4th Grade: Recycled Jug Masks

In this unit, students created masks out of recycled materials and found objects. All students started with a milk jug, then built on top of it to create their mask.

Some of the influences included African and Aztec masks, as well as different artists who use recycled materials and mixed media in their art work.

They filled out this worksheet on the first day to plan their mask. This worksheet also included a page for them to write what their mask would be used for and how the materials they add would show this. 

The masks also needed to be COHESIVE and have good CRAFTSMANSHIP, which we talked about a little later in the unit. 

First, students had to cover their jug with Paper Mache and newspaper.

Then, they had to add a layer of color by adding paint, a layer of tissue paper, fabric, or a certain material (like pennies, feathers, string, or beads).

The next few classes were dedicated to students adding their materials to create facial features and decorations. I really stressed the word cohesive during this time. 

Some student examples are pictured below:

This was the showcase display I made for one of the classes. On the top I included cultural and artist exemplars that I used throughout the unit as well as their rubric and unit vocabulary.