THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES) 4-5

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

Learning Description

Using a twelve-bar blues form, students will create music expressing the blues (or “not the blue blues”) about selected subject content.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write lyrics about assigned content using a prescribed form.
  • I can play blues harmony.
  • I can combine music and language to express feelings and ideas.

Essential Questions

  • How can music express feelings and ideas?
  • How can music and language be combined to express feelings and ideas?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 4:

S4L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

 

Grade 5: S5P3 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about magnetism and its relationship to electricity.

Arts Standards

ESGM.PR.1 Sing a varied repertoire of music, alone and with others.

ESGM.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

ESGM.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

ESGM.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

ESGM.CN.2.c Describe and demonstrate performance etiquette and appropriate audience behavior.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 4:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function together in a system to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

 

Grade 5:

5-ESS3-1. Evaluate potential solutions to problems that individual communities face in protecting the Earth’s resources and environment.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 9: I can relate music to other arts disciplines, other subjects, and career paths.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Non-ELA vocabulary will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Beat - The pulse underlying music
  • Blues music - A genre that evolved from folk music of African Americans in the American South (work songs, field hollers, and spirituals) during the late 1800s
  • Body percussion - Using the body as an instrument; includes patting, clapping, stamping, and snapping
  • Chord - A combination of three or more pitches played at the same time
  • Chord progression - A sequence of chords
  • Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
  • Harmony - Two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
  • Key - The group of pitches (scale) around which a piece of music revolves
  • Measure - The space between two bar lines
  • Phrase - Musical sentence

 

Materials

  • Boomwhackers (or other pitched instruments)
  • Writing materials (e.g., pencil and paper)
  • Recording of blues music (see suggestions below)
  • Sound production resources (e.g., speaker and phone)

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Using found sound or body percussion, perform a rhythm (or steady beat) for eight beats. Have students echo. Label this rhythm A.
  • Using a different found sound or body percussion, perform a different rhythm for eight beats. Have students echo. Compare and contrast with A. Label this rhythm B.
  • Tell students they will be creating musical compositions using same and different patterns (A and B).

Work Session

  • Play a blues recording and ask students about the mood of the music. Lead them to understand that blues music is often about hardship. Suggested blues pieces are “The Thrill is Gone” (BB King), “One Shoe Blues” (BB King), and “Sweet Home Chicago” (Eric Clapton).
  • While many different blues forms exist, this lesson will focus on the twelve-bar blues.
  • The twelve-bar blues includes three phrases (lines), each with four measures and chords, thereby yielding twelve bars (measures). Twelve-bar blues uses three chords (I, IV, and V) in the following sequence:

I    I   I   I

IV IV I   I

V  IV I   I

  • Display visual of twelve-bar blues (this is one example of twelve-bar blues; other versions also exist). The numbers on the top indicate beats; the roman numerals on the bottom indicate chords.

 

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord    I               I                I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   IV              IV             I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   V               IV             I               I

 

  • Have students keep the steady beat using different body percussion for each chord.
    • For example, students pat the steady beat for the I chord, clap for the IV chord, and snap for the V chord.
  • Play the recording and have students perform body percussion to show the chord progression.
  • Display visual showing pitches in the I, IV, and V chords.

 

G       C        D

E        A        B

C        F        G

 

I         IV        V

 

