art in science

at

Old Dominion University

Dr. Martina Doblin

Dr. B. Stephen Carpenter II Dept. of Art Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

Exploration

Explanation

Elaboration

Evaluation

Art in Science Curriculum & Unit Tasks

• This curriculum is designed to target grades K-12 with the hope that students will be exposed to these activities on multiple occasions with successively increased expectations throughout their education. Time limits for activities will need to be modified by you to best fit the needs of your students. You will need to modify your expectations for each activity in terms of conceptual development and vocabulary acquisition consistent with the science SOLs designated for your students’ particular grade level.

Curriculum Developed by Dr. B. Stephen Carpenter II and Dr. Wendy Frazier. Please credit any citations of this material to them.

SoL Information

The Note Cards

1. What ARE these? #1

• What are these? What purpose do they serve? Describe them.

• What do you see? What does it mean or do? How do you know?

B. What ARE these?? #2

• In groups of 3-4, students examine the microphotographs and answer the question: WHAT is this?? At first, students will most likely try to identify what is pictured, but encourage students to move beyond naming organisms to exploring the purpose of these pieces of paper placed before them. Useful questions might include: What is this? Why do these photos exist? What purpose do these photos serve? Do you like them?

• Where have you seen shapes, colors, or images like these before? Why do you think someone created these images? Do these look as if humans made them? Do they appear to be natural objects?

A. Continuum Activity – Part One

• Students use the microphotographic images of organisms found both in the ocean and the seashore to create a series of continua. A continuum is created by moving classroom tables together to form longer tables. At either end of the table a single word is placed. Typically, these words are opposites.

• Continua examples are:

• The closer to one end an image is placed indicates the degree to which that image shares the attributes of that word. The closer to the center of the continuum, the more neutral that word is in relationship to both words.

• Students must debate reasons for placing images in certain locations on the continuum.

• How would a scientist arrange these objects on a table? How would an artist arrange these objects on a table? (Move this section to where it makes sense).

• Please note that at this time students are NOT told that these are photographs of living organisms and are artwork, but students should be encouraged to make predictions about the identity of the organisms pictured as well as the purpose of the photographs.

A. Continuum Activity – Part Two

• Now that the students have had an opportunity to explore the materials available, students are told that materials are photomicrographs of microscopic organisms found in the ocean and on the seashore. It is also explained that research scientists in the Department of Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Old Dominion University, Dr. Lisa Drake and Dr. Martina Doblin, photographed these organisms, and colorized the images to produce contrast. Contrast is a device used by photographers, artists, and scientists in order to determine what is being viewed in an image. Because the images have been colorized and no longer represent the natural colors of the organisms and their environments, they are no longer meant to be representations of organisms but are instead viewed as photographs -- as works of art.

• Following this explanation, students are asked to re-examine their continua and develop new continua utilizing this information. Also, students would now build a continuum from land-like to ocean-like.

• As an extension of this assignment, biology students can write position papers that defend their arrangement of photographs along their designed continuum.

B. Categorization Activity – Part One

• In groups of 2-4, students view the selection of microphotographic images of marine organisms.

• Next, the students are asked to categorize and group the images. The reasons for grouping images will be determined by the students. For example, students could group images by color; by whether they think certain images depict plants or animals; or by other factors.

• After each group has created and recorded their groupings, they will share their decisions with the rest of the class.

• As an extension to this assignment, the teacher can provide each group with additional images similar to the ones that have already been placed into groups. Students must now determine into which groups/categories these images should be placed and do so using well-formulated explanations. The teacher should make sure that students support their answers with responses that begin with phrases like "…because…" and "…for example…"

C. Categorization Activity – Part two

• Students now explore ways that scientists classify organisms utilizing resources available. At this time, students have two questions in mind: "HOW do scientists classify living organisms?" and "WHAT are their decisions based on?"

• Using the new information they find, students categorize the microphotographs provided. For example, now that the students know that these indeed are photos of living organisms students could begin by using the three basic categories - plant, animal, fungus - and then build their arguments from their decisions.

• As an extension to this assignment, biology students can develop a dichotomous key to classify a set of given images. Students then would have the opportunity to test their dichotomous key with new images provided. Dichotomous keys would be designed to identify organisms in terms of Kingdom through species.

• A resource that would be useful to help students observe how scientists classify organisms would be the Audubon Guide to Atlantic Seashores. This text categorizes organisms commonly found on the beach into different groups based on morphology, size, and color. This would serve as a working guide of what students will be doing in this activity.

• How would artists classify these same organisms? Would they classify organisms at all? Would they use form, color, texture? Would the groups be different?

A. Viewing and Recording – Part 1

• In pairs, students use microscopes or hand lenses in the classroom to view microscopic organisms in water/slurry collected from local ponds, rivers, oceans, and other bodies of water. While viewing the organisms, students record what they see through drawings in their sketchbooks. As students draw, they should also record notes that indicate colors, textures, or other visual qualities of the organisms. Students should also be encouraged to record notes regarding behavior and location of the organism.

