2nd Grade Art: Sculpture

Lessons taken from What Your Second Grader Needs to Know and the Core Knowledge Teacher Handbook
The Big Idea: Children’s appreciation of sculpture can be enhanced by exploring line, form, and mass.

Sculpture Vocabulary Domain Vocabulary:

Form: An element of design that is three-dimensional and encloses volume

Mass: The quantity of matter an object contains
Negative Space: The space defined by the positive elements (shapes in two-dimensional art, forms in three-dimensional art); sometimes
referred to as “empty space”
Patina: A green film resulting from oxidation that is typically found on copper or bronze
Sculpture: A three-dimensional work of art (that may be carved, modeled, or assembled)
Shape: A two-dimensional enclosed area

What Students Need to Learn:

Observe shape, mass, and line in sculpture, including The Discus Thrower, Flying Horse, The Thinker

At a Glance: The most important ideas for students are:

1. Sculptures have real and implied lines.
2. 3-D elements in sculpture are called forms.
3. Sculpture typically can be viewed 360 degrees.
4. Sculptures have mass.
5. Sculptures can suggest movement or motion.
6. More than one version of a sculpture can exist.
7. Sculptures reveal information about cultures in which they were made.

Thinking
# Method Objectives Higher Order Questioning Materials
Framework
Students will be introduced to Sculptures; Taking Q. Which has more mass? A Geometric Knowledge,
Form, Multiple Views, Mass in Sculpture, and mouse or a giraffe? forms, Patterns
Sculptural Motion and go on a hunt for geometric Cylinder: Modeling
forms. (see pages 254-255 in the CK Teacher’s Mass is the quality of matter Sphere,
Handbook) in an object. 2-D art is a very Disk, and
tiny mass. Compared to Cube
sculpture.
Lesson Ideas:
1. Learn about Taking Form, Multiple Views,
Mass in Sculpture, and Sculptural Motion.
(see pages 254-255 in the CK Teacher’s
Handbook.)
1. Be shown the different sculptures and materials
to make sculpture, wood, metal, and a cup of
water. (Ask about the water to make a sculpture.
It would have to be ice to sculpt. Review states
of matter)
2. Be introduced to geometric forms.
3. Go on a hunt looking to identify pieces of
sculpture and for geometric forms that can be
found in sculpture cylinder: (cans, paper towel
rolls, trash can), sphere (ball’s apple’s marbles,
oranges, Disk (wall clock, pancake), Cube,
sugar cube, and box of tissues).
Demonstration Students will be introduced to sculptures; The Q. What are some geometric Art Knowledge,
Class Discus Thrower, Flying Horse, The Thinker. forms that can be found in reproductio Patterns
Discussion, the classroom? n of; The Modeling
Activity Intro: You can walk around a sculpture or statue. It’s Discus Creativity
not flat like a picture. Things like tables and chairs, A. cylinders: (cans, paper Thrower,
that aren’t’ flat, are said to have mass. Your body has towel rolls, trash can), Flying
mass and so does sculpture. Sculptures are made of spheres (ball’s apple’s Horse, The
stone, wood, or metal. marbles, oranges, Disks Thinker.
(wall clock, pancake), Cubes
Lesson Ideas: sugar cube, and box of
1. Be introduced to The Discus Thrower, Flying tissues).
Horse, and The Thinker.
2. Look at a real 3-D sculpture and photo (2-D
representation) of the sculpture and discuss the
differences between 2-D and 3-D.
3. Will create a number line or look at Timeline
Staircase poster to gain a sense of when the
sculptures were made in their historical context.
4. Do the Looking at Sculpture instructional
master.
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Rodin’s The Thinker Q. What do you think this
Class and learn about the sculpting process. man is doing in this
Discussion, Sculpture?
Activity Rodin modeled this sculpture in clay first then cast it in
bronze. Several copies have been made of it. Some Q. Is this a comfortable
small and some twice as big as a man. pose?
A. No, you have to strain
Lesson Ideas: your muscles to hold this
1. Will be introduced to Rodin’s The Thinker and position. The strained pose,
Q’s. powerful muscles, and stern
2. Focus on real or implied lines in the sculpture. expression all show that
3. Try to sit like The Thinker with your right thinking can be hard work!
elbow resting on your left knee.
4. Invite a local sculptor who carves wood, etc. to
show and discuss his/her work with the class.
5. Show or discuss the processes of making
different kinds of sculptures.

