One of my favorite art lessons to do with my 8th grade is the Art Expo!
Art Expo Lesson Plan
For this lesson I began by talking to the students about art supply businesses and the NAEA convention!
We observed videos I took during the NAEA expo hall experience, discussed what it means to be a vendor, and created theatrical characters that students performed as in the final day of the unit!
Students loved researching and becoming the expert of materials, and then sharing what they learned through acting and presenting! We invited other teachers, administration and parents to our final Art expo day.
Character Development
Each student was tasked with creating a character that was an expert on an art material. Students completed a character development worksheet, that identified their characters name, birthday, education, and work experience with the art material.
Art Materials
The first year I did this with my gifted and talented students and I allowed them to select which materials they wanted from a list of materials I premade. I did not want students to use things like colored pencils and markers since they have so much experience with them already. When I retaught this lesson to my academic art class, I allowed them to choose more typical art supplies.
Vending Tables
Students had to create a table set up that included history, techniques, and types of the material. They also had to show 2 examples of art using the material, and have a 5 minute activity that visitors could do to explore the materials.
The students LOVED this project, and so did the Admin! Its student centered to the core.
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