• Record observations about the behavior that they are observing of the organisms.

• Later, the drawings should be enhanced with colored pencils or with watercolors.

B. Viewing and Recording – Part 2

• As an extension to the other viewing and recording task, students could collect samples and make hypotheses about what will happen to their samples over time based on their knowledge from previous tasks. Students would view and record samples over a period of time and record changes to the samples. As a further extension, students could take samples at pre-selected locations within their water/slurry sample and make hypothesis and gather data about changes that would occur at each of their pre-selected locations within their water/slurry sample. For example, samples could be taken from the middle of the sample at a depth of 3 cm, towards the left edge of the sample container at a depth of 3 cm, in the middle of the sample at a depth of 10 cm, in the middle of the sample at the surface of the sludge found at the bottom of the sample, and in the middle of the sample at a depth of 1 cm into the sludge found at the bottom of the sample.

• A good resource for identifying organisms found in water/slurry samples is

• This task could be extended to incorporate concepts such as variation, adaptation, natural selection, species succession, niche, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, consumer, producer, and food web to name a few.

• How would artist approach this? Clay slaking down over time and being reclaimed. Creating porcelain and clay bodies that develop bacteria. Clay body changing properties over time and with interactions with the environment.

C. Viewing and Recording – Part 3

• In the preceding "viewing and recording" tasks, students could act as both scientists and artists. As scientists, students would make hypotheses, collect data, and report the findings.

• As artists, students would learn about the work of Buster Simpson and his approach to creating art that depends on the reactions of bacteria, oxidation, and microscopic organisms found in waterways near factories and industrial plants, on the surfaces of ceramic plates.

• Students would also be introduced to the work of local ecological artist, Rosa Doughty, via the website http://www.rainfulart.20m.com. This site explains her past and on-going projects in the Norfolk area. Her most recent project in the Norfolk area is detailed on her website. This site describes a performance art piece where water and slurry samples were taken from Elizabeth River, Lafayette River, Northern Branch, Crab Creek, and Wayne Creek. At each of these sites the water and slurry samples were allowed to ceremoniously evaporate, and tiles made of earth, water, and/or trees were left at each site. Individuals were encouraged to participate in the performance by emailing her about the tiles and to utilize the opportunity to complete the performance by responding to the condition of the world. Rosa Doughty has offered to visit classrooms and serve as an email pen pal with any classrooms/students/teachers interested in her work. Her email address is rainfulart@netscape.net

• Electronic communication, chat rooms, dialogues with other artists, scientists, and students within the project and around the world. Include Martina Doblin and Lisa Drake among the experts with whom students can communicate.

D. Debate

• Students will debate whether a scientist who takes microphotographic images of marine organisms, colorizes them, prints them, and then displays them on the wall is an artist, a scientist, a combination of the two, or neither. Divided into four small groups, each group is given one of the platforms on which to make an argument. The students have 20 minutes to formulate their arguments, record their reasons, and rehearse their arguments.

• A formal debate is arranged among the four groups, each taking a different corner of the room but facing the center of the room and each other. One at a time, a spokesperson from each group provides one statement lasting no longer than one minute in which he/she attempts to argue the perspective of the group.

• Upon completion of the debate (once all students have had an opportunity to argue at least one point), the entire class will discuss the arguments and attempt to reach a consensus or understanding of the complexities of the arguments and the situation.

• At the conclusion of the debate, each student should formulate his or her own position statement. Student position statements should be no longer than a paragraph (3 to 6 sentences) and should make clear which of the four possible responses to the question "Is a scientist who takes microphotographic images of marine organisms, colorizes them, prints them and then displays them on the wall an artist, a scientist, a combination of the two, or neither?

A. Visual Display of Data

• Students would create graphic diagrams to present the findings of their observations. Examples of such graphic diagrams would include bar graphs to show the populations of different species within their samples, concept maps to illustrate their understanding of the interactions existing within their samples, concept maps to illustrate their understanding of the scientific processes occurring within their samples, and histograms to illustrate class opinions before and after the debate outline in the previous activity. As an extension of this activity, students could discuss the appropriateness of one type of graphic representation over another and compare their conclusions to those of the "experts."

• Students would create works of art that take advantage of the chemical reactions or other changes that occur to materials that they learned during their scientific observations.

• Students would create digital images of samples collected from previous activities, download them on a computer, colorize or otherwise alter the visual representation of the images, and then print the images for exhibition purposes or publish them on the class website.

• Visual display of data and art for evaluative purposes would need to address all three essential questions

• Based on the previous activities, students would be responsible for responding to the following evaluative tasks.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr. Lisa Drake   ldrake@odu.edu

Dr. Martina Doblin:   mdoblin@odu.edu

Dr. Wendy Frazier:   wfrazier@gmu.edu

Dr. B. Stephen Carpenter II   bscarpenter@vcu.edu

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