Rebecca L - Final Project

Activity: Drip and Splash (5th graders)

This activity will give students a brief introduction to artist Jackson Pollock and some of his works. The teacher will begin this lesson by presenting a brief biography of Pollock through a PowerPoint presentation. Students will then be introduced to the art element of color. The teacher will lead a discussion about color and how artists might be able to use color to alter their work. Students will be encouraged to talk about how they have seen artists use color to express meaning and to give examples of specific artwork and how it is influenced by color.

The teacher will then show students several different pieces of Jackson Pollock’s art. Students will look at Cathedral, Galaxy, and Summertime. The class will be split up into three different groups. Each group will be assigned one of the listed works of art. The teacher will instruct the groups to discuss: the colors used, possible color meanings, why the artist chose these colors, and how the piece would be different if different colors were used. Students will be given 10 minutes for group discussion and then each group will share their observations with the entire class.

After discussion, the students will have an opportunity to create their own “drip and splash” paintings, inspired by Pollock. Teacher will instruct the students they their art is required to have a title and they should be prepared to discuss the significance of color in their piece.

Goals:

- Students will be able to identify the use of different colors in artwork.
- Students will actively participate in both group and whole class discussion.
- Students will be able to effectively explain the use of color in their own artwork.

Materials:

Computer for presentation
large pieces of white paper
paintbrushes of varied sizes
tempera paint (many colors)
smocks
newspapers
bowls of water

Resources:

www.jacksonpollock.com
www.jacksonpollock.org

Quotation:

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.” Georgia O'Keeffe

Literature:

Jackson Pollock by Mike Venezia
Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
The American Eye: 11 Artists of the 20th Century by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Criteria for Evaluation:

I will be grading the students throughout this lesson using a pass/fail system to check for the following:

- Did the student contribute to class discussion?
- Did the student actively participate in his/her small group?
- Did the student complete an art project and give it a title?
- Was the student able to explain the element of color in their own work?

Discussion questions:

- What is the title of your piece?
- Can you tell me why you used the colors you did?
- Does the title have any relationship to the colors you selected?
- What does your painting represent?