WPU Practicum Student creates a "SPACE" Lesson plan using STEAM

WPU K-12 Art Education Practicum Student: Marjiana Korunoska created and taught a SPACE inspired art lesson in Mrs. Simon's SOIT art class recently.

Ms. Korunoska will complete her practicum experience in December, and will return as a student teacher to SOIT next semester. 

 Using what she has learned about STEAM at SOIT this year, Ms. Korunoska asked students to learn facts about artist, Robert McCall, and about the solar system, including the planets and their orbits in the solar system, before embarking on creative art-making with the students.

The lesson had a clear objective keyed to the NJ Core Curriculum Standards in Art.  It also had a Demon-stration of Learning (DOL) that evaluated whether students had achieved that objective. 

The art lesson included the use of drawing and 

painting as well as science, and was multi-media.

More student art work on display

Art PIR Triada Samaras is in the midst of creating a second Georgia O'Keefe STEAM Project art display in the halls of GOPA.  These student art works, done in Mrs. Simon's art class, look stunning and are attracting many viewers in the hall.  This photo shows the art display in progress.

Last Year's STEAM Grant

This year’s STEAM program at GOPA and SOIT is made possible by William Paterson University’s grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  The current work at the secondary level builds upon the success last year at the elementary and middle school levels. The Dodge Grant has funded the Art Professors in Residence, art supplies and field trips.

Last year at Paterson School 2, a grade K-8 school, first and second grade bilingual students, working with Art Teacher Beth Porto in the school art studio, created a five-foot by ten-foot mural that depicted the four seasons, and that integrated art, math and science. Begun in September, the mural was gradually added to throughout the year, and finally completed in June.  First Grade Teacher Norma Menchon, Second Grade Teacher Belinda Casais McBride, and Art Professor in Residence Simone Sandler co-taught math topics (counting, odd and even numbers, and addition and subtraction) and science topics (seasonal changes affecting animals and plants, the phases of the moon, and weather) keyed to the district curriculum. These lessons generated artwork that was incorporated into the mural.  The mural now hangs in the hallway of School 2, on permanent display.

At Paterson School 7, a grade 5 to 8 middle school, Art Professor in Residence Myra Winter worked with Art Teacher Vernon Nealy, Math Teachers Rosa Kopic and Melissa Bensh, and Science Teachers Marla Arrington and Mary Bertino.  Team teaching among these educators brought art into the other content areas.  For example, on a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History, students attended a special program, “Spiders Alive!”  Upon their return they created spider presentation boxes using chipboard, binding fabric, and decorative papers.  This required detailed measurement to achieve the correct angles and proportions.  They included all the scientific information they had learned about spiders, and used the boxes as 3D graphic organizers to write a research paper about spiders. 

Another lesson focused upon the concepts of volume and surface area.  Students made a variety of sizes of rectangular prisms using colored paper, and then built a 3D sculpture with those prisms.  They calculated the volume and surface area of their prisms, and calculated the relationships between them.  They then did the same with their final sculpture.

The culminating event of School 7’s STEAM program was a “Creativity Fair” held in May, in which parents and community members were invited to an evening program to view the student work.

                         

Evaluation by the WPU Geraldine R. Dodge Grant coordinator showed improved results on math assessments and improved attitudes toward math and science at both schools.  

Georgia O'Keefe Flowers and Bones Project Creates Remarkable Works of Student Art!

The collaborative Georgia O'Keefe Flowers and Bones project taking place in Mrs. Simon's SOIT art class has yielded an enormous number of excellent student artworks (See Lesson Plan below).  Some of these works are now on display at SOIT on the science/art bulletin boards and are serving as an inspiration to other students, teachers and visitors to SOIT who are clearly invigorated to encounter such creative and well-crafted works of art.  In addition, a factual bulletin board has been created near the art works display highlighting the artist, Georgia O'Keefe and her oeuvre. (See all photographs below.) 

Later this week, Art Professor in Residence, Triada Samaras, will join Mrs. Simon's class to introduce the Feldman Method of Art Criticism to the students who will use their art as points of departure for this critique.

 

STEAM Lesson Plan: Georgia O'Keefe Flowers and Bones

2013-2014 Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Grant:

STEAM EmPOWERment: Increasing Student Achievement and Engagement through Art

Unit/Lesson Plan

School:       School of Information Technology @ Eastside, Paterson, NJ
Grade(s):    9-12
Time:           Several Art Periods

Title:  Georgia O’Keefe Flowers and Bones

NJ CCCS VISUAL ART STANDARDS		NATIONAL CCSS MATH STANDARDS		NJ CCCS SCIENCE STANDARDS
1.1.12.D.1	Distinguish innovative applications of the elements of art and principles of design in visual artworks from diverse cultural perspectives and identify specific cross-cultural themes.	HSG-CO.A.5 HSG-MG.A.1	Given a geometric figure and a rotation, reflection, or translation, draw the transformed figure. Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects.	5.3.12.E.2	Animal Structure and Function:  Estimate how closely related species are, based on scientific evidence (e.g., anatomical similarities).

