From measuring to masterpiece

ISN Elementary Class have made connections between the art of designing, constructing, and decorating props for a play and mathematical calculations. Their deeper understanding of what it means to be a “Thinker” which is one of the IB Learner Profile attributes. Students have been considering the challenge that all the props they make need to be clearly seen by the audience in our Christmas Show even those people sitting right at the back of the concert hall. This has been one of the complex problems they have had to think about and try to solve. After deciding which props they would have to make, students took action: they sketched each prop, then measured the width, length, and height of each prop, and finally constructed each prop. After careful consideration of colour, everyone has enjoyed the final stage of painting. Our classroom has definitely become an artist’s studio in every way: paint pots showing every colour of the rainbow, plastic sheeting covering the floor, and paint shirts everywhere.
We started with our goal to construct amazing props and with lots of curiosity, commitment and cooperation, we certainly have achieved our goal. What fun it is to go from measuring to masterpiece!
Our Transdisciplinary Theme is “How we express ourselves”. Our Central Idea is “Through creative arts we can discover a culture’s history, beliefs, and values.” Through our studies of Japanese culture and through the study of our play, we have become more “open minded” and this has allowed us to consider the similarities and differences between Japanese culture and American culture: farming, a love of animals, and the caring attitude to help a friend in need. We have certainly enjoyed investigating as well as celebrating art and culture.
Another exciting learning journey for all the wonderful students in ISN Elementary Class!