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Everything Is Beautiful at the
Ballet: The Human Figure Set in
Motion
Project
URL:
http://teachersnetwork.org/teachnet-lab/is24/ballet/first.htm
How it works:
Through literature and the use of
technology, students are given the opportunity to explore the works of
artists Edgar Degas, Alexander Calder, and George Segal. Internet visits
to galleries, museums and the artists' homes offer valuable insight into
their lives and works. In class, students view posters and photographs,
and read a variety of books and magazines about their subjects. They learn
to interpret and appreciate the unique styles of these artists and compare
and contrast their work. They learn how Degas, an Impressionist painter
and sculptor, expressed his love for the ballet and eloquently captured
the movement and feelings of dancers in his work. They view his "Little
Dancer" sculpture on the Internet and, as the culminating fine art
activity, they design a figurative sculpture expressing movement using the
art medium plaster craft over a newspaper and wire
armature.
Standards addressed:
Students
create, perform, and participate in the arts; know and use arts material
and resources; respond to and analyze works of art; and understand the
cultural contributions of the arts. They use language for information and
understanding, literary response and expression, and critical analysis and
evaluation, and apply technological knowledge and skills to design and
construct works of art.
Materials
used:
Required materials
include a computer with Internet access; relevant books, magazines, and
posters (see suggested resource list in unit); conte crayons, charcoal, newspaper, masking tape, floral
wire, cork balls, plaster craft, plastic shoe boxes, metal pie pans, and
scissors.
The
students:
This program was created for a 7th grade major art talent
class. However, it is easily adaptable to all age groups: K-12,
after-school classes, community organizations and senior citizen groups,
and college-level courses.
Overall value:
Through the use
of technology and the Internet, students visit art collections throughout
the world to gain valuable information on the lives and works of many
artists. This is a wonderful motivational tool for students to explore the
Web on their own and it enables them to design their own contemporary
figure sculptures, following the modern masters they have studied.
Students were asked to follow their passion and express the movements
found in dance or sports that they loved.
Tips:
To arrange a class visit, receive slides,
or attend workshops, contact the education department of the museums
nearest to your community. The Internet provides a wealth
of resources
as well. Videos and TV listings of programs about many well-known artists
are available at www.pbs.org/teachersource/offers.
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About the teacher:
Lori Langsner is an art
teacher at Myra S. Barnes I.S. 24 on Staten Island. She regularly
incorporates technology into her art class. She is one of the original writers of the TeachNet
Grant Project for her school, and is also the recipient of an Impact II
Award Adaptor Grant for her lessons on Van Gogh and
Monet. This unit brings together two of her passions - ballet and
sculpture - and is her eleventh curriculum unit to be published with
TeachNet.
E-mail:
LoriArt00@aol.com
Subject
Areas:
Arts
English Language Arts
Technology
Grade Levels:
K-12
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