Art 309 Pt. 1

Description: For the first 3 weeks of Saturday Classes, my group taught 6th grade. Our big idea for the lesson was "Environmentalism and Art", in which we used a lesson that involves techniques in ceramics. The students were instructed to briefly research an endangered species and create a clay jar or paperweight representing their species. They also created posters to accompany their projects which informed the viewer about their species and why it is endangered. This project encouraged students to create art that serves another purpose, such as activism or environmentalism. The lesson went well with the 6th graders and they were able to create high quality clay pieces and talk about why they created their work.​

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Rationale: We provided three diverse environmentalist artists, which our students were introduced to, to see how artists incorporated environmentalism into their art and give them ideas for their own work. The 6th graders were able to have class discussions about the purpose of their art-making and apply that to their own art. To begin our lessons, students did research about their species, planned their projects, and practiced writing about their art. After their beginning activities, they created their jars and paperweights out of clay, with the introduction of techniques to create successful clay pieces. They also were introduced to the idea of thinking about the displays for their projects when their created their accompanying posters.