Middle School Studio Lesson
The Mouse That
ROARED
Seizing ideas from chance ncounters and combining them in new ways produces innovative and exciting art
experiences for students and teach-
ers alike. Such was the case when
I received a book of postcards with
photographs of original art made from
discarded computer mice by San Fran-
cisco artists. Almost simultaneously,
a box of computer mice
appeared in the school
computer lab. The
teacher was more
than happy to be
Penelope Venola
rid of them since they could not be
revived.
In this lesson’s original incarnation, students created whatever they
wished using found objects added to
their mice. Humor was stressed and
students were quite successful and
pleased, creating sculptures of cars,
ducks, and pull-toy animals.
Another moment of serendipity
occurred when I read The Seuss, The
Whole Seuss and Nothing But
the Seuss: A Visual Biography of
Theodor Seuss Geisel by Charles
D. Cohen (New York, NY: Random House, 2004). Three pages were
about an early Dr. Seuss project
called “The Seuss System of
Unorthodox Taxidermy.” The
perfect connection!
and loved who provided the perfect
lead-in to the creation of their own
three-dimensional imaginary beasts.
I shared reading packets that
included the appropriate three pages
from the book, a humorous ad writ-
ten to resemble a news bulletin, and
questions to consider. Working in
pairs, students filled out a chart that
provided lively discussion as a prelude
to art-making. This
Starting with Words
Reading, along with discuss-
ing, analyzing, and writing,
is of paramount importance
in the contemporary art
classroom. Here was an
author students knew
