7th Grade Inspirational Word Sculptures

The Block letter Project has been a part of the Expressions curriculum for 14 years now and I think I am finally satisfied with it. In the past the project was always an individual project with a specific theme assigned. Themes of the past ranged from literature, poetry to free choice. And because the construction process is so time consuming a portion of the designing had to happen at home for the sake of materials and time. This year my goal was to modify the project so that the entire process could be finished in class. In order to do that I needed to simplify the requirements so that I could ensure that I could provide all of the required materials. That's when I realized that the focus of the project needed to change from an individual design to a more group themed project that focused on a message.

Enter Robert Indiana's Pop Art Sculpture LOVE. Why I had never thought of having the students collaborate on a word is beyond me, but since I shifted the block letter project to combine with the 8th grade Pop Art Unit transitioning from a letter to a word in this style was the obvious choice!

I totally expected students to push back on the word idea since a majority of students have older siblings that had completed this project using their initial. Honestly, I was blown away at their immediate by-in at the thought of inspiring others through a positive message. All I did was show them this slideshow and they were pretty much hooked!

I cannot say enough about how much MORE meaningful this block letter project has become by focusing less on individual design and focusing more on a collaborative, inspiring message. Check out how these look displayed in the exhibit! :)