Where Art Meets Science

One of my 6th graders suggested to me that we do a project where they create original characters using the elements... of course she meant earth, wind, fire and water, but I instantly got a better idea! There are 28 students in my 6th grade semester class and after talking with their science teacher, she informed me that at the beginning of the year they learned about the first 36 elements on the periodic table. PERFECT! 

I randomly assigned each student one of the first 36 elements (they picked them out of a hat) and then we learned about character development and some of the things that go into that. I created a prezi to go over that information. 

http://prezi.com/uwbochoxg_am/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

After we got some background knowledge, we moved forward with the project. With all the video games and instant satisfaction of cellphones and other technology, creativity and the ability to create something from scratch is few and far between. 

I gave each student a print out of their element, including information about the element, that they had to use to create different characteristics for their character. I encouraged them to go through the info and highlight words they thought were important and that they could use to design their character.

I was really impressed with their ability and creativity with this project. My 6th graders ROCK!