Demonstration Students will be introduced to The Discus Thrower Q. Are there any details that Art Knowledge
Class and make line sketches of Olympic athletes in suggest this sculpture comes reproductio Modeling
Discussion, action. from Ancient Greece? n of the Patterns
Activity (Cross Curriculum Link with classroom study of Discus Creativity
Ancient Greece.) Q. Can you feel that your Thrower
body has to work hard to
Lesson Ideas: throw a discus?
1. Put a piece of tracing paper on the Discus
Thrower. Draw a straight line form the hand
holding the discus to the chin. Draw another
from the chin to the hip. Now draw a straight
line from the hip to the knee. And knee to the
heel that sticks up.
2. Lift the tracing paper and what kind of line do
you see? A zigzag line.
Even though a statue does not move, the zigzag line
helps show energy and action.
A discuss is like a heavy Frisbee.
 3. Will take the pose of the Discus Thrower. Pick
up a book in one hand and try to stand like the
Discus Thrower. Bend knees, move arms and
look over shoulder. Or go outside and let
students throw a Frisbee. Can you feel that your
body has to work hard to throw a discus?
4. Find images from sports magazines of figures
involved in the same sports as those of the
original Olympics; wrestling, boxing, racing,
jumping, javelin throwing, discus throwing, etc.
5. Make quick line sketches of the athletes in
action, trying to catch the action of the figure in
each sport. (These will later be translated into
pipe cleaner figure sculptures.)
6. Closely observe lines in the pictures.

Demonstration Students will make action figures inspired by The Q. What does your body look Art Knowledge
Class Discus Thrower and the athlete sketches. like when you are throwing a reproductio Modeling
Discussion, ball? n of the Patterns
Activity Lesson Ideas: Discus Creativity
1. Use the line drawings of the Olympic athletic Thrower,
images to make pipe cleaner or foil figures to Pipe
make an action pose. cleaners,
2. Discuss the bending of the torso, knees and beads for
elbows to show movement and action. heads or foil

Demonstration Students will be introduced to the Flying Horse. Q. Even though it is made Art Knowledge
Class (Cross Curriculum Link with classroom study of with heavy bronze, it seems reproductio Modeling
Discussion, Ancient China.) light. Why? Look at the legs, n Patterns
Activity see how thin they are? Creativity
This sculpture was found in a tomb in China. It’s about
2,000 years old. Even though it is made with heavy Q. How many legs are in the
bronze, it seems light. air? All the weight of the
horse is perfectly balanced
Lesson Ideas: on one hoof. It makes it
1. Read the poem from 8th Century poet Tu Fu. seem as if its floating, even
 “The Ferghana horse is gamed among nomad flying.
breeds.
Lean in , like a point of a lance;
Two ears sharp like bamboo spikes; Four hoofs
light as though born of the wind.
Heading across the endless spaces,
Truly, you may trust him with your life.
2. Describe why either the literary form or the
visual form best captures the spirit of these
legendary horses.
3. Use specific references to support their
opinions.
4. Use clay to make a standing 4 legged animal.

www..silk-road.com has article about the Ferghana

horses under Wu-Ti
Demonstration Students will explore making sculptures with a
Class variety of materials; paper, clay, or Styrofoam and
Discussion, pipe cleaners.
Activity
Options for students:
PAPER SCUPTURE– Paper bird sculptures. Demo
using strips of colored construction paper. Glue ends
together in a tear drop shape to make bird body, smaller
cylinder shapes to make a head, etc.

CLAY SCULPTURES – Demo and have students

practice making basic geometric forms of spheres,
cylinders, tear drop shapes, rolling snakes, etc.
Students can make different animals like lizards, bears,
etc.

STYROFOAM and PIPE CLEANERS – Link with

Insect study. Use the Styrofoam as a bug body and add
legs, wings, eyes, etc.
 Also make time to have open ended experimenting so
student can do some creative problem solving.

Alexander Calder Circus – Show Calder’s kinetic

circus made out of wire and wood to inspire students to
create own kinetic scupltures to maybe add to a
classroom circus.

Demonstration Question the students should be able to answer at

Class the end of this section:
Discussion,
Activity 1. What are two types of lines can you find in
sculpture?
A. The two types of lines found in sculpture are
real and implied.
2. Which has more mass, an 8’ x 8’ drawing or an
8’ x 8’ x 8’ sculpture?
A. The sculpture has more mass.
3. Do all sculptures appear stationary or still?
A. Only mobiles actually move, but many
sculptures suggest motion.