Published!

If you've been following my posts, you might remember that I had work which appeared in group show titled "What Is Beauty?". A book from the show has now been published, and is available for purchase here. You can see the final result of the original pieces from the show here. You'll notice my work is featured in the pictures! Please show Amanda Benton who curated and organized the show your support by buying one of the lovely books. At the very least least stop by and tell her how great her work (and mine ;) )is. Thanks.

Wall of Honor - Lesson Plan

Teacher: Christopher Mazeika
Grade Level: 4 - 6
Title: Wall of Honor (inspired by Maya Lin’s Viet Nam Memorial)

Brief History and Background:
Born in 1959 in Athens, Ohio, Maya Lin catapulted into the public eye when, as a senior at Yale University, she submitted the winning design in a national competition for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be built in Washington, D.C. Maya Lin received her Master of Architecture from Yale University in 1986, and has maintained a professional studio in New York City since then. She was trained as an artist and architect, and her sculptures, parks, monuments, and architectural projects are linked by her ideal of making a place for individuals within the landscape. Lin, a Chinese-American, came from a cultivated and artistic home. Her father was the dean of fine arts at Ohio University; her mother is a professor of literature at Ohio University. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council and is a former member of the Yale Corporation and the Energy Foundation. She is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Presidential Design Award, a National Endowment for the Arts artist' award, the William A. Bernoudy Resident in Architecture fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, the Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an AIA Honor Award, the Finn Juhl Prize, and honorary doctorates from Yale, Harvard, Williams, and Smith College among others.

Standards: PA
9.1.8. Production and Exhibition of Visual Arts
9.2.8. Historical and Cultural Contexts
9.3.8. Critical Response
9.4.8. Aesthetic Response

Goal: Students will design a brick honoring someone in their family, living or deceased, showcasing both the chosen individual’s written name and symbolic representations of them.

Requirements: Students will choose the name of a family member or someone they hold special whom they wish to honor. The person’s name will be the predominate image on the brick, accompanied by at least three drawn symbolic representations of the chosen individual.

Resource Materials / Visual Aides:
· Power Point on Maya Lin
· Various images of Maya Lin’s work with emphasis on the Viet Nam Memorial
· Teaching exemplar

Supplies / Materials:
· Pencils
· Rulers
· Colored pencils
· Paper

Teacher Preparation: The teacher will:
· Familiarize him or her self with Maya Lin and her work, especially the Viet Nam Memorial
· Create a brick template
· Familiarize himself or herself with the vocabulary and subject of the lesson
· Create an exemplar/s
· Prepare a handout for students that may include any or all of the following: brief history, vocabulary, images of Aztec symbols and their names
· Create a short worksheet to test students’ retention of vocabulary and lesson taught

Teaching
Introduction: Show the students the work of Maya Lin with particular emphasis on the Viet Nam Memorial. Create a discussion around the difficulties she faced during its creation. Create a discussion around the importance of honoring someone living or deceased.

Directions:
1. Pass out the necessary materials.
2. Students will draw a half-inch border around their brick.
3. Students will need to choose a person they wish to honor. Place emphasis on honoring a deceased member of their family. If that is not a valid option, inform them they may honor a living person whom they would be most upset about losing.
4. Explain that the person’s name should take up the majority of the space on the brick.
5. Students will sketch at least three symbols that will represent that person.
6. Students will draw the chosen symbols on the actual brick.
7. Students will color the brick using colored pencils.

Closure: Have a student collect the work and one or two others collect and sort materials. Inform them work will be displayed at a later date. Remind students to think about the person they honored during the rest of their day and in their daily lives. Encourage them to discuss what they’ve learned today with their peers in other classes.

Critique / Evaluation / Assessment:
· In Class Critique
· Rubric

Time Budget: 2 Classes - 45 min. each

Vocabulary:
Symbol – something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
Memorial – something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.
Honor – high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.

