Hooray! A Donorschoose grant that I wrote so that the third grade could study and create sculptures about the artifacts in the "China's Terracotta Army" exhibition currently on view at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC has been awarded to us! The materials have arrived!
The third grade is currently building Model Magic figures based on photographs, drawings and a reproduction sculpture of a Chinese warrior (graciously lent to us by Eva Lewandowski).
I love this project because the students love it and I am very happy that the resources to bring it to this year's third grade are in our hands, literally.
In this lesson, the students begin by drawing the artifacts to become familiar with the forms and details. Students then build the torsos and heads of the figures over cardboard cones. The cones are removed so that arms and legs can be sculpted and added during the following class.
I feel like the steps involved provide a basis for a satisfying experience to students that comfortably approach 3-D design and also to those who feel intimidated by the complexity of building 3-D objects. Everyone looks and sounds happy in my observations.
