Problem-Based Lesson Plan ARTE 203

Title of Lesson: Collaborative Mosaic Sheet

Teacher: Zoe/Elizabeth
School: Stratton Elementary School
Grade Level[s]: 3-5
Date to be Taught: 10/30/17

Big Idea that drives Lesson/Unit:

Our big idea is “Where We Stand,” which we will be addressing in all of our projects throughout the
semester. We will discover different ways to build communities through art making and exploring
characteristics that define our individual identities.

Key concepts about Big Idea:

• Collaborating to create one large artwork
• Working as a community
• The process of making something as a class

Fine Arts Goals Met by the Objectives:

• Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work
• Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
3-4 Essential Questions:
• How does putting small pieces together change the way we see the materials?
• What in our perspective of familiar materials and reused materials changes? How can we perceive
these materials differently?
• How does the process of tying the pieces together contribute to the meaning of the artwork?
• How does our artwork compare to the work of Amanda Browder, Kimsooja, and El Anatsui? How
is it different?
Vocabulary Acquisition:
• Installation artwork: an artistic genre of three dimensional works that often are site-specific and
designed to transform the perception of a space
• Mosaic: a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of material

Key Artistic Concepts:

• Installation artwork – how intending to hang it up in a certain space changes the creation process
• Exploring the relationship between the different materials and the aspect of sustainability with
materials to create art
• Focusing on the space it is hung in – how does the artwork change the space and how does the
space change the artwork

Artmaking Materials Needed:

• yarn – black, other colors
• construction paper
• scissors
• hole puncher
• posts
• sketch paper
• aluminum foil
• markers

Contemporary/Historical/Multicultural exemplars:
• El Anatsui

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Problem-Based Lesson Plan ARTE 203

• Amanda Browder
• Kimsooja
Procedures:
DISCUSSION: (15 minutes)
• We will introduce the project by explaining what exactly we will be doing
• Relate our project to the work of El Anatsui and Amanda Browder – combining small pieces to
create a large installation artwork. Their work looks like full sheets from far away, but you can
see the binding up close. Students can see how artists can manipulate their materials to create the
illusion of having something completely different. It gets the audience to look closely and see the
details/craft of the work, rather than simply looking at the big picture and moving forward to a
different artwork.
• Ask the students what king of design they want to do
• Figure out and draw the shape
• Divide the group into stations in which they will be assigned a certain part of the whole piece
• Explain what each station will be doing (tying pieces together, hole punching, coloring the tin
foil, coloring construction paper)
DEMONSTRATIONS: (5 minutes)
• We will run through what is expected of each station – how to tie the pieces together using yarn
or wire, where to hole punch the pieces, how they can color the tin foil
DESIGN/WORK SESSION: (30-45 minutes)
• While each group is working, we will walk around and look for students who need help or
clarification
• We can sit down and help different groups in the process
CLEAN UP: (5 minutes)
• Put each different material in a pile
• Put what they have done in a certain area
• Pick up any scraps on the floor
CLOSURE: (5 minutes)
• When we return on Wednesday, we will continue the process, and hopefully assemble the final
piece, and they can look forward to hanging it up in their school
• Ask them what part of the process they like, if they are excited to finish it, and what they think it
will look like all put together

WEDNESDAY
• Show previous examples and ask students if they remember the names of the artists we looked
at/why we studied them for this group project
• Ask students if there are ways to make our art-making process more efficient
• Have students finish the group project
• Clean up and have them go back to their seats
• Ask the students where we might want to install the work and why they want it there
o Explain site-specific work and the intentionality behind it
• Install work with students and have them reflect
o How did the work change in it’s site-specific location from the classroom?
o How did we work together as a class to make this installation?
o What could we do better next time?

Assessment:
• We can assess how much each student contributed and monitor their participation in the process
• The goal is for students to be participating and seeing the effectiveness of group work to create
art. We want students to walk away with the idea that a project such as this can bring people to
work together.
• Overall, it is a class work, so it will be evaluated based on how the class collaborated in order to
create the final product

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