Print this chapterPrint this chapter

Create To Communicate

UNIT III: SCULPTURE

A sculpture is a three-dimensional work of art. Sculptures can be created from a variety of different materials. They can be big, small, abstract, or representational. Sculpture provides students with a great tactile alternative to drawing or painting. Kinesthetic learners particularly benefit from the process of working with their hands. Similar to all art media, sculpture can help students make associations and deepen connections between any topic and the target language, English. In addition, sculptures students create in the language classroom can be used as a platform for conversation, description, comparison, and meaningful language use.
Tips for Sculpture
  • Materials
    Traditionally, sculptures have been made from materials such as clay, stone, and wood. However, the activities in this book utilize recycled materials such as paper, cardboard, or plastic. Look for and collect old magazines, recycled cardboard, and recycled plastic bottles and containers to use for the sculpture activities. *NOTE: Make sure plastic containers used in the activities are rinsed with water and clean. Do not use plastic containers that once held dangerous or harmful substances.
  • Using glue and tape
    Glue and tape are common materials used to construct sculptures. For more information about using glue with students, refer to the “Using Glue” tip in Unit II: Collage. In addition to glue, many different types of tape can be used to construct sculptures: duct tape, masking tape, electrical tape, or office tape. Stronger tapes, such as duct tape or electrical tape, can be used for plastic or cardboard. Office tape or other thin tapes can be used for paper.
  • Making sculpting dough
    Sculpting dough is a fun and versatile material that can be used to create numerous forms. Similar to clay, most sculpting dough is elastic and can be stretched, rolled, pulled, and molded into different shapes. Sculpting dough can be purchased in stores or made from simple recipes at home or in the classroom. Recipes for making sculpting dough are included in Appendix C.
Sculpture Materials
This is a list of all the materials you and your students can use to create sculptures. Each lesson plan in this chapter will have a list of the specific materials you’ll need to complete that particular project with suggestions for variations in case you have different resources on hand.
Required
  • Adhesive: glue or tape
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Recycled cardboard
Optional
  • Brushes for glue and paint
  • Crayons
  • Glue: paste, white glue or glue sticks
  • Magazines
  • Markers
  • Materials from nature: rocks, grass, straw, twigs, sand, small rocks, flowers, leaves, seeds, snow, ice
  • Paper: cardstock, cellophane, colored paper, construction paper, poster board, recycled papers
  • Recycled plastic: plastic soda, juice or water bottles, used laundry detergent containers, any other recycled plastic containers
  • Scissors
  • String or yarn
  • Tempera paint

SCULPTURE ACTIVITIES