Jessica Reidmiller

Zentangle Positive & Negative Space, 5th grade

Pennsylvania Academic Standards and Common Core Standards
9.1.5.A:
Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts and humanities.
Elements: color, form/shape, line, space, texture, value & Principles: balance, contrast, emphasis/focal
point, movement/rhythm, proportion/scale, repetition, unity/harmony
9.1.5.B:
Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce,
review and revise original works in the arts.
9.1.5.H:
Handle materials, equipment and tools safely at work and performance spaces.
Objectives
Students will:

identify positive and negative space

create positive and negative space

Student-Friendly Learning Targets

I can:
identify positive and negative space
create positive and negative space
Vocabulary
Tier 1:
space

Tier 2:
block letters
patterns

Tier 3:
positive space
negative space
zentangle

Materials
12x12 white paper
pencils
black sharpie markers
zentangle reference sheets
bubble letter reference sheets
Resources
https://www.flickr.com/photos/praile/2947343097/ - project idea
http://tinyhandsart.blogspot.com/2014/02/negative-space-initial-designs.html project idea
http://graffitidiplomacy.com/files/bad_bubble_letters_lesson_2_b_document2.jpg bubble letter
handout
http://tinkham-art123.weebly.com/zentangles2.html both pattern sheets

Instructional Procedures/Activities
Class 1
1. Review positive and negative space. Then demonstrate how to create block letters.
2. Students will first write their names in block letters on a 12x12 piece of white paper. (If the
student has a short name, less than 5 letters, then they will have to repeat it at least twice on the
page.) The letters of the name do not need to be straight up and down.
3. Then students will outline their names in black sharpie. (This is to make it easier to see when
they start to fill in the page with designs.)
4. Then in pencil the students will begin to fill in the background with patterns, they may use
patterns on the zentangle reference sheets. The letters should remain completely white.
5. Review positive/negative space and objectives.
Class 2
1. First review positive/negative space and directions, then students should continue filling in the
space with patterns in pencil.
2. When the entire background is filled students will go over the patterns with the black sharpie
marker.
3. Review positive and negative space.
Class 3
1. Gather students and review positive/negative space and directions for the project. Then students
should continue filling in patterns with black sharpie marker.
2. Finally when everything is covered in sharpie they should clean up and remaining pencil lines
with an eraser.
3. Finally review positive and negative space.
Higher-Order Thinking
Level 1 (Recall)- Students can to identify positive and negative space in given examples.
Level 2 (Skill-Concept)- Students will apply knowledge of positive and negative space to a project.
Level 3 (Strategic Thinking)- Students create teacher directed positive/negative space project using
students' own name as the negative space and the surrounding area as the positive space.
Assessment
Formative:
Teacher observation of student's ability to follow
directions and learn skills necessary for project.
(i.e. ability to follow directions)

Follow-up

Summative:
Rubric used to assess understanding of
positive/negative space and craftsmanship.

Being able to identify positive and negative space is an important ability in the construction of a piece
of art, so this ability will be used in future projects. When a student can identify positive and negative
space they can better create a realistic sense of space in a piece of work.