Lesson Title: Adventure Into The World of Shapes Grade Level: K-4

Lesson Overview/Intro/Brief Description

This lesson brings Nebraska Math and National Visual Arts Standards together. While observing Elmer Holtzrichter’s work, students will gain awareness of basic shape and pattern. To extend this art piece and math activity, students will create their own collage using the learning.

Art Exemplar

Title: Mystery Planet

Artist: Elmer Holzrichter

Media: Mixed Media

Plate/Date: 1998

Standards/Curriculum

Nebraska Math Standards

1.4.2; 1.6.1

National Visual Art Standards

Grades K-4: 2; 3; 5; 6

Objectives

1. Students will identify different shapes, colors, and patterns by recognizing the correct name of the color, shape or pattern.

2. Students will create and verbalize a pattern using different shapes and colors by designing a whole group collage.

3. Students will describe how each person has created a unique pattern by observing and identifying patterns represented in the class collage.

Assessment

Use district assessment instruments for math and visual arts.

Rubric generators available at: http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/

Resources

Museum Of Nebraska Art

Reproduction of Mystery Planet by Elmer Holzrichter

Art information / vocabulary: http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/

Materials

Foam shapes or construction paper shapes in a variety of colors and shapes

Oak tag

Glue

Manipulative in a variety of shapes and colors

Vocabulary

http://www.artlex.com/

http://www.artincanada.com/arttalk/arttermsanddefinitions.html

Collage

Pattern

Repetition

Shape

Value

Teaching

1. Background of artwork / artist: Elmer Holzrichter http://monet.unk.edu/mona2/exhibit/artists/elmer/elmer.html

• Mystery Planet is a mixed media work by Nebraska artist, Elmer Holzrichter. This piece is part of the collection at the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, NE. Holzrichter used simple materials such as different colors of cardboard and colored hole punches to create this collage. In the Mystery Planet, we see a series of spheres surrounding one another, moving your eye closer to the central circle or the Mystery Planet.

2. Introduce students to Elmer Holzrichter’s Mystery Planet. Discuss what shapes, colors, and patterns they see in the collage.

3. As the students share their ideas, direct the discussion toward specific shapes, colors, and patterns in the collage and to the material that Holtzrichter used to create his collage.

4. Ask questions:

• Show me a pattern. What would this pattern be called?
• Demonstrate how this pattern would sound with clapping and stomping?
• Construct this pattern with your shapes.

5. As a class, create patterns using a variety of shapes and colors. Have the students identify and label the patterns.

6. Encourage students to manipulate their own set of shapes to create a pattern of their own.

7. Encourage them to try different shapes and colors and to label their pattern.

Creating

8. Using craft foam or construction paper shapes, have each student create a pattern.

9. Find similarities/differences between each student’s pattern, label them.

10. Ask questions?

• Would it be better if…?
• What would you recommend…?
• What would happen if…?

Closure

13. Display the completed class collage. Direct students to locate and identify the different patterns seen in the collage.

14. Ask questions:

· How do you think we did with our patterns?

• Show me a pattern. What would this pattern be called?

· Demonstrate how this pattern would sound with clapping and stomping?

· Which pattern in the collage is your favorite? Why or why not?

· If you could add more lines, shapes, or colors to this collage; where/what would you add?

Extension/Related Activities

Science

• Find, identify, and label patterns in nature

Language Arts

• Find patterns in literature, poetry, etc.

Math

• Symmetry

Art

· Each student needs to find a similarity to another’s pattern. (Same color, shape, line, organization.) Continue matching similar components until the whole class “fits” together to form a unified group.

• Glue it to a large piece of oak tag to create a class collage.
• Embellishment may be added by drawing or painting more line, shape, and color elements onto the overall pattern.