Celebration: Elements

4/3/07

Rosie Case

I. Topic

Content Area: Celebration

Content Statement: Celebration can be a fun and interactive part of our everyday lives. Understanding celebrations will help students connect and relate with different people, places, traditions, events and cultures.

II. Objectives/Expected Learner Outcomes

Students will understand the historical and traditional importance of celebration.

Students will share and connect by bringing their own pre-conceived notions and personal experiences with celebration

Students will connect celebrations cross-culturally

III. Standards of Education

Perform: ART.1.VA.E.1

ART.1.VA.E.3

ART.1.VA.E.4

Create: ART.2.VA.E.3

ART.2.VA.E.4

ART.2.VA.E.5

Analyze Standard ART.3.VA

IV. Student Group Targeted

Grade Level: second grade

Group: average

Prerequisite skills/knowledge: cutting, tracing, drawing, vocabulary, handling clay, general ceramic knowledge, glazing, painting skills, and being able to talk about art/artists critically (before/after process).

V. Time Required:

3 class periods

50 minutes each

VI. Materials and Resources

Newsprint paper

Markers

Scissors

Knife/cutting tools

Bowls/molds

Newspaper

Glaze

Paintbrushes

Artist Resources

How-to Guide (step-by step interpretation of lesson)

Response Handouts

Display Information w/ artist examples of celebration

Artifacts of elements of celebration

VII. Itinerary and Strategies

Day 1: Celebration Elements Introduction

Key Terms:

-Ceramics

-Bisque

-Kiln

Motivation and Explanations:

Begin by presenting/reviewing the idea of celebration in general. Tell students that they will all be making plates/platters to bring home and can use in their own celebrations of everyday life.

Questioning Strategies/Discussion:

Some questions to ask to lead the discussion…

-What is a celebration?

Make a brainstorming list of different celebrations on whiteboard.

Birthday, religious holidays (xmas, easter), national holidays (4^th of July), holidays for people (martin luther king jr), everyday celebrations (sports, victory, good grades, etc)

-Can it be anything? What makes it a celebration?

-What do you need in order to have a celebration?

-Will everyone’s idea of celebration be the same? Why or why not?

While asking these questions write down any ideas on the whiteboard. To close discussion, go over the ideas written to make the point that celebration can be just about anything, depending on the person, culture, and tradition.

Celebration is often the subject of many artworks…show some general celebration art. Talk about what you see and feel in the artworks.

-excitement

-happiness

-dancing

-social networks

-food represents an element at celebrations (certain types)

Present artist example: Frances Trombly

Here is an artist that works specifically with celebration elements; things that people will often see at a celebration. He works with textiles by weaving fabrics and other materials together to create these realistic forms.

Split up into five even groups and hand out an example of Trombly’s work to each.

Allow five minutes to ask them to think of these 3 questions as a group

1. What is this element called? Do you recognize it?

2. How would this make your celebration more fun?

3. What are your personal experiences with this element? Do you have it at any of your celebrations? Which ones?

Gather back as a whole and go through answers. Review and wrap up by explaining that we all have our own personal ties to different elements. Pick a favorite celebration and then pick an element from that. We will be making platters/plates (a typical celebration element) and forming our favorite celebration elements in them. Could be any aspect, be creative, doesn’t have to be tangible can be an action.

Show teacher example and share my personal experience of celebration.

Demonstration/Guided Practice:

Go through demo and step by step process poster-have handouts of the procedure at each table.

Checking For Understanding:

Walk around the room as students are beginning the procedure and make sure that everyone understands what is expected and how to begin. Answer questions.

Time Flow:

15 minutes allowed for introduction, discussion, and demonstration

30 minutes allowed for studio activity

5 minutes for clean up

Closure:

Review key terms, the artist presented, and key ideas learned through the lesson.

Day 2: Glazing/Creating Invitations

Key Terms:

-Glaze

-Glaze firing

-Invitation

Motivation and explanations:

Finishing our plates so that we can safely put food on them. Glazing will also allow us to add color to our projects. Students will be writing invitations inviting someone they know to a celebration that could take place with their new celebration elements. As a class, when all of the plates are completed, there will be a small classroom celebration.

Demonstration/Guided Practice:

Glazing demo and instructions on how to complete an invitation

Student independent activity:

Students will glaze their plates and then move on to complete an invitation

Checking for Understanding:

Walk around the room and make sure that materials are being used correctly, answer questions, and check invitations.

VIII. Evaluation Strategies

-The students will be graded as to overall knowledge and handling of new materials (clay & glaze) as well as vocabulary usage and demonstration of celebration ideas in their invitations.

-Students will be required to write a minimum of two sentences inside their invitations that tell about what element they chose to make into a plate for their celebration.

-The invitations and plates will be collected, graded, used in classroom celebrations, displayed, and then taken home.

IX. Suggested Supplemental Activities

If time allows, the students will have an ending party to use their plates upon the completion of the project. This will take place at the end of a shorter project on day 3.