Lesson Plans
The Power of Words
The Power of Words is an aesthetic inquiry game in art that is designed to promote student interaction by discussing different artworks and matching the artwork to the different artist statements. This game is designed to engage students in the use of words and text in art while thinking deeper into different artists thought process while creating meaningful artwork.
Grades: 9-12
Duration: 1 Day
Central Focus:
Students will learn how Conceptual artists used text and the power of words to express themselves and convey a message in their artwork.
Learning Objective:
After observing conceptual artwork in the small group activity, The Power of Words, and participating in a large group responding session, students will be able to discuss how conceptual artists used words and text in their artwork to express themselves and convey a message in their personal artwork.
Key Vocabulary:
Font- a set of type of one particular face and size.
Conceptual Art- art in which the idea presented by the artist is considered more important than the finished product, if there is one.
Text- written or printed words, typically forming a connected piece of work.
Balance- refers to the sense of distribution of perceived visual weights that offset one another.
Instructions:
1. Students will get into groups of three to four.
2. Students will spread out all items in envelope. One student will read the directions to the group.
3. As a group the students will look at each piece of artwork and read the artist statements. Together students will try to match the artwork with the corresponding artist statement.
4. After each group has matched the artwork and artist statement the class will get together as a whole and discuss their answers.
Grades: 9-12
Duration: 1 Day
Central Focus:
Students will learn how Conceptual artists used text and the power of words to express themselves and convey a message in their artwork.
Learning Objective:
After observing conceptual artwork in the small group activity, The Power of Words, and participating in a large group responding session, students will be able to discuss how conceptual artists used words and text in their artwork to express themselves and convey a message in their personal artwork.
Key Vocabulary:
Font- a set of type of one particular face and size.
Conceptual Art- art in which the idea presented by the artist is considered more important than the finished product, if there is one.
Text- written or printed words, typically forming a connected piece of work.
Balance- refers to the sense of distribution of perceived visual weights that offset one another.
Instructions:
1. Students will get into groups of three to four.
2. Students will spread out all items in envelope. One student will read the directions to the group.
3. As a group the students will look at each piece of artwork and read the artist statements. Together students will try to match the artwork with the corresponding artist statement.
4. After each group has matched the artwork and artist statement the class will get together as a whole and discuss their answers.
Sgraffito Clay Tile
Overview: This lesson is a multiple day lesson designed to teach students about the use of positive and negative space to create interest in their artwork. This lesson started out with students brainstorming words that are personal to them. The students then created different designs by creating multiple sketches of their words. This lesson also taught the students the ceramic skills of slab building, the use of engobes and the technique of Sgraffito. Throughout the lesson student progress and learning was assessed by a mini critique, a pair-n-share and a final critique were all students completed a graphic organizer and reflected upon their artistic process.
Grades: 9-12
Duration: 6 Days
Central Focus:
Students will be able to learn how to create visual interest in their artwork through the use of positive and negative space.
Learning Objectives:
VA:Cr2.1.IIa Through experimentation, practice, and persistence, demonstrate acquisition of skills and knowledge in a chosen art form.
VA:Cr3.1.IIa Engage in constructive critique with peers, then reflect on, re- engage, revise, and refine works of art and design in response to personal artistic vision.
VA:Re9.1.llla Construct evaluations of a work of art or collection of works based on differing sets of criteria
VA:Cn10.1.IIIa Synthesize knowledge of social, cultural, historical, and personal life with art-making approaches to create meaningful works of art or design.
Key Vocabulary:
Engobe: A colored slip with higher amounts of clay and is formulated to match clay bodies and used as a decorating technique. It is generally applied to leather hard surfaces.
Critique: a detailed analysis, interpretation or evaluation into a piece of artwork
Leather hard: a stage during the drying process of clay. At this stage, the clay has dried enough to be able to be handled without deformation.
