Clay Medallions

The clay medallions lesson was given by Tayler and myself.  This lesson began with us showing a brief powerpoint on the byzantine empire.  This empire had a wealth of gold that was used to create medallions.   The students were then split into lower class citizens and upper class citizens.  The students then designed their medallion based on what an upper or lower class medallion would look like. We then showed the students our medallions we created (above).  I created a medallion designed for the lower class of citizens while Tayler created hers for the upper class.  To create these medallions, we had the students first create a rough draft of what they wanted their medallion to look like.  They were encouraged to used different shapes such as a square or diamond.

Each student then got a piece of clay and flattened it out to the right thickness (about half a fingernail).  Students then cut the outline for their medallion out of this clay.  They were instructed to put a hole at the top of the medallion so they could be hung in the future.  They were also instructed to turn the medallion over and put their name on the back of their medallion.

Students were then free to design their medallion.  The only stipulation was that the medallion had to be designed for their specific social class.  Each student could use the tools laid out for them on the table to create the medallions engravings.  Once their medallion was engraved they were told to paint their medallions. That way they can add the beads later and they will stick better.  They could paint their medallion either gold or bronze.  Once they were painted and the beads were put on the students put their medallions on the back table to dry.

We displayed our medallions on a bulletin board a couple of days later.  The medallions we hung by tacks and stings put through the medallion (below).

An extension activity I thought of would be to have the students create an actual Byzantine city out of clay.  This would take quite a bit of time, but would be very enjoyable for the students.  They could create the city with the upper class on one side and the lower class on the other side of the city. 

Craft Masks

This lesson was Emily and Candace's idea.  In this lesson, we created an african mask of an animal using various cutting techniques and also folding techniques.  Emily and Candace showed us two artists who create works of art by using folding and cutting.  We created these masks by first folding a piece of construction paper in half and then creating the outline of the face.  This gave the face symmetry.  Next, we create the eyes of the mask using paper cutting techniques.  We were then able to create our masks however we pleased.  I was trying to make my mask into a bear, but it did not turn out how I had planned.  I used a fringe cutting technique on the white pieces of paper to try and create hair for the rhino.  I then cut a piece of paper into spirals to create the nose.

One extension activity could be having the students create masks of different states in the united states.  Then creating a notecard with facts about the state on it and presenting it to the class.

Season's Printmaking

This was Haley and Kelsee's lesson on printmaking.  First they had us create the picture for each season on the foam board. We could create a picture of whatever we wanted that represented that season.  Once we had our designs we used a roller filled with paint to go over the picture.  We then put the foam board on a piece of paper and rolled a dry rolling pin over it to make the picture show up and show the line thicknesses.  We did this same process for each season and created the above works of art.

An extension activity for this could be creating math problems, or science pictures on the foam boards and then creating those to display around the room before conference.  They could also be displayed in the hallway so other students could see them.

3-D Biomes

This artwork was the lesson that Becca and Alyssa taught us.  We used the knowledge given to us at the beginning of the lesson to create a biome for a certain animal.  Once we decided on our animal we drew the background of our biome in oil pastels. In my artwork the sun, tree, grass, and water are all my background.  The next part we created was the middle ground.  In my picture, the birds represent the middle ground.  Finally, we created our foreground as our animal.  We did this by drawing the animal and then connecting it to a little piece of paper that is accordian folded to make the animal "pop" from the artwork.  I created a rhino as my animal.

A cool extension activity for this lesson would be to have the students create a biome of themselves.  They could be there room in the background and then create themselves and the foreground.  

Coat of Arms

This project was Tiffany and Christine's lesson.  In this project, we were informed of the coat of arms and then instructed to make our own.  They displayed many different coat of arms up on the board and then we were instructed to pick the designs we wished to use.  We created our rough draft on a piece of paper and then copied it onto the piece of tin foil.  We did this using a wooden toothpick.  Once we had our design we were free to color the foil and then frame our artwork.  

One cool extension activity would be having each person in the class create their own coat of arms for the class.  Then the students will pick which one they like the best.  The student then could use that coat of arms throughout the semester to create unity within the class.

Dot Day

The next lesson we did dealt with creating dots.  For the first lesson, we used paints to create a picture of dots (top).  We were told to use the color provided and try and mix them to create a painting emphasizing dots.  My picture didn't turn out the best because I was in a sling and couldn't pain real well.  The second part of the lesson had us create dots using bubbles.  We used a mixture of food coloring and bubbles to create this picture.  You would simply blow the bubbles on the paper and then when they popped they created a colorful picture.

An extension activity for this lesson could be creating a bubble painting with the bubbles using your school colors.  Then you could use the paints from the first picture and write a cool saying on it.  This could emphasize school spirit and togetherness. 

Vincent Van Gogh

Next, we did a lesson on Vincent Van Gogh.  In this lesson, we looked at the famous painting "starry night."  Van Gogh uses a very specific technique in starry night that makes the tree look closer than the town.  I created this work on art during the lesson.  We took tissue paper and put it in a paste to get the tissue to look as it does.  We then used oil pastels to create the swirls and lines in the background.  Once we created our background, we cut out the foreground.  I create a barn, silo, and wind mill.  This artwork makes the stuff in the foreground look a lot closer than the swirls and tissue paper in the background.

I think a cool extension activity would be an introduction activity where you created what interests you have in the background and then put your picture or something important to you in the foreground.  This would be a great way for students to get to know you as a teacher or them as a student.