“Using abstraction to portray how we are all connected”

Curriculum developed by Kate Dodd, based on the Connections mural by Tom Nussbaum.

 

The Connections mural design will form the basis of this learning unit, comprising four lessons for elementary school students. The lessons can be adjusted as desired to address varying schedules, attention spans, and learning styles. The goal is to introduce visual abstraction as a method for presenting information.

 

Ideas have been presented in a visually abstract manner for millenia, from the earliest cuneiform clay tablets to satellite mapping of resources. Sensitizing students to basic visual relationships will allow them to see communication potential beyond representational storytelling, and to apply these ideas to explaining aspects of their own lives and the world around them.

 

The lessons below outline a logical build up of skills that will guide students in developing their abilities to visualize in this manner.

 

Lesson #1: Composing with circles and negative space

Lesson #2: Turning shapes into symbols, connecting symbols to represent networks

 

Lesson #3: Maps and networks from around the world/mural visit

Lesson #4: Portraying connections to your community through abstraction