Arrival, Central Court (Time Prior to Class):
As students start to filter in for class, there will be two pieces of posterboard on the tables with markers and one will say Kansas and the other will say Prairie. While waiting for the entire class to arrive, the students create a graphic web of words and images that they associate with each poster. This will lead into the beginning brainstorming activity and will include a discussion of the posters.

Introduction, Central Court (5 minutes):
After an introductory welcome, the teacher will hand each student a letter of congratulations inviting them to join the prestigious Prairie Print Maker society. The students will read the letter out loud to set the tone for lesson by describing the setting, and explaining the organization, key members, artwork and its goals. At the bottom of the letter it will instruct the students that as part of their membership they will be designing artworks that will be submitted for this year’s gift print that use the relief or collagraph techniques. From the letter, the students receive important background knowledge that will help them to better understand the images that they are about to see in the gallery as well as providing them with a preview of the studio activity. It will also provide a visual breakdown of what they will be creating as well as introducing some vocabulary terms.

Beginning Brainstorming Activity, Central Court (10 minutes):
From the introduction, the teacher transitions to a discussion of the graphic web posters on the students completed prior to class. The students will discuss what elements they associated with Kansas and the Prairie. They will reflect on the list and also decide if there are any other words that need to be added. The teacher connects this activity to today’s gallery lesson by asking what things they think we will see in the artworks today? As a review, the teacher will take a few moments to introduce different elements found in a landscape including a horizon line, foreground, middle ground and background. Using another blank sheet of posterboard, the teacher will ask for an element that would be found in the foreground, the middle ground and background and will draw the students suggestions on the piece of paper.

Transition (5 minutes):
The students gather by the far door of the Central Court away from all of the materials and distractions. Next the class reviews the gallery rules and then set off to the North Balcony gallery where the Coy Avon Seward exhibit is displayed.

Art Observation & Discussion, North Balcony (30 minutes):
During the gallery portion of the lesson, the class will be looking at two Coy Avon Seward pieces (Summer, 1923, lithograph and Threshing Beans, 1934, linocut) as well as a lithography plate for Summer, and one Lloyd C. Foltz piece (Modern Mills, 1928, lithograph). The teacher will provide additional information on the artists and the pieces as well as have the students identify key elements and design techniques depicted in the art. One of the important points that will be emphasized is that like the students, these artists lived in Kansas and now their works are displayed in art museums so maybe one day the students' work will be featured.

While looking at the artworks, the teacher will ask the class questions like: What do you see in the foreground? What elements are incorporated into the background? Where do you think this image takes place and why do you come to that conclusion? Are there any objects that you recognize? What is the mood of the piece? How does it make you feel? How does the artist create mood? How does the artist establish a sense of place? How does the artist use line and color? What do you notice about the people in the print? How are they interacting with nature? What do you notice is different about how the ink is applied in each piece?

The class will compare and contrast the lithograph print with a relief print. They will also learn about the two processes when looking at the Summer lithograph plate. The students will also comment on why Foltz focuses on the urban praire while Seward's subject matter features a natural environment. Another point of discussion will be about how incorporating humans into a landscape impacts the landscape. The teacher will also ask students to identify which print is their favorite or which technique they are most interested in order to help everyone participate.


Transition (5 minutes):
As the class is leaving the gallery, the teacher will ask the students to take a few minutes during the walk to think about the landscapes that they saw and decide what elements they would like to feature in their own prairie postcards.

Demonstration, Central Court (10 minutes):
The tables will be set up in two stations, one for each type of printmaking, collagraph and relief etchings, with the needed materials. Students will need to write their message on the back, sign and number the print prior to making it since it won’t dry in time to complete this part at the end of the lesson.

The teacher will show the students the steps involved in the relief etching process first and emphasize that if they incorporate any text it will need to be reversed on their plate to be readable when printed. During the demonstration, a volunteer is used for a partner to show how one person inks the plate and the other places the paper on it to streamline the reproduction process.

For the relief print, the students will be given a foam plate on which they will draw their design by pressing firmly with an ink pen. Once they are ready to print, the student will find their partner. One person inks the plate with a brayer and places it ink side-up on the registration template. Their partner takes a clean sheet of paper, pre-cut to size, places it on top of the inked plate and applys pressure by rubbing with their hands or using a clean brayer. It is important to be careful not to shift the plate during the ink transfer so the final result is not blurred.

Next the teacher will show the students how to create a collagraph print. The students will mixing different materials and textures like yarn and fun foam to create another Prairie piece and adhere the items with glue onto a pre-cut cardboard "plate". Once the plate is assembled, a thin layer of Mod Podge will coat the entire plate. After the Mod Podge dries, the student will ink the plate by using a paintbrush to apply tempera paint to the raised textured design. The student's partner will place the paper on top of the wet plate and apply pressure with their hands to transfer the print to the paper.

Then the teacher will pair up the students so they know who will be helping them make their editions. The students will choose which type of print they want to make first. If there is time, they can try both methods of printmaking.

Teacher Styrofoam Relief Plate & Print Example:


Teacher Collagraph Plate & Print Example:


Sketching Worksheet, Central Court (5 minutes):
Next, the students will fill out a worksheet including creating two or three sketches of compositions for their postcards. If the student has any trouble completing it, they can refer to the Kansas and Prairie brainstorming posters for ideas.

Work time, Central Court (30 minutes):
Once the students have answered the questions and created sketches, they can begin creating their printing plates for the collagraph technique or their etching relief plates. Then the students will begin making etching reproductions and finish with their collagraph reproductions. If students work at different paces they could trade partners. The goal is to make at least 3 prints using one of the techniques. If there is time, the student will move on to the other technique to make 3 more prints.

An Example of a Student Collagraph Print:

Three Examples of Student Relief Prints:


Lesson Wrap-Up/Reflection, Central Court (10 minutes): Students will be asked to fill out two labels with their name and address so that they can receive their peer’s exchange postcard in the mail. The students will also complete the review side of the worksheet if they finish all of the prints before the rest of the group. If they don’t have time to do the review activities, the students can complete it at home. Once the prints have been completed, the entire group will walk over to where the pieces are drying to see what everyone created. Students will have a minute or two to say what they were depicting, why they chose that subject, and which method of printmaking was their favorite.

At the end of class, the teacher will ask the students the following questions to share what they learned with their parents and also to check for understanding:

• Who were the Prairie Print Makers?
• What was their goal as a group?
• What type of images did their art focus on? Why is it important to us today?
• What were some of the techniques used to create their works?
• When creating a landscape what do you have to keep in mind about the composition?

The teacher remind students what is going to happen with the editions. They will get to take one of each of their prints home with them that day. Another reproduction of each of their prints will stay at the museum for the spring student exhibition. Finally, the teacher will be mailing the students two of their peer’s postcards randomly as part of a print exchange. By this time, parents should be arriving and the teacher will hand out the letter. As students finish their postcards or after class, the teacher will look at the final products and fill out a checklist for each student to assess their understanding.