Katherine Chiu - Art Educator
CROSS-CURRICULAR UNITS
My goal with cross-curricular units is not only to connect art with other subjects but to move beyond the obvious "illustration" that is often how art is connected.
I like to work closely with other teachers to create a unit in which the two subjects are truly integrated.
Art Bots
Connecting with Digital Design
Students explored the connections between Art and machines, investigating the role that machines have in art-making.
Students attached art materials to MBots, coded the MBots to create a pattern, then applied the robots to paper.
Political Cartoons
Connecting with Social Studies (History & Current Events)
Grade 8 students displayed their understanding of revolutions they had studied using political cartoons.
Ancient Egyptian Shadow Puppets
Connecting with Social Studies
Grade 6 connected their learning of Ancient Egyptians gods and goddesses and their studies of shadow puppets from Indonesia.
Students created a shadow puppet of a god or goddess shown through the most recognisable angles. Students applied proportions, outlines and joint connections to make their puppet.
Chinese Opera Mask
Connecting with Mandarin and English Language Arts
In this unit that I did with Grade 6 we looked at formal balance and the symbolic colours of Chinese Opera. Students chose a fictional character and created a mask in Chinese Oprea style using lines and colours to reflect the personality of their chosen character. In their reflection, they had to explain the personality of their character and how their choices of colours and lines reflected those personality traits.
Renaissance Painting
Connecting with Social Studies
In this unit students learned about the history of Renaissance art. They then worked in groups to create three paintings using renaissance media:
Egg Tempera, fresco and oil paints.
