This lesson is definitely one of my biggest hits (I'll have to come out with a 'Best of Mrs. Nguyen' blog post one day)! :)Fourth graders began by reviewing what they already knew about value (the element of art). Afterwards they began working on their art projects.
To begin students glued down a piece of olive green yarn to a 12"x18" piece of black paper. The only stipulations I gave them was that it should start from the left end of the paper, reach all the way to the right end, and should make some sort of interesting line (so not just a straight one). Then we put those up in the drying rack.
Next students took a light bulb tracer that I had created from a die-cut I had from last year and traced it onto a piece of 6"x18" black paper (most students traced between 4-6). Once all their bulbs were traced in pencil, they used oil pastels to outline and then color them in. Once they colored them in, they used their fingers to smudge/rub in the oil pastel (this gives is a smoother, more glass-like implied texture). Then using a white oil pastel, they drew in the filament (again they could create any kind of curvy/wavy line they wanted). Once it was drawn in, they used their "tickle finger" to rub the white from their filament back-and-forth slightly into the color of the bulb (this creates a glowing effect). Then they re-outline their filaments with white again. Finally a highlight is added to the tip of their bulb with white oil pastel.
Once they are done creating the glow effect, students use a glue stick to apply glue to the back of their light bulb, and then position it on top of the chalk pastel glow.
The results are simply stunning. :)
If you are interested in a more descriptive lesson plan with step-by-step visuals and light bulb templates, check out my store.
