Da Vinci Machines

I think has to be the project that demanded the most of my students higher order thinking skills. Students used view finders to locate graphic images in magazines. The purpose and scale of the images were distorted and used to design an original machine of unique purpose.

In the following image the student didn't follow all the lesson requirements. Still, his invention showed an extraordinary talent and imagination.

Da Vinci Memories

I called this Modigliani Lisa.

We called this one Mona Lester.




These are just a few of my favorite images from last year's Da Vinci Unit with the 7th graders.

This was a lesson in using the grid method. Students were given an image of the Mona Lisa with a grid drawn over it. They then attempted a square by square transfer of the lines within that square to a pre-gridded paper. They repeated the process on a piece of cardboard onto which they had drawn a grid. After transferring their lines they applied color (colored chalk) - inventively if they so chose.

Inspiring the Teacher

It's been awhile since my last entry. I apologize to all the fans of the site. Over the Christmas break I had some enriching experiences. I went and saw an art show at the DIA that was from the Cleveland Museum's collection. Works included in the exhibit were from Mondrian, Dali, Magritte, Picasso, Renoir, Rodan, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, and others. There were many beautiful works, but a few are branded on my soul. What I find to be art's most masterful technical achievement is its ability to stir my heart. Many of the works made me wistful while sparking my imagination. The Dali had a painful quality to it, but the colors were so electric that I felt like I was looking at work that was created in the 70's rather than the 1920's.
I went to the Detroit Science Center to see the da Vinci exhibit and I visited the Heidelberg Project. (The car hoods are more charming in person.) All of these events help me to see the world in ways daily life cannot. Picture images and imagining cannot replace seeing objects person.