​Encouraging Creativity - Art Carnival

Overview:
In this lesson students will explore, experiment, and experience an environment of toys, workstations and art materials where students will make paintings, sculptures and collages. They will investigate conditions, attitudes, and behaviors that support creativity.
Enduring Ideas:

• Everyone is creative
• Artists can develop their creative abilities

National Art Standards:

• Creating: Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
• Creating: Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

Essential Questions:

• What does it mean to be creative?
• Do you consider everyone to be creative?
• Do you consider yourself creative?
• How can you develop your creativity?

Objectives:
Students will:

• Explain what creativity is
• Recognize that all people are creative
• Identify that they are creative
• Demonstrate aspects of creativity through originality of work

Tools and Materials:
Station 1: Pencils; erasers; sharpies to represent detail; watercolor paint, paper, water, cups for water, brushes, and sponges
Station 2: Card stock paper, containers with assorted small bits of collage materials (yarn, paper, feathers, sequins, felt, etc.), scissors, glue, and staplers
Station 3: Air-dry clay, paper plates for bases, clay tools (tongue depressors, old pencils, bottle caps, modeling/styling tool, etc) liquitex gloss medium, black sharpies
Introduction:
Review:

• What makes a person creative?
  • They think of new ideas
  • They approach things in ways that are original to them
  • They are inventive and resourceful
  • They look at new possibilities to solving problems as they work on projects
• How can you develop your creativity?
  • Do not worry what other people think about your work
  • Do not be afraid—of rejection, of being different, of not doing it right, or of getting a bad grade
  • Examine different ways of doing things
  • If you don’t have what you need, think about what else you can use
  • Try doing things a new way
  • Take time to think about it; pray about it
  • Talk about your ideas with someone else; get a second opinion
  • Practice and look at things you are interested in, study them
• Why is it important to develop and use creativity?
  • Creativity helps you express your thoughts and ideas
  • It helps develop new ways of thinking and new ways to solve problems
  • It helps build self-confidence

Explain to the students that they will begin the Art Carnival with games in the Inspiration Area (the Library). Tell them the Inspiration Area is where you get your brain ready to create. When they hear the alarm ring, it is time to go in the Studio Area where there are three centers set up. They may select which center they want to work at.
Process:

• Students enter Inspiration Area and play games designed to promote creative thinking
• After fifteen minutes, students will enter the Participation Area (the Art room) where three art centers are set up
• Students paint, sculpt, or create collages at the assemblage center

 Assessment:

• Formative: Assessment is done through teacher observation of student’s participation and during informal interviews. Learners should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of what creativity means and if they consider themselves creative.
• Summative: Individual artwork will be reviewed for thinking of new ideas, for approaching something in a way that is original to them, and for looking at new possibilities to solve problems that occur as they work.