Positive and Negative Space: positive space refers to the main focus of a picture, while negative space refers to the background
Sgraffito: a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color, typically done in plaster or stucco on walls, or in slip on ceramics before firing.
Day 1 Learning Outcome:
1. The completed Sgraffito clay slab
2. Pencil Sketch
3. Exit Slip
4. The completed art critique worksheet
5. Participation in small and whole group discussions during the critique
Grades: 9-12
Duration: 6 Days
Central Focus:
Students will be able to learn how to create visual interest in their artwork through the use of positive and negative space.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will create a ceramic slab that conveys a message using the artistic technique of Sgraffito that shows equal amounts of positive and negative space.
- Students will be able to self-evaluate their artistic process by answering questions about their artwork while demonstrating an understanding of Sgraffito, slip, engobe, positive and negative space and leather hard.
- After both small and large group discussions, students will learn about how different artists used Sgraffito to convey a message that demonstrates the concept of positive and negative space.
VA:Cr2.1.IIa Through experimentation, practice, and persistence, demonstrate acquisition of skills and knowledge in a chosen art form.
VA:Cr3.1.IIa Engage in constructive critique with peers, then reflect on, re- engage, revise, and refine works of art and design in response to personal artistic vision.
VA:Re9.1.llla Construct evaluations of a work of art or collection of works based on differing sets of criteria
VA:Cn10.1.IIIa Synthesize knowledge of social, cultural, historical, and personal life with art-making approaches to create meaningful works of art or design.
Key Vocabulary:
Engobe: A colored slip with higher amounts of clay and is formulated to match clay bodies and used as a decorating technique. It is generally applied to leather hard surfaces.
Critique: a detailed analysis, interpretation or evaluation into a piece of artwork
Leather hard: a stage during the drying process of clay. At this stage, the clay has dried enough to be able to be handled without deformation.
Positive and Negative Space: positive space refers to the main focus of a picture, while negative space refers to the background
Sgraffito: a form of decoration made by scratching through a surface to reveal a lower layer of a contrasting color, typically done in plaster or stucco on walls, or in slip on ceramics before firing.
Day 1 Learning Outcome:
- Students will create a slab of clay that is of even thickness that has a smooth surface that is void of peaks and valleys
- Students will brainstorm and create a list of ten words that have personal significance to them
- Students will sketch out their design using equal parts positive and negative space.
- Students will be able to create a slab that is trimmed to size and apply engobe to their slab in a cross coat manner that is even and smooth and is an ideal surface for Sgraffito
- Following a demonstration, students will be able to transfer their design onto their engobe covered clay slab.
- Students will be able to create a ceramic tile using the technique Sgraffito that conveys a message and has equal parts positive and negative space.
- Following a small and large group discussion, students will learn how to analyze and interpret artwork created by their peers.
- Students will complete an art critique worksheet on a peers Sgraffito clay slab.
- Following the critique students will analyze their own artwork and verbally make suggestions on how they could improve on the work they have done.
1. The completed Sgraffito clay slab
2. Pencil Sketch
3. Exit Slip
4. The completed art critique worksheet
5. Participation in small and whole group discussions during the critique
Tree of Life Painting
Overview: This is a painting lesson that teaches students about the use of tints and shades. The lesson starts off with students participating in a responding session with Picasso's "Blue Man" and Van Gogh's "Sunflowers". The students then created an accurate value scale of their selected color with tempera paint. The students then divided their paper into different shapes and they were required to fill in their backgrounds with all different tints and shades. They then viewed Gustav Klimt's "The Tree of Life" and other works of art that had the trees as the subject matter and painted their own version of a tree on the top. During this lesson we did an in progress critique and we critiqued the final paintings.
Grade: 3
Duration: 3 days
Central Focus:
The students will learn how to use tints and shades of colors that can be used in a personal artwork to depict a feeling or emotion.
