UNDERSTANDING INFORMATIONAL TEXT THROUGH LANDSCAPE ART 6-8

UNDERSTANDING INFORMATIONAL TEXT
THROUGH LANDSCAPE ART

MOSAICS AND MATH

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of informational texts by using text evidence to create a landscape artwork.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS, ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can visualize supporting details in an informational text to create a landscape artwork.

  • I can annotate an informational text to identify the most important details.

  • I can synthesize the information presented in two different texts.

Essential Questions

  • How can I visualize supporting details in an informational text to create a landscape artwork?

  • How can I identify the most important details using annotation?

  • How can I synthesize the information presented in two different texts?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

ELA

ELAGSE6RI1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 

ELAGSE6RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

SS6G1 Locate selected features of Latin America.

SS6G4 Locate selected features of Canada.

SS6G7 Locate selected features of Europe.

SS6G11 Locate selected features of Australia.

 

Grade 7

ELA

ELAGSE7RI1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

ELAGSE7W8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. 

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

SS7G1 Locate selected features of Africa.

SS7G5 Locate selected features in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

SS7G9 Locate selected features in Southern and Eastern Asia.

 

Grade 8

ELAGSE8RI1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

ELAGSE8RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

SS8G1 Describe Georgia’s geography and climate.

Arts Standards

Grade 6

VA6.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art. 

VA6.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and/or methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

VA6.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence.

 

Grade 7

VA7.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art. 

VA7.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and/or methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

VA7.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence. 

 

Grade 8

VA8.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas for creating works of art. 

VA8.CR.2 Choose from a range of materials and/or methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan and create works of art.

VA8.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes, media, techniques, and/or technology through experimentation, practice, and persistence.

 

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

ELA

Reading - Informational Text (RI) - Meaning and Context 

Standard 6: Summarize key details and ideas to support analysis of central ideas.

6.1 Provide an objective summary of a text with two or more central ideas; cite key supporting details.

 

Grade 7

ELA

Reading - Informational Text (RI) - Meaning and Context 

Standard 6: Summarize key details and ideas to support analysis of central ideas.

6.1 Provide an objective summary of a text with two or more central ideas; cite key supporting details to analyze their development. 

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

7.1.1.PR Identify select African physical systems and human characteristics of places.

7.2.1.PR Identify select Asian physical systems and human characteristics of places.

7.3.1.PR Identify select Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica physical systems and human characteristics of places.

7.4.1.PR Identify select European physical systems and human characteristics of places.

7.5.1.PR Identify select North American physical systems and human characteristics of places.

7.6.1.PR Identify select South American physical systems (e.g., landforms and bodies of water), and human characteristics of places (e.g., countries and cities).

 

Grade 8

ELA

Reading - Informational Text (RI) - Meaning and Context 

Standard 6: Summarize key details and ideas to support analysis of central ideas.

6.1 Provide an objective summary of a text with two or more central ideas; cite key supporting details to analyze their development.

 

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

Anchor Standard 5: I can interpret (read) and evaluate the meaning of an artwork.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Informational text - Nonfiction writing that has the purpose of informing the reader
  • Synthesize - To combine two or more sources of information into one coherent source of information
  • Annotate - To take notes on a text
  • Physical feature - A landform such as a mountain, river, desert, etc.
  • Text evidence - Information that comes directly from the text that supports the main idea of the text

Arts Vocabulary

  • Space - One of the seven Elements of Art; techniques artists use to create the illusion of depth on a 2D surface
  • Landscape - A type of art that shows a wide expanse of land–usually a countryside–and shows depth through a background, middle ground, and foreground
  • Foreground - The part of a landscape that is closest to the viewer
  • Background - The part of a landscape that is farthest from the viewer
  • Middle ground - The part of a landscape that is in between the background and the foreground
  • Texture - One of the seven elements of art; how something feels or looks like it feels
  • Printmaking - Printmaking is a process by which the artist creates an image that has texture and transfers that image repeatedly onto another surface like paper.
  • Collagraph printmaking - A form of printmaking in which texture is built up on a surface by layering materials. The artist then transfers the image through a process like a rubbing onto another surface like paper.

 

Materials

    • Computer paper
    • Cardstock
    • Cardboard or additional cardstock for background
    • Scissors
    • Glue sticks
    • Pencils
    • Crayons or oil pastels (teacher tip: soak oil pastels or crayons in warm soapy water overnight; paper labels will easily come off the next day)
    • Informational text that describes a geographic location students are studying in Social Studies such as the Sahara Desert (7th grade SS, GA)
    • Optional - colored pencils

     

     

    Instructional Design

    Opening/Activating Strategy

    • Project a landscape painting such as Landscape from Saint Remy by Vincent Van Gogh. 
      • First, students will identify what they see in the image. Emphasize that they should make objective observations about the painting (i.e. physical features, colors, textures, etc.). 
      • Next, ask students to identify what they think about the image. Emphasize that students should be creating inferences using visual evidence from the painting. 
      • Finally, ask students what they wonder about the image. 
      • Ask students to work collaboratively to engage in the See, Think, Wonder protocol (Harvard University Project Zero - Artful Thinking Strategies). 
      • Facilitate a class-wide discussion around students’ observations, inferences, and questions.

