3. Unit:
Essential Questions:
● How do Dreams inspire Art?
● Why do artists collaborate?
● How is instillation art different from art in
museums? Interactive.
Objectives
● TSW learn how to weave on a circle loom
as well as the associated vocabulary.
● TSW learn about installation art and
collaboration.
● TSW learn how to make a book and
incorporate both verbal and visual
journaling techniques.
Learning Activities
● TSW make Kandinsky inspired Dream
Journals and document their experience
making a collaborative installation artwork
● TSW weave circles inspired by Horiuchi
and make one large collaborative
installation
Assessment
● TSW complete a circle weaving and know
all weaving associated vocabulary.
● TSW be able to talk about Instillation art,
how it is different from other art forms, and
about the experience of making a
collaborative work.
● TSW complete their Dream Journals with
both visual and written elements, including
but not limited to; Kandinsky Dream Circle,
writing about what it felt like to collaborate
on an installation work, writing about how
their dreams feel, and a sketch of the final
installation.
4. Lesson 1: Dream Journals
Essential Questions
● How can art be inspired by Dreams?
● How can we express our emotions
through abstract art and color?
● How does our own experiences change
how we perceive meaning?
Objectives
● TSW learn about dreams and surrealism.
● TSW learn about self expression through
abstract art and color.
● TSW learn about the properties and
proper use of oil pastels.
● TSW learn simple book making
techniques.
Learning Activities
● TSW discuss, analyze, and interpret
dreams as an inspiration for art.
● TSW construct a book.
● TSW use that book to document their
dreams through words and abstract color
with oil pastels.
Assessment
● TSW be able to describe surrealistic
qualities.
● TSW use all materials appropriately.
● TSW understand that color meaning is
subjective.
Supplies
● 11/17 white paper, oil pastels, colored
pencils, scissors,
5. Lesson 1: Dream Journals
Instruction:
I have found that it is helpful to have good metaphors prepared for helping them get the book folding correct. It took me
three classes to get this process down, so don't feel bad if the first time you do this the kids books don't quite open as
they should.
Process: We fold the (11x17ish) paper Hotdog. Then we open it up and fold it Hamburger. Then we open it up, hold it
Horizontal, and fold it like a Door, with both sides meeting at the middle. When I see their folds are correct I pass out
scissors. Next we hold our paper Vertical and cut up the center line but Stop just before the last square. It should look
like Pants. Once I see that everyone has made their pants we move onto folding.
Folding: Hold the pants Horizontal and we start with just one Leg of the pants. What we are doing is called an accordion
fold. Put your pants flat on the table, and fold the first page over. Then we flip our pants over and fold again, just like
before, Flip and Fold. Once our pants look like an "L" it is important to remember that we should have an accordion out
of our folds. Show the kids that it looks like an accordion and demonstrate that we always want to be able to play our
accordion. If we fold our accordion into the next page, we won't be able to open it up and play. So we always need to
fold away from the accordion. If you can't play your accordion, you are doing it wrong.
By this point, half the class should be done folding and a few will need a little extra help. At this point I either let the
ones that are done decorate their cover for a little bit, or I move straight into Oil Pastel Demo. Not everyone will be
ready for Oil Pastels at that time, but I let them know I will come around to their tables to help them after the Demo. I do
not want a giant blob of kids surrounding me needing me to fix their projects.
6. Lesson 1: Dream Journals
Instruction:
Oil Pastel Demo:
First thing I do is talk about which direction a book opens from. We talk about how when we write in english, our books open from Right to Left,
in some languages, like Hebrew or Arabic or maybe Chinese, the books open from Left to Right. I am pretty sure we will all be writing in
English/ Right to Left book languages, so lets keep our books like that. (I honestly don't mind if they write in different languages or even
languages that go a different way than english, but their choice needs to be on purpose rather than accidental.)
Then we open to the first two pages. On the Left page I want to write about my dream; What was it about? Was it happy, scary, calm, an
adventure? Nightmare, Daydream, etc? I do this with pencil. Then on the Right page I use Oil Pastel. Why do you think I am using Oil Pastel?
Exactly, Kandinsky used Oil Paint and this does something pretty similar to oil paint. What do you think that is? Yes, it blends together very
well. Lets say my dream was calm, who can tell me a calming color? Ok, so no I will take the purple and color a little purple circle in the middle
of the page. Who can raise their hand and tell me another calming color? So now I will draw a circle in blue around my purple circle. (color in
lightly and badly) Now, do yall think I want it to look like this? No. I don't want to see any whitespace at all, we should be coloringing in pretty
thickly. This will help with blending. Now that I have colored in better, I can use my finger and blend the blue and the purple a bit. Who can tell
me another calming color. Oh, that is interesting that you said Yellow, because I don't really think that yellow is a very calming color, but just
because I don't think it is calm, does that mean you can't use it to mean calm? You can totally use it because it is calming to you. It is
Subjective, remember, that means that there is really no right or wrong answer to what a color makes you feel. If you think it feels right, you go
ahead and use that color. (Next I draw a few more colors and make sure to ask again, Do I want to see any white space on this? No. So I want
you all to take the color all the way up to the corners, just like Kandinsky.)
Remember; I am going to come around to your tables to check your books, then you write about your dream on the Left page with pencil, and
you do a dream circle in Oil Pastel on the right page.
If they get finished with the first two pages I let them work on another two pages of story/circle or they can decorate their cover. Their cover has
to have their name on it because they are the Author of their books.
13. Today we are...
Finishing our POP art:
● Remember: Bright colors, Dots, Outline
● Frame
Creating Dream Journals:
● Fold our paper into Dream Journals.
● Write about a dream using Adjectives on one page using PENCIL
● Draw a Kandinsky inspired dream circle on the next page using Oil Pastel
● Write your name on the cover
EQ: How can we express our Dreams with
Color?
28. Today we are...
Weaving with our Wefts!
● Remember: Take inspiration from your
Dream Journal.
● Remember: If you do NOT see a
checkerboard, you need to go Over or
Under TWICE and then keep going
Creating our Installation
● Hole punch the “four corners” (Like a Plus sign)
EQ: How
can we
express our
Dreams
with Color?
