Superhero

In this Superhero Art Lesson, students learn about Stan Lee, create themselves as a superhero, or dream up a new hero for a comic book. This project covers Common Core Standards for Math, History, and Language Arts for grades K-3 which can be found at the end of the lesson.

Grade Level

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Grade – If you are making the project at the top of this lesson, it was created by 3rd graders. Having students learn about Stan Lee and create a superhero art project can be done by students of all ages.

Objective

In this Superhero Art Lesson, students learn about Stan Lee, create themselves as a superhero, or dream up a new hero for a comic book.

This lesson can serve as a support for: lines and texture, color theory with primary colors, architecture, math shapes, historical references, language arts and collage.

Time

1 – 60 min lesson or possibly two hours depending on how you choose to approach it

Materials

The materials for this Superhero Art lesson vary. I have included any materials you may need, depending on which aspect you choose to cover.

• Pencils
• Copy paper
• Black Sharpie Marker – Sharpie Permanent Marker, Fine Point, Black, Pack of 5
• Sky Blue Construction Paper – Pacon Tru-Ray Construction Paper, 12-Inches by 18-Inches, 50-Count, Sky Blue (103048)
• Black Construction Paper – Tru-Ray Sulphite Construction Paper, 12 x 18 Inches, Black, 50 Sheets – 054150
• Pacon Tru-Ray Construction Paper, 9″ x 12″, 10 Classic Colors, 50 Sheets (P103031)
• Google the words, “Transparent Word Bubbles” and type out student’s answers into the bubbles and print them out
• Photos of students dressed as a super hero – one from everyday life, one they make up, or one they are inspired by

Inspiration/Artist

Stan Lee

Instruction with Questions

First

Read the book, “Wow! City! (A Wow! Picture Book)” by Robert Neubecker

Have students look back at some of the tops of the buildings. Ask them what shapes they see. Have them use their hands to show you shapes or ask them all to draw a shape in the air. This is a huge help to kinesthetic learners. Then, show them some images from Google Images of City skylines. Have them describe the tops of those buildings. Analyze the heights of the buildings and how they change. Look at how the buildings overlap.

Second

Show these two videos about the artwork inspired by Stan Lee:

Draw My Life (Stan Lee) Tribute: Click Here

Remembering Stan Lee…: Click Here

Third

My favorite thing right now is reading about all the wonderful everyday heroes. Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” There are many wonderful nurses, doctors, janitors, firefighters, ambulance drivers, teachers, counselors etc. helping so many people right now. But, I believe that even moms and dads, and sisters and brothers are acting like heroes right now. Students may not even realize small things they are doing in their own daily life that are virtuous and helping our world become an even better place.

“Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Before making Superhero Art, ask students to consider these questions:

• What does it mean to be strong?
• How are you showing strength in your life?
• When are you being brave?
• Describe times when you are being helpful?
• How are you lifting up or carrying up the most hearts?

Fourth

In pop culture, we see all kinds of heroes with superpowers. Men and women with amazing physical strength that help fight crime and make the world a better place. An entire comic book industry thrives on this! And the man behind the magic is a man named Stan Lee.

This famous comic book art master died recently at age 95! He followed his dreams and created some of the most iconic superhero characters of all time. While these characters have unique strengths, many of them are relatable, as everyday people who just want to help mankind. Spider-man is a perfect example of a quiet, shy man who also loved helping people in need.

Enjoy learning about Stan and hearing the joy in his voice as he describes how he dreamed up his ideas and followed his passion. Even if you can’t fly, or climb a building, or lift a car, you can be a hero. His work reminds us that through art, we can make a difference in this world. We can inspire joy, and hope, and dreams. We can all be great…No capes!!! (Thank you Edna Mode from the Incredibles Movie)

Ways to approach this Superhero Art project:

#1

At the top of this lesson, I offer an image of a student project. The student is dressed as a Super Cat flying over a city.

While I do not have step by step directions for this project, I believe it is fairly self-explanatory.

You have the power to make people smile and to spread joy! You have the power to be honest and truthful! Ask students to consider: What is your superhero name? What is your special power?

Review what students know about Line, and Patterns.  Define each one with the students with examples.

