symbolic silhouettes with stippling

Each eighth grader chose an issue or thing that he/she thinks is important and needs people’s attention.

They then completed the sentence: “Let light shine on ____ because ____.”Students created a silhouetted image to visually represent their ideas.They did the stippling with these long q-tips/craft swabs (I swear by them for everything from Elmers glue puddles to pastel blending to stippling) and tempera paint. The metallic tempera works really well on black paper. This was a great way to quickly and easily tie in some history of Pointillism and Georges Seurat.I only had three class periods to get this done. Because we were under time pressure I let the students find images to trace since the drawing element was not the lesson's main objective. The finding of images and transferring of the silhouette shape on to the paper took the most time. Stippling only took one class period. 

Religious Symbols: Let light shine on religious tolerance because people deserve the right to practice their own religion, also many wars are caused by religious conflicts. With more religious tolerance many conflicts would dissipate.

Penguin: Let light shine on arctic animals because they are affected by global warming and it is hurting them and their habitat.

Runner: Let light shine on exercise and health because running and activities help you wit your weight and strength.

Pitbull: Let light shine on pitbull abuse because more people need to realize how many of these animals we take for granted and have made an awful reputation for the breed.

Octopus: Let light shine on the Great Barrier Reef because the waters are being polluted and it is home to many sea creatures. 

War Memorial: Let light shine on the military because soldiers lay their lives down for us every day, as these soldiers did at Iwo Jima.

Person with hands up: Let light shine on police brutality because it is becoming a major problem in the United States. 

Eiffel Tower: Let light shine on the Eiffel Tower because of the shooting that happened at the magazine in France.

Ukraine: Let light shine on Ukraine because Vladamir Putin is trying to bring Russia back to its Cold War status.

Cuba: Let light shine on Cuba because our country is rebuilding our relations with them.