The concept is so simple when you think about it. Kids love candy, adults love candy, even teachers love candy. This assignment had built in motivation for my students by the fact the real candy bar sat right in front of them as they worked on their assignment of creating personalized candy bar wrappers for our school board directors.
Inspiration
The idea for a classroom lesson began when I talked to a fellow teacher from the Family and Consumer Science Department. She had mentioned to me that she had paid a firm to create a special candy bar wrapper for her father’s 75th birthday. This gave me the inspiration, combined with the already commercialized versions of Hershey’s “It’s a He/She” for newborns. I thought it would be cool for my students to create personalized candy wrappers for themselves.
Design
I purchased enough standard-size 1.55 ounce Hershey Bars for my entire class. I made sure that I had extra, just in case some were defective or one of my students needed to sample their work. After introducing the assignment and showing my students basic examples, the students worked on their own wrappers using Macintosh G-4 computers and Adobe Photoshop 6.0 software. The students worked at different paces but the majority of the students completed the assignment in a matter of three 80-minute class periods. Students enjoyed working on this assignment so much they frequently came in during their lunch period or scheduled homeroom. The finished wrappers were printed out on high gloss paper and sprayed with workable fixative to give them their quality appearance.
More Inspiration
Fortunately for me, my principal had seen one of the student’s completed handiworks as he was grabbing a quick sandwich from the deli line in the cafeteria. Being a choc-a-holic, he inquired as to how the student got such a colorful and interesting candy wrapper. The student was more than obliged to tell him, and my principal had an idea for an upcoming school board meeting. My principal called me into his office and asked me if I would be willing to do another lesson, to custom design candy wrappers for each and every school board member. He gave me a list of individual board members and their years of service. I then assigned individual students to each board member. We made wrappers for the superintendent of schools as well.
Motivation
What made this assignment so effectively educational for the students was the built-in motivation. They viewed themselves doing something for their school in a creative, positive, and fun manner. Students who participated in this project received special recognition for their efforts by presenting each board member with their finished products at the next board meeting. The board members were ecstatic when they received their candy bars. One member even stated that, “I won’t eat this (candy bar), I am buying a frame and hanging it up, I love it!”
Public Relations Impact
As a relatively new teacher in the district that I graduated from, it gave me great pleasure to see my students excel from my classroom efforts. The public relations factor from this assignment was greater than I had expected. My Technology/Art Education curriculum gained positive momentum and recognition, not only from the school board members, but from fellow faculty and students began to inquire as to what lesson were my students currently working on.
Power Mechanics to Power Macs
Our school is unique in design, in that it is comprised of three separate circular buildings. One of its short-comings is the fact that rarely do other faculty ever know what is going on in another building. Up to two years ago my current classroom housed the Power Mechanics element of our school since its 1969 inception. All the oil caked engines and parts have since departed and have been replaced with 9 Macintosh G-4 computers, a 4-color screen printing press, and a combination hand press, but not everyone on our staff would know that. Since the custom candy creations lesson, more and more interest has been shown to me and to my students. This project combined school with community and the outside community more with the school. It also connected the students more to active learning because they all witnessed first hand the positive benefits of quality work and the reactions of others, besides just their teacher. What struck me most was that the grade I gave them seemed secondary to the rewards they were given from showing off their work to others.
Custom Candy Creations Design Brief
Problem
Design, produce, test, and analyze a personalized candy wrapper to fit around a standard-size chocolate candy bar.
Context
You have been given the job of creating a very personalized candy wrapper for your client. With a limited amount of knowledge about the person’s background, you must tastefully design, produce, and implement a wrapper that will capture the person’s attention and persona.
Outcomes
By completing this activity you should be able to:
1. Comprehend and apply the elements and principles of design into a candy bar wrapper.
2. Effectively communicate ideas and information with a candy bar wrapper.
3. Comprehend and apply basic Adobe Photoshop functions and techniques into a candy bar wrapper design.
4. Create a candy bar wrapper that is aesthetically pleasing, eye-catching, and interprets the personal qualities of the individual.
Resources
The following resources are recommended for this design brief:
Macintosh G-4 or Windows computer
Adobe Photoshop 6.0
Scanner
Ink jet printer& High gloss print paper
Workable fixative
Hershey’s 1.55 oz. candy bars
Paper cutter
Rubber cement
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated individually using the following guidelines:
1. Thumbnail sketches (10 points possible)
a. Creativity
2. Class Performance (50 points possible)
a. Attendance
b. Attitude
3. Final Project (100 points possible)
a. Creativity / Originality
b. Craftsmanship
c. Use of time
d. Knowledge of software
4. Critique (40 points possible)
a. Ability to write and speak about their work as well as their peers’ work
TOTAL: 200 points