Upper Elementary Hall Display

Below are a few photos of our hall display for grades 3-5. This case is right outside my classroom door. I wish I had room to put out more work!

On the top shelf are four relief prints. I need to get better shots of them and others that are in students' portfolios.

 

Paper sculpture is our introduction to form and 3-dimensional media. I was subjected to a sea of groans when I announced that we'd have to integrate a bit of math into our art room during this lesson. Students must measure, estimate, and visualize the outcome of their sculpture. Happy accidents are welcome, but the more a student is able to predict the final pop-up the more complex and successful the end result becomes. While it's a little tricky in the beginning, once students catch on they love it! 

This pop-up technique, called "Generations," was quite a hit. The idea for this lesson came from The Pop-Up Book, which I bought for myself a few years ago, but which has become quite useful in the classroom, as well. There are projects of varying skill levels, but most of them can adapted for use with 3rd-5th grade artists.

Following this project, I've kept paper and scissors for practice and experimentation in the "Inspiration Station" art center.

Vocabulary: form, sculpture, 2D/3D, shape, positive/negative space/shapes, gutter, crease

Guiding questions: 

• What is form?
• What is the difference between shape and form?

Here are only three examples. I'll try to get more photos up (there are tons still in the classroom).

Also in our display:

After studying gesture in pencil, students create one-line gesture sculptures in wire. This is another one that can be tricky, but once students get it they have a lot of fun with their wire sculptures.

Vocabulary: form, line, movement, gesture, coil, wrap, twist, proportion, balance