  • Give each student a boomwhacker and practice playing each chord. Then, play the twelve-bar blues, playing four beats for each chord.
    • For example, students playing C, E, and G will play 16 beats in the first phrase (bar) since there are four I chords in the first phrase.
  • Have students listen to the recording to determine the form of the lyrics. (This may take repeated listening.) Lead students to understand the form as A A B (A = first four bars, A is repeated, B = last four bars).
  • Listen to the recording to determine the specific content of the lyrics in A and B phrases (bars). Lead students to understand that A presents a problem, followed by A that repeats the problem (sometimes with a slight variation), and B offers a comment on or twist to what has been presented. All bars end with rhyming words.
  • Divide students into groups and have them write lyrics for their twelve-bar blues. (If students choose, they may write a “not-so-blue blues”, a celebration rather than a commiseration!)
    • Since each phrase (bar) is 16 beats long, the lyrics should present the problem (A) and reflection (B) succinctly and include rhyming words at the end of each bar!
  • Lyrics content can be aligned with subject matter content. For example, groups could write blues (or not-so-blue blues) about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
  • Have groups share their blues (or not-so-blues) compositions (speaking or singing) while other students play the chord progression. Other students listen and assess the group’s adherence to the prescribed musical and lyrical form.
  • For example, were the lyrics in A A B form? Did A present the problem and B respond to it? Did each bar end with rhyming words? Was the chord progression a twelve-bar blues?

 

Closing Reflection

  • Question students about lesson content, including music and content area vocabulary and understanding.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Through observing and questioning, assess students’ understanding of the twelve-bar blues harmony and lyrics.
  • Through observing, assess students’ ability to play a steady beat using body percussion and boomwhackers.
  • Through observing, assess students’ understanding of academic content while writing lyrics.

Summative

  • Students write and share lyrics reflecting assigned content in prescribed form.
  • Students play the twelve-bar blues.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students explore a different blues form.
  • Students write additional blues lyrics using the same form.
  • Students play two boomwhackers.

 

Remedial:

  • For a student having difficulty playing a steady beat, another student with beat proficiency could gently tap the steady beat on the student’s shoulder.
  • For a student having difficulty playing the boomwhacker at the right time, track the chords on a visual, point to the student (or have another student point to the student) to cue playing the boomwhacker, or pair the student with another student playing the same boomwhacker pitch.

 

Additional Resources

Websites for information on blues:

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Maribeth Yoder-White

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

Back to Lessons

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES) 2-3

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

Learning Description

Using a twelve-bar blues form, students will create music expressing the blues (or “not the blue blues”) about selected subject content.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 2-3
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write lyrics about assigned content using a prescribed form.
  • I can play blues harmony.
  • I can combine music and language to express feelings and ideas.

Essential Questions

  • How can music express feelings and ideas?
  • How can music and language be combined to express feelings and ideas?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 2:

S2L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of different living organisms.

 

Grade 3:

S5L3.b Develop a model to identify and label parts of a plant cell (membrane, wall, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplasts) and of an animal cell (membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus).

Arts Standards

ESGM.PR.1 Sing a varied repertoire of music, alone and with others.

ESGM.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

ESGM.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

ESGM.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

ESGM.CN.2.c Describe and demonstrate performance etiquette and appropriate audience behavior.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Grade 2:

2-PS1-4. Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.

 

Grade 3:

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 9: I can relate music to other arts disciplines, other subjects, and career paths.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Non-ELA vocabulary will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Beat - The pulse underlying music
  • Blues music - A genre that evolved from folk music of African Americans in the American South (work songs, field hollers, and spirituals) during the late 1800s
  • Body percussion - Using the body as an instrument; includes patting, clapping, stamping, and snapping
  • Chord - A combination of three or more pitches played at the same time
  • Chord progression - A sequence of chords
  • Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
  • Harmony - Two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
  • Key - The group of pitches (scale) around which a piece of music revolves
  • Measure - The space between two bar lines
  • Phrase - Musical sentence

 

Materials

  • Boomwhackers (or other pitched instruments)
  • Writing materials (e.g., pencil and paper)
  • Recording of blues music (see suggestions below)
  • Sound production resources (e.g., speaker and phone)

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Using found sound or body percussion, perform a rhythm (or steady beat) for eight beats. Have students echo. Label this rhythm A.
  • Using a different found sound or body percussion, perform a different rhythm for eight beats. Have students echo. Compare and contrast with A. Label this rhythm B.
  • Tell students they will be creating musical compositions using same and different patterns (A and B).

