EARTH DAY CIRCLE ART – Symmetry, Colour, Contrast

Students will be able to:

• use a compass to draw a circle design with sixfold symmetry;
• use their circle design as the basis for a poster to celebrate Earth Day;
• use borders and negative space to construct an eye-catching design;
• select and arrange fonts to create a clear message;
• demonstrate technical accomplishment;
• support their ideas with evidence found in the artworks.

Have students:

• use the lesson plan Designing a Brochure available on this website to create a poster to promote their issue;
• create a stop motion animated film about Earth Day using the Stop-Motion Animation lesson plan available on this website;
• organize a viewing of their videos.

• Prior to this lesson you may want to have students learn modern calligraphy using the Modern Calligraphy lesson plan available on this website.
• Have students work through the Analyze a Media Text worksheet available on this website. (Downloads - AnalyseAMediatext.pdf)
• Teach or review the history and purpose of Earth Day.
  - observed around the world on April 22
  - first celebrated on April 22, 1970
  - is considered the birth of the modern environmental movement
  - encourages people to live responsibly and protect the planet 
• Provide time for students to practice using a compass.
• Download and display the Contrast, Balance and Colour posters available on this website.
  - review or teach the element of colour – warm/cool colours
  - review or teach the principle of contrast and balance – strong differences, symmetry, asymmetry, radial
• Download images of posters from the Internet, for example,
  Carmen 
  Peace
• Gather, and make available, books about lettering, for example, Little Book of Lettering, by Emily Gregory; Adventures in Lettering: 40 exercises to improve your lettering skills, by Dawn Nicole Warnaar; Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips from Top Artists, by Jenny Doh; Doodle Art and Lettering with Joanne Sharpe: Inspiration and Techniques for Personal Expression, by Joanne Sharpe; and Hand-Lettering (An Interactive Guide to the Art of Drawing Letters), by Megan Wells.
• Gather, and make available, books about Earth Day, for example, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, by Oliver Jeffers; Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet, by April Pulley Sayre; and You Can Save the Earth, Revised Edition: A Handbook for Environmental Awareness, Conservation and Sustainability, by Sean K. Smith. 

1. Demonstrate how to draw a circle design with sixfold symmetry.
2. Read a quote about Earth Day and ask students to respond to it.
3. Have students imagine how they could transform the final design into something related to Earth Day, for example,
   - add a trunk and it becomes a tree
   - add a stem and leaves and it becomes a flower
   - add things around the circumference and it becomes the earth
4. View and discuss several posters, for example, Carmen and Peace, pointing out what makes them effective.
5. List the characteristics on a chart paper, for example: ​
   - simple and clear composition makes it easy to see important information
   - shows all required information
   - has a dominant element, such as a symbol, or character that immediately catches your eye
   - uses size, contrasting colour or values to emphasizes the most important part of the message 
   - images or symbols are related to the message
   - colours are strong so they attract attention from a distance
6. View and discuss a variety of lettering styles, including modern calligraphy alphabets.
7. Introduce the challenge.

1. Place students into small groups. 
2. Ask them to: 
   - share their work and discuss the things that are especially effective and why
   - analyse the designs focusing on the characteristics of effective posters
   - talk about what they found satisfying about doing this project
   - talk about how they might use what they learned in a different way
3. Share ideas with the whole class. 
4. Ask students to tell how they felt about doing this project.

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