Lesson Overview
This lesson will serve as a vehicle for the students to better understand how to create sculptures and a visually pleasing piece of art that is balanced and structurally sound. This will exercise the students' ability to problem-solve some of the basic sculptural skills that they will need to use during the course of the unit, including balance and composition. It will also serve as a reminder of all of the things that we can so easily throw away in the course of a day. This mini-sculpture will also help the students become familiar with the materials, one of which they may have to chose for their final piece of art.
Duration
Lesson One will be one or two 56-minute class periods and will involve 7
th
and 8
th
graders during different periods.
Previous Assignment
Students will be given an assignment and plastic bags to collect all of their personal waste throughout the course of the day. They will bring these bags to class the day of this lesson.
Materials
Sketchbooks, pencils, paper, collection of personal waste, a variety of adhesives, such as hot glue and epoxy, City of New Haven recycle sheet
Instructional Objectives
Students will:
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Analyze their collection of personal waste and put it into a category of recyclable, non-recyclable or landfill waste or hazardous household waste
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Discuss ways they can lessen the amount of waste they use
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Plan out how they will build a sculpture
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Create a sculpture out of these materials
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Instructional Plan
Students will begin by analyzing their personal waste that they had previously collected for homework. This analysis will include working with a partner and with the City of New Haven guide to recycling to determine where each piece of waste would end up. Students will have to put the waste in three piles: recyclable, landfill or hazardous household waste. Students will also discuss with the class ways in which they could have lessened this waste. An example being able to lessen their waste would be: if there were a plastic water bottle in the collection, students will discuss the benefits of buying a reusable bottle and filling it from home. Students sometimes are not aware of the simple ways in which they can lessen their waste.
After students categorize their collection, they will use visual problem solving skills to create a sculpture out of this waste. They will have to create balance with the elements and something that is visually pleasing. This will not be a planned sculpture. It is a simple exercise in quick creativity. The students will use a variety of glues, depending on the materials they have collected. They will work on these sculptures independently and then gather for a critique.
Students will discuss each student's sculpture in an open discussion and critique. They will be encouraged to use art vocabulary and provide each other with constructive criticism. Students will collectively decide which materials work well in each sculpture, as they will need this information for their final piece of art. This sculpture is intended for students to use their artistic abilities without using planning and strategy.
Assessment
Students will be assessed in several areas. They will be assessed on their completion of the collection of waste. They will also be assessed on their ability to separate their waste and work with another student to complete this task. They will also be assessed on their completion of a final sculpture, their participation in the critique and their daily journal entry.