The start of the school year is the perfect time to build community while also diving into meaningful artmaking. This year, I adapted my We Stick Together tessellation project to include an art history twist. Using my cactus tessellation templates, students researched famous artists and recreated their work on one cactus shape, then wrote about the artist on another.
When we tessellated all the pieces together, we ended up with a gorgeous art history bulletin board that celebrated both creativity and collaboration – a great way to start a new school year!
This lesson is a great fit for upper elementary and middle school students who are ready to explore art history in an engaging way. I used it with my 5th–8th graders, but it can be adapted for a wide range of classrooms where students are studying artists and their contributions to art. I love making art history bulletin boards like this that can educate everyone who walks by!
A tessellation is a shape that fits together perfectly, like puzzle pieces, without gaps or overlaps. Think about the way tiles cover a floor or the repeating patterns in some of M.C. Escher’s artwork. In this project, the cactus design (created by me, Jenny K.) tessellates, allowing every student’s contribution to connect with the others to form a unified whole.
If you’d like to use my tessellation shape, you can find it on TPT HERE.
My original We Stick Together tessellation project is designed as a back-to-school community builder. Each student decorates a cactus to contribute to the larger tessellation display. To adapt this for my art history bulletin board, I adapted the lesson to also serve as an art history research project.
Students used Chromebooks and Scholastic Art magazines to research artists. They then expressed what they learned both visually (through recreating an artwork) and in writing (through short bios on the lined cactus)
You can find my Cactus Tessellation Project on TPT HERE.
Students researched an artist of their choice. I had them plan their idea in their sketchbook. Then, on the blank cactus template, they recreated one of the artist’s famous artworks, adapting it into the cactus shape. Students could use crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils. Each artist warranted its own medium, so students had to pick what they thought worked best for their artist.
On the cactus with lines (included in my resource), students wrote a short description of the artist, their life, and why they are important to art history. They could also write about why they like the artist. Some students only wrote a few short sentences (5th grade), and others (8th grade) wrote a lot. It was easy to adapt to all writing levels.
Once complete, students cut out their cactus pieces and we tessellated them together on a bulletin board. I first put them on my whiteboard, and as students brought me their final pieces, I would tape them to the others. Class by class, we got to see the tessellation grow. As new classes came in, they’d go up and look at what others had created. Seeing the final work hanging up at the front of the classroom helped motivate students to do their best work!
The final art history bulletin board was a vibrant bulletin board that not only showcased art history but also celebrated the idea that “when we stick together, we can create something beautiful.” I got this completed at our curriculum night when all the families come to visit the school and talk to teachers. This was great because it could be enjoyed by all!
Every time I walk by the art history bulletin board I see kids standing at it, showing their friends what piece they created and looking at (and reading) others!
This project was such a rewarding way to start the school year. Not only did my students learn about important figures in art history, but they also experienced the power of creating something bigger than themselves. Each cactus on its own was unique and meaningful, but when combined, they formed a collaborative piece that represented our classroom community.
I love how this adaptation of my We Stick Together tessellation resource allowed students to connect research, writing, and art into one cohesive activity.
Most importantly, it reminded them—and me—that creativity and collaboration go hand in hand. When we stick together, we really can create something beautiful.
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