Activities by Grade Level
Middle School

Giant Steps
Where in the World?

Giant Steps
Visual Arts : Standard 6, Students will make connections amongst the visual arts and other disciplines and daily life.

It takes a series of both small and large steps as well as the time and input of many people to build a monument. The sculptor or artist is usually just one person in a team of people involved in the process.

Have your students talk about the building of the sculpture Diana by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The sculpture was first conceived as a finial for architect Stanford White’s Madison Square Garden Tower in New York City. Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, was Saint Gaudens inspiration and he insisted on working on the sculpture from a live model. Saint-Gaudens work reflects the importance of collaboration between architects and sculptors. He also worked very closely with the foundries that cast his sculptures, especially on the patinas.

If your students were commissioned to create and build a monument for their school, how would they begin? How would they choose their subject or theme? Would they work individually or as a team? What role would each of them play on the team? What steps would have to come first? Why? Have your students agree on a fictional theme or subject, create drawings and designs, (2D and/or 3D) and record the jobs and steps needed to create their monument.

Where in the World?
New Hampshire History Topic: Self-Expression

Lotte Jacobi lived, worked and traveled to many fascinating destinations. Below is a list of some of these places.

A. Provide students with a map of the world and have them find each of these places. Then, have the students determine whether Jacobi lived, worked or visited this location and what influence it had on her work.

B. Lotte Jacobi’s long life spanned almost one hundred years and the world changed significantly during her lifetime. Have your students create a time-line of Lotte Jacobi’s life (1896-1990) and note significant world in the locations listed during this time period.

1. Berlin, Germany
2. Moscow, the former Soviet Union
3. Tajikistan
4. Uzbekistan
5. New York, New York
6. London, England
7. Grenada (Caribbean Island)
8. Peru

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