Be The Light!

Intended grade level(s) / age(s): 6-8th grade

Big Idea / Central concept: Be a light in the dark(cave)!

Essential Questions:
1)Why is it important to be positive around others?

2)What is contrast and texture? What can be used to create this element
of art?

3)What is noticeable about a light in a dark cave? or why is light

something we gravitate towards?

National Arts Standard(s):

● Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials,
methods, and approaches in making works of art and
design.
● Make art collaboratively to reflect on and reinforce positive aspects of group identity.

OH State Arts Standard(s):

● 7.3CR Practice visual fluency through the application of elements of art and principles of design.

● 6.3CO Link observations, life experiences and imagination for personal and creative expression.

Artists to be Discussed/Shared:
● Earth – The planet we on could be an artist itself, for example the geodes and gems it produces
are a work of art. In class we will bring in geodes, gems, and rocks to show off some of earth’s
masterpieces.
● Grimanesa Amoros– is a Peruvian-born American multimedia creative whose work explores
community connections intersecting history, technology, and architecture. This artist works with
light and dark contrast in the sculptures she creates which are on a massive scale. We will focus
on how she creates contrast with light and dark even in the photographs taken of her work.
https://www.grimanesaamoros.com/
● Peter Sohn- The director of the movie Elemental whose video we will be using to discuss thinking
about people as light and what we associate them with. Clip from the Movie Elemental

Key Vocabulary:
● contour line: an outline that defines the edges of a form or shape.
● zentangle: mixture of dots, lines, basic curves and orbs.
● texture: the perceived surface quality of a work of art.
● watercolor: pigment ground applied with brush with water to paint.
● blending: the process of fusing two colors together to form the combinations of the two.
● line: an element of art defined by a point in moving space.
● light: the luminous part of a work of art in relation to shadows.
● positivity: art that creates good feelings from viewers.
● contrast: the power of light and darks and bright and blacks working together to make the
opposite element pop
Learning Objectives:
● Students will explore contrast through color versus black and white
● Students will experiment with texture via linework and 3D additive
● Students will discuss how positive people made an impact in their life

Art Activity:
Students will take inspiration from Geodes around the classroom to create their own on paper. They will
use watercolor and glitter glue to make the colored portion of their project. They will decorate the back
with sharpie to make zentangles that are similar to contour lines. The geode will represent a specific
person in their life, who is a light to them.

Materials:

-Watercolors Canva presentation

-Glitter glue Cave poster
-Black Sharpies (thick & thin) metallic sharpies
-Watercolor paper neon sharpies
-Brushes sculpey or clay like material
-Water cups

Lesson Sequence

Opening Activity/Discussion/Presentation (15 minutes)

- Once students get to the classroom, we will greet them and introduce them to week five! We will
start off with our slides again this week. This week we are talking about being in a light in a world
that can seem dark, and leading that into how bright geodes are often found in caves. We will
introduce students to cave systems and geodes. then have a discussion about what it means to be a
light, and what light means, or who people are that light up our life. Next we will go into talking
about our project for the day, geode zentangles. We will talk about our vocabulary for the project
and show them our photo of the already made geode. Then students can come up and look at the
geodes that we brought in. Planet Earth is our artist this week so these are the examples to show.
We will talk about the recycled objects we are using for the craft and then Lauren will lead the
demo. We plan to make the doorway look like a cave to intrigue students and hook them into the
lesson.
- Community cave mural:
- This is for wait time while water colors are drying or students who finish early
- Students will write people’s names who are light to them in their life, or qualities of those
people with metallic or neon markers. (present this part during presentation
- Another early finisher option is to have students use sculpey or air dry clay to make geodes/
gems out of to add to them community clay (maybe wait to present this option as students
finish so they don't rush through the main objective)
- this could be a part of our assessment/ reflection portion
*The teachers will pre-make the cave beforehand for students to decorate*