Safety Concerns: None

Bibliography/References:
http://www.mayalin.com/
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/lin/index.html

Aztec Attire - Lesson Plan

Teacher: Christopher Mazeika
Grade Level: 4 - 6
Title: Aztec Attire

Brief History and Background:
Ullamaliztli, the famous Aztec ball game, was played on a tlachtli ball court (the game is sometimes referred to as Tlachtli). The ball court was one of the first things built when the Aztecs settled a new area, making it the most important of the ancient Aztec games. It was a very difficult game played with a large rubber ball (the name of the game comes from the word ulli, or rubber). The game was not just important for entertainment, but also politics and religion.

Standards: PA
9.1.8. Production and Exhibition of Visual Arts
9.2.8. Historical and Cultural Contexts
9.3.8. Critical Response
9.4.8. Aesthetic Response

Goal: Students will design a basketball jersey using Aztec symbols as a starting point and source of inspiration.

Requirements: Students will only use four colors plus black and white in the coloring of their work. Students must use some aspect of the Aztec people in his or her work. This may be achieved by directly using the Aztec symbol or language in his or her work.

Resource Materials/Visual Aides:
• Power point presentation
• Various images of Aztec symbols
• Images of the game Ullamaliztili
• Teaching exemplar

Supplies/Materials:
• Pencils
• Paper
• Colored pencils
• Colored markers
• Scissors

Teacher Preparation: Teacher will:
• Familiarize him or her self with a brief understanding of the Aztec people and their game of Ullamaliztli
• Create a basketball jersey template
• Gather images of Aztec symbols
• Gather images showing the Aztec game of Ullamaliztli
• Familiarize himself or herself with the vocabulary and subject of the lesson
• Create an exemplar/s
• Prepare a handout for students that may include any or all of the following: brief history, vocabulary, images of Aztec symbols and their names
• Create a short worksheet to test students’ retention of vocabulary and lesson taught

Teaching
Introduction: Show the students images relating to the game of Ullamaliztli. Discuss its connection to the modern game of basketball. Show examples of basketball jerseys. Show the students Aztec symbols, which should be used as a starting point for their jersey designs.

Directions:
1. Instruct students that they will be creating a basketball jersey depicting a team name and a symbol/mascot for the team.
2. Inform the students they will be working with the Aztec symbols and names provided as a starting point.
3. Pass out all necessary supplies.
4. Instruct students that they need to choose a name for their team and a symbol to represent the team.
5. Students will make a rough sketch of their design.
6. Students will create their teacher-approved design onto the jersey template.
7. Students will color their design using colored markers for the name and mascot.
8. Students will color the remaining area of the jersey using colored pencils. The idea is to create a contrast between the dark/bold color of the markers and the lighter coloring effect of the pencils.
9. The completed jersey will then be cut out.
10. Completed jerseys can be hung on a clothesline to enhance the idea of clothing.

Closure: Have a student collect the work and one or two others collect and sort materials. Inform them work will be displayed at a later date. Remind students to think about where other things may have originated from during the rest of their day and in their daily lives. Encourage them to discuss what they’ve learned today with their peers in other classes.

Critique/Evaluation/Assessment:
• In Class Critique
• Rubric

Extension: Students may write a history of their team and the origins of the team colors and mascot.

Time Budget: 2 classes – 45 min ea.

Vocabulary:
Aztec – a member of a people of central Mexico whose civilization was at its height at the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century.
Symbol – something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
Ullamaliztili – the name of the ancient Aztec game, from which basketball was created.
Tlachtli – the name of the court on which the Aztec game of Ullamaliztili was played on.
Ulli – the Aztec word for rubber.

Safety Concerns: Care should be taken when and if students are required to cut out the jerseys using scissors.

Bibliography/References:
http://www.aztec-history.com/
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/AZTECS.HTM

Student Teaching Part One

Here's some pictures of P.S. DuPont Elementary School. I'm just finishing up doing seven weeks of student teaching there. My mentor teacher has been Mr. Schulke, Delaware's Art Teacher of the Year. I've had a lovely time there and the students were both enjoyable and at times challenging. I'll also post the lessons taught and examples of the student work created next.