6th Grade
6th Grade Rocks
Throughout history, people from all cultures have created monuments and memorials to commemorate significant achievements, notable people, important events, or even just to denote a presence ("I was here").
The slide show below features well-known art historical monuments. Some, such as the ancient cave paintings, are more mysterious in purpose, but do suggest some sort of marker or evidence of presence. The students should be more familiar with American landmarks like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, created to help us remember important leaders of the United States. The grand Roman triumphal arch was used to commemorate ancient leaders in Rome, whether political rulers or victorious generals in battle (or both). On a smaller scale, but still impressive, Native American totem poles celebrate cultural beliefs or tribal legends, and serve as artistic monuments to their people.
One powerful Chinese emperor had a whole terracotta army created to be buried with him after his death to protect him for eternity. The large accumulation of clay soldiers makes a very impressive statement! A more modern memorial in Washington DC honors the soldiers who fought in the 1960's during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Memorial is more abstract, with its highly polished black stone cutting through the earth, but the visual impact of all the soldiers' names carved into the surface of the stone is very powerful and moving. More modern still is the 9-11 Memorial in New York City, featuring two large reflecting pools that cascade deep into the ground, reminding visitors of the tragedy that occurred there.
The slide show below features well-known art historical monuments. Some, such as the ancient cave paintings, are more mysterious in purpose, but do suggest some sort of marker or evidence of presence. The students should be more familiar with American landmarks like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, created to help us remember important leaders of the United States. The grand Roman triumphal arch was used to commemorate ancient leaders in Rome, whether political rulers or victorious generals in battle (or both). On a smaller scale, but still impressive, Native American totem poles celebrate cultural beliefs or tribal legends, and serve as artistic monuments to their people.
One powerful Chinese emperor had a whole terracotta army created to be buried with him after his death to protect him for eternity. The large accumulation of clay soldiers makes a very impressive statement! A more modern memorial in Washington DC honors the soldiers who fought in the 1960's during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Memorial is more abstract, with its highly polished black stone cutting through the earth, but the visual impact of all the soldiers' names carved into the surface of the stone is very powerful and moving. More modern still is the 9-11 Memorial in New York City, featuring two large reflecting pools that cascade deep into the ground, reminding visitors of the tragedy that occurred there.
All these monuments and memorials serve to remind the people that visit them of the people, events and cultures that created them. It seems to be a common impulse for humans to leave a mark of their lives behind them. Today the 6th grade students, the highest grade in our elementary school, will create a painted rock to go into our "6th Grade Rocks garden," commemorating the amazing students that have attended this school and contributed to the growth and achievement that occurs during the elementary school years. In a small way, we will be following in the footsteps of generations of others who want to leave their mark in an artistic way...
The Project
NOTE: This is a good project to do mid-year, perhaps in January or February, so the kids feel fully 6th graders, but still have time to enjoy seeing their own rocks in place in the garden.
Lesson:
Discuss various monuments, markers, and memorials from history. Ask the students why people want to be remembered. What are the best ways to remember things? (Pictures, stories, yearbooks, monuments, etc.) You could note a difference between smaller, more private memorials (do any of the students visit graves of relatives?) and the larger monuments and memorials discussed above. Does a rock garden seem just about the right scale for an elementary school?
1. Have each student choose two rocks. One rock will go into the school's rock garden, and one they can take home.
2. Have the students use a sharpie to write their initials and school year on the back side of the rock.
3. Fill paint palettes with a variety of paint colors for the students to share. They can use the paints and brushes to create any appropriate design on their rocks that they choose (please emphasize APPROPRIATE). The bottom side (where they wrote their initials) will not be painted.
3. Collect the rocks in a box to dry.
4. After the rocks have dried, a parent helper will spray a protective coating on the rocks.
5. Placement in the rock garden TBD.
Discuss various monuments, markers, and memorials from history. Ask the students why people want to be remembered. What are the best ways to remember things? (Pictures, stories, yearbooks, monuments, etc.) You could note a difference between smaller, more private memorials (do any of the students visit graves of relatives?) and the larger monuments and memorials discussed above. Does a rock garden seem just about the right scale for an elementary school?
1. Have each student choose two rocks. One rock will go into the school's rock garden, and one they can take home.
2. Have the students use a sharpie to write their initials and school year on the back side of the rock.
3. Fill paint palettes with a variety of paint colors for the students to share. They can use the paints and brushes to create any appropriate design on their rocks that they choose (please emphasize APPROPRIATE). The bottom side (where they wrote their initials) will not be painted.
3. Collect the rocks in a box to dry.
4. After the rocks have dried, a parent helper will spray a protective coating on the rocks.
5. Placement in the rock garden TBD.