overview
Lesson 1 | Summary
Activity Pages
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lesson 1 | systems &
styles
activity | systems & creativity
| Time Period: |
Two 45 minute sessions |
| Materials: |
large sheets of paper, markers
or pens, student journals or paper |
sys·tem, n.
1. a combination of related elements organized into a complex whole
2. a scheme of ideas or principles, for example, for classification
or for forms of government or religion
3. a method or set of procedures for achieving something
4. a physical network of roads, railways, and other routes for travel,
transport, or communication
6. the human or animal body as a unit
7. an assembly of mechanical or electronic components that function
together as a unit
8. an assembly of computer hardware, software, and peripherals functioning
together
9. the use or result of careful planning and organization of elements
10. a group of celestial bodies or other gravitationally linked
objects
Start a discussion about the words 'system' and 'systematic.' Ask
students to create definitions for these words and to brainstorm
examples of the systems that define daily life (such as the systems
involved in procuring, preparing, and eating food; systems of transportation;
or school systems including class schedules and rules). How are
the connotations of the words system and systematic similar and
different?
In the creative process of writing or making art, systems also become
fundamental to how new ideas are conceived and presented. Brainstorm
a list of all the different actions or steps that are part of the
creative process. For writing, these might include things such as
brainstorming, journaling, creating an outline, writing a first
draft, editing, reading aloud, re-writing, final edits, formatting,
etc. For visual art these might include doodling, sketching, cutting
out images or other visual sources from magazines, listening to
music, creating a thumbnail drawing, selecting and mixing colors,
searching for materials, construction or painting, etc. Are there
tools that must be prepared ahead of time? Is there a particular
process for creating and editing drafts of the work? How do they
know when the work is finished, etc.? Ask students to make a web,
chart, or map that depicts their creative process on the last writing
or visual art assignment they completed. Have them include how their
sources of inspiration fit into their system of creating and whether
that comes before, during, or after the finished product? Once they
are complete, ask students to present their creative ‘system’
to the class and discuss the ways that each student’s creative
process is similar or different from others.
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