Space, or E&P with lots of Choice.

I kind of hate the Elements and Principles of art. However, after some reflection, I realized that I don't really hate the E&Ps - I hate the way they're normally taught. Lessons that are about one interperation or aspect of a specific element or principle never seem to translate into student understanding. So I decided to try and make something I liked that involved Space.

This unit consisted of short lessons where students were asked to explore space in a variety of ways - making 2D space look dimentional, using physical space to create artwork, flattening out 3D space and optical illusions were all covered. We spent a week on this, then students selected how they would explore Space futher in their final artwork. 

This unit turned out to be fun and expanding for my Art 1 students, plus it introduced them to a variety of media at the begining of the year. It turns out that E&P can be fun with student choice mixed in.