Work Session

  • Play a blues recording and ask students about the mood of the music. Lead them to understand that blues music is often about hardship. Suggested blues pieces are “The Thrill is Gone” (BB King), “One Shoe Blues” (BB King), and “Sweet Home Chicago” (Eric Clapton).
  • While many different blues forms exist, this lesson will focus on the twelve-bar blues.
  • The twelve-bar blues includes three phrases (lines), each with four measures and chords, thereby yielding twelve bars (measures). Twelve-bar blues uses three chords (I, IV, and V) in the following sequence:

I    I   I   I

IV IV I   I

V  IV I   I

  • Display visual of twelve-bar blues (this is one example of twelve-bar blues; other versions also exist). The numbers on the top indicate beats; the roman numerals on the bottom indicate chords.

 

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord    I               I                I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   IV              IV             I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   V               IV             I               I

 

  • Have students keep the steady beat using different body percussion for each chord.
    • For example, students pat the steady beat for the I chord, clap for the IV chord, and snap for the V chord.
  • Play the recording and have students perform body percussion to show the chord progression.
  • Display visual showing pitches in the I, IV, and V chords.

 

G       C        D

E        A        B

C        F        G

 

I         IV        V

 

  • Give each student a boomwhacker and practice playing each chord. (For second grade students, play only the bottom pitch, the chord root.) Then, play the twelve-bar blues, playing four beats for each chord.
    • For example, students playing C, E, and G will play 16 beats in the first phrase (bar) since there are four I chords in the first phrase. (For second grade students, play only the C for the first 16 beats. If playing boomwhackers and changing chords is too challenging for young students, the teacher can play the chord roots on boomwhackers while students say the names of the chords or the chord roots using a steady beat.)
  • Have students listen to the recording to determine the form of the lyrics. (This may take repeated listening.) Lead students to understand the form as A A B (A = first four bars, A is repeated, B = last four bars).
  • Listen to the recording to determine the specific content of the lyrics in A and B phrases (bars). Lead students to understand that A presents a problem, followed by A that repeats the problem (sometimes with a slight variation), and B offers a comment on or twist to what has been presented. All bars end with rhyming words.
  • Divide students into groups and have them write lyrics for their twelve-bar blues. (If students choose, they may write a “not-so-blue blues”, a celebration rather than a commiseration!)
    • Since each phrase (bar) is 16 beats long, the lyrics should present the problem (A) and reflection (B) succinctly and include rhyming words at the end of each bar! (For second grade students, write the lyrics as a whole group.)
  • Lyrics content can be aligned with subject matter content. For example, groups could write blues (or not-so-blue blues) about the life cycles of different living organisms.
  • Have groups share their blues (or not-so-blues) compositions (speaking or singing) while other students play the chord progression. Other students listen and assess the group’s adherence to the prescribed musical and lyrical form.
    • For example, were the lyrics in A A B form? Did A present the problem and B respond to it? Did each bar end with rhyming words? Was the chord progression a twelve-bar blues?
    • (This step would be eliminated for second grade classes writing lyrics together.)

 

Closing Reflection

  • Question students about lesson content, including music and content area vocabulary and understanding.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Through observing and questioning, assess students’ understanding of the twelve-bar blues harmony and lyrics.
  • Through observing, assess students’ ability to play a steady beat using body percussion and boomwhackers.
  • Through observing, assess students’ understanding of academic content while writing lyrics.

Summative

  • Students write and share lyrics reflecting assigned content in prescribed form.
  • Students play the twelve-bar blues.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students explore a different blues form.
  • Students write additional blues lyrics using the same form.
  • Students play two boomwhackers.

 

Remedial:

  • For a student having difficulty playing a steady beat, another student with beat proficiency could gently tap the steady beat on the student’s shoulder.
  • For a student having difficulty playing the boomwhacker at the right time, track the chords on a visual, point to the student (or have another student point to the student) to cue playing the boomwhacker, or pair the student with another student playing the same boomwhacker pitch.

