Third Grade: String Texture Rubbing Plates

Posted by: TeachingArtontheCheap on: January 19, 2010

• In: Lesson Plans | Math related | Second/Third Grade
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Measure out the textured fibers.

Pinching the end, dip into the gluey starchy mixture and submerge.

Place onto your cardstock backing. Make a cool design!

Repeat until you use all your string and yarn.

Let it dry over night.

Make a rubbing of your textured design.

Creative Reuse Lesson Plan                  Third Grade: Measurement

Written by Keri Piehl for SCRAP /Whitman ES 2009-10

String Texture Rubbing Plates (Linear measurement)

Cost per student: $.05 (that includes items that you would only use a small portion of for this lesson)

Materials: cardstock ( I have cards from someone’s art gallery opening, you know, that look like a postcard and have the gallery info on the back…), string and yarn with various textures (mine came from a free pile I was directed to on Craigslist), white glue, water, liquid starch, plastic containers from the recycle bin (like clamshells from the bakery), newspapers to protect the tables, rulers, scissors, sharpies, clean wet rags

Prep: mix up the glue/starch/water liquid. It’s not an exact science; I find 2 parts white glue to 1 part liquid starch, 1 part water makes a good stiffener.

Students will create texture rubbing plates using stiffened string laid out in a design.

Elements of art: line, texture

Vocabulary: rubbing plate, real, illusion

1. Review the concepts of real and illusory texture (see the lesson from the elements of art unit). Explain that students will be making a texture rubbing plate to use with their rainbow crayons.

2. Get out the various balls of yarn and string, rulers, and scissors. Review linear measurement in inches. I am going to have students cut 5 pieces of yarn/string: 2”, 4”, 6”, 8” and 10”. Adjust the units and length of measurements as necessary, or just have the kids cut what is needed if you are not focusing on measurement as a concept.

3. Have them put their names on the cardstock with permanent markers.

In the shallow plastic containers filled with stiffener, show the kids how to submerge a piece of string while still holding it at one end, then drawing it out of the tub and “squeegeeing”  by running your forefinger and thumb pinched along it so much of the liquid goes back in the container. Lay the string on the cardstock in whatever pattern or design looks good to them.

4. Continue to dip, squeegee and position the string on the cardstock until they’ve used all the pieces. Put aside and allow them to dry. Wipe hands off on the clean wet clothes.

5. During the next art lesson, I will set aside time for the kids to use their rainbow crayons in conjunction with the rubbing plates; I’ll bring plenty of white 1 side used copy paper so they can have a ball trying out all sorts of combinations. They can take the crayon and plate home to show their families how they made their own art tools.

Tags: Lesson, line, texture