     

    Work Session

      • Explain that the artwork students are looking at is an example of a landscape painting. Landscape paintings show a wide expanse of land–usually a countryside–and show depth through a background, middle ground, and foreground. 
      • Show students the diagram of a landscape. Explain that the background is what is farthest away from the viewer, the foreground is directly in front of the viewer, and the middle ground everything in the middle. 
      • Ask students to try to identify the background, middle ground, and foreground in Landscape from Saint Remy by Vincent Van Gogh.
      • Explain to students that texture in art is how something feels or looks like it feels. Ask students to identify textures in the landscape painting.
      • Tell students that they will be creating their own landscape artwork based off of an informational text. Provide each student with a copy of the informational text that connects to a region students are studying in Social Studies (if applicable). 
      • With partners, have students annotate the text as they read, looking for details that describe how the region looks such as landforms, colors, etc. 
      • Facilitate a discussion with students around what details they might include in the background, what details they might include in the middle ground, and what details they might include in the foreground. 
      • Instruct students to locate and research an additional informational text on the same region. 
        • Students should use their knowledge of research practices to identify a reliable source. Students should annotate the text as they did previously. 
        • Students will synthesize the details that they found in the two sources to create their landscape artwork. 
      • Introduce students to the term Collagraph Printmaking. 
        • Printmaking is a process by which the artist creates an image that has texture and transfers that image repeatedly onto another surface like paper. 
        • Tell students that the printing press is an early example of printmaking. 
      • Explain the process of creating their artwork. 
        • Students will draw a rough draft of their landscape on blank paper using evidence from both texts. Students’ rough drafts should have a background, middle ground, and foreground.
        • Out of cardstock, students will cut out landforms like mountains and physical features like forests that they included in their rough draft. 
          • Students should glue the landforms down to a piece of cardstock or cardboard starting with the background and moving to the foreground. 
          • Students should use overlapping as they glue each layer down.
        • Once they have created their landscapes, students will create a rubbing by placing a piece of computer paper over their landscape. Using a crayon or oil pastel, they will rub across the surface to pick up the texture of the landscape.
      • Students can then add in details and additional texture using colored pencil, crayon, or oil pastel.

       

      Closing Reflection

      • Students will write a one paragraph artist statement about their work. They should include a relevant title for their landscape and what they showed in their artwork citing text evidence from both sources.
      • Allow students to conduct a gallery walk within small groups to compare and contrast how they and their classmates visualized the text. Emphasize that students should look for similarities and differences in artwork and how that reflects the sources that students used.

      Assessments

      Formative

      Teachers will assess learning by determining whether students are able to identify the background, middle ground, and foreground in the example landscape and whether students can identify all the important supporting details from both texts that describe how the region looks.

       

       

      Summative

      CHECKLIST

      • Students’ landscapes included a background, middle ground, and foreground. 
      • Students’ landscapes visualize the details from both texts that describe how the location looks.
      • Students’ artist statements include a relevant title for their landscapes and what they showed in their artwork citing text evidence from both sources.

       

       

      Differentiation

      Acceleration: 

      • Allow students to research the landscape paintings of Vincent Van Gogh or another landscape artist. Students can create their artwork in the style of Van Gogh (Post-Impressionism) or another artist of their choice. 

      Remediation: 

      • Allow students to work with partners to create their landscapes. Each partner can create their own rubbing. 
      • Provide students with an “answer key” of the passage to use to check their annotations. 
      • Have students only use one text rather than two.
      • Provide students with a graphic organizer to fill out with landforms, physical features, and agriculture as they read the text. 

       

       ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

       

      *This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

      Ideas contributed by:  Katy Betts 

      Revised and copyright:  2023  @ ArtsNOW

       
      Back to Modules

      DANCING THROUGH SENTENCE STRUCTURE 2-3

      DANCING THROUGH SENTENCE STRUCTURE

      DANCING THROUGH SENTENCE STRUCTURE

      Learning Description

      This lesson allows students to explore sentence structure through movement and choreographicsequences. Discover how to integrate dance into your language arts curriculum and engage yourstudents in a brand-new way!

       

      Learning Targets

      GRADE BAND: 2-3
      CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & ELA
      LESSON DOWNLOADS:

      Download PDF of this Lesson

      "I Can" Statements

      “I Can…”

      • I can identify types of sentences.
      • I can identify parts of speech.
      • I can use movement to express the intent of a sentence, i.e., strong emotion, a question, or a command.
      • I can choreograph a dance based on a given structure.

