Taichung City Datong Elementary School—The World Under the Microcosm

This course, centered on "observation and transformation," begins with the land, exploring how "beauty" can be seen in nature, and prompting students to reflect on:
1. How are natural forms transformed into artistic language?
2. How can the colors of the land become a carrier of culture and emotion?
3. And how can a relationship of shared cultural identity be established between the campus land and the campus of the Beijing Olympic Games?
Starting with local nature, the course guides children to observe the world at different scales and with greater sensitivity—from the microscopic details under a microscope to the bark of trees touched by the palm of their hands, and the flow of light and wind. These seen and felt details will be transformed into the children's artistic language through paint, lines, colors, and composition. In the cycle of "seeing-feeling-expressing," children gradually build a deep connection between Austrian land and the Austrian world.
II. Four Major Learning Processes
(I) Nature Exploration | From "Observer" to "Understanding" to "Perception"
Through observation, touch, listening, and hands-on experience under a microscope, students are guided to re-examine the natural world. They not only learn about objects but also discover structure, texture, and rhythm from a microscopic perspective, cultivating meticulous observation, perception, and connection with the environment.
(II) Poetic Language | From "Feeling" → "Naming" → "Poetic Expression"
Using language as a bridge to perception, students transform observations into poetic language through metaphor, description, and imagination. Nature is no longer just an objective thing, but becomes an entity with which they can engage in dialogue. Students learn to use language to capture inner feelings, making emotions tangible and audible.
(III) Sense of Place | From "Materials" to "Land" to "Cultural Understanding"
Through making their own pigments (from the soil and natural materials on campus), students understand that color is not just a visual phenomenon, but a cultural language closely connected to the land, environment, and life experiences. In the process of mixing colors and transforming materials, students gradually build a sense of belonging, identification, and emotional connection with their local area.
(IV) Artistic Creation | From "Translation" → "Reconstruction" → "Creation"
Students transform the lines, structures, and rhythms observed under a microscope into visual language, creating works through line drawing, collage, rubber stamps, and printing. They don't just reproduce nature, but reorganize it, transforming the microscopic world into an art form that can be viewed, touched, and used, extending into personalized "school imprint" cultural and creative works.
III. Learning Process Model
Observe → Describe → Extract → Transform → Recreate → Complete the work
This is not only a process of practicing techniques, but also a learning journey that starts from natural experience and gradually constructs one's own visual language. Students' works no longer just imitate the shape of nature, but develop their own visual language and creative logic from the subtle details of nature.
IV. Conclusion:
The ultimate goal of this course is not to produce a large number of works, but to help students understand that beauty does not exist in the distance, but is hidden in the everyday earth. They see the breath of lines under a microscope, hear the stories of the land in the colors of the soil, and feel the warmth of nature in the paints they mix themselves. This kind of observation allows them to understand the world with authentic eyes, respond to the world with creative language, and gradually form an identity with themselves and their place in their relationship with the land. Ultimately, children learn to see the world in different ways.

IV. Learning Objectives:
(I) Cultivating observation and perception skills
Guide students to observe and feel the natural environment closely, perceive the changes in light, shadow, color, texture and structure, and cultivate their awareness and ability to be moved by beauty through physical experience and artistic creation.
(II) Understanding the Principles and Forms of Beauty
By observing natural forms through a microscope, students can discover the connections between lines, colors, light and shadow and rhythm, and understand the artistic principles and aesthetic structures behind natural phenomena.
(III) Developing the expressive power of poetic language
Students are encouraged to capture fleeting feelings through language, transforming their observations into poetic writing and spontaneous expression, allowing words to become a medium connecting inner perception with the external world.
(iv) Establishing land identity and humanistic care
Starting from the soil and natural materials on campus, students are guided to experience the life rhythm of the local environment. Through observation and creation, they develop an emotional connection to the land, a cultural understanding, and a sense of sustainability.