Hero/Me Collage-7th Grade

The technique of collage, gluing paper to paper, first dates back to the time of the invention of paper in China around 200 BC. The most popular form of collage as we know it today, however, began a little after 1900. Collaging helps students get an eye for good lines and colors as well as practice with cutting and gluing (which is good for spatial and fine motor development). This is also a great recycling project!

For the 7th grade's collage project, we focused on two of the Priciples of Art, balance and emphasis. One side of their collage focuses on themselves and their personality, while the other side focuses on that of their hero's (or person they admire). Their job was to balance out both sides and emphasis important imagery by not making their backgrounds to 'busy'. They were to show creativity by working two or more images together in a unique, and often times amusing way.

At the end of the project, the students reflected on their progress and final work with a self evaluation form that asked such things as, "Do you think your final work shows your personality well and why?" and "What kind of changes could you make in your own life that could lead you to be as successful as your hero?". Please see some of their answers (and their artwork) below:

Who did you choose to be your "hero" for this project? Why?

"I chose Jenny Finch because she amazing at softball and I love softball."

"Danica Patrick because she is a hero the way she was one of the 1st female race car drivers."

"The person I chose to be my hero was my fifth grade teacher Mrs. Mills because she was like a mother to me and the class she taught us life lessons and how to be organized. I'll always remember her."

Do you think your final work shows your personality well? What kind of images did you use to represent your personality for your "me" side?

"I did my favorite animal, a duck, with a guitar because I'm playing guitar a little, and the duck has on a crown because sometimes I feel like I'm a queen when I'm happy. The duck is kind of like me in my project."

"It describes a portion of me, but not all of me. I would need a thousand pieces of paper to describe me, but some things that describe me are coffee, Luke Bryan, the Office and an Ipod."

"Yes, I picked images like a sun for my heart because I'm kind. And I chose some of my favorite things like makeup, chips, nailpolish and money."

"Yes, I put watches, cars, Mario and a big giant M&M!"

What kind of changes could you make in your own life that could lead you to be as successful as your hero?

"I could invent things that could change the world like Thomas [Edison] did."

"I would try getting ideas from more Western comics, also help by writing. coloring or drawing a comic to make me more like my hero."

"I think maybe being more respectful and having a better, positive attitude."

"I could stay in school, go to college and take good classes."

"I could change the way I react to how people treat me when they're being rude. I can just ignore them."

Dream Rooms-One Point Perspective-8th Grade

Most students are excited about the idea to learn out to 'draw 3-D', but when the time comes, perspective drawing can be difficult and confusing. For that reason, I like to introduce the 8th grade's perspective project by asking them, "If you could create a dream room, what would it look like?" We brainstorm some ideas on the board and this gets the students revved up about the project. From there, we discuss the Element of Arts (line, shape, form and space) that are used to create the illusion of 3-dimensions on a 2-dimensional medium (such as paper). Students begin with simple shapes (rectangles) and turn them into forms (rectangular prisms) using the vanishing point. Then, they use the confines of the rectangular prism to create a piece of furniture. I demonstrate some basic forms (beds, dressers, etc) for the whole class and they use these as a guide to construct various pieces for their individual rooms. Finally, they add detail to their rooms such as, pillows and blankets on their beds, books and lamps on their nightstands or whatever works for their 'Dream Room'.