Submitted by Natalie Johnston, visual arts educator, Christchurch South Intermediate School, Canterbury,
New Zealand
I have enjoyed working with this mask
project and intend now to repeat this unit with the next group coming through,
adapting instruction and controlling again the purpose for the mask making. I
was away one session when the children were decorating and the relief teacher
let them rush ahead, so some of the original good design was messed up and had
to be re-done. Some of the Students felt out of their comfort zone. I noticed
when the pictures from the newspaper were on display they simply did not want
to engage and preferred the brainstorm idea of words on the board. Perhaps it
was a way of dealing with reality and they were ‘over’ seeing the broken images
from our local area. (Referring to the New Zealand earthquake. See this page for more on their situation and their maskmaking.)
The shakes
have kept on and on and nerves are frayed at the edges and the initial
excitement of what has happened has become dulled. The Students have learned
that they can’t flick to another channel and this is a real ‘disaster’ not one
from history that they have read about or researched, but one they are part of
and have to learn that adults and objects are affected in different ways. A
reality lesson from the words ‘Out of the darkness.’
Mask Unit Plan
By Natalie Johnston |
Topic:
Masks -the earthquake factor |
Year 8
Level 4 |
Duration
5 session |
Achievement Objectives: |
Visual representation of a personal
response to trauma through the medium of masks. |
Learning Intentions:
To
use a mask form to create an image reflecting the recent trauma
Success Criteria:
Based
upon strands
PK - To use the skills and appropriate methods of joining in construction
- Explore design
with a variety of media
- Select and use of
appropriate tools.
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CI - Describe how the media influenced design and
outcome, personal reflections about what has happened and how this may be
portrayed
- Discuss possibilities and interaction of
media and technology-use of camera to record what happened.
- Use of computer recording data of the quake.
UC - Investigate the
purposes of recording objects and images of past and present earthquakes in
New Zealand - the human factor, the scientific factor, the artistic factor.
DI - Design, create and decorate a
mask that reflect emotions, events and
objects that the earthquake memories evoke. |
Essential skills:
Problem solving, self management, physical
dexterity, numeracy |
Sessions |
Content |
Resources |
Materials/Equipment |
1
2
3
4
5 |
- Introduction - what a mask is, materials
made from, types of masks, and possible uses
- Listen to a short passage about an
earthquake, look at visual images from an earthquake disaster, brainstorm words, design, re-create a series of
images in workbook, select one and draw up on large paper expected visual
outcome. Consider emotive words and ideas,
characteristics of line - look at other art elements of colour, texture, form
and space – how they will relate to this creation.
- The use of tools and media to make the
mask using papier mache and card.
- Build up the
image on the mask form, review the original design, cut out eye spaces and
mouth.
- Decorate the dried mask.
- Paint, sand,
tissue any other media
- Observe the masks that have been made, and
assess as to whether they tell a message about the quake
- Write a paragraph that sums up the mask
quake creation.
- What it represented for each student. Take
final photograph.
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* Paper card is thin, bendy card or a costless alternative is recycled “cereal box card” (just the perfect weight for making animal ears, noses, etc, not too heavy, not too light). |
Reflection:
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Here are some images of the construction process:
Resources
Mask Gallery
The masks below are provided as a courtesy by Inez Andrucyk and Maskworx. Click on the images for full size.
