Railroad Printmaking

The next lesson was, "Railroad Printmaking, presented by Allyson, Danielle, and Elizabeth.  This seventh grade lesson gave us the experience to work with the printmaking technique.  We first created a pattern on our styrofoam rectangles with a wooden carving tool to make the train car.  I chose to put my initials SME and big and little hearts for my pattern!  I had to remind myself to make my letters written backwards, because when I printmake my patterned car, it will be opposite when I lay it down to print.  I was then ready to print!  I chose yellow paint on orange construction paper.  I rolled the paint across my styrofoam piece with a roller, making sure it got covered well.  Then I flipped it over to stamp my print!  We were able to practice and print it as many times as we liked to get our three cars that were needed for our project.  What is neat about printmaking, is that it doesn't have to be perfect, and that every print will be different!  Once the train cars were dry, I cut all three of them out.  Then the next step was to make a South Dakota scene, which included your train you made.  I made a railroad track for my cars, wheels for the cars, and cargo for each car.  I put gravel, corn, and wheat for my freight.  They were to be three materials/crop that are common to travel in and through South Dakota.  I then put a sunset in the background as we end our day, with two Canada geese flying over the cornfield.  Then in the forefront, we have a little stream with cattails, in which we see a fish jumping out of the water.  Makes me want to go fishing! :)  That is my South Dakota scene of printmaking!

Extension Activity: For an extension activity, I would have the students write about a day spent out in the beautiful prairies of South Dakota.  We will talk about the importance of incorporating details and descriptive adjectives like we are talking about in Language Arts lately.  This writing is going to give the audience a sense of what they saw, heard, felt...using their senses to give the reader or listener a sense they were there right along with them enjoying the great moments made that day too!