Art and Science at Don Bosco Technical Academy

Above:  Science students from Ms. Jennifer Post's class look at their pendulum painting.

Don Bosco Technical Academy science teacher Jennifer Post used pendulum painting to teach Newton's Laws. of Motion to her 6th grade science students.

Above:  Ms Post with her class

In doing so, Ms Post used an art integration lesson that she learned last summer at the William Paterson Annual Summer Arts Integration Institute.

Above:  WP Art PIR Triada Samaras teaches "Pendulum Painting" to teachers in all content areas

 at the Annual WP Summer Arts Integration Institute

Ms Post began by showing students a TED Talk. Students learned about the artist Tom Shannon (see below images) who has turned to pendulum painting following a serious health diagnosis. Shannon can no longer hold a paintbrush. LINK  Ms. Post also showed the students several YouTube videos that explain various ways to create pendulum paintings using the simplest materials in any science classroom. LINK In addition Shannon uses powerful magnets in his work and wire that make his work look like it can levitate.

Above and below:  DB Students watch artist Tom Shannon 

share his pendulum painting techniques and rationale on TED Talks

Students were interested by the fact that pendulum painting is both an artistic act of creation and a scientific reality.  They were amazed by the potential of creating dazzling artworks AND doing relevant science experiments at the same time.

Above and Below:  Ms. Post and her students create pendulum paintings in their class

Above and below:  With more and more experimentation with the paint viscosity and colors,

the students found that the pendulum paintings increased in complexity and beauty. 

After the pendulum painting part of this lesson was over, Ms. Post asked the students to write about what they observed and learned using specific vocabulary words from Newton's Law of Motion including: force, gravity, motion, and reaction.

Next WP Art PIR Professor Samaras will assist Ms. Post to conduct a mini art critique with these students during which they will learn to judge their creations based on the Feldman Critique Method, the Elements of Art, and the Principles of Design. The goal of this critique is to help students understand the formal analysis of art.

Also in the classroom during the pendulum painintg lesson were: WP PIR Triada Samaras WP PIR Robin O'Brien and WP art practicum teaching student Carissa Kelly. Ms. Kelly assisted Miss Post in the afternoon with these paintings and lesson. At lunchtime Art PIR Triada Samaras met with several members of the Don Bosco “Steam Team“ and explained the activity and its potential for use in the classroom. 

In addition Professor Samaras prepared two blog posts on her Professor Samaras blog about the artists to inspire the teachers to create arts integration lesson plan connections at Don Bosco together with Professor O'Brien. These two artists being studied this fall have been: El Anatsui and Ben Shahn focusing on the themes of diversity and social justice.

By going to these links on El Anatusi and Ben Shahn teachers have easy access to learning about them and can be on the look out for connections to their curriculum.
Ben Shahn and Don Bosco Technical Academy
El Anatsui and Don Bosco Technical Academy

Ms. Post exhibited both the Pendulum Paintings and the student responses on Report Card Delivery night for parents and school staff to see.

Coming up very soon will be a field trip with three teachers and their students from the Don Bosco "Steam Team" to William Paterson University and the Ben Shahn Galleries galleries where the artist and his works are being celebrated on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the WP Ben Shahn Galleries.  Professors Samaras and O'Brien have been coordinating this trip for several weeks.  
Stay Tuned!