CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research

Students use construction paper crayons on black foam core board to make 9 miniature drawings of the art of Canadian artists whose works they have chosen.

Required Time

180 Minutes

Grade Level

Grade 4 to Grade 9

Subject

Language Arts
Social Studies
Visual Arts

Vocabulary

elements of art principles of design

Materials

Black Foam Core Board 5 cm x 8 cm (2" x 3") Construction Paper Glitter Glue Glue Sticks

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Construction Paper, 120 Count
Washable Glitter Glue, 5 Count
Washable Glue Stick, 25 g

Steps

CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research - Step One

Step One

  1. Find images of Canadian paintings on the Internet.
  2. Select 9 that represent different elements and principles of design.
  3. Use construction paper crayons to draw the images on pieces of black foam core board 5 cm x 8 cm (2" x 3").
CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research - Step Two

Step Two

  1. Compare your drawing with the image.
CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research - Step Three

Step Three

  1. Burnish the drawing by lightly rubbing your fingers over the surface.
  2. Decide if you want to add a small amount of glitter glue to highlight parts of the image. (You may decide to add glitter glue to all, some or none of the drawings.)
CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research - Step Four

Step Four

  1. Move the images around trying different arrangements until you find the one that you like best.
  2. There should be 3 rows of 3.
CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research - Step Five

Step Five

  1. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement glue the images to a piece of construction paper.
  2. Fill in the Canadian Art Sampler Guide with the following information:
    - Name of the artist
    - Title of the painting (if you found it)
    - Interesting fact about the artist
    - Dominant Element and Principle

Learning Goals

Students will:

  1. Research Canadian artists from the past 150 years;
  2. Use construction paper crayons to create a sampler of 9 different Canadian paintings;
  3. Identify one interesting fact about each artist represented in the sampler;
  4. Identify the dominant element and principle in each painting;
  5. Demonstrate technical accomplishment; and
  6. Support their ideas with evidence found in the works.

Extensions

Have students:

  1. Do deeper research about one of the artists they have chosen.
  2. Create a short video about the life and works of the artist, for example, with 2 students in role, one as the artist, and the other as the interviewer. 
  3. Share the videos in a class film festival.

Prepare

  1. Gather and make available books about Canadian art, for example, Canadian Artists, by Maxine Trottier; A First Book of Canadian Art, by Richard Rhodes; A Concise History of Canadian Painting, by Dennis Reid; The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson, by David Silcox; Tom Thomson, by Charles Hill; Emily Carr Collected, by Ian Thom; Lawren Harris: An Introduction to His Life and Art, by Joan Murray; Canadian Heritage Collection, Primary Documents of 20th Century Canada – The Visual Arts, by Heather Miller.
  2. Have students browse the books ahead of their Internet search to find images and artists they wish to focus on.
  3. Download and display the Elements of Art and Principles of Design posters available on this website.
    Posters
  4. Review or introduce the elements of art and some or all of the principles of design. You may want to use the lesson plans available on this website.
    Elements of Design
    Principles of Design
  5. Have students select 9 images that highlight different key elements and principles.
  6. ​Photocopy the Canadian Art Sampler Guides enough for one per student. (Downloads – CanadianSamplerGuide.pdf)

Introduction

  1. View an image of a Canadian painting, for example, "Whales of Monterrey", by Ted Harrison.
  2. Have students decide what key element of art is dominant in the painting.
    - Point out that art uses all or most of the elements, but often some elements are more dominant than others.
  3. Have students decide what key principle of design is dominant in the painting. 
    - Point out that art uses many of the principles, but often some principles are more dominant than others.
  4. Introduce the challenge.

Activities

The Challenge

  1. Research Canadian artists from the past 150 years.
  2. Use construction paper crayons to create a sampler of 9 different Canadian paintings.
  3. Identify one interesting fact about each artist represented in the sampler.
  4. Identify the dominant element and principle in each painting.
  5. Demonstrate technical accomplishment.
  6. Support your ideas with evidence found in the works.

The Process

  1. Make sure everyone understands the challenge.
  2. Establish success criteria with your students, for example,
    - effective choices of paintings to demonstrate elements and principles
    - effective use of crayon technique
    - balanced composition 
    - accurate explanation of the reasons for choices
    - included 9 interesting facts about the artists
    - attention to detail
    - paper in good condition
  3. Guide students through the steps outlined in this lesson plan.
  4. Observe students as they work. 
  5. Provide individual assistance and encouragement.
  6. When the samplers are finished have students fill out the Canadian Art Sampler Guide with the following information:
    - Name of the artist
    - Title of the painting (if you found it)
    - Interesting fact about the artist
    - Dominant Element and Principle

Sharing

  1. Place students into small groups. 
  2. Ask them to: 
    - Share their work and discuss the choices and things learned about each artist.
    - Discuss the things that are especially effective in the design of the sampler and why.
    - Talk about what they found difficult and what they found easy to do.
  3. Share ideas with the whole class. 
  4. Ask students to tell how they felt about doing this project.

Assessment

  1. Observe students as they work  – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting
  2. Observe students as they discuss the art works – active listening, insightful contributions, supporting ideas with evidence found in the artwork and from personal experience.
  3. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads – Sampler_tracking.pdf)
  4. Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads – Sampler_self-assessment.pdf)

Downloads

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