      Essential Questions

      • How can movement help us identify parts of speech and sentence type? 

       

      Georgia Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2: 

      ELAGSE2L1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English 

      grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

       

      ELAGSE2L2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English 

      capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

       

      Grade 3: 

      ELAGSE3L1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English 

      grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

       

      ELAGSE3L2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English 

      capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

       

      Arts Standards

      Grade 2:

      ESD2.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

      ESD2.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

      ESD2.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, and terminology in dance.

      ESD2.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

      ESD2.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

       

      Grade 3:

      ESD3.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

      ESD3.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

      ESD3.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, technique, and terminology in dance

      ESD3.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

      ESD3.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

       

       

      South Carolina Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2:

      2.W.MCC.4.1 Use collective nouns. 

      2.W.MCC.4.4 Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs. 

      2.W.MCC.4.5 Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. 

      2.W.L.5.2.a Use periods, question marks, or exclamation marks at the end of sentences.

       

      Grade 3:

      3.W.MCC.4.1.a When writing show knowledge of the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs;

       

      Arts Standards

      Grades 2-3:

      Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.

      Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

      Anchor Standard 3: I can perform movements using the dance elements.

      Anchor Standard 5: I can describe, analyze, and evaluate a dance.

      Anchor Standard 7: I can relate dance to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

       

       

       

      Key Vocabulary

      Content Vocabulary

      Sentence Types

      • Interrogative - A sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark.
      • Imperative - A sentence that gives a command or makes a request. 
      • Exclamatory - A sentence that shows strong emotion and ends with an exclamation mark. 
      • Declarative - A sentence that makes a statement and ends with a period.
      • Punctuation - Marks used in writing to separate words and numerals.

      Arts Vocabulary

      • Locomotor - Movement that travels from one location to another in a pathway through space
      • Non locomotor - Movement that occurs without the body traveling from one point to another point.

      Energy Qualities 

      • Percussive - A quality of movement characterized by sharp starts and stops, staccato jabs of energy.  
      • Suspended - A quality of movement that occurs in a moment of resistance to gravity, such as the instant in which a dancer hangs in space at the top of a leap.  
      • Sustained - A quality of movement that is smooth and unaccented. There is no apparent start or stop, only a continuity of energy.  
      • Swinging - A quality of movement established by a fall with gravity, a gain in momentum, a loss of momentum, and the repeated cycle of fall and recovery, like that of a pendulum.  
      • Vibratory - A quality of movement characterized by rapidly repeated bursts of percussive movements, like a jitter. 

       

       

      Materials

      • Sound source (CD player, iPod) and speaker  
      • Audio recording 
      • Cards with printed sentences 

       

      Instructional Design

      Opening/Activating Strategy

      • As a group, lead students in a warm up that includes these dance elements:
        • Movement energy qualities, including percussive, suspended, sustained, swinging, and vibratory. 
        • Locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
        • Identify these dance elements so that students learn dance vocabulary.

       

      Work Session

      ELA Discussion

      • Ask students to identify different sentence types (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative). 
      • Ask students to match a movement quality of their choice to each sentence type. 
      • Ask students to identify the following parts of speech: verb, noun, pronoun, adjective, and adverb. 

      Small group choreography 

      • Divide students into groups and ask each group to create a movement/shape for each part of speech. Each group will create five movements. 
      • Now, give each group a card with a sentence on it. The members will need to identify the underlined parts of speech and the sentence type. 
      • Group members choreograph a short movement phrase that demonstrates the correct order of the underlined parts of speech as they appear, as well as the movement quality that matches the overall sentence type. 

      Presentation

      Once students have completed their choreographies, each group will present its sentence, identify the parts of speech, and present their choreography to the class. Option to choose music for each dance.

       

      Closing Reflection

      Ask students to explain, using dance vocabulary, how a movement of a peer group expresses a certain part of speech.

       

      Ask students to explain why they chose certain movements to express certain parts of speech.

       

       

       

      Assessments

      Formative

      • Students engage in collaborative discussion about movement choices and parts of speech.
      • Students correctly use dance vocabulary during discussion.

       

      Summative

      • Students correctly identify parts of speech and sentence types. 
      • The form and sequence of a group choreography correctly matched the sequence of the assigned sentence. 
      • Movements were correctly performed.

       

       

      Differentiation

      Acceleration: 

      Add layers to the choreographic process to:

      • Include transitions
      • Vary movements to show a clear beginning, middle, and end expressed in terms of movement (as opposed to simply following the order given by the sentence).

       

      Remediation:

      As a class, identify the underlined parts of speech and the sentence type and then assign groups to match movements with parts of speech.

       

       ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

      As part of the standards discussion but not standards themselves, the statements below reflect the connection between the choreographic process and the writing process and are interesting to consider while implementing this lesson. 

