Fourth grade art at Prescott is currently working on the Prescott Paper Dresses Show.
The project has 4 main parts, each part is timed so the students have to work and think quickly as a team.
Part 1 – SHETCH 45min.
The first part is the sketch. I show the students some examples of paper dresses that I found on Google to show papers versatility of color, shape and texture. Last season on “Project Runway” they did paper dresses and if you go to their website…
you can click on the image ½ way down the page labeled “RATE THE RUNWAY” and see images of the finished dresses. You can also look at the sketches from that weeks dresses, if it comes up.
The students have 45min to sketch their ideas together or separately and combine them to make a final sketch. Some of my student teams do this separately and then combine what they think are their best ideas and others sketch as a team.
They save the sketch to be judged at the fashion show here at Prescott.
Part 2 – Math and Purchasing
I put out a bunch of materials with a post-it note price on them (buttons/feathers/beads are 10cents ea., full 12” X 18” sheets of construction paper are $1.00…) and the students must purchase all of the materials that go onto their dress. I have attached a sheet where the groups can keep track of their spending. The idea is to use math in the same way a designer would to construct their dress. Each group starts off with $10.00 and they must stay within the $10.00 budget. Students can purchase items all through the construction process.
They save the receipt to be judged at the fashion show here at Prescott. It’s judged on correct math and neatness.
Part 3 – Constructing the Dress
Now the students get to construct the dress. The dress must be 51% paper, no exceptions. Students will need to use science to decide how it will fit the model and what method to adhere materials onto the dress. Each dress must be made in 180min. which equals 4-45min. time slots. That’s how I figure it but others might want to divide the 180 up differently. Designers and artists almost always have a time crunch when they are in a show so this is again putting them into artists shoes.
Part 4 - Writing
The last part is to write about your dress by answering these questions;
Students put the answers to these questions into neatly written paragraph form. The paragraphs will be judged on writing quality, spelling, punctuation, and neatness. Students do as much of the writing as possible without help, they are being judged on the quality of their writing skills. Save the writing sample to be judged. This paragraph will also be read to the audience during the show. There will be a judge here to review the public speaking portion of the show as well.
There is really no time table for the writing part but I give my students one class period.