Learning Objectives:
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Key Vocabulary:
Tint- when white is added to a color
Shade- when black is added to a color
Value- lightness and darkness of colors
Day 1 Learning Outcome:
Students will paint accurate value scales using primary and secondary colors and black and white.
Day 2 Learning Outcome:
Using tempera paint and a paintbrush, students will create the background of their painting that represents their understanding of tint and shade.
Day 3 Learning Outcome:
Using tempera paint and a paintbrush, students will create an image of a tree on their background.
Assessments:
Grade: 3
Duration: 3 days
Central Focus:
The students will learn how to use tints and shades of colors that can be used in a personal artwork to depict a feeling or emotion.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will paint an accurate value scale using tempera paint and a brush.
- Students will paint a painting that represents the tree of life and uses their knowledge of tints and shades.
- The students will write the definitions to value, tint and shade in an exit slip
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Key Vocabulary:
Tint- when white is added to a color
Shade- when black is added to a color
Value- lightness and darkness of colors
Day 1 Learning Outcome:
Students will paint accurate value scales using primary and secondary colors and black and white.
Day 2 Learning Outcome:
Using tempera paint and a paintbrush, students will create the background of their painting that represents their understanding of tint and shade.
Day 3 Learning Outcome:
Using tempera paint and a paintbrush, students will create an image of a tree on their background.
Assessments:
- Value Scale
- Exit Slip
- Final Painting
Islamic Art Cut Paper Tiles
Overview: I taught this lesson at The Saturday Art Workshop at CCSU. In this lesson the students learned about The Islamic art of The Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. This lesson started off with a slideshow that showed images of the palace and taught students about its history and about the patterns in the tile work. Following a demonstration the students created cut paper tiles that show symmetry and repetition. At the end of the lesson we had a class critique where the students talked about each others artwork and reflected on their own artistic process.
Grade: 3
Duration: 1 Day
Essential Question:
How might an artist use symmetry, repetition and mixed media techniques to learn about Islamic Art in Spain?
Learning Objective:
Using mixed media techniques , students will learn about symmetry and repetition in the Islamic art in the Alhambra Palace by creating a cut paper tile.
National Art Standards:
VA: Cr1.1.4a Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.
VA:Re8.1.3a Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.
Key Vocabulary:
Symmetric balance: refers to balance that is achieved by arranging elements on either side of the center of a composition in an equally weighted manner.
Unity: How the elements work together, fit together, so the artwork looks complete.
Pattern: can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form.
Contrast: refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc)
Shape: enclosed space, a two-dimensional form that has both length and width. There are two types of shapes: organic and geometric shapes.
Alhambra: palace and fortress built in Granada, Spain by the Muslims in the Middle Ages (8th century).
Islamic art: Emphasizes geometric designs and floral designs . The beautiful geometric designs create the impression of unending repetition.
Assessments:
1. Cut paper tile
2. Participation in Critique
Grade: 3
Duration: 1 Day
Essential Question:
How might an artist use symmetry, repetition and mixed media techniques to learn about Islamic Art in Spain?
Learning Objective:
Using mixed media techniques , students will learn about symmetry and repetition in the Islamic art in the Alhambra Palace by creating a cut paper tile.
National Art Standards:
VA: Cr1.1.4a Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.
VA:Re8.1.3a Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.
Key Vocabulary:
Symmetric balance: refers to balance that is achieved by arranging elements on either side of the center of a composition in an equally weighted manner.
Unity: How the elements work together, fit together, so the artwork looks complete.
Pattern: can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form.
Contrast: refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc)
Shape: enclosed space, a two-dimensional form that has both length and width. There are two types of shapes: organic and geometric shapes.
Alhambra: palace and fortress built in Granada, Spain by the Muslims in the Middle Ages (8th century).
Islamic art: Emphasizes geometric designs and floral designs . The beautiful geometric designs create the impression of unending repetition.
Assessments:
1. Cut paper tile
2. Participation in Critique