 

Additional Resources

Websites for information on blues:

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Maribeth Yoder-White

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

Back to Lessons

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES) K-1

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

THE BLUES (OR NOT-SO-BLUE BLUES)

Learning Description

Using a twelve-bar blues form, students will create music expressing the blues (or “not the blue blues”) about selected subject content.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: MUSIC & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write lyrics about assigned content using a prescribed form.
  • I can play blues harmony.
  • I can combine music and language to express feelings and ideas.

Essential Questions

  • How can music express feelings and ideas?
  • How can music and language be combined to express feelings and ideas?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Kindergarten:

SKP1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to describe objects in terms of the materials they are made of and their physical attributes.

 

Grade 1:

S5E1.a Construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features (examples could include deltas, sand dunes, mountains, volcanoes) as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes (examples could include deposition, weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms).

Arts Standards

ESGM.PR.1 Sing a varied repertoire of music, alone and with others.

ESGM.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

ESGM.RE.1 Listen to, analyze, and describe music.

ESGM.RE.2 Evaluate music and music performances.

ESGM.CN.2.c Describe and demonstrate performance etiquette and appropriate audience behavior.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Non-ELA Standards will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions; thus, standards below are offered as ideas only and are not exclusive.

Kindergarten:

K-ESS3-3. Obtain and communicate information to define problems related to human impact on the local environment.

 

Grade 1:

1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can arrange and compose music.

Anchor Standard 4: I can play instruments alone and with others.

Anchor Standard 9: I can relate music to other arts disciplines, other subjects, and career paths.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

Non-ELA vocabulary will vary depending on selected content for blues compositions.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Beat - The pulse underlying music
  • Blues music - A genre that evolved from folk music of African Americans in the American South (work songs, field hollers, and spirituals) during the late 1800s
  • Body percussion - Using the body as an instrument; includes patting, clapping, stamping, and snapping
  • Chord - A combination of three or more pitches played at the same time
  • Chord progression - A sequence of chords
  • Form - The organization of a piece (how the music is put together)
  • Harmony - Two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
  • Key - The group of pitches (scale) around which a piece of music revolves
  • Measure - The space between two bar lines
  • Phrase - Musical sentence

 

Materials

  • Boomwhackers (or other pitched instruments)
  • Writing materials (e.g., pencil and paper)
  • Recording of blues music (see suggestions below)
  • Sound production resources (e.g., speaker and phone)

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Using found sound or body percussion, perform a rhythm (or steady beat) for eight beats. Have students echo. Label this rhythm A.
  • Using a different found sound or body percussion, perform a different rhythm for eight beats. Have students echo. Compare and contrast with A. Label this rhythm B.
  • Tell students they will be creating musical compositions using same and different patterns (A and B).

Work Session

  • Play a blues recording and ask students about the mood of the music. Lead them to understand that blues music is often about hardship. Suggested blues pieces are “The Thrill is Gone” (BB King), “One Shoe Blues” (BB King), and “Sweet Home Chicago” (Eric Clapton).
  • While many different blues forms exist, this lesson will focus on the twelve-bar blues.
  • The twelve-bar blues includes three phrases (lines), each with four measures and chords, thereby yielding twelve bars (measures). Twelve-bar blues uses three chords (I, IV, and V) in the following sequence:

I    I   I   I

IV IV I   I

V  IV I   I

  • Display visual of twelve-bar blues (this is one example of twelve-bar blues; other versions also exist). The numbers on the top indicate beats; the roman numerals on the bottom indicate chords.

 

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord    I               I                I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   IV              IV             I               I

beats   1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4     1-2-3-4    1-2-3-4

chord   V               IV             I               I

 

  • Have students keep the steady beat using different body percussion for each chord.
    • For example, students pat the steady beat for the I chord, clap for the IV chord, and snap for the V chord.
  • Play the recording and have students perform body percussion to show the chord progression.
  • Display visual showing pitches in the I, IV, and V chords.