       

      Fundamentals of Writing  

      Employ a recursive writing process that includes planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, publishing, and reflecting.  

       

      Interact and collaborate with peers and adults to develop and strengthen writing.  

       

      Produce writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, discipline, and audience. 

       

      Fundamentals of Communication  

      Employ a reciprocal communication process that includes planning, drafting, revising, editing, reviewing, presenting, and reflecting.  

       

      Communicate using style, language, and nonverbal cues appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.  

       

      Use active and attentive communication skills, building on other’s ideas to explore, learn, enjoy, argue, and exchange information.  

       

      Monitor delivery and reception throughout the communication process and adjust approach and strategies as needed.

      *This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

       Ideas contributed and updated by: Melissa Dittmar-Joy and Julie Galle Baggenstoss

       Revised and copyright:  August 2022 @ ArtsNOW

       

      Back to Modules

      PATTERNS IN MOTION 2-3

      PATTERNS IN MOTION

      PATTERNS IN MOTION

      Learning Description

      Understand the structure of pattern and sequence through the elements of dance and choreography using movements that represent geometric shapes!

       

      Learning Targets

      GRADE BAND: 2-3
      CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & ELA
      LESSON DOWNLOADS:

      Download PDF of this Lesson

      "I Can" Statements

      “I Can…”

      • I can recognize the difference between a pattern and a sequence in shapes, rhyming words, and movements.
      • I can use dance and rhyming to decode single-syllable words.
      • I can create choreography to represent a pattern or sequence.

      Essential Questions

      • What are different ways we can represent sequence and patterns through movement?
      • How can we use dance and rhyming to decode single-syllable words?
      • How can I create choreography to represent a pattern or sequence?

       

      Georgia Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2: 

      ELAGSE2RL4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

       

      ELAGSE2RF3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

       

      ELAGSE2SL1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

       

      Grade 3: 

      ELAGSE3RF3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words

       

      ELAGSE3SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

       

      Arts Standards

      Grade 2:

      ESD2.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

      ESD2.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

      ESD2.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, and terminology in dance.

      ESD2.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

      ESD2.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

       

      Grade 3:

      ESD3.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

      ESD3.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

      ESD3.PR.1 Identify and demonstrate movement elements, skills, technique, and terminology in dance

      ESD3.RE.1 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking in dance.

      ESD3.CN.3 Identify connections between dance and other areas of knowledge.

       

       

       

      South Carolina Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2:

      READING - Literary Text (RL) 

      Standard 2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds. 

      Standard 3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

       

      COMMUNICATION (C)  

      Standard 1: Interact with others to explore ideas and concepts, communicate meaning, and develop logical interpretations through collaborative conversations; build upon the ideas of others to clearly express one’s own views while respecting diverse perspectives.

       

      Grade 3:READING - Literary Text (RL) 

      Standard 2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds. 

      Standard 3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. 

       

      COMMUNICATION (C)  

      Standard 1: Interact with others to explore ideas and concepts, communicate meaning, and develop logical interpretations through collaborative conversations; build upon the ideas of others to clearly express one’s own views while respecting diverse perspectives.

       

       

      Arts Standards

      Grades 2-3:

      Anchor Standard 1: I can use movement exploration to discover and create artistic ideas and works.

      Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

      Anchor Standard 3: I can perform movements using the dance elements.

      Anchor Standard 5: I can describe, analyze, and evaluate a dance.

      Anchor Standard 7: I can relate dance to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.

       

       

       

       

      Key Vocabulary

      Content Vocabulary

        • Pattern - A set of elements repeated in a predictable manner
        • Sequence - A series of elements arranged with intention and does not always follow a pattern
        • Rhyming scheme - The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line
        • Rhyme - The similarity in sound between words or the ending sounds of words

        Arts Vocabulary

        • Choreography - The art of composing dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers
        • Choreographer - A person who creates dances
        • Body shapes - Forms that the entire body or body parts take when making movement

         

         

        Materials

          • Music source and speakers
          • Cards printed with shapes
          • Cards printed with groups of shapes in patterns or sequences
          • Cards printed with groups of one-syllable words in patterns or sequences
          • Cards printed with poems

           

           

          Instructional Design

          Opening/Activating Strategy

          • Play music with a strong beat. As a class group, lead students in a warm up that establishes the beat of the music such as marching or clapping.
          • Next, lead them in making movements that have obvious geometric qualities using vocabulary from The Elements of Dance to describe body shapes. Examples include straight lines using arms and legs, rounded shapes using arms, etc.

           

          Work Session

          Movement discovery

          • Show students cards with geometric shapes printed on them and ask them to move to the beat to represent the shape of the card until you show a different card. Repeat this several times until students have discovered/created several different movements.

