Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs-A Surrealist Adventure

Surrealism, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is:

 "the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations."


So... how would you teach the concept of surrealism to a group of third graders?  Mary Jo Lombardo,  Art teacher at CES, created a series of lessons to conquer this objective.

First, students viewed a variety of surrealist paintings on the Smartboard.  They discussed their observations with their classmates and generated some questions based on the paintings (notice the link to Science inquiry.)  Then MaryJo began a discussion about the current weather here in CT, which has been rainy, windy, and gross all week long.  She asked the students if they had heard of the expression, "It's raining cats and dogs" and many had.  After reading a nonfiction text about how it can't rain cats and dogs, she followed by reading the children's classic Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.   This proved to be the perfect springboard for the objective of the lesson!

Students discussed how this story had elements of surrealism within it since it can't actually rain food.  Their ensuing challenge was to create a surrealistic, watercolor painting where it was "raining" something of their choice.  The children had to put themselves in their paintings but had artistic freedom as to what it was "raining" in each piece of work.  Students from Ms. Baldwin's third grade class were creating their sketches when I was in the Art room today.  Below is one of the rough drafts that a child had sketched:

Sample sketch 

Students were happily drawing and discussing their creative ideas throughout the class period.  I am excited to see the finished products in a few days and will post some of the paintings on the blog.  Be sure to look outside of the Art room for samples of the finished products within the next few weeks!

Ms. Lombardo with her fiction and non-fiction texts she integrated into the lesson.