Posted by:
Stephanie Mulvihill
Subject Area:
Arts
Language Arts
Social Studies
Lesson Time:
Three or four fourty-five minute periods
Introduction:
In this lesson, students will discuss the things we, as a society, are afraid of and how designers help us confront these fears. Fear as an individual, and as a society, is something faced everyday. Students will identify products created to protect from danger and will then create their own wearable protection design.
State Standards:
No State Standards available.
National Standards:
Thinking and Reasoning
1. Applies basic trouble-shooting and problem-solving techniques
2. Applies decision-making techniques
Visual Arts
1. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts.
2. Know how to use structures (e.g. sensory qualities, organizational principals, expressive features) and functions.
English
1. Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
2. Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
Objectives:
Students will:
- draw conclusions about society and fear
- brainstorm ways to protect people
- create a wearable garment from recycled materials that protects the wearer from a danger in daily life
- learn about products created by designers to protect people from real or perceived dangers
Materials:
newsprint paper
markers
recycled materials (boxes, cardboard, cups, paper plates, material, bottles, etc.)
joining materials (tape, hot glue, paper-mâché, plaster strips, etc.)
Vocabulary:
Students in this age group should be familiar with all words used.
Procedures:
Introduction and Discussion
1. What do we need to be protected from? What dangers are faced in everyday life? As a class create a list of different everyday dangers (in one column).
2. One common human experience is fear—we're all afraid of something. And alternatively, we all want to feel safe from our fears. What are some of the products we buy to protect us from our fears? As a class, make a list of different products that were created to protect from the dangers listed in the first column.
3. Being safe is a basic human need. We all need to feel secure. Designers have taken on this problem. Have the students look over the Safe: Design Takes on Risk exhibit on the MOMA Web site. They should scroll through the various designs and notice how multiple items have been created to solve the same problem. Each student should make a list of five designs that they are impressed by. Have each student read their list and carry on a class conversation about the designs.
4. Break the students into groups of two or three. Have each group choose an everyday danger and design, and create a wearable object or garment to protect the wearer. Students will be making this protective garment out of recycled materials, paper-mâché, and paint.
5. Project steps:
Brainstorm ideas for a solution.
Create thumbnail sketches of potential designs.
Write a project proposal with a list of needed materials.
Division of Labor: decide each group member's role.
Construct the design.
Present the ideas, sketches, and created object to the class.
6. Final Presentation: When students are finished, they will create an advertisement showing their protective garment in action. The ad should include a photo of the garment, a product name, and a slogan.
Assessment:
See attachment
Enrichment
Extension Activities:
The advertisement can be tied into an English lesson on persuasive writing. Or, it could be incorporated into a Social Studies or History lesson about how our fears as a society have changed.
Teacher Reflection:
We had a lot of fun with this lesson. Students actually used their garments in the ad which, I think, gave them a connection to the project. The ads were hilarious!