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Mrs. Durkee’s Classroom Edit display name

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How do you teach sculpture virtually?! That is my challenge during this pandemic. I have extremely bright students from all over the city with varying resources. Most of my students are entitled to state funded school lunch, so purchasing materials is not an option. In the spring I was able to successfully get many of my students to make very creative stop motion videos, mostly with homemade clay or Play-doh that students purchased themselves. But they all complained about the quality of the clay for the challenge, as it was not up to the demands of longer term exposure to air and manipulation. Oil based modeling clay is superior to homemade clay or store bought Play-doh and can be reused again and again. Since we are in an unforeseeable virtual reality with school, I will need to creatively access and acquire supplies that can be realistically used, stored, and reused. The digital software that students will be using for their stop motion videos is a challenge that most of my students enjoy and find relevant in their digital literacy. However, oil based clay can be used to learn how to sculpt facial features and anatomy as well so I can use it for many different units of study for sculpture. Stop motion can be extremely simple or very complex, and requires my students to think in a linear story telling fashion, in 2-D with story boarding, in 3-D with sculpting, and now 4-D with videography. This project can be as expressive or as abstract as one wishes, and can even address relevant topics about inclusivity, racial awareness, social health, and more. One of my best videos from last year illustrated a group of varying looking creatures working together as a team, regardless of their differences.

About my class

How do you teach sculpture virtually?! That is my challenge during this pandemic. I have extremely bright students from all over the city with varying resources. Most of my students are entitled to state funded school lunch, so purchasing materials is not an option. In the spring I was able to successfully get many of my students to make very creative stop motion videos, mostly with homemade clay or Play-doh that students purchased themselves. But they all complained about the quality of the clay for the challenge, as it was not up to the demands of longer term exposure to air and manipulation. Oil based modeling clay is superior to homemade clay or store bought Play-doh and can be reused again and again. Since we are in an unforeseeable virtual reality with school, I will need to creatively access and acquire supplies that can be realistically used, stored, and reused. The digital software that students will be using for their stop motion videos is a challenge that most of my students enjoy and find relevant in their digital literacy. However, oil based clay can be used to learn how to sculpt facial features and anatomy as well so I can use it for many different units of study for sculpture. Stop motion can be extremely simple or very complex, and requires my students to think in a linear story telling fashion, in 2-D with story boarding, in 3-D with sculpting, and now 4-D with videography. This project can be as expressive or as abstract as one wishes, and can even address relevant topics about inclusivity, racial awareness, social health, and more. One of my best videos from last year illustrated a group of varying looking creatures working together as a team, regardless of their differences.

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