LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Painted cylindrical sculptures

Students will experiment painting a variety of lines as directed in addition to inventing their own on 12" x 18" paper. Students will also glue pre-cut paper strips onto their sculptures experimenting with a variety of paper sculpture techniques such as bending, folding and curling.

A lesson plan for grades K–1 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics

By Rose Szabo

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • learn how to use paint appropriately.
  • paint different kinds of “lines” on their paper.
  • turn their painting into a cylinder.
  • glue paper strips on their sculpture using at least two techniques demonstrated.
  • tell you that they made a “sculpture” from a cylinder.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

  • Paint, tempera or tempera cakes (a variety of colors)
  • 12″ x 18″ white or colored construction paper. (I have used colored construction paper)
  • Pre-cut paper strips, 3/4-1″ x 18″ strips
  • Glue

Technology resources

None, but if you have “Kid Pix” you can have your students practice drawing different kinds of lines in this application.

Pre-activities

It is helpful for chidren to understand the word “line” and perhaps have some experience finding and drawing a variety of lines in their environment. Discuss with the children that lines can be thick or thin (or fat and skinny), wavy, horizontal or vertical, zig-zag, etc.

Activities

Day 1

  1. Begin by telling the children that they are going to make a painting using lines. Ask them to tell you what a line is, reviewing what they have been taught earlier about lines.
  2. Demonstrate your painting process. (Sometimes I have a tray of six paints and water available. Other times I give students a bottle of paint half full and have them rotate their paint around their table.) I demonstrate for them how to hold the brush. With the brush I press lightly on the paper and then I press down hard. I ask them to tell about the differences they see in the two lines.
  3. Once the children have verbalized the differences they see in those lines, they paint those same lines on their paper, beginning at the top of their paper. (I also have them place their paper in front of them vertically and they stand when they paint.)
  4. Demonstrate another line for them to paint, for example a “wavy” line, and then have them paint that line. Repeat the above process with different lines.
  5. Have the children finish their painting by inventing their own kinds of lines.

Day 2

  1. Introduce the word “sculpture”. Have the students differentiate between 3-D and 2-D objects in the room. Introduce the word “cylinder”. Ask them to find cylinders in the room.
  2. Demonstrate how to turn the painting into a cylinder and staple it on each side. Demonstrate bending, folding, curling, and gluing the paper strips to the cylinder. When I demonstrate, I tell them this is curling the paper; this is bending, etc. I also encourage them to discover new ways to use those paper strips.
  3. After my demonstration, the students turn their painting into a cylinder and glue their strips onto their sculpture. I encourage them to share their discoveries with each other.

Assessment

Assess how well students:

  • use paint appropriately.
  • paint different kinds of “lines” on their paper.
  • turn their painting into a cylinder.
  • glue paper strips on their sculpture using at least two techniques demonstrated.

Supplemental information

See attachment. The picture shows the cylindrical sculpture painted with only “thick and thin” lines instead of a variety of lines.

Comments

Note: I place all the paper strips in a pile at a table. I have the students turn their paintings into a cylinder and then I staple them one at a time together, moving from table to table. Once I have stapled their cylinder, they are able to go to the table with the paper strips and choose 5 paper strips. This gives them counting practice. They are free to choose more strips once they have glued those initial 5 onto their sculpture.

This is a two-part lesson. This can be modified to fit in two 30-minute classes or two 45-minute classes, which is the time that I have used.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Mathematics (2004)

Grade 1

  • Goal 3: Geometry - The learner will identify, describe, draw, and build basic geometric figures.
    • Objective 3.02: Identify, build, and name cylinders, cones, and rectangular prisms.

Visual Arts Education (2001)

Grade 1

  • Goal 2: The learner will develop skills necessary for understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.
    • Objective 2.01: Become familiar with additional basic art media, techniques and processes which may include: fibers - papermaking and paper weaving.
    • Objective 2.02: Use various techniques to create visual effects using texture.
  • Goal 3: The learner will organize the components of a work into a cohesive whole through knowledge of organizational principles of design and art elements.
    • Objective 3.01: Use variety of geometric and organic shapes in creating own work.
    • Objective 3.04: Use a variety of techniques and imagery incorporating pattern and repetition.
    • Objective 3.06: Create visual textures with basic drawing, sculpture and painting tools.

Kindergarten

  • Goal 2: The learner will develop skills necessary for understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.
    • Objective 2.01: Become familiar with a limited number of basic art media, techniques and processes which may include:
      • Drawing - crayons, oil pastels, non-toxic markers, brushes, computers, pencils, sidewalk chalk
      • Cut paper - glue, scissors, folding, bending 3-D - clay, paper, found objects, including wood scraps
      • Printmaking - stamps, gadgets, found objects, vegetables, monoprint
      • Painting - tempera, watercolors, large brushes, sponges, finger paint
      • Ceramics - pinch, coil, found stamps.
    • Objective 2.05: Create a variety of lines, like thick and thin, curved or zigzag, etc.

  • Common Core State Standards

    • Mathematics (2010)

      • Grade 1

        • Geometry
          • 1.G.2Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape,...

        • Kindergarten

          • K.G.1Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
          • K.G.2Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
          • K.G.3Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-dimensional (“solid”).
          • K.G.5Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.

  • North Carolina Essential Standards

    • Visual Arts Education (2010)

      • Grade 1

        • 1.V.3 Create art using a variety of tools, media, and processes, safely and appropriately. 1.V.3.1 Use a variety of tools safely and appropriately to create art. 1.V.3.2 Execute control of a variety of media. 1.V.3.3 Use the processes of drawing, painting,...

      • Kindergarten

        • K.V.3 Create art using a variety of tools, media, and processes, safely and appropriately. K.V.3.1 Use a variety of tools safely and appropriately to create art. K.V.3.2 Use a variety of media to create art. K.V.3.3 Use the processes of drawing, painting,...