 

G       C        D

E        A        B

C        F        G

 

I         IV        V

 

  • Give each student a boomwhacker and practice playing the bottom pitch of each chord. Then, play the twelve-bar blues, playing four beats for each chord.
    • For example, students playing C will play 16 beats in the first phrase (bar) since there are four I chords in the first phrase. (If playing boomwhackers and changing chords is too challenging for students, the teacher can play the chord roots on boomwhackers while students say the names of the chords or the chord roots using a steady beat.)
  • Have students listen to the recording to determine the form of the lyrics. (This may take repeated listening.) Lead students to understand the form as A A B (A = first four bars, A is repeated, B = last four bars).
  • Listen to the recording to determine the specific content of the lyrics in A and B phrases (bars). Lead students to understand that A presents a problem, followed by A that repeats the problem (sometimes with a slight variation), and B offers a comment on or twist to what has been presented. All bars end with rhyming words.
  • As a class, have students write lyrics for their twelve-bar blues. (If students choose, they may write a “not-so-blue blues”, a celebration rather than a commiseration!)
    • Since each phrase (bar) is 16 beats long, the lyrics should present the problem (A) and reflection (B) succinctly and include rhyming words at the end of each bar!
  • Lyrics content can be aligned with subject matter content. For example, students could write blues (or not-so-blue blues) about how constructive and destructive forces create deltas, sand dunes, mountains, and volcanoes.
  • Have students perform their blues (or not-so-blues) compositions (speaking or singing) together.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Question students about lesson content, including music and content area vocabulary and understanding.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Through observing and questioning, assess students’ understanding of the twelve-bar blues harmony and lyrics.
  • Through observing, assess students’ ability to play a steady beat using body percussion and boomwhackers.
  • Through observing, assess students’ understanding of academic content while writing lyrics.

Summative

  • Students write and share lyrics reflecting assigned content in prescribed form.
  • Students play the twelve-bar blues.

 

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students explore a different blues form.
  • Students write additional blues lyrics using the same form.
  • Students play all pitches in each chord.

 

Remedial:

  • For a student having difficulty playing a steady beat, another student with beat proficiency could gently tap the steady beat on the student’s shoulder.
  • For a student having difficulty playing the boomwhacker at the right time, track the chords on a visual, point to the student (or have another student point to the student) to cue playing the boomwhacker, or pair the student with another student playing the same boomwhacker pitch.

 

Additional Resources

Websites for information on blues:

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Dr. Maribeth Yoder-White

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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ART BOTS STEAM 9-12

ART BOTS

ART BOTS

Learning Description

In this hands-on STEAM lesson, students will explore the relationship between electricity, motion, and unbalanced forces by designing and building their own wobbling art bots. Using hobby motors, battery packs, pool noodles, and markers, students will follow the engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve) to construct a bot that moves and draws in unpredictable patterns.

Through experimentation, students will discover how unbalanced forces affect motion, how simple circuits power their bots, and how small design changes can alter movement. They will analyze their bots' performance, make modifications, and reflect on their design choices. By combining science, engineering, and art, this lesson fosters creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking while reinforcing foundational physical science concepts.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 9-12
CONTENT FOCUS: STEAM
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can build and test a simple circuit to power a motor.
  • I can explain how unbalanced forces influence motion.
  • I can describe how energy is transformed in my art bot.
  • I can use the engineering design process to test and improve my design.

Essential Questions

  • How do unbalanced forces affect the motion of an object?
  • How does a motor convert electrical energy into motion?
  • What design choices impact the movement and artistic output of an art bot?
  • How can the engineering design process help improve a design?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Physics:

SPS8: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to explain the relationships among force, mass, and motion.

SPS10: Investigate and explain the properties of electricity and magnetism.

 

Physical Science:

SPS7: Develop models to illustrate the transformation and conservation of energy.

Arts Standards

VAHSAE.1: Incorporate elements and principles of design into artworks for intentional effects.

VAHSCR.1: Apply creative thinking skills to develop ideas for personal expression.

VAHSPR.1: Create original artworks using a range of materials, techniques, and processes.

