Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

I hope you're having a good day today.

My name is Esther.

Some people call me Ms. Esther, and I'm an artist, an art teacher.

We have an exciting lesson together today called, "Cutting Stories with Paper." It's part of our unit, "Arts that travels: Stories, land and journeys." Let's get started.

We're ready to start our lesson now.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use continuous lines to create a paper sculpture.

Very exciting.

We have some keywords today.

I'll say them first.

You say them after me.

One of our key words is words, paper and continuous line.

Words are groups of letters that we use to talk, read, write, and share ideas with others.

Paper is a thin, flat material we use for drawing, writing, or making.

I'm sure you've used lots of paper.

Continuous line is a line that is drawn without lifting your pencil or pen from the paper.

It's a continuous line.

We'll have a look at our lesson outline now.

We are cutting stories with paper.

First of all, we'll write out some favorite words.

Secondly, we'll cut a continuous line in paper.

And thirdly, last of all, we'll describe how repeating an action feels doing something over and over again.

We'll start writing out some favorite words.

We have a collection of things here.

Artists might use these materials to draw with.

I wonder if you've used any of them to do your drawings with.

They can also use these materials to write with.

Sometimes artists use words rather than pictures for their artwork.

Can see some very interesting words there.

We will have a check for understanding.

True or false? Artists only make artwork with images, with pictures.

Is it true or is it false? Pause the video and talk to someone nearby about what you think artists use to make their artwork.

It's false.

We'll find out why.

Artists can make artwork with images, but they can also create artwork with words.

Well done for all that hard thinking and talking.

An artist might start with some random words.

This means that there's no clear connection between the words on the paper.

Hi, Izzy.

Izzy says, "Some of these words make me want to laugh, while others might be a bit scary or creepy." I wonder if Izzy's looking at snore or giant.

An artist might start by choosing words that means something to them or remind them of a favorite story.

Here's Izzy again.

"I'm going to circle the words that remind me of my favorite story." Oh, great idea, Izzy.

We'll have a look at those words together.

Izzy has chosen the words, tiger, bean, magic, surprise, castle, and window.

Hmm.

I wonder if you know what stories those words are from.

Let's find out some more.

Pause the video and talk to your partner if you see a word you know from a story.

Well done for spotting those story words.

You can rewrite your chosen words if you've chosen some words that remind you of a favorite story.

Izzy says, "I'm going to write over some recycled paper that also has words." Wow.

That's an interesting technique.

We've got words underneath and words on top.

You might choose a newspaper, an old worksheet, or recycled paper to add your words to.

I think it's a good idea to use recycled paper if we can.

You can explain your choice of words to your partner.

Here's Lucas.

Hi, Lucas.

Lucas is having a conversation.

"Why did you choose these words?" Izzy says, "They made me think of my favorite bedtime story, the one I asked my granddad to read me again and again." Fantastic.

Thanks, Lucas.

Thanks, Izzy.

We have a check for understanding here.

Oh, and a bit of a spot the difference test.

Which of the images below show recycled paper? We've got A, which has some long lines of printed words.

We've got B, which is a white piece of paper.

And we've got C, a paper with some grid lines on.

Pause the video, point to the screen, and choose which paper you feel is recycled.

The answer is A, these papers have had another use before being used again as art.

Well done for all that hard thinking and considering what paper is recycled.

Let's find out what's next.

Oh, we're ready.

That's great.

We're ready for Task A.

Write out some favorite words.

Circle words that have meaning to you.

Rewrite your words on recycled paper.

Explain your choice of words to a partner.

Pause the video while you choose your favorite words and think about what they mean to you.

Fantastic choosing of words and writing words out.

While you did Task A, you might have, chosen words that mean something to you, special words, chosen words that remind you of something, used recycled paper to rewrite your words on.

I hope you enjoyed doing that activity.

Well done for all your hard work.

We are now ready for our second activity, cutting a continuous line in paper.

Making continuous lines is one of my favorite things to do.

Some artists might cut lines into paper to create continuous lines.

We have a very long wiggly line to look at here.

