Lighthouse

Target Grade: Grade 5

Next Lesson right arrow

Students will be able to create

PAINTING

Lighthouse

Target Grade: Grade 5

Goal (Terminal Objective):

Sculpture

Objective:

Students will become aware of processes, techniques, and media variety used in art forms to communicate ideas.
Students will perceive how technique, balance, and texture function in a work of art.
Students will be able to identify characteristics of sculptural art forms.
Students will analyze sculpture to better understand techniques utilized in specific works of art. Students will apply knowledge of historical, cultural, and geological habitats and their relationship to the positioning of lighthouse structures.
Students will identify parts of a lighthouse and identify various lighthouse types.

National Standards:

Visual Arts Grades 5-8 Content Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Visual Arts Grades 5-8 Content Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Visual Arts Grades 5-8 Content Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas

Visual Arts Grades 5-8 Content Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Cross-curriculum connection: Social Studies, History, Geography

Purpose:

Students will learn that ceramic sculpture is an art form utilized by artists of various cultures and time periods.
Students will become familiar with ceramic building techniques. Students will identify relief and free-standing sculptural forms.
Students will produce a relief sculpture or a free-standing sculptural piece on a painted seascape background using the knowledge gained regarding construction of lighthouses and ceramic building techniques.

New Vocabulary:

seascape, distance, perspective, horizon line, background, middle ground, foreground, depth, 2-d plane, texture, simulate, relief, free standing sculpture, coil, pinch, slab, form

Materials:

#22-22xx 8oz. Sargent Flourescent Acrylic Paint

#22-3003 Bright White Air Hardening Clay

#22-9111 11 ct. Sculpting Tool Set

Clay tools, cardboard/illustration board/white tag, wood plaque

Time:

This lesson may be modified from two to five hours, depending upon the size and complexity of expectations.

Introduction and Motivation (Set):

Review and broaden student’s knowledge of sculpture. Compare the difference between two- dimensional shapes and three-dimensional forms. Identify basic forms used in sculpture. Discuss the variety of materials used by artists to make sculptural forms. Discuss student’s prior knowledge in viewing and creating three-dimensional art forms. Identify relief and free-standing sculpture.

Instruction:

Provide fine art exemplars for analyzation. Read stories about lighthouses. View exemplars and websites. Discuss purposes of lighthouses and the lives of those who manned the lighthouses of early America.
Discuss geographic locations and rational for the design of lighthouses. Discuss types of lighthouses and environment such as coastal regions, peninsulas, marsh areas, and beach areas.

Activities:

(1) Guided Practice:

Define and demonstrate the slab, coil, and pinch pot form of clay building. View the exemplar and discuss how it was constructed.
Identify parts of lighthouse and discuss what types of clay building technique would be most suitable for a specific part of the lighthouse.
Demonstrate construction techniques.
Discuss painting techniques.

(2) Independent Practice and Check for Understanding:Teacher circulates among working students visually recording students demonstrating understanding of objectives and provides reinforcement.

Using the slab technique of clay building, create a small slab on a piece of wood or cardboard pressing down clay while simulating rock, bush, and grass texture. The illusion of a body of water may be created.
Using the coil clay building technique, create concentric coils making them smaller in diameter as the structure is built taller.
Use the pinch pot technique to create the top of the lighthouse.
Using clay tools create details and texture in the sculptural piece. Form a cube for a house with a triangular solid roof. Add details to simulate rocks and bushes.
Allow piece to dry. Paint with Sargent Acrylic paint.

(3) Closure:Students record either by checklist or writing prompt, the symbols used, the connection to the exemplar and the innovations they provided to their composition. Review new vocabulary.

Evaluation:

Teacher/student critique and/or Individual Evaluation.

Extension:

This strategy may be extended to providing additional collage items. An alternative art form may be used to create the lighthouse as a relief sculpture.