Pick 3

I wanted to try something new for exams this year. I wanted a fun challenge that addressed this essential learning outcome:

I knew I wanted to present some challenge, as well as opportunities for creativity. One of the ways I did this was by making it time-bound at only 45 minutes. I knew this short time frame would give students some urgency and put them in a situation where they had to make choices and didn't have time to overthink.

I made lists of words, based on my knowledge of what might interest my students, that include actions, nouns, and emotions. I placed the words into 3 cups and had everyone pick one word out of each cup.

Once students had their three words, the task was to create an artwork, in any media, that incorporated each word. They had 45 minutes to work, so they had to make decisions about media and content quickly.

Words: ant, voyage, planet

Words: run, crow, angry

Words: child, lost, steal

Words: tired, magic, machine

After the 45 minutes of art-making time was up, students reflected on their process through writing. It was a great exam, but I think I'll use it as a classroom activity next school year because it was so effective at getting students who struggle with motivation and overthinking engaged and making art.

Here are the instructions I gave students for the exam and writing and the list of words I created. Note: the infographic at the start of this post and the exam instruction document have different versions of similar learning outcomes. I don’t know which I prefer, so tell me if you have an opinion!