Laptop Journey Paragraph On the sides you will see a sun and a moon the moon side means dark and hard times.  The sun side means good and happy times.  On my lines there are little u shaped yellow lines those represent friends.  Yellow dots are symbols for friends or happiness.  The green is a symbol for the plant we had to take care of before we got our laptop.  Then all the purple lines and dots represent computers or laptops.  The person in the middle of the screen represents me.

Dots The dots represent that the journey has been odd. The spray paint represents that the journey has been rough. The straight lines represent that the journey has been very fast. The different colors represent that in the journey, there has been a lot of problems. The journey has been very fun!!!

Objectives: 

1. The learner will see some works of Aboriginal art.  Symbols will be discussed.
2. The learner will create a work symbolizing their own journey to their laptop using concepts of the Aboriginal art.  
3. The learner will write about their "journey" and will create a PowerPoint.

Materials:

Computer with ‘Paint’ program PowerPoint

Vocabulary:

Symbol, Pattern, Dreaming or Dreamtime

Instructional Resources:

Scholastic Art Magazine, Nov. 2001

Aboriginal Art: Past, Present and Future Posters

Animal Dreaming: an aboriginal dreamtime story  by Paul Morin

Instruction/Motivation:

Discuss artworks from Scholastic Magazine.  Include discussion on symbols used, interpretation of symbols.  Also discuss how time is portrayed in Dreaming Aboriginal Art (Not as a ‘timeline’ or by specifically dividing the paper into sections.)

Procedures:

Using  the Paint program in most computers, have students create picture using ‘energy’ dots (paintbrush or spray can icon) in various colors, creating or borrowing symbols as necessary to show growth from first time they used a computer to now, when a laptop is part of most of the classroom activities. Students may also use shape tools along with lines and flood fill.

Closure:

Have students also create a statement   approx. 4 sentences in length explaining their work.  Use Word Art  for title if desired.  Students email the statement and Laptop Journey Art to teacher to assemble in PowerPoint. 

Suggestion:

Students create a PowerPoint and email to teacher – save a step. Student will make a title page (include their name - I left name off deliberately) and experiment with background fill. Insert image on second slide and insert a text block with their writing on the third slide. Word Art may be used if desired (see second slide).

Evaluation:

How does Student show / create symbols?  Are all borrowed or are some created for Laptop Art?  How does student show time sequence?  What is unexpected about the artwork?  Has the student taken the time to carefully use many dots?

Note from Jan:
At my school, the kids are required to get Laptops in 4th grade (private school). They also study America - Native Americans, Colonial America, up to Civil War. So, I thought it would be cool to connect ancient art of Australia, with symbols to tell of beginnings, with cutting edge technology - Paint program in their new laptops.