​Teaching with Arts Integration

Lesson Title: Cupcake Factory

Grade(s): 5th

Time of Lesson: 50 minutes

Lesson Summary: Students will explore the use of assembly lines as an effective means of production by preparing a prescribed product (the cupcake). Students will watch a video to introduce the idea of factory production and working on an assembly line.  Students will first prepare a cupcake individually and then arrange themselves into an assembly line type setting to prepare a second set of cupcakes using an assembly line format with each worker being responsible for one component of the product. The product is composed of elements of art including shape, line and color and the elements will be used to compose one larger picture.

Essential Question: Why was the assembly line production strategy an effective way to produce a product?How do the smaller elements of art contribute to the creation of the whole project?

Learning Objectives:Students will use knowledge of the Industrial Revolution to explore assembly lines used for mass production of products with specific requirements.Students will gain knowledge of the Elements of Art (shape, line, and color) by using them as the components in the creation of an image on cupcakes.Students will actively participate as a member of an assembly line team with a specific task to decorate the cupcakes.

Materials/Resources

• Supplies:

  • 2 cupcakes per student (baked in liners, cooled)

  • 2 cans of white frosting

  • 2 plastic knives

  • 2 mini oreos per student

  • 2 tubes of yellow frosting

  • 2 tubes of green frosting

  • 2 tubes of red frosting

  • 2 tubes green gel

  • 2 tubes black gel

  • 1 bag mini chocolate chips

  • 1 bag chocolate chips

  • 1 container rainbow sprinkles

  • 2 paper plates per student

  • 6 empty cups

  • 1 hand sanitizer

  • 1 box baby wipes

• Technology:

  • Projector

  • Computer

  • Screen

• Instructional Resources:

  • Power point 

  • Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary 

• Assembly Line- a set up of workers and machines in a factory where workers each do a different task in a given order so the product is put together as it goes through the process

• Mass Production- producing large amounts of the same product

• Industrial Revolution- (1820-1870) a time of great change in production. Production goes from hand and in home to factory production

• Elements of Art – the building blocks or ingredients of art

• Line- a mark with length and directionColor- consists of hue, intensity, and value

• Shape- an enclosed area defined and determined by other elements of art (2-D)

Optional Lesson Variations: You can also have students work as a team to create their own designs using the materials provided before telling them they will be asked to recreate the cupcake in an assembly line.You can also use something other than a cupcake as the “canvas.” Items such as sugar cookies, marshmallows, and rice cakes work well for this activity.

Instructional Sequence (Approximate Time): Procedure

Set Up: (Ideally, you would have this set up before the students arrive, but out of reach) 

Introduction (5 minutes): The teacher will split the class into groups of 10. The teacher will arrange the tables or desks into two lines and set out the materials in groups divided evenly. On each set of tables there will be one cupcake on one paper plate (per student), one can of white frosting, one butter knife, a bag of mini oreos (2 per student), 1 tube of yellow, green, and red frosting (each with the icing head attachment), 1 tube of green gel, 1 tube of black gel, half of the bag of mini chocolate chips in a cup, half of the bag of chocolate chips in a cup, half of the container of rainbow sprinkles in a cup. Before we begin, the teacher is aware of kids who have food allergies in her classroom and all students use some hand sanitizer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Core Activity (35 minutes): “Today we are going to learn about the Industrial Revolution and Assembly line production while looking at three main elements of art: line, shape, and color.” The power point includes some introduction to the Industrial Revolution, mass production, and assembly lines. It also introduces the elements of art highlighted by the art they will be asked to make. To get the kids thinking, the teacher will show them the I Love Lucy video clip. “In this video, we observed Lucy and Ethel working in a chocolate factory in participating in one part of an assembly line. What do you think an assembly line is? Do you think this type of system would allow the factory to make a lot of their product? What is that called? This became avery popular way to produce products during the time of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution occurred between 1820-1870 and it was a time in which America experienced great change in production including more and more factory production. While goods used to be made in the home, factories and assembly lines made it possible to produce a lot more of the same thing using different methods of production.” “Today, you are workers in a Cupcake Factory. You’ll be constructing an edible art piece in two different ways today. Have you ever considered that food can be art? Can you think of any examples to share? We’ll first use the same amount of materials and supplies to create your own cupcakes, according to the picture on the board, but we only have 10 minutes to do them. Here’s how you make this cupcake.” The teacher will go through the power point slides. They it will have a step by step procedure for creating each cupcake with real pictures. The teacher will split the students into groups of 10 and ask them to gather around the tables that have the materials set up on them. The teacher will tell them they are making their own cupcake with shared materials and they have a limited amount of time. “Your time starts now.” Start the timer (10 minutes). “One minute warning. “Time’s up!” The teacher asks the students to write their name on the plate their cupcake is sitting on and set it aside for now. “Now, let’s try this a different way.How can we make our cupcake making more efficient? Let’s arrange our tables and chairs into rows (number of rows= number of groups). You are going to race the other table to produce all of your cupcakes in the same amount of time using an assembly line as a means of production. Each of you will be responsible for one part of the design including the elements of art. Before we start, I will give you time to decide who will be responsible for each role in the cupcake creation? What elements of art do you see in our product? (Line, color, shape.) Set up your materials and make sure you understand your part of the design. Remember, even when we are working under a time constraint and in an assembly line, quality is more important than quantity. Your time starts now.” The class will count how many cupcakes each team decorated in the allotted time. The teacher will list out the number produced by each team on the board. The students will put lids on everything. The students will wash their hands, arrange the tables to their original position, and come back to their seats. Each student can eat their cupcake while we are wrapping things up. 

Clean up Closure/Reflection (5 minutes): Ask the following questions to wrap up the activity:Which was more productive, working individually or as a team in an assembly line?What did we learn about assembly lines from this activity?Imagine you are a worker in a factory back in the 1840s, why would working in segments be an advantage?How will you know if you can see the elements of art are parts that create the unified image?