As part of a 3-year longitudinal study, 136 sixth-grade students completed an engineering-based problem on earthquakes involving integrated STEM learning. Students employed engineering design processes and STEM disciplinary knowledge to plan, sketch, then construct a building designed to withstand earthquake damage, taking into account a number of…

Described is an art activity in which sixth graders were asked to draw something that they hear. The children created aural pictures that were truly inventive personal interpretations. (RM)

Examines the use of drawing as a learning strategy for 5th- and 6th-grade students reading science text. Three experimental drawing conditions and a reading control tested the hypothesis that drawing is effective only when students are supported during the construction process. Results were generally consistent with the proposed hypotheses.…

This study was done to see if sixth grade students could improve their drawing abilities by looking at lines more abstractly--by drawing a picture viewing the original upside down and comparing it to the same student's drawing done viewing the original right side up. Pairs of works were scored on the basis of line quality, proportion, and likeness…

Discusses an art project in which sixth grade students design alphabets by transforming the shapes of the letters into new designs that are still recognizable. Explains that students brainstorm ideas for their own lettering style. (CMK)

Discusses an art project for fifth and sixth grade that was inspired by a Laurel Burch plate with a jungle motif. Explains that students choose a project name, make lists of images associated with their chosen name, and use those images in their round designs. (CMK)

Researchers have found a strong relationship between children's graphic imagery and the visual sources surrounding them. Children's imagination is not simply a personal, subjective mind state, but is strongly attached to visual and cultural traditions. Based on this concept, a study explored how children's imagination is related to their…

Many researchers have attempted to link children's drawings to intelligence. The Goodenough-Harris Draw-a-Man (DAM) and Draw-a-Woman (DAW) test has been accepted as an indicator of intelligence. This study, via examination of specific cases, explored the effect that instruction in drawing cartoons had on the DAM and DAW performance of 16…

Community is an essential aspect of the Schools for Thought program, an educational reform project designed to bring educational technology to many public school classrooms. The classroom community is enriched when experts from the surrounding community visit to share knowledge and expertise. Art experiences may help students engage more deeply in…

Describes two sixth-grade lessons on the work of M. C. Escher: (1) the first lesson instructs students on tessellations, or tiles that interlock in a repeated pattern; (2) the second lesson explores Escher's drawings of transitions from two- to three-dimensional space. (DSK)

Provides an activity where sixth-grade students replicated the Egyptian art form of tomb painting. Explains that the students researched information about Egyptian culture and history in order to familiarize themselves with Egyptian wall-painting style. Discusses the process of creating tomb paintings in detail. (CMK)