Title: "Relating the Related Arts"

Grade Level: 8

Subject(s): Art

Learner Outcomes:

1. Learn how to make their own gyotaku prints using fish replicas.
2. Connect the Japanese culture to this activity.
3. Learn about fish anatomy.
4. Encourage students to do and learn about other types of nature printing.
5. Encourage students to go online for other art project ideas.

Materials: Please refer to materials list at: http://www.hgtv.com/HGTV/project/0,1158,DEID_project_32858,00.html
 
 

Technology Tools/Courseware: Internet

Teacher Notes:
Teacher will need to contact a local grocery store to acquire fish to be used for this project. To make the lesson more specific to West Virginia and the H20RUS theme, try to acquire fish that are found in West Virginia waters.

Make sure proper hand washing facilities are available to students and antibacterial soap is on hand after touching fish.

If possible do activity outside. If not, it is recommended that a cooler be accessible to keep fish.

Procedures:

1. As an introduction to this lesson students may link to the internet to view basic procedures about this project.
2. Teacher may also use this site for their own direction for this activity.
3. Helpful hints that may need to be considered: Usually it is best to stay in one color scheme when you are printing so you don't have to rinse off the fish. You want to keep the fish rather dry, so if you do rinse it, be sure to dry it off.

If you are printing on white paper, let your print dry for a few minutes and then add a wash of watered-down paint to look like water in the background. Once again, the iridescent paints are great for this because the shiny quality looks so much like real water. While you are painting your fish, rinse your brush off in a little jar of water. Save this water to paint the background of your picture, applying it freely with a big, soft brush. Don't brush over the print too much or you will begin to dissolve it.
4. For variety in the end product, refer to Gyotaku variations.
5. Teacher can then display artwork in the Media Center, lunch room areas, or main lobbies of the school to tie in with the theme of this lesson.

Enrichment activities: This lesson may also be linked to Science activities by examining the anatomy of certain types of fish. The fish can be given to the Science teacher to use in the dissection study to relate to the theme of this unit. Following the dissection lesson, the art teacher can then review what was discovered in Science class to reinforce the integration of the two disciplines.
 
 

Evaluation/Assessment: The art teacher will need to evaluate the final product on color scheme and the other relevant criteria as appropriate.
 
 

West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives:

Art:
Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures. 8.10
Using the elements of art and principles of design. 8.4, 8.5
Making connections between visual art and other disciplines. 8.20

Science:

Nature of Science: 8.1, 8.2, 8.8, 8.9
Scientific Attitudes/Habits of Mind: 8.10, 8.11
Scientific Processes/Thinking Skills: 8.19
Laboratory Investigations/Hands-On Learning: 8.21, 8.23
Computer/Technology: 8.84, 8.91, 8.98

National Standards

References:   http://www2a.biglobe.ne.jp/~gyotaku/page2/page2.html

southmsB1.htm

http://wvde.state.wv.us/igos/peight.html#science
 

Created by:

Kimberly D. Fowler

Diane Stilwell

Darialouise K. Collins
 

Other lessons within this unit:

    Mary Ingles, Follow the River
    A Fish Out of Water
    A Fish in Hand...

Related lessons:

    Go with the Flow
    Rolling, Rolling Down the River
    Water U Graphs
    Splish, Splash, I was out on a Raft
    Follow the River
    What's that Smell?