Secret Beneath the waters.

It was easy to motivate eighth-grade students for an adventure on shipwrecks because of all the hype from the movie about the Titanic. The integrated unit included art, math, science, social studies, language arts, and multiply impaired students.

The Ship

Students were divided into four small groups. Each group had to design a ship out of balsa wood. The problem of buoyancy was solved within two class periods after group discussions, sketches, and the execution of ships. Predictions were made as to which ship would stay afloat the longest with the most amount of weights added. We used rocks as weights and kept records of the experiment. Students made repairs on their ships before we held a second contest. Designers of the most buoyant ships received Life Savers as prizes.

The Shipwreck 

New groups were formed for solving the mystery of the wreck of the Fortuna Dourada. This myth was part of a mystery and problem solving adventure from the Science Sleuth Videodiscovery series in which treasure hunters searched for the real shipwreck. At first, students felt the adventure was too elementary. They soon discovered their first impressions were not correct. While students were keeping records of the clues, they were learning about the parts of the oceans and trade winds. After some frustration, the groups asked to go to the library and find maps to help visualize the voyage.

Next, a video was shown on the "Jason Project." Jason is a robot, who explored two wrecks which sank in Lake Ontario during the War of 1812. Whether or not to bring the ships to the surface raised ethical questions. Should the wreckage be disturbed? Should the dead be left buried in the depths of the lakes or brought to shore for a proper burial and memorial?

Art and science students were asked to do more research to raise the level of knowledge on shipwrecks in the class. Students were anxious to give a short presentation. My class enjoyed using their creativity, and learning from each other. Some students actually brought in science experiments. One experiment explained differences in salt and freshwaters. In their research, they found shipwrecks were likely preserved in freshwater lakes. Another group re-enacted the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck on video. Others made word searches, vocabulary games, and a couple of boys also taught the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." This proved to be a great learning experience for everyone involved.

The real excitement came when the students were challenged to design their own shipwreck. The criteria for the lesson required the ship be placed on a pedestal. My advanced art students studied Nancy Graves' biomorphic sculptures for inspiration. The ships were made with mixed-media, including balsa wood, wire, fabric, plaster and found objects. Most students opted for a more natural look with black and white spray paint so the viewer can focus on details rather than color; others chose acrylic colors to enhance their shipwrecks. Students discovered that hot glue looks like water when covered in paint. This really made their projects come alive. Finally, some chose to name their ships, deriving their ship names from figureheads built on the front of the ship including ship captain's wives, animals, countries, and Greek Gods.

Students then imagined themselves on a voyage just before their disastrous wreck. Some told their story through a detailed journal leading up to the fateful event; others chose to focus on the disastrous day itself. The science teacher asked students to introduce themselves in their journal writings and tell about their families. In their description, they told about their ship class their accommodations and their hopes and dreams. A sketch of their journey was also included.

The Aftermath

The last group activity included a debate on artifacts. Each group was given a few objects. Students were asked how they could make objects into artifacts. They were also asked what objects in the students' own environment would become artifacts. What criteria would they give to make it an artifact? Art students and multiply impaired students became archaeologists. To simulate the ocean or lake, they had to dig through a tub of sand and water to find buried treasures and artifacts. Students had to focus on the details of these treasures and describe them to the class. Then, parts of the ocean or artifacts were incorporated into the overall shipwreck design.

Our journey was so successful, our team received extra funds to purchase paper pulp to design and create a handmade paper mural. All team members recorded their impressions of their journey through the secrets beneath the seas and lakes. It was a thrill to see the excitement last throughout the project. The unit was long, but it prepared the students for the proficiency tests and stayed within the boundaries of each discipline's curriculum.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts.

Kay Weprin is an art specialist at Washington Junior High School in Toledo, Ohio.