Name of Project:  Our Own Road Signs!

 Grade Level or Age of Participant:  Kindergarden and first grade

 School, Teacher and Classroom: UrbanArts Afterschool Program / Katie Swenson

 Teaching Artist:  Vedashree Bankar

 Visual Arts Content or Standards

 Artistic process: create or make, which includes creating original two- three dimensional artworks to express ideas, experiences or stories 

Curricular Link / Standards (if in a classroom only)

The project will be exploring MN Curricular Standard of Social Studies, specially civic skills and talk briefly about exhibiting civic skills and values.

Overview of Project

Students will be introduced to Graphic Design, and design systems. They will design their own road sign  by hand and produce them on the computer.

 “Big Ideas”/ Essential QUESTION(s)

The big idea is to understand simple principles of graphic design though road signage systems.

Student Outcome Objectives

Students will:

1. Create - Students will create their own road signs based on the introduction of safety.

2. Apply - Students will design and  their road signs and discuss and apply why they are important.

3. Understand - Students will understand why road signs are created,  how to use them and why.

 Prior Knowledge

None. 

 Lesson Preparation Timeline

Two week out - complete Lesson Plan

One week out - Buy any materials, create examplars

Day of lesson - set up classroom for group learning, Put materials aside for easy access. Install examplar.

Examples of Artwork

I will show students the road signs that already exist.

 Additional Resources

MN driving instruction booklet, other student books that help students know about the basics of road signs.

Assessment

The learning experience would be a direct one. If they complete the product, and give an explanation of how and why they made the decisions they made will be a way to know how successful they were.

 Materials

1)     Cardboard

2)     Sticks

3)     Printer + Paper

4)     Larger paper for coloring + Canyons

5)     Scissors

6)     Sketch paper and pencils

7)     Tape

 

Learning Activities and Timing

  1. Begin with questions and conversation about road signs. 10 minutes.

  2. Present the project: Students will create their own sign, sketch ideas on paper. Create and color a large sign using lines and circles. 15 minutes. As students finish, each will be taken back to the computer to work one on one with the teacher who will walk them through drawing their sketches on the computer and printing. During this time Katie can help cut shapes with cardboard for the handmade signs and start gluing them in the classroom. 20 mins.

  3. Attach sticks to the computer generated cardboard signs. 5 minutes.

  4. Reflection. Each student presents their signs and shares why they made the choices they did. 10 minutes.

 TeachING ARtist Reflection

  1. Kindergarten students have mood swings sometimes. One of the problem would be to get them all excited about the activity.

  2. Attention spam is pretty short in this age group. Engaging them the whole time might be a problem.

  3. Due to the individualized teaching on computer and only one computer available the project will take more than one day.