illustrated writing on elementary Visual Art
This post concerns replicating primary source artifacts, firstly, Native American masks. A cohort of 2nd graders able to take some guided notes on what they read about plus saw in display cases, also heard me tell them a general reason for masking in ritual dance, and at my discretion proceeded to make their own embodiments of supernatural power. Ideas such as gills for breathing underwater, power to meet Janet Jackson, as well as carnivorous teeth were volunteered via initial conversation.
Months after drawing, sculpting, then painting ceramics, a Visual Art quiz prompted each 2nd grader handwrite what they knew about Social Studies. Topics included unspecific tribal masks and Mandan village huts, for which students had cast readymade armatures in paper mache before painting to imitate sod. Participants answered legibly, though many listed brown or round to recall the organically engineered lodges, and wrote a sentence to explain that Native American masks are for summoning supernatural power.
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| 2nd grader |
More time spent pencil drawing but with no assignment rubric proceeded observing ceramic tile floors independently. On 1/64 square inch gridded paper I first mimicked solid-color circle and square patterns. Next I uniformly downscaled them into ruler measured areas of a larger paper surface by setting up tile-to-motif length ratios and solving proportions. Intersecting Greek keys in a continuous pattern required they evenly divide into their 30-x-22 inch perimeter. Around a hexagon tiled center are 16 copies of a bird with a rolled up certificate under its wing. These were digitally expedited–first scan-pixelated, auto-resized and inkjet printed–then cut out and collaged.
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| Parakeet Diploma |
Accredited grade schools have influenced English objectives in my curriculum. Including a few aforementioned 2nd graders who chronologically organized more than one mask schematic without any scripted dialogue. Upon reviewing captions, speech bubbles then storyboards with rulers on 12-x-18 inch paper, classes narrated mythological themed comics. Additional plot prompts plus differentiated writing goals have been shared by homeroom teachers.
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| 2nd grade time travel story with onomatopoeia |
An in-class appeal for animating black holes instead of Indigenous pictographs also merited exploring volume and motion in outer space. In deliberation, one student's question about monkey test pilots led them to independently read about spaceflight history online then scroll “1961” for Yuri Gagarin. A slightly longer text phrase exclaimed “Oh no, a black hole,” while an experienced sketcher tried sublimation from pressure in comet tails. Twelve-column planning sheets and pre-numbered frames helped children understand a frame rate, in addition to counting drawings of a gelatinous cube jumping up and then being weighted down as if by mass and gravity. Kinetics exponents can share resources and objectives.
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| 4th grade animation cell |
Art teachers have written developmental rationales in anticipation of cluster schedules. An article titled “The First Visual Symbols” ascribes various motor cognition levels to children in the same elementary class. It extols a “sensory logic stage” (Burton, 1980, p.61) for using language to conceptualize pre-representational art. Observing diverse progress to plan then represent imagery informed this teacher's reason for allowing their student body to change ideas as they practice.
The ceramic, convoke Janet Jackson mask inferred sensory logic. A preparatory drawing with carnivalesque decorations became less recognizable as painted sculpture. Upon jotting down a title, its maker near correctly spelled “Michael Jackson Face.” Maturity might make personally identifiable features and wood carving feasible. Meanwhile this student wondered, "what happened to him?" Supposing they shared this question with their peers during reflection, classmates could also try to help summon Janet through choreographed costume or consider funerary masks to honor the dead.
In short–I recommend elementary teachers plan inquiry-based, interdisciplinary dialogues followed by related, problem solving art activities. Then assess if creativity motivates learning objectives. To study art history I suggest schools prioritize literacy.
References
Burton, J. (1980). Developing Minds: The First Visual Symbols. School Arts. (October Issue), p.60 - 65.