Students have previously drawn/traced over pictures in order to obtain a model for an artwork. The main purpose of this lesson is to enable students to discover what artists do, what they make, how they make it, and relate it back to their own experiences and world. In order to achieve that, students will discuss symbols, objects, techniques, places, spaces and living things that all relate to artists and their work. In this lesson, they investigate and develop their own artwork from the Nanduti Lace.

Pre-Lesson:

Background Information:

The Nanduti lace is of Paraguayan heritage and has a distinctive story behind it. “According to legend, two young Guarani indigenous boys competed to win the heart of a beautiful girl” (Powerhouse Museum, 2013). The deprived boy strolled through the woods looking for a gift to give to her. “He raised his head to the heavens to implore the help of Tupa, the Guarani God” (Powerhouse Museum, 2013), and observed a stunning lace in the branches of a tree. When he moved the lace he established there was nothing but a ragged spider web. His mother devoted herself to creating an alike web of lace. She calculated the spider’s movements and initiated to copy it using her needle and strands of her white hair.

1. Teacher begins the lesson by directing students to position themselves at their tables while the teacher stands at the front of the class room to provide instructions on what the task is going to be on.
2. Teacher greets students and introduces the photo of the Nanduti Lace, and follows up by presenting the concepts of drawing/tracing/painting, the ideas of culture/background of the Nanduti lace, relating it back to the students own experience.
3. Teacher organises the material needed to construct the art work – which includes paint, paintbrushes, paint trays, drawing paper, an image of the lace for every student, pencils and newspaper.
4. Teacher establishes a teaching area at the back of the class to demonstrate to students the process of making the art work – by displaying how to trace over the photo of the lace/drawing the lace, and the use of paint in an artwork.
5. Ask students how they interpret the lace – what they see, what they think the lace’s meaning is, explores the cultural aspects of the lace, ask them if they have seen anything similar.
6. Teacher asks students what they intend to do as artists – a choice of painting, or finger painting.
7. Teacher asks students what they anticipate will happen next in this art work – getting them thinking about artworks in more detail.
8. Teacher moves onto the next step of demonstrating to students.

1. Teacher reviews the previous steps, and starts to demonstrate the use of painting to the students, both with a paint brush and use of finger painting.
2. Teacher uses direct instruction to direct students back to their tables to commence their own artworks.Teacher engages students by asking how they feel draw/tracing the artwork, how it connects to their own feelings of art, and the intentions they have in their own creation of this artwork.
3. Teacher monitors students’ artwork and suggests direction to take in drawing the nanduti lace.
4. Teacher connects the process of how the drawing was done to that of how the Nanduti lace was made to try and have students provide insights into what their intentions are for this drawing as artists.
5. Teacher prompts students to take a small break, a quick stretch, and a quick walk around to view other students pieces of art work to review each other’s artwork(minimum one minute, maximum 2-3 minutes) and then to proceed to sit back down at their tables to continue their artwork.
6. Teacher discusses with students what step in the process they are up to, suggests different ways of completing the artwork, asking them about their direction to draw out emotion.
7. Teacher prepares for the next process, and prepares for the conclusion.

Conclusion:

1. Teacher discusses the key concepts and ideas of the students’ artworks (cultural themes, patterns, colours, drawing, tracing, painting) and relates it back to the students world and their own experience.
2. Teacher concludes by recapping the structure of the artwork, outlining to students the specific processes undertaken in the lesson.
3. In the next lesson (tomorrow) the teacher reviews a few students’ artworks, and the students will have a chance to discuss and review their artworks to the entire classroom.
4. Teacher notifies students it is the end of class. Students are instructed to help pack everything away, clean up their tables, clean up the extra rubbish on the floor and gather themselves and move out onto the playground.

Assessment:

• Collect work samples and analyse.
• Anecdotal evidence on discussions around the Nanduti Lace

Resources:

• NSW Board of Studies (2006). K-6 Creative Arts Syllabus. Viewed on March 18th 2013.

< http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/files/arts/k6_creative_arts_syl.pdf>

•  Powerhouse Museum (2013). Nanduti Lace. Viewed on March 19^th 2013.

< http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/lovelace/index.php/works/nanduti-lace>

 

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