This means they use scissors or tools to carefully cut lines or shapes without lifting or stopping, so the line flows all the way through.

This creates a paper drawing made with one smooth movement.

Really interested in that idea of making a paper drawing.

We have an amazing artist here called, Jukhee Kwon.

Jukhee Kwon is an artist who makes amazing sculptures by cutting continuous lines into paper.

By cutting the paper into long flowing strips, she makes it look like the words are spilling or pouring out of the book.

We can see another one, a hook of her artworks here in a different space.

She uses abandoned or unwanted books, and gives them a new life through her art.

Jukhee Kwon work helps us think about how books hold stories and knowledge.

Even when they are no longer read, they can still be powerful and beautiful.

An artist might make continuous lines by cutting spirals or by snipping zigzags, waves, or loops that flow across the paper without stopping.

We have a check for understanding now.

Which image shows a continuous line? Is it image A? I can see some lines going across and some small dots.

Is it image B? I can see some lines making an X.

Or is it image C? Which kind of goes up and down.

Pause the video and make these lines in the air with your finger, and decide which image shows a continuous line.

Did you get the answer C? C is the correct answer.

Continuous lines might loop, bend, or curve around corners rather than stop.

Well done for making some drawings in the air and thinking about a continuous line.

An artist might start by drawing spirals, loops, or zigzags over their recycled word paper.

Whoa, that's a big spiral.

They can cut their continuous line with scissors to create one long strip of paper that loops and bends.

This means the line continues rather than stops, so the scissors are going up and over and down again.

They're not stopping or coming off the edge of the paper.

This artist is cutting their continuous line with scissors to create one non-strip of paper that loops and bends.

We'll have a check here and think about what the artist is doing.

This artist is cutting a continuous line using scissors.

What do you notice? Pause the video and have a look at how the artist is cutting the line, and what's happening as they cut along.

Have a conversation with someone nearby about what you can see and what you notice.

These are some of the things that you might have said.

They are starting at the edge of the paper, or you could have thought they are cutting carefully and slowly along their line until they reach the end.

Or you could have thought they are using one hand to turn the paper.

Well done for all that thinking.

Fantastic.

We have Task B, cut a continuous line in paper.

The first thing we're going to do is practice making a continuous line with your finger.

You might try tracing a spiral with your finger, making continuous lines by looping and circling your finger.

Sounds fun.

Creating waves that do not stop.

Breathing slowly and deeply as you move your finger through the air.

Pause the video while you make some continuous lines in the air.

I hope you can come up with lots of different shapes and lines.

Fabulous.

I hope you're not too tired from all that moving.

You might have made spirals with your finger, continuous lines by looping and circling your finger, waves that do not stop, and slow and deep breaths as you move your finger through the air.

I wonder if you managed to do some of those or all of those.

Well done, everyone.

We're ready for the second part of Task B, draw and cut a continuous line.

You can choose what kind of line to make.

It could be a spiral.

Put a dot in the middle of your paper and draw round and round until your line goes off the edge.

It could be a side-to-side pattern, like waves or zigzags going across the page.

Or an edge-to-edge line, from top to bottom or side to side.

Pause the video and enjoy drawing and cutting your continuous line in paper.

Well done.

You've worked really hard cutting all those long lines out of paper.

When you cut your continuous line, you might have drawn and cut a spiral, by putting a dot in the middle of your paper and drawing round and round and round and round.

A side-to-side pattern and used your scissors to loop around the corners.

An edge-to-edge line across your whole page.

Fantastic work, everybody.

We've come to our last lesson cycle, describe how repeating action feels.

Aisha and Alex have cut their continuous lines, looking really good.

Aisha says, "Let's open our paper to see how it looks." What might they notice? Have a look at the picture and just pause the video for a moment and talk to a partner about what they might notice when they open out their continuous line paper.

Aisah's noticed that the spiral paper has become longer and thinner.

They look at their continuous lines and think about how they have changed.

Aisha shares more of her thoughts with us.

"Our paper doesn't sit flat now, it bends and loops to make a sort of sculpture." They look at their continuous lines and think about how they have stayed the same.

