someone had helped them overcome a fear. They sketched their ideas and then created oil pastel and India ink scratch art panels. They incorporated the scratch art into an accordion book, utilizing visual narrative techniques. Prompts ranged from recognizing fear and scary characters in video games, to kind, empowering statements. One student knew someone whose family member had been deported as a result of US immigration laws. She recreated flags that represented several countries involved in deportation from the United States.
Paper Mache Creatures
6th graders created armatures from recycled materials and learned a variety of attachment methods. They used a mixture of flour and water to paper mache the armature and finally, paint it. For students with developmental disabilities and varying sensory or spatial processing disorders, using such a broad range of materials with tactile qualities helped them navigate and work through visual challenges. This project allowed students to recognize how artistic processes are more important than achieving one final product.
Spirit Animal Monoprints
5th grade students created monoprints of their spirit animals using styrofoam plates and markers. Students first researched the symbolic traits of their spirit animals and sketched them. Next, they transferred their drawings to a styrofoam plate, adding detail and a background to create a compelling visual narrative. Using markers, students could blend colors on the plate. Students pressed a semi-wet sponge on watercolor paper so a thin layer of water covered the paper, and they practiced printing, using a dry brayer to roll over their plate -- then revealing their print!
Atmospheric Perspective Polaroids
Original lesson found on www.pandaprintshop.com. Students sketched a landscape and used an analogous or monochromatic color palette to transfer their idea to cut paper, dividing the background, middle ground, and foreground. Students cut each layer out with xacto knives. The final result is the size of a polaroid.
Personal Paradise Pastels
7th and 8th grade students illustrated their version of a personal paradise. They practiced blending techniques to create gradients and layers using their choice of oil or chalk pastels on black paper. Students looked at landscape artists and this project built upon prior knowledge of atmospheric perspective in art.
Monument Styrofoam Prints
7th and 8th grade completed a research brainstorming handout on famous building and monuments around the world. Next, they sketched an illustration of their chosen building and transferred their drawing to a styrofoam plate, created unique backgrounds, and used block printing ink to print their image.