Texture is an interesting design element. It involves a keen tactile awareness and can describe the way an object feels or is perceived to feel. For elementary students who almost exclusively use thick lines to visually describe their world, the meaning of texture is not easily conveyed through concepts such as line weight or variation. In this lesson, my goal was to engage students in an exciting exploration of everyday textures found in their local environment.
Engaging Students in Investigative, Hands-On Activities
I decided to go about this by introducing the concept of frottage. Frottage is an art technique that has existed for centuries–but it was popularized by Max Ernst in 1925. Essentially, the young artist makes a rubbing over a textured surface with a crayon or other such drawing implements and the end result is a printed image of the textured surface. Frottage is literally a ‘hands-on’ experience that I highly recommend. Even High School students can use frottage as a starting point for building a visually textured background or rudimentary prints for mixed media projects.
Linking Prior Content with New Ideas
When first describing the concept of texture to my students, I linked texture with the previously learned concept of line:
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Teacher: What is a line?
Ideal Student Answer: a dot that travels. Once this idea has been re-established, the teacher will check for understanding. Teacher: Can you find a line on your shoe? Student: Yeah! Teacher: Trace the lines you find on your shoe with your finger. Like this: Teacher models action. Teacher: Close your eyes as you move your hand across your shoe. How does your shoe feel? Raise your hands please. Students: Bumpy, Smooth, soft, hard, etc. The teacher will write the student answers on the board. Teacher: Did you know there is a word that describes the words you just told me? It’s called texture. Teacher writes ‘texture’ on the board. Say it with me. Whole Class: Texture! Teacher: Wonderful. Texture is the way something feels. It is also the way something appears to feel. Clearly Stated Objectives My learning objective was simple: I wanted students to identify texture as an art element. To do this, I had students create visual definitions of texture by building texture collections using objects they interact with on a daily basis. This was an ideal exploration of texture as it then opened up opportunities for me to define and discuss unfamiliar textured objects (such as air conditioning units, industrial pipes, end-caps, and the mysterious cause of sidewalk cracks) with the students. The objectives for construction were clearly stated and demonstrated in class before textures were collected. The directions, definitions, and learning objectives were written on the chalkboard for reference throughout the preliminary discussion. Using Appropriate Technology for the Job When creating texture rubbings through frottage, it is important to note that elementary students do not quite have the fine motor skills needed to make a crayon rubbing without breaking the crayon every other time. To remedy this situation, I decided to accommodate their needs by providing the students with melted down crayons about the size and shape of a small tuna can. These larger crayons easily conform to the hand of a child, are ideal for rubbing, can be easily traded between students, can handle physical abuse, and are easy to spot if/when they are lost. Assessment These projects were assessed using a rubric that is attached to the Texture & Frottage Lesson Plan. They were also assessed in class after students had settled down from the outdoor journey (a brief dialogue can be found in the Lesson Plan). Students compared their color choices, the unique textures they found, and described what each of their textures felt like (rough, smooth, bumpy, etc.) Students also discussed methods for capturing tricky textures such as netting, chains, etc. Finally, Students redefined texture as ‘the way something feels or looks like it feels’. Conclusion I was very satisfied with how this lesson went. Every student was actively engaged and every student was able to complete my learning objectives. Indeed, several students actually exceeded my expectations. |