Middle School
8th graders began art this year with a unit on photography. But this year, art teachers Samantha Madden and Melody Olsen skipped the usual point-and-shoot lesson when they saw that these students were ready to learn how to use a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera. Sam and Melody devised a scavenger hunt challenge to help the young photographers learn the skills needed to use the camera properly—such as looking through the viewfinder instead of the screen and how to focus on their subject. These 8th grade students quickly mastered the magic of photography, and were on their way to the Diorama Project.
Inspired by artists Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber, who met with MMFS students a couple of years ago, the young artists were asked to create a diorama that told a story. Working with a partner, the students were given cardboard walls and then asked to select a few toys, backgrounds, trees, moss, tiny train people, and whatever else they could find in the room to create a diorama. They then photographed their dioramas, using a flashlight for lighting and also to get those dramatic shadows.
The 8th graders really pushed this assignment to be pure magic, and their teachers couldn’t be more thrilled. Click here to see some of the photos.
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