Lesson Overview:
This lesson exposes students to several careers in the visual arts. Students will move through three different "art stations", where they can explore and create in the medium using art supplies. Students will make a career book for each station, which will contain a description of the visual art career and a work sample of the medium.
Length of Lesson:
Three 45 minute class periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 3-4.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- explore three visual art fields and careers
- learn that visual artists have impact in many areas of daily life and our community
- use a variety of visual media to explore three distinct fields in art careers
- create three art career books, each of which contain a work sample and a description of the career
Supplies:
Station #1: Fashion Designer
- photocopy page with two simple children's bodies represented (one male and one female)
- pencil and crayons
- scissors
- colored construction paper
- pattern paper or wallpaper samples
- fashion ads from the newspaper(Hint:the Sunday newspaper has color fashion ads for children and adults)
Station #2: The Architect
- large white drawing paper
- pencil, erasers, and crayons
- legos and/or blocks
- photographs of buildings or architectural/picture books with photographs of a variety of buildings and structures
Station #3: The Graphic Artist
- large white drawing paper
- pencils, eraser, and crayons
- color markers
- rulers
- empty cereal boxes, to use as examples
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Write the words "graphic artist", "architect" and "fashion designer" on three pieces of chart paper. Define and discuss the three careers that will be designated in the centers. A fashion designer is an artist who designs all the things that we wear - clothes, hats, shoes, etc. Fashion designers must know how to draw and illustrate, sew, and be very creative and aware of trends. Students can learn more about fashion design from these articles: "Is Fashion Design For You?" and "How To Become a Fashion Designer".
An architect is an artist who designs buildings. The architect studies all types of building styles and materials. Some architects also design landscapes around buildings and parks. Architects must know all about construction and structure, the interior and exterior of buildings. You may wish to have students explore the website Be An Architect!, which take a fun, informative look at architecture and architects.
A graphic artist is a broad category that includes many types of artists. The type of graphic artist, that students will learn about in this learning station, designs all the commercial packaging we see in our stores and markets. Graphic artists study design, form, and even marketing. The work of the graphic artist must grab the attention of the customer and also sell the product.
Ask the students to think about their day yesterday. Have students name products or places they either used or saw during the day that fashion designers, architects, and/or graphic designers help create. Start at the beginning of the day, and move through incrementally to the end of the day. Assist students with questions like "What did you do to get ready for school?" Write their responses on each pieces of chart paper. Tape each chart paper list at each of the three stations.
Introduce each center to the class. Have printed directions available at each center.
Independent Activity
Each student should have the opportunity to go to each station. If the class size is too large or their are space and/or time constraints you may ask students to sign up for the station they prefer or assign groups of students to each center.
Center One: Fashion Designer
Each student will have two copies of each of the figures. They are to design two outfits for their boy and girl. The clothes should be for a very special day or occasion such as a holiday party. Students can cut and paste their clothes or draw directly on the paper. The students should print what the occasion is on the back of their papers when they have completed their work. Have students place their completed work in the finished work folder.
Center Two: Architect
Each student will have a choice to design or construct one of the following:
- a new school
- a new house for a family of 6
- a house or apartment for their teacher
Students should first think about their choice and then look at some of the pictures of the buildings in the center before starting their own. What materials will you use? What size will it be? What colors will you use? Students should place thier completed work in the folder at their station. If students build models, take a picture of the model. Students can also draw their models.
Center Three: The Graphic Artist
Each student will design a new cereal called "Krunchy Munchies". Students should look at the examples of cereal boxes in the center before beginning to draw. What things will you put on the front of the box, What types of images do you think of when you hear the name of the cereal? What colors will you use that will make people want to buy the cereal? Using paper and markers students will create a drawing for box front of the new cereal. The design should include the name of the cereal on the cover. Students should place thier completed work in the folder at their station.
Conclusion
Gather finished folders and distribute glue, construction paper and work. Students will mount their work on the construction paper. Students will title or describe each of their pieces on the bottom of the construction paper. Punch two or three holes on one side of each mounted piece. One or two students can print the title Graphic Designer, Fashion Designer, and Architect on three sheets of construction paper for the front title page of each book. Older students may print a definition of each of the careers on separate sheets of paper. Using string or yarn string the finished pieces for each career into a finished book. Show the students the three finished books turning the pages so everyone’s work is displayed. Students will discuss what they did and what they learned about the three art careers.
Assessment:
Students will engage in a "show and tell" session, to present their projects to their classmates. Each student should also choose one center (i.e. one career) that he/she preferred, and briefly explain his/her choice to the class. Distribute the Assessment Rubric to students.
You may wish to also have students write a brief (one page) essay, for homework, describing which of the three art careers they prefer, and why they would like such a job.
Sources:
Print:
- Maze, Stephanie. I Want to be a Fashion Designer, NY. Harcourt Childrens Books, 2000.
- Reeves, Diane. Career Ideas for Kids Who Like Art. NY. Facts on File Inc. , 1998.
- Yehling, Carol. Discovering Careers for your Future/Art. NY, Facts in File, Inc. 2001.
Web:
Authors:
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Helen Robertson
Hawthorne Elementary School, University of British Columbia
, British Columbia Canada