          Establish pattern versus sequence:

          • Continue the discovery activity holding the cards up for shorter periods of time and in patterns, ABAB at first and then more complicated. Open a handle question: How am I arranging the cards? How am I arranging your dance steps?
          • Ask students to explain the arrangement of the dance steps. They should arrive at the concept of patterns.
          • Repeat two previous steps using a sequence instead of a pattern.

          Choreographic process

          • Divide students into small groups. Give each group a card printed with a pattern or a sequence represented in shapes. Without sharing with other groups, students identify whether their card shows a pattern or sequence.
          • Students create dances based on the order of shapes on their cards and the dance movements that they discovered during previous segments of the lesson. Encourage students to use movements from the warm-up or create movements using the movements from warm-up as inspiration.
          • Allow students time to practice their dance.

          Performance

          • Peers identify whether the performing group is showing a sequence or pattern. When a pattern is performed, peers describe the pattern in terms of shapes represented by the dance movements.

          Poetry connection

          • Give each group a card with rhyming words that are arranged in a pattern or sequence, such as CAT, FROG, BAT, LOG (ABAB pattern) or CAT, FROG, LOG, BAT (ABBA sequence). Students determine the pattern or sequence.
          • Give each group a short poem and ask students to identify the rhyming scheme, which will be a sequence or a pattern.  

          Final dance 

          • Students create dances based on patterns or sequences that they identified in the previous step. They use the dance movements that they discovered during previous segments of the lesson. 
          • Allow groups to present poems and dances.

           

          Closing Reflection

          • Groups explain why they chose certain movements to express certain shapes. 
          • Students explain how looking for patterns versus sequences in shapes and dances is like looking for patterns versus sequences in poetry rhyming schemes.

          Assessments

          Formative

          Teachers will assess understanding through: 

          • Student engagement in collaborative discussion about movement choices, math concepts, and ELA concepts.
          • Students’ use of dance vocabulary to describe body shapes during discussion.
          • Students’ progress toward a finished choreography during collaborative group work period.

           

           

          Summative

          CHECKLIST

          • Students can present choreography that accurately portrays their assigned pattern or sequence. 
          • Students can recognize the difference between a pattern and a sequence in shapes, rhyming words, and movements.
          • Students can explain why they chose certain movements to express certain shapes.
          • Students’ choreography demonstrates that they can use dance and rhyming to decode single-syllable words.
          • Peers/audience can accurately identify the pattern or sequence expressed in peer choreography.

           

          Differentiation

          Acceleration:

          • Ask students to rearrange the final words of the poem to turn the sequence into a pattern (select a poem that is intrinsically flexible for this task).
          • Create a dance in small groups to express the rhyming scheme.
          • Use two-syllable words instead of single-syllable words in poetry connection.

           

          Remediation:

          • Use one poem to work with as a class rather than multiple poems.

           

           ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

          • Classroom Tips: Set up chairs and tables in a circular format to maximize students’  engagement and ability to see their peers during the activity and  performance. Also establish parameters for acceptable movement choices and discuss audience  behavior/etiquette with students.
          • The Elements of Dance

          *This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

          Ideas contributed and updated by: Julie Galle Baggenstoss and Melissa Dittmar-Joy

          Revised and copyright:  August 2022 @ ArtsNOW
          Back to Modules

          Storytelling through Mosaics 4-5

          STORYTELLING THROUGH MOSAICS

          STORYTELLING THROUGH MOSAICS

          Learning Description

          In this lesson, students will use literacy strategies to interpret works of art and to create a mosaic using watercolor that illustrates a key detail from a literary passage. Students will use their finished mosaics to create a retelling of the passage.

           

          Learning Targets

          GRADE BAND: 4-5
          CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS& ELA
          LESSON DOWNLOADS:

          Download PDF of this Lesson

          "I Can" Statements

          “I Can…”

          • I can use shape and color to create a mosaic that demonstrates a key detail of a passage.

          • I can describe the process I used to create my mosaic

          • I can draw conclusions about images and use visual evidence to support my reasoning.

          Essential Questions

          • How can I use the elements of shape and color to create a mosaic that demonstrates a key detail of a passage?

          • How can I describe the process I used to create my artwork?

          • How can I use visual evidence to explain my reasoning?

           

          Georgia Standards

          Curriculum Standards

          Grade 4:

          ELAGSE4RL1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

           

          ELAGSE4RL3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

           

          ELAGSE4RL7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text identifying similarities and differences.

           

          ELAGSE4RI1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. 

           

          ELAGSE4SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

           

          Grade 5:

          ELAGSE5RI1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. 

           

          ELAGSE5RI2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

           

          ELAGSE5SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

           

          ELAGSE5SL2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

           

           

          Arts Standards

          Grade 4:

          VA4.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

           

          VA4.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes. 

           

          VA4.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of two dimensional art. 

           

          VA4.RE.1 Use a variety of approaches for art criticism and to critique personal works of art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

           

          VA4.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

           

          VA4.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

           

          Grade 5:

          VA5.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

           

          VA5.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes. 

