Units of Study / ARTS ACHIEVE VISUAL ARTS UNIT: HIGH SCHOOL

Creating Clay Sculptures with Wire Armatures

UNIT SUMMARY | STANDARDS | OUTCOMES | RESOURCES

LESSONS 1-7 | LESSONS 8-20 | LESSONS 21-25

Unit Summary

Inquiry Question: If students engage in increased observation, written, and spoken analysis of art, will they make more informed artistic decisions, and be able to articulate personal choices using art terms? Will these viewings and discussions result in artwork that is more sophisticated and reflective of personal creative decisions?

This high school art class made clay animal sculptures over wire armature supports. Baseline assessments showed that students struggled with articulating art ideas and describing processes. This unit was developed to offer students specific opportunities for self-assessment, peer-assessment, and teacher-assessment and to increase understanding of art terms. All students in this class were English Language Learners.

This five week, 25-session unit provided each student an opportunity to investigate the anatomy, proportions, and texture of an animal as they first created a basic plan drawing and eventually began a wire armature as the support for a clay sculpture of that animal.

Essential Questions

What must we, as artists, consider when building a sculpture from 2D reference?
What is the balance of additive and subtractive techniques for this sculpture?
How does a shared vocabulary and descriptive language support critical thinking and self-assessment?