For my student teaching, I developed a 3D sculpture unit in accordance with the TAB-based curriculum at the middle school to which I was assigned. Each grade was given a unique objective based upon a time-travel concept.
This is the time machine from which students picked a year.
Over the course of the unit, students learned methods of construction such as Armature, Plaster and Papier-Mâché. The unit was designed to last 10 weeks. I checked in with each pair/student weekly to make sure they had satisfied the requirements before moving on to the next step. School closure meant that students could not finish the final steps.
Unit Objectives
8th Grade: Time Machine Sculpture – Construct a time machine that can escape from a past year. 8th graders should include a recycled computer part in the final sculpture.
7th Grade: Future Prediction Sculpture – Make a prediction about a future year. What sort of technologies exist in that year? Create a sculpture based on this concept.
6th Grade: Artifact Sculpture – Build an artifact from a past year. Consider ways to give the sculpture an aged appearance.
8th Grade
Watching short clips from Back to the Future immediately engaged students.
My poster for the brainstorming lesson involving computer parts.
Brainstorming Lesson
Brainstorming sketches of time machine ideas. Students could choose to work with a partner or independently.
Work Samples
7th Grade
Brainstorming Lesson
Work Samples
6th Grade
Brainstorming Sketches
Work Samples
Some 6th graders were able to start painting with acrylic.
Lessons on Building Techniques
Posters
I used these colorful posters to teach important construction concepts during this unit. These included Papier Mâché, Plaster, and Armature. Students received these lessons before beginning to work on the sculptures.
Ben Schultz Portfolio 