I just love arts integration and the fluid connections in learning that it provides. Art is so much more than simply coloring or drawing a few lines, and this project definitely proves that. In this lesson, we were able to bring a little (well actually a lot) of science into the mix and create food chain agamographs.

Who started agamographs?

This artistic technique - known as a graphic form - was popularized by Israeli artist Yaakov Agam. He has a long artistic rich history that started in the mid-1900s. His works are known to be abstract, kinetic, with movement, and with frequent use of light and sound. Some of his works can be seen throughout Israel, including Tel Aviv and the Sheba Medical Center.

Teaching students about the artist that inspires our projects add an additional learning piece and helps them make even more connections to whatever we’re doing. In this case, simply sharing facts about the artist and showing pictures of his artwork is a great start.

Arts Integration: Food Chain Agamographs

Since you can get pretty creative with agamographs, it only seemed fitting to use it to create images that my students would enjoy doing. Learning about the food chain is an important science concept and turning it into an art project can make learning about them more fun and interesting.

Here are the steps I took for this art project:

1. The students watched the “Food Chain” video on www.flocabulary.com to review information about the food chain.

2. We then discussed the setting of Where the Red Fern Grows, looking at pictures of the location of Oklahoma and the Ozark mountains.

3. I had the students also watch a video about Yaakov Agam on YouTube, which is where we get the agamograph.

4. The students began making their agamographs by drawing two organisms that are linked together in a food chain that could be found in the Ozark Mountains.

5. They colored their drawings with colored pencils, leaving as little white space as possible.

6. Then, they cut apart each picture into one-inch segments, labeling each section with letters (A-I) or numbers (1-9).

7. They glued the strips onto a larger sheet of paper rotating the letters and numbers (A, 1, B, 2…).

8. After each strip was glued, they folded their papers accordion style.

9. Students then had to look at their agamograph and create their own food chain that included their two organisms.

10. At the end, they completed the “Food Chain Agamograph” worksheet using their agamograph and food chain.

Final Thoughts

This is a really fun art project that incorporates many learning points and objectives. The students have a blast creating their agamographs, food chains, and discussing what they chose and why. I’d love to know if you do this project in your classroom!