CHINA S TERRACOTTA WARRIORS

Transcription

1 CHINA S TERRACOTTA WARRIORS THE FIRST EMPEROR S LEGACY Lesson Plan

2 Designed by Marissa Kunz, ArtSeed. Copyright Asian Art Museum Education Department, Lead funding for the Asian Art Museum s Education and Public Programs is provided by the Bank of America Foundation. Major support provided by Douglas A. Tilden. Additional support provided by Freeman Foundation, The Charles D. and Frances K. Field Fund, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Louise M. Davies Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation Shenson Foundation, The Joseph & Mercedes McMicking Foundation, and Dodge & Cox. Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture Larkin Street San Francisco, CA T F Asian Art Museum Education Department 2

3 Lesson: Legacy Print Level: Grades 4 6 Time frame: minutes OVERVIEW After touring the exhibition of China s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor s Legacy at the Asian Art Museum, students will reflect on the idea of legacy and create a print that describes their own desired or imagined legacy. OBJECTIVES Students will discuss the meaning of legacy, brainstorm what their legacy may be, and design a symbol based on their idea. Students will create a print based on the workshop model of the Terracotta Warriors. MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES For each student: Paper (approximately 9 x 12 ) Pencil Scissors Foam sheets (approximately 3 x 5 per student) Wooden blocks for mounting the stamp: roughly 2.5 x 4 inches stamp surface. To make your own wooden mounts with handles: glue a smaller piece of wood on top of a larger block where the image will go. Dampen the two pieces of wood, apply Gorilla Glue or equivalent, clamp or apply pressure by putting a weight on top of the blocks, and let dry Asian Art Museum Education Department 3

4 for about 4 hours. Wood mounts are reusable after peeling previous student s sticky foam off. (Wood mounts may also be purchased online at various rubber stamp supplier sites such as To share: Ink pads, Basic pre-cut foam shapes (alphabet foam stickers could be cut into interesting abstract, geometric shapes), left over scraps from previous students, pre-made basic stamps that children can use as-is or that can be modified, and trays to store stamps after they have been inked. Optional: Sharpies or other materials for adding details to the stamped image. Optional: baby wipes for cleaning hands (if sink is not available or convenient) PROCEDURE Discuss: 1. Discuss the definition of legacy. 2. Talk about the legacy of China s first emperor. Ask students to recall examples: the Terracotta Warriors, the collection of artifacts that were unearthed, his development of a centralized government with common language, weights and measures, and money. 3. Ask students to start thinking about how, and for what, they may be remembered. Prompt them to think about what they are good at doing or what they believe is important for the future. 4. Explain that they will create a work of art that will show each student s imagined or desired legacy. Asian Art Museum Education Department 4

5 5. The teacher or docent may point out that the terracotta warriors were made from templates and that artists later added details in order to make each warrior unique. Similarly we will create our army using a kind of template. Demonstrate: 1. Come up with a sentence: Write on the paper: An army of to honor my legacy. and ask students to think of how they might fill in the blanks. Note: After the word legacy, students may use the word of or as a (see examples below). Ask students to think about things at which they excel (e.g. sports, cooking, writing, art, etc.), or things that are important to them (e.g. peace, equality, education, reading, health, etc.). The teacher can give/show some examples or ask the class to help brainstorm for ideas. Examples: An army of readers to honor my legacy as a writer Image: a page of stamped figures holding a book or simply stamped book shapes. An army of trees to honor my legacy of conservationism Image: a page of stamped trees. An army of baseball fans to honor my legacy as a baseball legend Image: A page of stamped people. 2. Making the army stamp: First have students decide what image will represent their individual army. Explain that the image can be abstract or a symbol. Cut out shapes from the sticky-back foam to make a collage on the wooden blocks. Asian Art Museum Education Department 5

6 Many simple shapes combined to make a more complex shape will work better than cutting out a single, complex shape. Without peeling the stickers, have students decide how they would like to arrange the shapes. Next, peel the backs off the foam and stick the shapes onto a wooden block. Firmly press the stamp into an ink pad and then onto the paper in rows. Fill the page with an army of stamped images. 3. Using pre-made stamps: Explain that students can also combine pre-cut shapes to make their stamp or use/add to a selection of pre-made stamps that the teacher will make available. 4. Adding details: If students have extra time or would like to add details to their stamped images on the paper to make each one unique they could do so with sharpies or markers. 5. Critique/Display/ Documentation: If time and space allows, tack up student work for all to see. The teacher can conclude by leading a discussion about the finished products. Students can explain their work or classmates can make observations and comments. STANDARDS Common Core: Grade 6 Key Ideas and Details: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. History/Social Science List the policies and achievements of the emperor Shi Huangdi in unifying northern China under the Qin Dynasty Visual and Performing Arts: Aesthetic Valuing 4.3 Discuss how the subject and selection of media relate to the meaning or purpose of a work of art. Creative Expression Communicate values, opinions, or personal insights through an original work of art Create increasingly complex original works of art reflecting personal choices and increased technical skill. Connections, Relationships, Applications: Visual Literacy Identify and design icons, logos, and other graphic devices as symbols for ideas and information. Asian Art Museum Education Department 6

7 LEGACY PRINT 1. Your Legacy: What do you want to be remembered for doing 100 years from now? Draw a symbol that represents your legacy. 2. Complete the sentence. An army of to honor my legacy of. or An army of to honor my legacy as a. 3. Use a pre-made stamp or make your own by drawing your symbol on the foam sheet. 4. Arrange your foam symbols on a wood block using double-sided tape. 5. Firmly press your finished stamp onto the inkpad and then paper. 6. Repeat until your paper is filled. 7. Add details to make each stamp different with a Sharpie or markers. Add your legacy sentence to your print. Asian Art Museum Education Department 7