           

          VA5.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, processes, and concepts of two dimensional art.

           

          VA5.RE.1 Use a variety of approaches for art criticism and to critique personal works of art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

           

          VA5.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

           

          VA5.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

           

           

           

           

          South Carolina Standards

          Curriculum Standards

          Grade 4:

          4.RL.MC.5.1 Ask and answer inferential questions to analyze meaning beyond the text; refer to details and examples within a text to support inferences and conclusions. 

           

          4.RL.MC.7.1 Explore similarities and differences among textual, dramatic, visual, or oral presentations. 

           

          4.C.MC.1.2 Participate in discussions; ask and respond to questions to acquire information concerning a topic, text, or issue.  

           

          4.C.MC.2.1 Articulate ideas, perspectives and information with details and supporting evidence in a logical sequence with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. 

           

          4.C.MC.3.2 Create presentations using videos, photos, and other multimedia elements to support communication and clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. 

           

          Grade 5:

          5.RL.MC.7.1 Compare and contrast textual, dramatic, visual, or oral presentations to identify similarities and differences.  

           

          5.C.MC.1.2 Participate in discussions; ask and respond to probing questions to acquire and confirm information concerning a topic, text, or issue. 

          5.C.MC.3.2 Create presentations that integrate visual displays and other multimedia to enrich the presentation. 

           

           

           

          Arts Standards

          Anchor Standard 1: I can use the elements and principles of art to create artwork.

           

          Anchor Standard 2: I can use different materials, techniques, and processes to make art.

           

          Anchor Standard 3: I can improve and complete artistic work using elements and principles.

          Anchor Standard 4: I can organize work for presentation and documentation to reflect specific content, ideas, skills, and or media.

           

           

           

           

          Key Vocabulary

          Content Vocabulary

          • Detail - Information from the passage that supports the main idea.

          • Setting - When and where a story takes place.

          • Character - A person, figure, or animal depicted in literature.

          • Summary - A brief description of a passage that captures the main idea.

           

          Arts Vocabulary

          • Shape - One of the seven Elements of Art; it is a flat, enclosed area that has two dimensions, length and width. Artists use both geometric and organic shapes.

          • Watercolor wash - A layer of watercolor that completely covers a surface and is translucent.

          • Mosaic - An art form that is a picture or pattern produced by arranging small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass.

          • Composition - The way the elements of art are arranged in an artwork.

          • Warm colors - Red, orange, yellow.

          • Cool colors - Green, blue, violet.

          • Complementary colors - Colors across from each other on the color wheel (Example: Orange and blue).

          • Analogous colors - Colors next to each other on the color wheel (Example: red, orange, yellow).

           

           

          Materials

          • 9x12-inch black construction paper
          • 9x12-inch white multi-media or watercolor paper
          • Watercolor set
          • Paintbrushes (preferably flat brush)
          • Water cups with water
          • Pencil
          • Scissors
          • Liquid glue or glue sticks

           

          Instructional Design

          Opening/Activating Strategy

          Settings

          • Show students an image of an ancient Roman mosaic.
          • Ask students to go through the “See, Think, Wonder” strategy.
          • Have students compare their findings with a partner. Have groups share their findings. 
          • Students should be able to use visual evidence to support any “think” statements.
          • Explain that mosaics are made up of tiny pieces of material to create an image or design. Mosaics use the element of art, shape.

           

          Work Session

              • Explain that students will be focusing on shape, space, and color in their mosaic. Go over the different types of shapes (organic, free-form, and geometric - see link in Resources).
              • Read a descriptive passage to students such as an excerpt from the book, Tiger, Tiger by Dee Lillegard. Ask students to close their eyes as they listen to the passage and listen for details that tell about the characters and the setting.
              • Discuss the setting and the characters after reading the passage.
              • Ask students to do a “quick draw” of one of the things that stood out to them from the passage. Students’ quick draw should demonstrate a key detail from a character or setting. 
              • Students should share their quick draw with a partner and explain why they chose that detail from the passage.
              • Explain that students will be making the tiles for their mosaic out of watercolor paper. 
              • Show students a color wheel. Discuss the different ways we can organize colors into color schemes: warm, cool, complementary, and analogous.
              • Students will paint their paper the colors that they need for their mosaic.
              • Once the watercolor wash is mostly dry, students should cut out shapes for their mosaic.
              • Students should draw their “quick draw” on their black paper and then glue their shapes down onto the black paper. Tell students that it is alright if their composition changes from their quick draw to their mosaic. This is part of the design thinking process!

               

               

              Closing Reflection

              • Students should respond to the following prompts in written form - How did you make your artwork (procedural writing)? What details from the text did you show and why? What are you most proud of in your artwork?
              • Students should then organize themselves in the order of the story that their mosaic shows (beginning, middle, end) to retell the story.

