We always start this project by checking out a few of Rube Goldberg's hilarious machine cartoons. My students always get a big kick out of his work and it gets them thinking about the possibilities for their own projects.
Next, we talk about the six different simple machines and take a look at examples of each. Finally, we look at a few videos of Rube Goldberg style machines that people have actually built and put on YouTube. My favorite is a music video by OK GO. My students go nuts over this video.
Finally, it's time to actually do some artwork. It takes a couple of weeks to brainstorm and get sketches finalized. It sounds like a lot of time, but it really does take that amount of time to do a couple drafts in order to ensure that the machines make sense. Final art is done on a 12"x18" white paper. I trace each student's silhouette during the sketching phase so it is ready to go when they begin their final. All of the machine parts are made with scrap construction paper. Huzzah for science and art!
Check out the full lesson plan here.
Click here for access to the presentation I use to begin this project.
(Download the presentation from Google Drive to use it. It will download as a Quicktime file that can be used on both Mac and PC. You will be able to navigate through using the arrow keys on the keyboard.)
10 comments:
Love this lesson, I'm going to adapt it and change it a bit for my 1st graders who are learning about simple machines right now.
Do you know about "Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game"? Would tie in perfectly with your Rube Goldberg project. http://RubeWorks.com
David, I didn't know about that game until you mentioned it. I'll have to download it. It reminds me a lot of an old DOS game called "The Incredible Machine." I grew up playing that particular game.
I just found your blog and love it! I'm a 1st year art teacher. How do you trace silhouettes? Thanks for any direction you can give!
Sarah, Thanks for the compliment about the blog. I'm glad it can be useful for you. In order to trace the silhouettes, I turn on my digital projector and project a blank white slide. I then have the students stand right in front of the white board in the front of my room. Their heads cast a shadow and I simply trace the shadow onto a 12x18 piece of paper. It takes 5-10 seconds per student. If you don't have a digital projector, you could always use an old overhead projector or even a lamp.
Mr Stoller - fantastic work! I love your ideas, and must admit that I also used Rube as inspiration for one of my hypothetical lessons plans (haven't gotten into the classroom yet except for student teaching). Great minds think alike! This book was huge in sculpting my philosophy in the art room, you should absolutely pick it up!
http://www.amazon.de/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0618127453
Mr. Stoller - awesome blog, thank you! I'm going to suggest that you check this book out, if you haven't already. It seems to be right up your alley!
http://www.amazon.de/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0618127453
I absolutely love this post! This year I have to incorporate Science with my art lessons, and this project will be perfect!
I came across this today and think this is a great way for integration. I'm just curious about the rubric. Did you assess it through the arts? And if so, what do you assess? I am thinking of doing this with 2nd graders and make one rubric that assess both science and arts.
Thanks for sharing
Valerie,
I'm glad you were inspired by the lesson. As a visual arts teacher, I do assess through art. I attempt to simplify my assessment based on the fact that I have hundreds of students. For this project, I assess whether or not the student demonstrates grade level competency in basic art skills as well as craftsmanship. I also assess students' writing about their own work from an art point of view. Are they looking critically at their work and noticing things they do well and also things they can improve upon in upcoming lessons, etc. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help!
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