President's Day Rubbing Collage

1. MAKE RUBBING PLATES Ask an available adult to create rubbing plates before the lesson opens. If students are deemed capable, have them cut several pieces of poster board into medium-size pieces about 4 x 6 inches or 10 x 15 cm.
2. Print from the computer or copy from a book a silhouette of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Cut out the silhouettes with scissors and glue onto a piece of cut poster board. Trace over the lines in the silhouette with Crayola School Glue and air-dry completely overnight.
3. Conduct a read aloud with students. Select from a number of children's literature books on American President George Washington and/or Abraham Lincoln. This can be done as a whole class event or in small groups. Discuss with students information relating to each of the presidents identified.
4. Students return to their work areas. Ask them to use a Color Stick to write words about Presidents Washington and Lincoln onto the pieces of poster board. For example: George, Washington, Abe, Lincoln, president, 1st, 16th, born, 1809, and 1732. Students trace over what they have written and drawn with School Glue and air-dry completely overnight.
5. MAKE TEXTURED DESIGNS Demonstrate for student show to place a piece of construction paper on top of each of the rubbing plates and use the flat side of a Color Stick to rub over the paper until the image appears. Use more than one Color Stick while rubbing to make special effects. Fill several sheets with different rubbings made with a variety of colors. Provide time for students to experiment and create original pieces.
6. MAKE COLLAGE Students cut out the rubbed images in interesting shapes with scissors. Use a Color Stick to add color to the edges of the cut pieces.
7. Students arrange pieces on a piece of constructions paper. Glue the pieces to a piece of construction paper with School Glue. Allow to dry overnight.
8. Once projects are completely dry, allow students to present their artwork with small groups of classmates, sharing the information about each president that was included in their collage. Why did they select these items?

LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band independently and proficiently.

LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

LA: Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

LA: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

MATH: Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects.

SS: Identify examples of rights and responsibilities of citizens.

SS: Give examples of an explain group and institutional influences such as religious beliefs, laws, and peer pressure, on people, events, and elements of culture.

SS: Identify examples of institutions and describe the interactions of people with institutions.

SS: Identify and use various sources for reconstructing the past, such as documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, and others.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

VA: Know the differences among visual characteristics and purposes of art in order to convey ideas.

Possible classroom resources include: Basher History: US Presidents: Oval Office All-Stars by Dan Green & Simon Basher; George Washington: First President 1789-1797 (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents) by Mike Venezia; Abraham Lincoln: Sixteenth President 1861-1865 (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents) by Mike Venezia

Encourage students to select another president to research facts on his presidency. Use the Day Rubbing Collage format to present research.

Working in small groups, students organize a timeline of presidents and significant events that occurred during their presidencies.

Invite students to research the wives of U.S. Presidents and crate Day Rubbing Collages focused on their lives and contributions to the United States.