               

               

              Assessments

              Formative

              • Student discussion around ancient Roman mosaic - See, Think, Wonder strategy using visual evidence to support reasoning
              • Students’ quick draw and pair share to demonstrate whether students comprehend the text

                 

                Summative

                • Mosaic should demonstrate students’ understanding of text.
                • Writing responses should demonstrate that students can explain the process that they used to create their artwork.
                • Students should be able to arrange their mosaics in the order of story to demonstrate comprehension.

                 

                Differentiation

                 

                Acceleration: 

                • Read the passage until a “cliff-hanger”. Have students who have finished mosaic write and illustrate what they think will happen at the end of the story.

                Remediation: 

                • Point out key details in the text that students could illustrate. Facilitate discussion around why these are key details. Write the detail on the board along with an image that students could illustrate. 
                • Instead of having students write the process they used to create their art, ask students to write a sentence stating what detail they showed from the text and why they chose that detail.

                 

                 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

                Color wheel

                Examples of ancient Roman mosaics

                Mosaics and Literacy presentation

                *This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

                 Ideas contributed by: Katy Betts 

                Revised and copyright:  September 2023 @ ArtsNOW
                Back to Modules

                DRAMATIC WRITING WITH ANSEL ADAMS 2-3

                DRAMATIC WRITING WITH ANSEL ADAMS

                DRAMATIC WRITING WITH ANSEL ADAMS

                Learning Description

                Using Ansel Adams photographs for inspiration, students will explore creative writing, directing, and acting.

                 

                Learning Targets

                GRADE BAND: 2-3
                CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & ELA
                LESSON DOWNLOADS:

                Download PDF of this Lesson

                "I Can" Statements

                “I Can…”

                • I can use a photograph as inspiration for creative writing and acting based in a particular setting.
                • I can work with a group to bring to life a scene inspired by a photograph.

                Essential Questions

                • How can visual art be a catalyst for writing and acting? 

                 

                Georgia Standards

                Curriculum Standards

                Grade 2:

                ELACC2W3  Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. 

                 

                ELACC2SL4  Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.  

                 

                Grade 3:

                ELAGSE3W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

                 

                ELAGSE3SL4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details,

                speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

                 

                Arts Standards

                Grade 2: 

                TAES2.2 Developing scripts through improvisation and other theatrical methods.

                  

                TAES2.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments.

                 

                VA2.RE.1 Discuss personal works of art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

                 

                VA2.CN.1 Investigate and discover the personal relationships of artists to community, culture, and the world through making and studying art.

                 

                Grade 3:

                TAES3.2 Developing scripts through improvisation and other theatrical methods.

                  

                TAES3.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments.

                 

                VA3.RE.1 Use a variety of approaches for art criticism and to critique personal works of

                art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

                 

                VA3.CN.1 Investigate and discover the personal relationships of artists to community, culture, and the world through making and studying art.

                 

                 

                 

                South Carolina Standards

                Curriculum Standards

                Grade 2:

                ELA.2.C.3.1 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences. When writing: 

                1. establish and describe character(s) and setting; 
                2. sequence events and use temporal words to signal event order (e.g., before, after).

                 

                Grade 3:

                ELA.3.C.3.1 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences. When writing: 

                1. establish a setting and introduce a narrator or characters; 
                2. use temporal words and phrases to sequence a plot structure; 
                3. use descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop characters.

                 

                 

                Arts Standards

                THEATRE

                Anchor Standard 3: I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

                 

                VISUAL ARTS

                Anchor Standard 5: I can interpret and evaluate the meaning of an artwork.

                 

                 

                 

                Key Vocabulary

                Content Vocabulary

                • Character - Actor or actress in a specified role.
                • Setting - Environment or place of action. 
                • Plot - List, timetable, or scheme dealing with any of the various arrangements of a story or play.

                 

                Arts Vocabulary

                • Theater - Dramatic literature or its performance; drama.
                • Photography - the process of capturing an image – a photograph – with a camera, either on paper or through a digital medium.

                 

                 

                Materials

                • Index cards and lined paper 
                • Pencils 
                • Copies of Ansel Adams photographs (old calendars are great sources for these)

                 

                Instructional Design

                Opening/Activating Strategy

                Settings

                • Have students stand by their desks, or in open space.
                • Call out a setting (e.g., desert, baseball stadium, birthday party, or under the ocean), and have students enact a person or thing in the environment.  As appropriate, allow students to use voices and make sounds, or instruct them to be in the setting in silence.
                • Use observational language to comment on student choices (e.g., “I see Sara has her arms to be a cactus” or “Dylan is wiggling his body as a snake on the rug.”)
                • Continue to call out a variety of settings.  Alternate between natural settings and human settings.  Allow students to be objects or natural forces in the settings, or people interacting with the settings.