Goals/Objectives

Students will be able to create three-dimensional (3-D) forms on a two-dimensional (2-D) surface; students will be able to state how color and value are used in their artwork; students will be able to state one fact about Georgia O’Keefe; students will identify at least one flower and bone used in their artwork, and explain the characteristics of each in terms of form and function.

Materials

18 x 18 squares of white vellum, colored pencils, markers, and a selection of photos of flowers, bones and assorted x-rays.

Art Activities

Students engage in internet research, each finding one fact about Georgia O’Keefe, writing it on an index card, and taping it to the wall.  They all keep a log of these facts in their journals.

From a selection of photographs or x-rays, each student selects one or more.  They engage in internet research to identify the bone(s) and flower(s) they have selected, and keep a log of these in their journals.  Students draw the bone(s) and/or flower(s) so that the edges go off the paper.  They then add color.  For flowers, they color each petal separately, darkest towards the center and growing lighter as the color progresses to the edge. With bones, students will add color making sure the darkest color is used for the receding areas, while lightest colors are used for the those areas that are advancing.  Students finish by adding color to the background.

Teacher must emphasize that the objects in the composition need to be closely perceived so that they may be represented either realistically or abstractly. (Teachers introduce the word  “close-up” and the other vocabulary words below.)

Art/Science Discussions

Discussions are held that include the art teacher, the science teacher, and student artists, and other art and science students.  Questions to lead the discussion include:

What was the name of Georgia O’Keefe’s husband and what kind of art is he well known for?  (O’Keefe was married to Alfred Stieglitz, a photographer who pioneered the use of close-up photography to depict the subject in great detail). 

How do students think that developments in technology at the early 1900’s (the use of the close-up in photography and the work of Alfred Stieglitz) may have influenced O’Keefe’s art works? 

Do students think any historical events might have also influenced O’Keefe as an artist?  Which ones?

Critique 

Using the Feldman method of Art Criticism or another method, teacher will conduct a final classroom critique of several (or all) final student artworks encouraging them to learn and use the elements of art words, the principles of design words, and the science vocabulary words in their oral art critiques.  (The science teacher and other science students participate in this critique.) Teachers will emphasize creativity, individuality and process in these critiques, and the role of the viewer in the interpretation of the work of art.  Teachers will also point out the science learning inherent in this art making process and the similarity of the scientific method to the artistic process.  Students will discover the common denominator:  creativity.

Vocabulary

2-D; 3-D; receding; advancing; Georgia O’Keefe; Alfred Stieglitz; Modernism; 20th century art; close-up; long shot; value; tone;  warm colors; cool colors;  primary colors;  secondary colors;  anatomy, geometry, rotation, reflection, translation, names of flowers;  names of bones

Assessment(s) 

See rubric below, which is used to evaluate the artwork.  Students are also evaluated on the contents of their journals and in their participation in class discussions.

RUBRIC FOR THE SCORING OF STEAM PROJECTS SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT/SCHOOL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
	CRITERIA
Skills	1 or less	2	3	4	Points Accrued
Elements of Art and Principles of Design	Project shows little or no understanding of elements/ principles.	Project uses only a single art principle or element.	Project shows two or more art principles or elements, and some planning.	Project shows careful planning, and an awareness of multiple principles of art and design.
Science, Technology, Math, or Engineering Concepts	Project shows little or no understanding or integration of STEM concepts.	Project shows some understanding of and/or integration of STEM concepts.	Project shows understanding of but superficial integration of STEM concepts.	Project shows clear understanding and deep integration of STEM concepts.
Originality and Creativity	Project shows little or no evidence of originality/creativity.	Project shows an attempt at creativity, but is derivative.	Project shows some evidence of creativity, but is not completely original.	Project shows completely original thought and investigation.
Effort	Project shows little or no effort, and is left incomplete.	Project shows some effort, but is left incomplete.	Project is complete, but does not show pride.	Project is complete, and shows maximum effort and pride.
Workmanship and Skill	Project is unfinished and lacks detail.	Project is partially finished, and details are incomplete.	Project is finished but lacks fine detail.	Project is complete, and beautifully and carefully executed.
Enthusiasm and Responsibility	Student was often off task and/or sought ways to avoid work.	Students showed interest only some of the time.	Student worked enthusiastically most of the time.	Student worked enthusiastically at all times.
	6	12	18	24           TOTAL

Rubric Scoring Guide

A = 24 to 21; B = 20 to 17; C= 16 to 12; D= 11 to 6; F= <6

A house gets built at GOPA!

One of the recent artworks to emerge out of the GOPA Steam Project is a small house built by one of the students.  This house, begun after research and exploration, is constructed from mixed materials, including wood, cardboard, and tempera paint.  More details to follow soon!