Material Demonstration/Tutorial (15 minutes) (Grace and Lauren share presentation, Lauren does demo)
- First I will draw the shape of my geode I want it to be large but also not take up the whole paper so I
have room to add in the linework
- The shape shouldn’t be a perfect circle but should be a circler oval shape that looks like somehow
has squished it or taken bites out of it.
- after that I will wet the inside of my geode shape to prepare the paper for the color pigment, this
shouldn't be a lot of water just a thin light layer
- then I will choose 2-4 colors that are analogous, does anyone remember what analogous colors are?
- I’ll choose blue’s and greens for my geode
 - Then I will wet the watercolor and start to paint on my paper rings of color following the same shape
I drew earlier. I won't make the line right next to each other so they will have space to blend from
light to dark like real geodes do.
- be careful not to add too much water it will make it harder to keep the lines distinct
- Okay I’m gonna stop there and continue with an already done geode that's dry. So in class today you
might have some downtime will your water color is drying before you can do the next step, we have
some options for you to do while that is happening
- Anyways Next I will use a sharpie and trace the outline of my geode
- After that I will continue tracing around the funky oval shape I created but leaving space for white
to show. These are called contour lines, or could be considered a zentangle as well.
- you will trace the lines all the way to the edge of the paper, they don't have to complete the circle
once you get so close to the edge
- you kind of guess where the lines would meet
- The final step is adding glitter glue, now be careful with this step because it can get messy!
- Like earlier in the project you'll be following lines again. This time follow the lines you made in the
water color to add 3-4 lines of glitter glue circles. Maybe don't add more than 5-6 lines so you can
see the watercolor details. But in the end it’s up to you and we don't want to take away from your
creative choice
- then later for the art show we will glue these to black paper so your design pops!

Artistic Production ( 40 minutes)

- Students will work independently to create their geode watercolor zentangle. But we will be
walking around to provide help when needed.
- As they are working we will encourage them and get to know them. We will ask them about their
artistic choices, as in why they chose the materials they did.
- We will encourage students to draw the shape of their geode independently, unless we have
students who need extra help we can offer a template and use the chalk tracing method from the
previous week!
- Students who finish early have the choice to participate in the classroom cave mural, free draw, or
make a geode out of sculpey/ or clay like material to add to the community mural.

Clean-Up (10 minutes)

- We will give students time updates starting at 30 minutes, 15 minutes, and 10 minutes. This helped
us the previous weeks. Students will be encouraged to put their supplies back on the materials table
once they are done with their project and are ready to start looking at the reflection questions. They
will place their project in their name location on the paper we have set out for them on the demo
table.

Reflection/Closure (10 minutes)

- After we clean up, we will have students pull out their passports and write the answers to our
questions on the board. At the end of class we will gather everyone together to discuss their geodes
and who they associated them with(Bring in a rug for students to gather around in, for critique). We
will have a few students share their answers to the following questions…

Questions to consider:
1 )Why is it important to be positive around others?

2 )What is Contrast and texture? What can be used to create this element of art?

3) What is noticeable about a light in a dark cave? or why is light something we gravitate towards?

4) Why do you think we’re making the geo so bright?

5) Is there a reason behind the colors you chose for your geo?

6) Is there someone in your life that brings light to your life?

Assessment

Excellent Satisfactory Needs Attention Assessment Method

Students will explore Students use a Students use a Students use a Looking/ observing
contrast through color variety of at least 3 variety of at least 2 variety of at least 1 at student work
versus black and
colors to make a colors to make a colors to make a
white
geode watercolor, geode watercolor, geode watercolor,
then fill the entire then fill the entire then fill the entire
page with black page with black page with black
contour lines contour lines contour lines
surrounding the surrounding the surrounding the
figure figure figure
Students will Students use glitter Students use glitter Students use glitter Looking/ observing
experiment with glue to add texture glue to add texture glue to add texture at student work
texture via linework
to their geode with to their geode with to their geode but
and 3D additive
at least 3 added at least 2 added do not follow the
circular shapes circular shapes circular shape of the
geode
Students will discuss Students participate Students participate Students participate
how positive people at least once in the at least once in the at least once in the
made an impact in
discussion and/or discussion and/or discussion during
their life
thoughtfully explain thoughtfully explain critique and answer
who they based who they based none of the prompts
their geode off of their geode off of in their passports
during critique and during critique and and/or participate in
answer at least 2 of answer at least 1 of the community cave
the prompts in their the prompts in their adding their lights to
passports and passports and/or the composition.
participate in the participate in the
community cave community cave
adding their lights to adding their lights to
the composition. the composition.

Acknowledgments
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrghmEehaop/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link