Brewer Elementary
Edenfield/Davis – Austin Sargent
Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:
- Students will be able to brainstorm different kinds of precipitation and cloud formations.
- Students will be able to discuss with their peers and plan designs for three dimensional sculptures.
- Students will be able to create a three dimensional sculpture that embodies movement.
- Students will be able to explain their artistic choices as they relate to the science of storms and cloud formation.
Integration Area/Subject:
Science & Visual Art
State Standards:
S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather patterns.
- Represent data in tables and/or graphs to identify and describe different types of weather and the characteristics of each type.
- Ask questions to identify forms of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hailstones as either solid (ice) or liquid (water).
VA1.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.
- Create works of art emphasizing one or more elements of art and/or principles of design.
- Create works of art that attempt to fill the space in an art composition.
VA1.CR.4 Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes of three-dimensional art.
- Create sculpture using a variety of media and techniques.
- Create three-dimensional composition using traditional and/or contemporary craft materials and methods (e.g. paper sculpture, found object assemblage, jewelry).
Materials/Playing Space:
- Many strips of white paper
- A half sheet construction paper per student
- Gluesticks
Description:
The activity began with students brainstorming about the different kinds of storms and weather that they have experienced. Most students could connect to rain and wind, and a few students had even seen snow.
PAIR Specialist then introduced the visual art element by showing them a white strip of paper. The PAIR Specialist talked about the artistic principle of Movement, and showed students all the different ways paper could “move” to communicate ideas. Students were then given a piece to experiment with themselves–knowing that the only rule was to not rip or tear the paper. Students practiced making shapes with their strips of paper.
The PAIR Specialist then introduced the concept of building a storm cloud out of strips of paper. The PAIR Specialist explained that these should be 3D shapes, and that students shouldn’t glue the paper flat to the construction paper matting. Students were imagining what they weather clouds might look like and how they could build them with a paper sculpture.
The three things students were expected to know was; what kind of weather they were representing, where they noticed movement in their sculpture, and how the movement of their sculpture showed what kind of storm they were imagining.
Students were given 7-10 minutes to finish their sculpture. The teacher and PAIR Specialist walked around to students that were finishing quickly and asking them critical thinking questions. Instead of students answering verbally, they would answer by adjusting their sculpture in one way or another.
Notes:
Before you do this activity, brush up on the “Paper Chase” sculpture series by Alice Aycock. You could also use these images as a jumping off point, and have students attribute different weather to different sculptures– how a tornado sculpture looks different from a rainstorm sculpture.
The big focus word for this activity is ‘Movement!’ You could take this activity further by physicalizing the movement qualities of each weather, or grouping students together to work together to represent the weather.