Lesson Plan: Using Shape and Pattern to Create a Quilt

Lesson Plan: Using Shape and Pattern to Create a Quilt
Age group: K-2
Subjects: Visual Arts, Math, Language Arts
Time frame: 1 hour
Lesson Overview
Students will learn how artists use shape, repetition and pattern to create art by observing Marta
Amundson’s quilts. Students will enhance art vocabulary and gain further knowledge about shapes and
patterns. Student will explore how to create designs using shapes and gain experience with repetition.
Students will develop fine motor skills while making art using quilting patterns and stamping techniques.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• enhance critical thinking/problem solving skills while creating patterns
• advance math knowledge about both geometric and organic shapes
• identify and recognize shapes in the environment
• create works of art using repetition and patterns as design principals
• advance fine motor skills while practicing stamping and gluing skills
• develop visual literacy by observing examples of how artists use shapes and patterns in their art
• develop Language Arts skills (Speaking and Listening, describing shapes and patterns)
• enhance art vocabulary (line, repetition, pattern, shape)
• practice creative expression while making a personal art work guided by their imagination and
based on received knowledge
Featured artworks: Like a Sturgeon, Run Rhino Run, Puss in a Corner, Blown in the Wind by Marta
Amundson
Materials
• Book: “What is Shape” by Tea Benduhn
• Marta Amundson”s Quilts, including Like a Sturgeon, Run Rhino Run, Puss in a Corner, Blown in
the Wind
• Shapes Flash Cards
• Construction paper (6”x9”)
• Precut geometric shapes (paper or felt) enough to fill a piece of construction paper (6”x9”)
• 9”x9” pieces of Stitch –witchery (iron- on adhesive fabric). Optional: 9" × 9" tag board/ felt,
glue, Mod Podge
• Precut fabric squares 3”x3” in different colors, 2 color choices per student, total 9 squares per
students+ extras
• Stamps to create designs on quilt squares
• Fabric Ink for stamping
National Standards for Visual Arts Education
Content Standard #1. Understanding and applying media, techniques and processes to communicate
ideas, experiences, and stories
Content Standard #2. Using knowledge of structures and functions: students learn the differences
among visual characteristics and purposes of art in order to convey ideas
Wyoming Education Standards:
Content Standard:
Fine Arts
1. Creative Expression through Production
All Benchmarks, K-8
2. Aesthetic Perception
All Benchmarks, K-8
NCSD Essential Curriculum:
K:
Language Arts: Unit 1-4: Speaking and Listening
Art:
Q2-Unit 1: Curved, Straight, Angled Line and Texture: Students will practice and demonstrate the use of
texture in creating artwork
Q3-Unit 3: Art Etiquette: Students will learn appropriate behavior for viewing art.
Math:
Geometry Q1: Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons): Describe
2-dimensional objects in the environment using names of shapes.
Geometry Q2: Compose single simple shapes to form larger shapes.
1st grade:
Language Arts:
Unit 1-4: Speaking and Listening
Art:
Q1-Unit 1: Qualities of Line, Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal Lines, and Actual/Visual Texture
Q2-Unit 1: Primary/Secondary Color and Geometric/Organic Shapes
Q3-Unit 1: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Balance:Students will demonstrate and practice the use of
balance (symmetry and asymmetry) in creating artwork
Q3-Unit 3: Art Etiquette: Students will learn appropriate behavior for viewing art
Q4-Unit 1: Regular and Alternating Pattern: Students will demonstrate and practice the use of pattern in
creating artwork. Students will explore the use of rhythms in pattern using regular and alternating.
Q4-Unit 2: Modern Art History: Students will learn about Modern Art by viewing and discussing
contemporary art exhibit. Students express personal preferences about the artwork. Students describe
the artwork.
Math:
Geometry Q4: Reason with shapes and their attributes. Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g.,
triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size)
for a wide variety of shapes; build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes. Compose twodimensional shapes (such as rectangle, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, quarter circles) to
create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
2nd grade:
Language Arts:
Unit 1-4: Speaking and Listening
Art:
Q1-Unit 1: Complex Geometric Shape and Warm, Cool, Neutral Color:
Students demonstrate proficiency when working in watercolor/tempera paints, crayons/markers,
cutting and gluing, oil pastels, and basic competency in colored pencils, soft pastels, drawing, and 3D
materials.
Q3-Unit 3: Art Etiquette: Students will learn appropriate behavior for viewing art
Q4-Unit 1: Symmetry, Asymmetry, and Balance; Alternating, Regular, and Random Pattern
Math:
Geometry Q3: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes/properties, such as a given
number of angles or a given number of equal faces.
Lesson steps:
1. Inform and Illustrate.
a) At our previous lessons, we have learned that a line has a beginning and an end. (Demonstrate on a
board). We can use a line to make a shape. The beginning of the line will be the same place as the
ending. The space inside the line is called shape. There are many different kinds of shapes.
b) Read from the “What is Shape” book (p.4-15)
2. Ignite and Inquiry.
Excise Shapes. Give children precut geometric shapes (felt or paper) and have them arrange shapes on a
piece of construction paper (6x9). Encourage students to fill the paper with shapes. Students can create
different designs before they decide to glue one design down. (Gluing is optional. Note: gluing will take
additional time)
3. Immerse.
Show children images of Marta Amundson’s quilts. Have students look for different shapes in her art.
(Optional: make a field trip to the Nicolaysen Art Museum to look at the Marta Amundson’s Quilts).
Briefly discuss the meaning of a “pattern" and "repetition."
Use following questions to prompt a discussion with the students:
-What does it mean to repeat something?
-How do you make a pattern?
-Why do the artists repeat lines and shapes?
Refer to images of Amundson’s quilts to see how she uses repetition and pattern in her art.
4. Imagine and Innovate.
a) Distribute the fabric quilt squares, 2 color choices- 9 squares per student total. Have students arrange
their squares by alternating colors (as a checker board) on a stich witchery fabric (the adhesive side up).
Teacher should iron students’ quilt pattern to adhere quilt blocks to the stitch-witchery. Optional: Have
students use Mod Podge to glue fabric squares on the tag board or felt.
b) Give children the stamps of their choice and stamping ink.
c) Have students to think about their stamping pattern and decide if they want to stamp all squares or
just a few. Students can choose diagonal pattern for stamping (stamp diagonal squares, or center and
corner squares, top row and bottom row, etc) For variation have students turn stamps in the opposite
directions.
5. Reflect. Ask children to describe patterns in their quits.
Appendix 1.
Celebrated Wyoming quilter Marta Amundson (Riverton, WY) uses the fiber medium to express her
views and opinions of how she sees the world. The subject matter of the artist’s work ranges from
decorative designs to Buddhism, global affairs to endangered species, healthcare in America to
feminism. Her art is both serious and playful. Some of the artist’s quilts look like pages from a
scrapbook, like pieces of memories and the experiences that artist wants to share with the viewer. The
artist uses a variety of materials and techniques from silkscreen, fiber dyes, and hand embroidery to
computer software for manipulating photos and drawings that are printed on fabric.
Amundson’s Quilts are a great starting point for conversations with the students about issues such as
endangered animals, renewable energy, world politics, women’s issues, family and the environment.
Marta Amundson Quilts are showcased at the NIC September 28, 2012- January 6, 2013.
Appendix 2.
Run Rhino Run, 2004
Blown in the Wind
Puss in the Corner, 2002, fragment
Like a Sturgeon, 2003