VAHSPR.2: Demonstrate proficient and safe use of tools, materials, and technology.

VAHSAR.1: Analyze personal and others’ artworks to evaluate meaning, intent, and technique.

VAHSAR.3: Critique artwork using formal, contextual, and intuitive approaches.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Physics:

P-PS2-4. Use mathematical representations of Newton’s law of gravitation and Coulomb’s law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.

P-PS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.

P-PS3-2. Develop and use models to illustrate that energy can be explained by the combination of motion and position of objects at the macroscopic scale and the motion and position of particles at the microscopic scale.

P-PS3-3. Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

P-PS3-5. Develop and use a model to illustrate the forces between two objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to their interaction through electric or magnetic fields.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Electric circuit – A closed loop through which electricity can flow. It includes a power source (like a battery), wires, and something that uses the electricity (like a motor or light)
  • Current – The flow of electric charge through a circuit, like water moving through a pipe
  • Voltage – The pressure that pushes the current through the circuit, like water pressure
  • Unbalanced forces – When the forces acting on an object are not equal, causing the object to start moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction
  • Rotational motion – Movement around a central point or axis, like a spinning top or a wheel
  • Center of mass – The point at which an object's mass is evenly distributed in all directions
  • Friction – The resistance between two surfaces that slows things down
  • Energy transformation – The process of changing energy from one form to another—for example, chemical energy in a battery turns into electrical energy, which becomes mechanical energy in the spinning motor
  • Vibration motor – A small motor with an unbalanced weight attached to its shaft; as the shaft spins, it vibrates and shakes, which powers the Art Bot’s movement

Arts Vocabulary

  • Conceptual art – Art in which the idea behind the work is more important than the finished product
  • Intentionality – The purposeful use of elements and design to express meaning
  • Process art – Artwork that emphasizes the act of making over the final product
  • Rhythm – The principle of design in an artwork that indicates a type of movement, often characterized by repeated shapes, lines or colors
  • Gestural mark-making – Marks that reflect movement or emotion, often expressive
  • Experimental media – Unconventional materials or techniques used in creative exploration
  • Collaboration – Co-creating with others or with tools (like art bots) in the creative process
  • Movement – This principle of design is associated with rhythm and refers to the arrangement of parts in an artwork that creates a sense of motion to the viewer's eye through the work.
  • Balance – This is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be created by repeating the same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal visual weight.
  • Form – An object that is three-dimensional and encloses volume (cubes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of various forms)
  • Kinetic art – Art that incorporates real motion
  • Engineering Design Process – A problem-solving approach that involves identifying a need, researching, brainstorming possible solutions, developing and testing prototypes, and improving the design until the optimal solution is achieved; the steps are Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve

 

Materials

  • Hobby motors
  • Battery packs (with AA batteries)
  • Pool noodles (cut into sections)
  • Thin markers
  • Electrical tape or masking tape
  • Hot glue
  • Off-center weights (washers, clay, coins)
  • Switches (optional for advanced circuits)
  • Scissors
  • Image of the Engineering Design Process

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Engage:
    • Show a short video of various art bots and kinetic sculptures.
    • Facilitate a class discussion around the following question: “What do you think makes them move the way they do?”.
    • Connect motion and circuits to previously learned physics principles.

Work Session

 