Line:

A line is an identifiable path created by a point moving in space. It is one-dimensional and can vary in width, direction, and length. Lines often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin.

Pattern:

Repetition refers to one object or shape repeated; pattern is a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a recurring and regular arrangement

Show them the following video:

Line defined – From Goodbye-Art Academy: Click here

Read the book, “Wow City!” by Robert Neubecker. Get a copy on Amazon: Click Here

Have students look back at some of the tops of the buildings.

• Ask students what shapes they see. Have them use their hands to show you shapes or ask them all to draw a shape in the air. This is a huge help for kinesthetic learners. Then, show them some images from Google Images of City skylines. Compare them.
• Have students analyze and describe the heights of the buildings and how they change. Look at how the buildings overlap.
• Analyze the patterns in each building.
• Have students explore different ways to make line patterns. Each building will have it’s own unique shape and pattern.
• Name some super heroes from comic books. What are the main colors used? Consider why are the primary colors the main ones.

If you want to reinforce color theory and what primary colors are, Use this Color Theory for kids inspired by Disney PowerPoint Presentation: Click Here

To create their Superhero Art collage, students use red, blue, and yellow to create different sizes and shapes of buildings. A two inch thick strip of black construction paper lines the bottom of the 12×18 page for the city road. Have fun and create a magical city with your student as the super hero saving the day!

#2

Create yourself as an everyday superhero on copy paper or in a journal. Possibly you are a nurse or teacher. Perhaps you are a super cat! Maybe you ARE superman! Draw yourself making a difference.

#3

Alternatively, you can design a new superhero for a comic book. What new character would make Stan light up and get excited? Think of the name, power and colors of their look. What inspires them to help others?

Common Core Standards for Superhero Art

K-2 – Language Arts

Children’s adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth Includes staged dialogue and brief familiar scenes. Includes nursery rhymes and the sub-genres of the narrative poem, limerick, and free verse poem. Includes biographies and autobiographies

Kindergarten – Math

Counting and Cardinality

Count to tell the number of objects.

4. Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

a. When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object.

Measurement and Data

Describe and compare measurable attributes.

1. Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category.

3. Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.

Geometry

Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres).

1. Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

2. Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes

4. Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts and other attributes

5. Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components and drawing shapes.

Kindergarten – History – Learning and Working Now and Long Ago

K.1 Students understand that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways.

1. Follow rules, such as sharing and taking turns, and know the consequences of breaking them.
2. Learn examples of honesty, courage, determination, individual responsibility, and patriotism in American and world history from stories and folklore.
3. Know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters’ actions

K.3 Students match simple descriptions of work that people do and the names of related jobs at the school, in the local community, and from historical accounts.

K.4 Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics.

4. Construct maps and models of neighborhoods, incorporating such structures as police and fire stations, airports, banks, hospitals, supermarkets, harbors, schools, homes, places of worship, and transportation lines.

1st Grade – Math

Measurement

Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units

1. Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.

2. Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end.

Geometry

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

1. Distinguish between defining attributes versus non-defining attributes; build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

1st Grade – History – A Child’s Place in Time and Space

1.1 Students describe the rights and individual responsibilities of citizenship.

1. Understand the rule-making process in a direct democracy (everyone votes on the rules) and in a representative democracy (an elected group of people make the rules), giving examples of both systems in their classroom, school, and community.
2. Understand the elements of fair play and good sportsmanship, respect for the rights and opinions of others, and respect for rules by which we live, including the meaning of the “Golden Rule.”

1.2 Students compare and contrast the absolute and relative locations of places and people and describe the physical and/or human characteristics of places.

4. Describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation.

2nd Grade – Math

Geometry

2.G Reason with shapes and their attributes.

1. Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.

Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.

2. Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and count to find the total number of them.

3. Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths.

2nd Grade – History – People Who Make a Difference

2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.

4. Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.

2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives.

3rd Grade – History – Continuity and Change

3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government.

1. Determine the reasons for rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of citizenship in the promotion of rules and laws; and the consequences for people who violate rules and laws.
2. Discuss the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens, including how to participate in a classroom, in the community, and in civic life.
3. Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms.