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Collaborative Storytelling!
A Team-building Art Lesson for Middle School Students

Football Sculpture

Lauren Kent
Introductory Information:
Title: Collaborative Storytelling Grade: 6-8 Class Size: 20 Students Length of Class Period: 20 minutes Lesson Topic and Description: In this lesson, students will work collaboratively in groups to create scenes out of aluminum foil figures. They will first learn how to mold a human figure out of aluminum foil. Students will then be divided into groups and will respond to the prompt: <Decide as a group one scene that you want to show. This scene can be anything during the school day from when you leave home until you come back (Going on the bus, taking the T, eating lunch, going to class, time on the sports field, etc). As a group, create this scene using only your aluminum foil figures.> At the end of ten minutes, students will finish their scene. Each group will present what they have created and will guess the scene of their neighboring group. This lesson will teach students how to quickly depict a sculptural form of the human figure. It will teach students how to work together in groups and will push their creativity in figuring out how to visually communicate their scene.

STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS

A. ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Many artists work in collaboration with other people to create their artwork. Communication and teamwork is important when working in groups. A limited amount of visual information can tell a story and communicate a scene. B. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How can I create a human figure out of aluminum? How can we work as a group to pick a scene and decide how to place our figures? How can we visually communicate a scene to our classmates using only our aluminum figures?

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

A. PERFORMANCE TASK OR FINAL PRODUCT: The final product will be a scene created out of aluminum figures. B. CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENTS: -Students will follow along while teacher instructs how to create the aluminum figure.

3 -Students will work cooperatively in groups to decide upon and depict a scene. -Students will guess the scene of their neighboring group and will present their own scene. -Students will listen as their peers guess and present their scenes. C. CRITERIA: -Did the student follow along while the teacher instructed how to create the figure? Did they ask questions or troubleshoot if they got stuck? -Was the student respectful toward her/his group members? Were they a team player? -Did the student contribute ideas to their groups planning? Were they engaged in the project? -Did the student help guess their neighbor groups scene and present their groups scene? -Did the student listen and wait patiently as other groups presented their scenes?

STAGE 3: LEARNING PLAN

A. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT: -20 pieces (+extras) of aluminum foil, cut into rectangles -20 scissors (to cut the foil) -4 tape dispensers and 4 poster boards (on which to attach the foil figures) -Instructional Poster Boards (Visual step-by-step and written instructions in English and Spanish) -Stopwatch -Poster of artist example and vocabulary word -Bag for recycling aluminum foil B. VOCABULARY WITH DEFINITIONS: Collaboration: To work jointly with others or together, especially in an intellectual endeavor. Visual Communication: To get a message across using only visual images (no written or spoken words). C. VISUAL IMAGE RESOURCES: Inspired by artists like Franz Hagenauer, who use minimal figures to tell a story.

Franz Hagenauer, Boxers

D. TEACHER INSTRUCTION/LEARNING ACTIVITY: -Teacher will welcome the class and explain who she is and why she is here! -Teacher will present that todays lesson is about COLLABORATION and creating art in teams. -Teacher will present the first step: Creating aluminum figures. Teacher will go through the steps as students follow along. -Teacher will divide the class into four groups. -Teacher will give students their prompt and tell them that they will be guessing each others scenes. -Teacher will observe how students are doing in their groups, answer questions, and make suggestions. -Teacher will signal when it is time to stop working. -Teacher ask one group to guess the scene of their neighboring group, until all scenes have been guessed and presented. -Teacher will wrap up the lesson and sum up what we have learned about working together and communicating visually! E. LEARNING ACTIVITY: -Students will follow along with the teachers instructions and will create aluminum figures. -Students will get into their groups -Students will work with their group members to decide on and depict a scene. -Students will stop when time is called. -Students will guess the scenes of their classmates and will present their own scene to the class! F. STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

5 Standard 1: Methods, Materials, and Techniques. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the methods, materials, and techniques unique to the visual arts. Standard 3: Observation, Abstraction, Invention, and Expression. Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and expression in a variety of media, materials, and techniques.