Explore – Building the Art Bots

  • Have students use their sketchbooks or STEAM journals to record their process.
  • Ask:
    • Where will you place the mass to make it wobble?
    • How do you ensure your bot stays powered and balanced?
  • Imagine:
    • Students will brainstorm ideas and sketch potential designs for their bots.
  • Plan:
    • Show students a list of materials that they have available to them to build their bots.
    • Students will create a sketch of their bot with materials labeled before beginning to build their bots.
  • Create:
    • Provide time for students to create their bots.
    • If needed, show students one method to create their bots. Allow time for students to revise their designs as needed.
      • Connect the battery pack to the motor, ensuring a working circuit.
      • Insert the motor into the pool noodle.
      • Attach markers as "legs" using tape.
      • Add weights off-center on the motor shaft to create an unbalanced force.
    • Improve and Extend:
      • Students will test and record how their bots move by placing the bot on plain white paper and turning it on to observe its movement.
      • Students should reflect on the following:
        • Do they rotate, scoot forward, draw erratically?
        • What happens when the mass is adjusted?
        • How does surface friction affect performance?
      • Introduce design constraints and goals:
        • Ask students, “Can you get your bot to move in a figure-eight?”.
        • Have students find a partner and ask students, “Can your bot cover more surface area in one minute than your partner’s?”.

Engineering and Technology Pathways (optional extension): Design process, simple circuits, prototyping, and testing

 

Closing Reflection

  • Students will work with their partners to co-create an artwork with both of their bots.
  • Each pair should give their piece a creative title and write a short “artist’s statement” that explains:
    • Their bot’s design
    • Its motion pattern
    • How they collaborated to create their artwork
    • What they learned about forces and energy
    • Gallery walk: Display art and artist statements; allow an opportunity for students to provide peer feedback.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Assess students’ learning through observations of building and testing, student questions and responses during discussions, and design STEAM journal/sketchbook entries with sketches, reflections, and improvements.

Summative

  • Design Report (written or digital):
    • Sketches, circuit diagram, energy flow description
    • Data on motion (optional)
    • Explanation of what worked and what didn’t

 Artist Statement that includes a creative title and explanation of motion concepts and energy transformations

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Students can choose how to present their final work:
    • A short video montage showing the bot’s drawing in action.
    • A sketchbook spread combining bot photos, drawn output, and written reflection.
    • A conceptual artist statement exploring the bot as collaborator or tool.
  • AP Physics or Engineering classes: Add formal motion data collection (speed, revolutions, force diagrams).
  • Technology Integration: Challenge students to control bots with microcontrollers (Arduino, micro:bit).

 

Remedial:

  • Provide pre-made circuits.
  • Provide extended time for building and reflecting.
  • Offer verbal instructions paired with written guides.
  • Allow for alternative methods of documentation (photos, audio).

 

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Shannon Green

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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ART BOTS 6-8

ART BOTS

ART BOTS

Learning Description

In this hands-on STEAM lesson, students will explore the relationship between electricity, motion, and unbalanced forces by designing and building their own wobbling art bots. Using hobby motors, battery packs, pool noodles, and markers, students will follow the engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve) to construct a bot that moves and draws in unpredictable patterns.

Through experimentation, students will discover how unbalanced forces affect motion, how simple circuits power their bots, and how small design changes can alter movement. They will analyze their bots' performance, make modifications, and reflect on their design choices. By combining science, engineering, and art, this lesson fosters creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking while reinforcing foundational physical science concepts.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: STEAM
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

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"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can build and test a simple circuit to power a motor.
  • I can explain how unbalanced forces influence motion.
  • I can describe how energy is transformed in my Art Bot.
  • I can use the engineering design process to test and improve my design.

Essential Questions

  • How do unbalanced forces affect the motion of an object?
  • How does a motor convert electrical energy into motion?
  • What design choices impact the movement and artistic output of an Art Bot?
  • How can the engineering design process help improve a design?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

S6P2: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects.

S6P3: Construct an explanation of the relationships among electric force, magnetic force, and motion.

Grade 7:

S7P2: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to explain the effects of forces on the motion of an object.

Grade 8:

S8P2: Develop models to illustrate the relationship between potential and kinetic energy.

Arts Standards

VA.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art.

VA.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and/or methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

VA.CR.2.b Produce three-dimensional artworks using a variety of media/materials (e.g. clay, papier-mâché, cardboard, paper, plaster, wood, wire, found objects, fiber).

VA.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:

6-PS3-4. Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

Grade 7:

7-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

7-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

Grade 8:

8-PS2-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.

