THE ART OF LIGHT

OBJECTIVES
• Investigate properties of light—
opacity, luminosity, reflectivity
and transparency—through
EXPERIMENTING WITH LIGHT AND TRANSPARENCY hands-on experimentation.
• Act as both artists and
scientists by describing and
documenting their findings.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How can the properties of light
be expressed through art?

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

• Transparent containers, bottles,
and tubes
• Light table
• Flashlights
• LCD projector

NATIONAL MEDIA ARTS

STANDARD
Producing: Develop and refine
artistic techniques and work for
presentation.

NAEYC EARLY LEARNING

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION
STANDARD
Supports or aligns to Science
2G.10.

Children constructed sculptures out of transparent materials.

Ryan Kurada

A
s a first-grade teacher who
designs art-integrated proj-
ect-based learning, I am
inspired by the innovative
Children are fascinated by light.
educational philosophy that orig-
inated in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Students there are empowered to
investigate and interpret real-life
experiences and communicate
interdisciplinary learning through
art. After traveling to the Loris
Malaguzzi International Center in
Reggio Emilia and viewing their Ray
of Light Atelier exhibit, I was moti-
vated to develop and implement my
own long-term project on light.
Investigating Light
This project stemmed from my stu-
dents observing an interesting reflec-

114 PART 5: New Media SCHOOLARTS COLLECTION 115

Children were excited to make light paintings, photographing stationary and moving lights in a dark room.
tion (affectionately nicknamed “The
Spider Web”) on our classroom wall
made by an LCD projector. This expe-
rience piqued their interest in light,
which then led me to design a project
around this topic. I encouraged them
to do research using a variety of artis-
tic processes and materials.
Drawing, Sculpting, Experimenting
Students learned about opacity by
drawing shadows of objects found
on the school playground; explored
luminosity using long-exposure pho-
tography; experimented with reflec-
tivity by creating foil-relief works;
and investigated the concept of trans-
parency as they constructed sculp-
tures out of transparent containers,
bottles, and tubes.
116 PART 5: New Media
Light Journals
Students took on the role of light
scientists and artists as they docu-
mented their ongoing learning in
their journals. They were able to
graphically represent and describe
their observations and discoveries
about light. For example, following
an investigation of prisms, students
drew and wrote about the concept of
refraction. Their light journals served
as both a scientific notebook and art-
ist sketchbook.
Making Learning Visible
At the conclusion of the project,
our class organized an interactive
light-show exhibit to showcase their
shadow drawings and transparent
sculptures. This was also an oppor-
Light and shadows from a fence were recorded.
tunity to educate the greater school
community. There were a variety of
installations, including an experi-
mentation area for families to take
part in. Hands-on activities used
overhead projectors and light boxes.
There was even a “mirror tent” and
light tunnel constructed by parents.
The exhibit was a great way to
conclude the project as it exem-
plified the remarkable artistic and
scientific skills of my students.
More importantly, it made visible
the interdisciplinary learning that
occurred throughout the project,
utilizing art as a primary vehicle for
communication.
Ryan Kurada is a first-grade teacher at
University Elementary School in Rohnert A setup for light exploration. Children represented their discoveries about light. Artwork by Peighton.
Park, California.
SCHOOLARTS COLLECTION 117