Aisha says, "Our paper is still one continuous line even if the line now bends in a more 3D way." Let's have a think about how a repeating action feels.

It'll be, "I do, you do." I open my paper lines to see how they look.

"I noticed that my lines bend and loop now.

My lines are not flat anymore, but they are still a continuous line." Now it's time for you to do the same thing.

You open your paper lines to see how they look.

What do you notice when your page opens? What has changed? What has stayed the same? Pause the video and open out your paper artwork and think about what has changed and what has stayed the same.

How exciting to see all that work.

Some of your answers to those questions might have been, "I noticed that my lines curve.

My lines are longer and thinner.

My lines are still continuous." Well done for all your hard work.

What do these continuous paper lines remind you of? Have a look at the picture.

Take your time and look from top to bottom, and think about what they remind you of.

Jukhee Kwon carefully cuts paper into long lines that fall like waterfalls or curtains.

I wonder if these lines remind you of anything or anywhere.

Her sculptors are full of movement and feeling.

What might it feel like to walk through her paper sculptures? Pause the video and talk to a partner about how you think it would feel to walk through her paper sculptures.

Here's Aisha.

Aisha says, "I think it might feel peaceful with the gentle rustling of paper like leaves on trees." I love that idea, Aisha.

Great thinking.

Jukhee Kwon's art is also about repeating an action again and again.

In Korea, where she was born, paper called Hanji has been used for hundreds of years for careful, meditative craft.

When we do something slowly and carefully like cutting the same shape again and again, it can change how we feel inside.

Aisha says, "I felt calm and peaceful while cutting my paper.

It felt good to repeat the same action again and again." That's fantastic, Aisha.

I'm glad you felt like that.

We'll have a check for understanding.

True or false? Repeatedly cutting paper can feel calm and relaxing, like a quiet rhythm.

Pause the video and close your eyes, and just remember what it felt like cutting your paper over and over again, and have a think about whether you feel it was relaxing like a quiet rhythm, and say whether you think this is true or this is false.

Did you get the answer true? We'll find out why it might be true.

Some artists enjoy the peaceful feeling of making the same careful cuts again and again.

It can help them focus and feel calm while they create.

We're going to think about how doing the repeating action felt for us.

Place your paper sculpture next to someone else's or group your work together as a class.

How do they look when they are joined together? The answer to this might be, They look.

Another question is, does it feel different when you see many at once? When you see all the paper sculptures put together? This might be about how we feel.

You could start a sentence with, "It felt.

Because.

." We've got a final question here.

How did you feel when you were cutting your continuous lines today? Maybe you could close your eyes again and think about the feeling.

And then another word prompts we've got is, "When I was cutting, I felt.

." Pause the video and have a conversation about what you think, how they look, how it felt, and what you felt when you were cutting your artwork.

Well done for all the sharing of your thoughts and ideas.

It's sometimes really important part of being an artist to have a think about the work after it's been done, and what it feels like to make it, and also what it looks like.

So well done, everybody.

You could have come up with some ideas like this.

"They look like spaghetti or maybe like ribbons blowing in the wind." Or, "It felt special when our work came together because each piece was different, but they were better together." That's interesting, isn't it? That sometimes bringing things together can make it look better to you.

And this is a personal response.

"When I was cutting, I felt calm.

I wonder if you shared that feeling as well." Well done, everybody.

You've worked really hard in this lesson.

We started off by thinking about how choosing favorite words first helps the sculpture to speak a personal tale to tell a story.

Then we explored cutting continuous lines.

Continuous lines can help paper to transform into sculpture while still holding its story, and we looked at the amazing work of artist Jukhee Kwon.

And then, we explored how a single, unbroken spiral cut turns flat paper into flowing form.

Slow, careful cutting feels calm and mindful, echoing Korean Hanji craft.

And then the exciting activity of placing work together and seeing how this can help a paper sculpture to tell a bigger story, a story owned by everybody, just like some stories in books that we've all read.

It's been a joy to work with you for this lesson, and I hope to see you soon for another art lesson.