8-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Unbalanced force – A force that changes the motion of an object
  • Friction – A force that opposes motion
  • Circuit – A closed path through which electricity flows
  • Kinetic energy – Energy of motion
  • Potential energy – Stored energy that can be converted into motion
  • Energy transformation – The process of changing one form of energy into another

Arts Vocabulary

  • Movement – This principle of design is associated with rhythm and refers to the arrangement of parts in an artwork that creates a sense of motion to the viewer's eye through the work.
  • Balance – This is a sense of stability in the body of work. Balance can be created by repeating the same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal visual weight.
  • Form – An object that is three-dimensional and encloses volume (cubes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of various forms)
  • Kinetic art – Art that incorporates real motion
  • Contrast – The arrangement of opposite elements in a composition (light vs. dark, rough vs. smooth, etc.) Similar to variety, which refers to the differences in a work, achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors and values.
  • Mark-making – The lines, textures, and marks made by tools or gestures
  • Negative space – The space around and between subjects in an artwork
  • Engineering Design Process – A problem-solving approach that involves identifying a need, researching, brainstorming possible solutions, developing and testing prototypes, and improving the design until the optimal solution is achieved; the steps are Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve

 

Materials

  • Hobby motors
  • Battery packs (with AA batteries)
  • Pool noodles (cut into sections)
  • Thin markers
  • Electrical tape or masking tape
  • Small weights (washers, paperclips, clay, etc.)
  • Switches (optional for advanced circuits)
  • Scissors
  • Image of the Engineering Design Process

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Engage:
    • Hook: Show a short video of a scribble bot or demonstrate a pre-made art bot.
    • Discussion–Ask students:
      • What do you notice about how it moves?
      • What forces might be acting on it?
      • How does the energy from the battery turn into movement?

Work Session

Explore – Building the Art Bots

  • Ask:
    • How can we design an art bot that moves unpredictably?
    • How do we make sure our bot stays powered and balanced?
  • Imagine:
    • Students will brainstorm ideas and sketch potential designs for their bots.
  • Plan:
    • Show students a list of materials that they have available to them to build their bots.
    • Students will create a sketch of their bot with materials labeled before beginning to build their bots.
  • Create:
    • Show students how to create their bots.
      • Connect the battery pack to the motor, ensuring a working circuit.
      • Insert the motor into the pool noodle.
      • Attach markers as "legs" using tape.
      • Add weights off-center on the motor shaft to create an unbalanced force.
    • Have students place the bot on plain white paper and turn it on to observe its movement.
    • Improve: Elaborate – Improving the Design
      • Students will analyze their bot’s movement and adjust:
        • Marker placement for different drawing effects.
        • Weight distribution to change speed and wobbling direction.
        • Motor positioning to alter how much it vibrates.
      • Students will compare designs and discuss how small modifications affect motion.
      • Optional: Students can add to their designs with markers.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Explain: Facilitate a discussion on the science behind the bots.
    • Discuss how unbalanced forces create movement.
    • Explain energy transformations (chemical → electrical → kinetic).
    • Relate movement patterns to force, friction, and weight distribution.
  • Have students complete the following exit ticket:
    • What forces acted on your bot?
    • How did changes to your design affect motion?
    • How did energy transform from the battery to movement?
    • What worked well in your bot, and what would you improve if you could do it again?

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Assess students’ learning through observations of student engagement, problem-solving, and questioning during discussions.

Summative

  • Assess students’ learning through the exit ticket questions and closing discussion.

 

Differentiation

Accelerated: 

  • Introduce data collection by having students measure and compare drawing patterns.
  • Use Micro:bit or Arduino to program bots to change motion patterns.

 

Remedial:

  • Provide pre-made circuits.
  • Provide extended time for building and reflecting.
  • Offer verbal instructions paired with written guides.
  • Allow for alternative methods of documentation (photos, audio).

 

 

Credits

Ideas contributed by: Shannon Green

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Revised and copyright:  May 2025 @ ArtsNOW

 

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