SchoolArts - January 2011

reference. We discussed why certain items would be commonplace while others were not. By the end of the discussion, everyone understood that people go to yard sales to find low prices on used items that are still functional.

The Yard Sale Project

I told students that they were going to have their own yard sale. Only their yard sale was going to be different from any yard sale they had ever been to. In our sale, nothing was actually going to be “for sale.” They would be drawing and displaying items that someone might find at a real yard sale.

I told students they needed to find
a picture of an item they wanted to
draw. The item could be recent or an
antique/older item. I explained that
items to draw had to be things that
could be found at an actual yard sale.
I reminded them of the items on the
board that we had discussed. Students
found pictures in
newspapers, maga-
zines, and online.

Reflection

This lesson provided students with an
opportunity to incorporate real-world
financial practices and lessons into
their artwork.
They used critical
thinking to create
a unique work of
art. Students were
proud when their
art student “yard sale” was displayed
and became the talk of the school!