                 

                Work Session

                    Process 

                    • Pass out Ansel Adams photos to the students. Explain that Ansel Adams was a famous American photographer known for his photos of American outdoor landscapes including Yosemite, Big Sur, the Sierras.  
                    • Ask the students to study their photo and examine the visual details:  “What is the first thing your eye is drawn to?  What lines and shapes do you see in the photo?  Did Adams take it from near or far?  How do the light and dark areas work together?  Where is the light source in the image, and which areas are in shadow?  Why do you think Adams chose to take this photograph?”
                    • Have students imagine/visualize details about the setting in the photo, saying:  “Where is this place?  You can make it up. It can be anywhere in the world. What season is it--winter, early spring, etc.?  What time of day is it - early morning, high noon, sunset? What sounds and smells are there? Is the wind blowing? Are birds chirping or other animals making sounds even though you can’t see them? Can you smell pine trees, flowers, or the ocean? If you could place yourself in this picture, where would you be?” 
                    • Tell the students:  “Place the picture in front of you and stand or sit as you imagine you would be in the picture. Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath of the clean air in this place. Listen to the sounds in your environment. Take another deep breath and smell the beautiful aromas.”
                    • One at a time, ask each student to make a sound that they hear in their environment. 
                    • Ask students to think of 3 descriptive phrases about their environment. For example, instead of saying, “the wind,” describe “the loud blowing wind”, “the fierce cry of an eagle,” or the “steep, snowy mountainside.”   Even though the pictures are black and white, encourage students to feel free to use color in their descriptive phrases.  Have the students write down their phrases on a card or piece of paper.  Ask them how they can expand or add to their phrases to make them more descriptive – suggest including texture, color, size, shape, temperature, or other qualities or details.
                    • Have students practice using their descriptive phrases in sentences to describe their settings.  Instruct them to speak as if they are in the setting (e.g., “I am standing with my feet on the edge of the babbling stream.  The water is as cold as ice and shiny like a mirror.  I see silvery fish swimming by with lightning speed.”)  Coach and assist students as needed.
                    • Ask student volunteers to come up and present, imagining themselves in the setting in the photograph.  They should use their voices and bodies to express the feelings and elements in their writing.

                     

                    Bringing the Photograph to Life 

                    • Select a student and guide them to cast three classmates as elements in their setting. The student should announce the element and then choose a classmate to portray it. (E.g., “Someone will be the grass blowing in the wind.”)  Once chosen, the classmate should come to the front and view the photograph.  
                    • Guide the student to direct the elements, telling each classmate where they will be in the live picture, how they will stand or move, and what sounds they will make.  
                    • Once the setting is established, have the student walk/hike/swim into their environment, take their place, use their body and voice to inhabit the setting (e.g., shivering for a cold setting, speaking loud for a distant setting, walking carefully over sharp stones, using a hand to block out the bright sun) and then describe their setting using their descriptive phrases.  
                    • Show the photograph around the room, and solicit comments from the class on how the students brought the setting to life.
                    • Have additional students volunteer to cast, enter, and describe.

                    Possibly:  once the process is established, allow the students to work in groups in different areas of the room, taking turns to use their group-mates to create their settings.

                     

                    Closing Reflection

                    Ask:  “How did we get ideas of what to act from the photos?  How did we use our voices and bodies to become elements of the different settings in the photos?  Also:  How would you describe Ansel Adams’s photos to someone who hasn’t seen any of them?”

                     

                    Assessments

                    Formative

                    • Students created and used three descriptive phrases.. 
                    • Students effectively communicated their ideas.
                    • Students responded appropriately to the Adams images.

                       

                      Summative

                      • Students cast and directed their scenes effectively
                      • Students enacted their roles in the scenes effectively.
                      • Students’ written phrases show awareness of the senses and evocative details.

                       

                      Differentiation

                      Acceleration:

                      • Have students write out their ideas in full paragraph format.
                      • Allow students who are playing elements of the setting to speak from the viewpoints of those elements:  “How does the tree feel?  What is the lake thinking?”

                       

                      Remediation:

                      Use a single photograph with the entire class, and model the process all together.  Cast a small group as elements in the setting, and then model being the person entering and inhabiting the setting.  Repeat the process with a second photo, drafting a student to be the person entering the setting.  You may want to use a photo and have the entire class become elements in the photo, allowing multiple students to be the same thing:  mountains, rocks, trees, clouds.

                       

                       ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

                      • http://www.anseladams.com 
                      • http://www.archives.gov/research/anseladams/ 
                      • “Ansel Adams Original Photograph - Black & White Photography.” The Ansel Adams Gallery, shop.anseladams.com/collections/original-photographs-by-ansel-adams. Accessed 28 June 2023. 

                      *This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

                      Ideas contributed and updated by: Susie Spear Purcell and Barry Stewart Mann

                      Revised and copyright:  June 2023 @ ArtsNOW
                      Back to Modules