MLK Jr. Quote - Collagraph Printmaking Project

Collagraph is a great way to introduce students to printmaking since it involves collaging up rather than carving away. No sharp tools necessary (except scissors). It's also a great way to reuse materials like textured wallpaper (check with local interior design companies and see if they have any old samples to give away).

Each child mad a collagraph plate of a different letter in a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. I gave them a few quote options and the one they chose was "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." By the end of our project, they all knew this quote by heart.

First, the students learned the word "texture" and identified different kinds of texture - soft, smooth, rough, bumpy, etc. by walking around the room and feeling the various surfaces. Then I had them feel the textured wallpaper and select a few pieces based on texture rather than design.

We figured out which letters of the alphabet we needed for our quote, and then each child chose a few letters that they wanted to make. Each student got a rectangular piece of cardboard, which they covered with a background texture, and then drew, cut, and glued their letter on with a different textured paper.

Print extras of each letter! They're great for great spelling games during free time.

We had a little "critique" after we hung our work - students said what they liked about it, what the quote meant to them, what their favorite part of the printmaking process was, etc...