Art Classes: Level II

Level II-Art Lesson 13: The Polish Szopka

Use complementary colors to create an exciting palette for a holiday greeting card

The lesson is suitable for students in grade 3 through adult.

Art Lesson Description:

Every December, the city of Krakow, Poland, holds a contest. Contestants create incredibly intricate model buildings and cover them with foil. Many of the models include lights and moving figures. Polish people call such models a szopka (pronounced shawpka). On the day of the contest, the models are brought to the city square to be judged and displayed in a hall near the square. The display draws huge crowds from around the world.

The lesson comes in two versions. In Version A:

Students will use liquid acrylic paint to paint the szopka,
Outline the drawing with a silver metallic marker, and
To add a little extra holiday sparkle, paint the picture with acrylic glitter glaze!

In Version B, a simpler version of the lesson:

Students will use washable markers to color the szopka.
To add interest to the background, they will draw with a paint pen (easier to use) or an oil pastel.
To add a little extra holiday sparkle, paint the picture with acrylic glitter glaze!

Make it a greeting card! Why keep the project to yourself when you have finished it? The lesson includes instructions so you can put your szopka “on display” by turning it into a greeting card. With this lesson you can mail your art to your friends!

This lesson includes two POWERPOINT and one VIDEO version of the lesson plus 2 downloadable printouts: a warmup and a drawing of the szopka.

List of Supplies for Version A List of Supplies for Version B

1 copy of the szopka warm-up (this comes with the lesson)	1 copy of the szopka warm-up (this comes with the lesson)
Drawing board (#ad) (18" x 24" masonite)	Washable colored markers (#ad)
1 silver marker pen (#ad)	Optional: Acrylic paint pens (#ad)- your choice of color
1 sheet of 11" x 15" watercolor paper (#ad)	11" x 14" drawing paper (#ad)
Tempera paints or acrylic paints (#ad)	Optional: oil pastel - your choice of color
Set of brushes (#ad)
Masking tape (#ad)
Glitter glaze (#ad)

Suggestions for Cross-Curricular Connections:

Social Studies:

The szopka tradition began in the Middle Ages. Learn its history.
Krakow was once the capitol of Poland. Read about its history.
See a map of Krakow.
See a map of the whole country of Poland and learn some Polish history
Watch an English language video produced in Poland about Polish history to learn why Poles are proud of their country.

Literature: