Art Romance & Molecular Dances

Big Idea: Engaging with chemistry concepts through poetry and art can foster a deep understanding of the universe around us.

Driving Question: How can we use a deep understanding of atoms, molecules, & chemical reactions to communicate their beauty abstractly?

Artists understand and study the properties of materials and find ways to explore these properties to express views of themselves and the world around them. In this project, you will create original poetry and art inspired by chemistry and describe the chemistry principles depicted in the work.

Benchmark 1 - Poetry & Chemistry

Poetry Guiding Question: How can I form an emotional and intellectual connection to a work of poetry through experiencing and analyzing famous poems and creating works of my own?

Chemistry Guiding Question: How does the arrangement of electrons in atoms affect the properties of atoms and their reactivity?

Poetry-- Students will encounter a range of acclaimed poetry. Through experiencing, exploring discussing, memorizing and analyzing a range of poems, students will strive to form and articulate an emotional connection to one or more of the works. Students will further replicate the style and form of various poems as they write their own works. Finally students will perform others’ poetry.

Chemistry-- Students will explore the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms. They will use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Product: Chemistry IAKT & Performance Poetry  -  Rubric (K&T and Oral Communication)

Chemistry IAKT (K&T) - A journal of ponderings, questions, notes, diagrams, sketches and more! 

Poetry Performance (Oral) - Students will select, consider and perform a non-original work of poetry that holds emotional significance for them.

Benchmark 2 - Poemistry

Guiding Question: How can I communicate concepts of chemistry through poetry?

Students explore a variety of poetry styles as they attempt to accurately and beautifully convey principles of chemistry.

Product: Each student will produce 3 original poems, at least 2 of which conform to an established style or form of poetry. Poems must illuminate their chosen fundamental principle of chemistry. Students will briefly explain the science behind each of the poems, and will thoroughly explain the science, the poetic choices, and personal relevance in one feature poem. - Rubric (Collaboration (Work Ethic/Team Support - Feedback process to narrow down your poem for the Final Product & make it better/tighter)

Final Product - Artemistry 

Each student will create an original work of art or series of art pieces that depicts and/or represents the chemistry concept or phenomenon from their feature poem of B2. Students will create a gallery display that includes the poem, the original artwork, and an artist statement that explains the chemistry and how it is depicted in the art.  The artwork and artist statement should be a significant endeavor that challenges your creative and scientific mind, requires revision and improvement, and both educates and inspires the viewer. (Individual Product - Rubric (Agency & Written Communication)