EXPLORING ADJECTIVES THROUGH ART AND CREATIVE WRITING

EXPLORING ADJECTIVES THROUGH ART AND CREATIVE WRITING

Learning Description

Describing artwork can be a great way to help students use more adjectives!  Adjectives support students in using descriptive language to create interesting and unique stories. In this lesson students will have the opportunity to do both!

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: K-1
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & ELA
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"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can use adjectives to describe a piece of art.
  • I can use art as an inspiration to write a creative story.

Essential Questions

  • How can adjectives help me describe a piece of art? 
  • How can art stimulate my imagination and help me write a creative story?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

ELAKR6 The student gains meaning from orally presented text.  

ELAKW1 The student begins to understand the principles of writing. 

ELAKW2 The student begins to write in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature.  

ELAKLSV1 The student uses oral and visual skills to communicate.  

Grade 1:

ELA1R6 The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text. 

  1. Recognizes and uses graphic features        

and graphic organizers to understand text. 

ELA1W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive and response to literature.

ELA1LSV1 The student uses oral and visual strategies to communicate. 

Grade 2: 

ELA2R4 The student uses a variety of strategies to gain meaning from grade-level text. 

ELA2W2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature.  

ELA2LSV1 The student uses oral and visual strategies to communicate. 

Arts Standards

Kindergarten:

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

VAK.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes. a. Create works of art emphasizing one or more elements of art and/or principles of design. 

VAK.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art. e. Develop manual dexterity to develop fine motor skills. 

VAK.MC.3: Selects and uses subject matter, symbols, and/or ideas to communicate meaning. 

VAK.PR.1 Participate in appropriate exhibition(s) of works of art to develop identity of self as artist. 

Grade 1:

VA1.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

VA1.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes. a. Create works of art emphasizing one or more elements of art and/or principles of design. 

  1. Create works of art that attempt to fill the space in an art composition.

VA1.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art. 

  1. Explore spatial relationships.

VA1MC.3: Selects and uses subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning. 

VA1.PR.1 Participate in appropriate exhibition(s) of works of art to develop identity of self as artist.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Kindergarten:

K.W.MCC.3.1 3.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, to tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and to provide a reaction to what happened.

K.W.L.4.5 With guidance and support, use adjectives.

K.W.MC.1.4 Participate in conversations with varied partners about focused grade level topics and texts in small and large groups.

Grade 1:

1.W.MCC.3.1  Explore multiple texts to write narratives that recount two or more sequenced events, include details, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. 

1.W.L.4.5 Use adjectives and adverbs.

1.W.MC.1.4 Participate in shared conversations with varied partners about focused grade level topics and texts in small and large groups

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

Narrative - A story or sequence of events and experiences. 

Adjective - Words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence. 

Illustration - A picture or diagram that helps make something clear or attractive. 

Arts Vocabulary

Line - A mark made by a pointed tool such as a brush, pen, or stick; a moving point

Color - One of the seven elements of art; it is created by light. There are three properties of color: Hue (name), value (shades and tints), and intensity (brightness)

Shape - A flat, enclosed area that has two dimensions, length and width

Texture - Describes the feel of an actual surface

 

Materials

  • Picture of artwork 
  • Pencil 
  • Paper 
  • Colored pencils/crayons/markers

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Project an image. In pairs, have students identify 10 things that they see in the image. Have students switch pairs and identify 10 more things that they see. Repeat one final time.  Reflect with the students on how the task became more difficult with each round.  Point out some examples in rounds 2 and 3 in which students began to include more detail, describing the attributes of what they saw (using adjectives).

 

Work Session

Process 

  • Start the lesson by reviewing adjectives. Using the image from the activator, name a few adjectives that can be seen in the image. Focus adjectives around the elements of art - color, types of lines and shapes, and texture.
  • Show students a work of art or illustration from a story. The illustration should be vivid and colorful if possible (not abstract). This will help the students identify many adjectives to use in describing the image. 
  • Older students will write their adjective on a sticky note. The teacher will ask students to take turns sharing their adjectives that describe the artwork. Students will place the sticky note on the board next to the image of the artwork. They will share where they see the adjective in the artwork when it’s their turn to put their sticky note on the board. For younger students, have them take turns coming up to the board and pointing out where they see the adjective that they used to describe the artwork. The teacher can write these words on the board. 
  • Next, have the students close their eyes and imagine what is happening in the picture. Ask the students the following questions to guide their imagination. 
    • Who are the people or objects in the artwork? 
    • What are the characters doing in the image? 
    • Where are the characters going? 
    • When did this happen? 
    • Have the students focus on Who, What, When, and Why as they will have to use their creativity and imagination to write a creative story using the artwork as a starting point. 
  • Explain that students will be writing a story based on the artwork. Students will fill out a graphic organizer to plan their story. Set a minimum number of adjectives that students should include in their story to make the story more interesting and capture the readers’ interest. 
  • Students will then generate drawings of their own to illustrate their stories.

Closing Reflection

Have students engage in small group story time. Students will share their stories and illustrations with each other. Students should use adjectives to describe each other’s stories and illustrations.

 

Assessments

Formative

  • Check for understanding through student discussion of artwork using adjectives and explaining where students see them. 
  • Creative story planning graphic organizer

 

Summative

Students will demonstrate mastery of learning concepts through their illustrations and creative stories based on original artwork.

 

Acceleration: 

Gifted Modifications and Extensions:  Follow steps 1-3 of the original lesson and then finish the lesson with these modifications: Give students a series of adjectives and have them create their own piece of artwork. When done creating their artwork, have the students close their eyes and imagine what is happening in the picture. They will then write an imaginative writing piece answering the questions who, what, when and where in their writing.  

Remediation: 

Follow steps 1 and 2. Next, using a graphic organizer, work as a group to name adjectives that describe the picture. Invite students to use the adjectives as they write or dictate sentences about the picture. 

*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: Greg Sena. Modifications, Extensions, and Adaptations Contributed by:  Peggy Barnes, Candy Bennett, Lindsey Elrod, Jennifer Plummer, and Vilma Thomas.  Reviewed by Debbie Frost. Updated by Susie Spear Purcell and Katy Betts

Revised and copyright:  August 2022 @ ArtsNOW

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