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Class 7

November 15, 2019

Collaborative Circus in Space 

In this project, students will collaboratively make a creature/alien that they hired for a circus in space. This will help the students discover teamwork and collaboration in the sense that they must incorporate at least one idea from each students sketchbook drawing. This is relevant to this age group because they are at a stage where they are less accepting of others ideas’ therefore they will learn the value in collaborating.

Essential Understanding 

Artists and designers collaborate with others in the creation of their work.

Learning Targets

Using a prompt, students will be able to collaboratively create an alien/creature.

Using their artwork students will be able to tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Using art materials, students will be able to create an alien/creature that incorporates color and detail.

Key Concepts:

  1. Students will ideate individually through their sketchbook prompt. 

  2. Students will take their individual ideas and combine them with their classmates ideas, respectfully collaborating with each other. 

  3. Students will create a story as a way of reflecting on their collaborative efforts. 

Skills:

  • Ideation 

  • Collaboration 

  • Imagination 

  • Reflection 

Documentation

Studio Habit: Express

Students were first given a prompt on the board, that read: You are the new ringmaster to a circus in space. Your mission is to find the wackiest creature in space to be the star of the show. Students were given six minutes to ideate in their sketchbook, individually expressing their ideas for the prompt. 

This student expressed himself by creating a creature that is "8 meters long." 

This student expressed themselves through expanding on a creature they are familar with in video games.

This student expressed himself through creating a detailed drawing of his creature. 

Studio Habit: Engage and Persist 

Students were asked to collaborate with their classmates to create their final creature/alien. Students were engaged through thinking about how they could incorporate at least one idea from each person's sketchbook. 

This group of students engaged and persisted by making sure that everyone had an idea from their sketchbook included in the final piece. 

This group of students engaged and persisted through discussing with each other about things to make their piece better. The students discussed with each other, and decided that the head needed to be larger, so they engaged and persisted in this process of discussing and making changes. 

This group engaged and persisted through adding very specfic textural materials to their creature. They thought through and developed their ideas throughout their time working together. 

Studio Habit: Reflect 

During and after the creation of their creature, students reflected on their work through creating a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end about how they found and hired their creature. 

This group reflected through developing a story that connected with one of the textural elements they added to their piece. They saw the pom poms as cotton candy. 

This group reflected through thinking through asking and hiring their creature for the circus. 

This group reflected through coming up with a crazy name for their wacky creature, and further developing a story around that. 

This group reflected through developing a story for the creation of their creature, and therefore how it came to be part of the circus. 

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