Really Big Stuffed Pizza Slices

Elements of Art

Form: a three-dimensional object that has height, length, width, and depth.
Shape: a flat, two-dimensional (length, width) area enclosed by a line.

Principles of Design

Contrast: refers to the arrangement of opposite elements, or using very different qualities next to each other to create visual interest, excitement and drama. 
Scale:  the size of a whole object compared to another object. 

Additional Vocabulary

Craftsmanship: A way of working that includes following directions, demonstrates neatness and the proper use of tools.
Pop Art:  an art movement that emerged in the 1950s and flourished in the 1960s in America and Britain, drawing inspiration from sources in popular and commercial culture.
Sculpture: an artistic form in which materials are worked into three-dimensional objects.

Materials & Supplies

Context (History and/or Artists)

Pop-Art was an art movement whose subjects included many everyday products of the consumer lifestyle. Claes Oldenburg only used objects that had close human associations: bathtubs, typewriters, light switches, fans etc. He created visual excitement by combining objects that were completely out of scale in relationship to each other (too big or too small). These extreme contrasts and detachment from reality made his work stand out, like an optical illusion, meant to confuse and amuse viewers.

Tips & Tricks

• Students may forget to leave an opening, that’s ok.  Ask them what they think they should do. They can solve these problems so encourage them to do that.
• Students may leave too much space between the staples along the sides which may let out the stuffing.  That’s ok.  Ask them what they think they should do and let them solve it.  
• A hairdryer helps the paint to dry more quickly. Remind them to scrape the paintbrush and not to leave blobs of paint on the sculpture.

Discussion Points

• Show the following images (Claes Oldenburg – Typewriter Eraser – Seattle,  Magritte – The Listening Room , Annie Liebowitz – Wilt Chamberlin & Willie Shoemaker) as you ask the questions below: 

  
• Are these things ‘real’?  What isn’t real?  What is ‘out of scale’? It’s the relationship between the object and other objects in its environment that makes us question if they are real.  
• Our sculptures of pizza slices are going to be much larger than a real pizza slice. Our really big pizza slices will be out of scale.   Why? They’re bigger than a real one would be.

Reflection Point (Assessment of Learning Objectives)

Students will:

• Observe the concept of visual scale
• Create a pizza slice that is extra-large in scale.
• Use art vocabulary
• Use good craftsmanship

Instructions for Lesson

• Demonstrate:

a.) With a ruler, draw a line from one short side corner to the center of the other short side.  (Measure across and make a pencil dot at the center). Do this from both corners on one end.  The center triangle will be your pizza slice.

b.) Stack 2 pieces of paper and cut them together along the lines you drew. 

• Have students draw their lines and cut out their slices.  When most are finished have them all stop to watch you demonstrate the next step.
• Demonstrate:
  a.) Staple the edges of the stacked triangles. The closer together the staples, the less stuffing will stick out. Remind them that to stuff the “pizza”  they have to leave the end open to put the stuffing in. 
  
  b.) Wad up newsprint or paper towel pieces to stuff in the pizza. Don’t fill too full, press down to flatten and spread it gently.
  
  c.) Roll the crust edge and staple it closed.
• Have students proceed with making their pizza crust.
• Once most students have successfully stuffed and closed their pizza crusts stop them to demonstrate the next step.
• Demonstrate:

a.) Write your name on the edge of the crust.
b.) Paint the sauce onto the pizza.  A single coat is good.

• Once they paint the pizza, have them set it aside while they work on their toppings.  Their toppings should be in proportion to the slice of pizza they have created.  Take your time, as the paint will need to dry anyway.  
• Demonstrate cutting out “toppings” from the scrap construction paper.
• Students can continue working on their pizza. 
• Once the “sauce” is dry have them glue their toppings onto the pizza.

References and Attributions

Lesson created and written by Angela Bizzari at Grand Ridge Elementary.

Notes for Educators

21st Century Thinking Skills
Thinking flexibly, persisting, questioning, creating, innovating, listening with empathy, taking responsible risks, observing, making connections, visualizing, sequencing, predicting, comparing/contrasting, determining main idea, finding evidence, problem solving, cause and effect, determining point of view, decision making

WA State Learning Standards
(VA:Cr1.2.2) a. Make art or design with various materials and tools to explore personal interests, questions, and curiosity.
(VA:Cr2.1.2) a. Experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design.
(VA:Cr2.2.2) a. Demonstrate safe procedures for using and cleaning art tools, equipment, and studio spaces.
(VA:Re7.1.2) a. Perceive and describe aesthetic characteristics of one’s natural world and constructed environments.
(VA:Re9.1.2) a. Use learned art vocabulary to express preferences about artwork. 
(VA:Cn10.1.2) a. Create works of art about events in home, school, or community life. 
(VA:Cn11.1.2) a. Compare and contrast cultural uses of artwork from different times and places.

Arts Integration Opportunities
Look at maps to determine how scale enables us to read them accurately.
Math: simple ratio relationships.
Writing: find at least 3 different meanings for the word ‘scale’.

Please note:  These lesson plans are intended for non-profit use only. Use of these plans for commercial purposes should give attribution to the Issaquah Schools Foundation and be accompanied by a nominal donation at www.isfdn.org/donate. Thank you.

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