VISUALIZING VOCABULARY
Learning Description
In this lesson, students will explore how to visually demonstrate their understanding of synonyms, antonyms, and homographs. Students will look at the work of Pop Artist, Roy Lichtenstein, to see how he visually interpreted the meaning of words while incorporating the word itself in his artwork.
Learning Targets
"I Can" Statements
“I Can…”
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I can creatively use images in artwork to demonstrate my understanding of synonyms, antonyms, and/or homographs.
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I can use color and shape to create emphasis in my art.
Essential Questions
- How can visual art promote understanding and comprehension of nuances in word meanings?
Georgia Standards
Curriculum Standards
Grade 4:
ELAGSE4L4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
ELAGSE4L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).
Grade 5:
ELAGSE5L4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
ELAGSE5L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.
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, and processes of two-dimensional art.
VA4.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.
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, and processes of two-dimensional art.
VA5.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.
South Carolina Standards
Curriculum Standards
Grade 4:
ELA.4.AOR.7.1 Determine or clarify the meaning of known, unknown, and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from an array of strategies.
ELA.4.AOR.8.1 Determine an author’s use of words and phrases in grade-level literary, informational, and multimedia texts:
- demonstrate knowledge of relationships between words (e.g., synonyms and antonyms) to better understand each of the words.
Grade 5:
ELA.5.AOR.7.1 Determine or clarify the meaning of known, unknown, and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing from an array of strategies.
ELA.5.AOR.8.1 Determine an author’s use of figurative and technical language in literary, informational, and multimedia texts:
- demonstrate knowledge of relationships between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words.
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 7: I can relate visual arts ideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, and careers.
Key Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
- Synonym - A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language
- Antonym - A word that has the opposite meaning of another word
- Homograph - A word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning and sometimes a different pronunciation
Arts Vocabulary
- Elements of Art - The elements of art are a commonly used group of aspects of a work of art used in teaching and analysis, in combination with the principles of art.
- Line - An element of art (or math) that defines space, contours and outline.
- Shape - A two dimensional enclosed space that is defined as 2 lines meet.
- Color - An art element with 3 properties: hue, value and intensity, a response to reflected light. There are several color theories, such as primary, secondary, neutral, tertiary, complementary, analogous, monochromatic, etc.
- Contrast - Placing two things side by side that are visually different
- Emphasis - The area of an artwork that draws the viewer’s eye
- Negative space - The background of an artwork, empty space, or space around the subject matter
- Composition - How an artist arranges the elements of art in an artwork
Materials
- Visualizing Vocabulary graphic organizer
- 9” x 12” white mixed media paper
- Pencils with erasers
- Markers, crayons, colored pencils
- Collage materials
- Glue (if using collage)
- Sponges for glue (if using collage)
- Paint
- Paintbrushes (if using paint)
- Water cups (if using paint)
Instructional Design
Opening/Activating Strategy
- Show students an artwork by the artist Roy Lichtenstein.
- Ask students to make observations about the colors and shapes that they see in the image.
- Next, ask students what the word means. Do students see any connection between the background and the word? If so, what?
- Help students make the connection between the meaning of the word and visuals that Lichtenstein used.
- Tell students that in the lesson today, students will be visualizing vocabulary through artwork.
Work Session
- Introduce the lesson by reviewing synonyms, antonyms, and homographs.
- Pass out the Visualizing Vocabulary graphic organizer (each student will need two). Assign a word to each student. Have them determine a synonym or an antonym of that word. Students should find the definitions for both words and use both words in a sentence on their graphic organizer. Alternatively, assign students a homograph and have them do the same thing for both words.
- Facilitate a discussion around examples of symbolism.
- Draw or project symbols on the board such as a peace sign, a heart, a smiley face, a stop sign, etc. Ask students to tell you what each means. Then, explain that a symbol is an image that communicates meaning.
- Ask students how they could represent the meaning of their words symbolically, or using images. Students will brainstorm creative ways to visually show the meaning of their words. Have them draw in the third column of their graphic organizers.
- Tell students that now they will make two artworks to show the meanings of their words.
- Pass out a pencil and two sheets of paper to each student.
- Refer back to the artwork by Lichtenstein. Ask students to observe how and where Lichtenstein drew the word “Pop”. Students may observe that he drew it large, the letters make shapes rather than just lines, and that he placed the word in the center of the artwork.
- Have students draw their words with a pencil on their papers (one word per paper). Encourage them to write big and fill the space on their paper.
- Next, students will fill in the negative space, or “empty space”, around their words with images that represent the meaning of the word. They can draw, collage, paint, or use a combination, depending on what the teacher chooses. Encourage students to completely fill in the negative space of their artwork.
- Refer back to the artwork by Lichtenstein. Ask students to make observations about how the artist used color to make the word stand out.
- Students may notice that the word “Pop” is much brighter than the other colors in the artwork, that he used a different color from the background, and that the letters are outlined in black.
- The way an artist arranges the elements like lines, shapes and colors in an artwork is called composition.
- Tell students that by using a color for their word that is different from the background images, it will create contrast and make the word stand out. Tell students that this is called emphasis in art.
- Now, have students go over their words with markers creating emphasis.
Closing Reflection
- Hang the artwork in the hallway or around the classroom. Conduct a gallery walk so that students can observe how their classmates interpreted their words.
- Facilitate a discussion around how students used images to represent meaning.
Assessments
Formative
Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator, discussion responses, completion of graphic organizers, brainstorming of ways to show a word visually, and artistic process as they create their artwork.
Summative
CHECKLIST
- Students can creatively use images in artwork to demonstrate their understanding of synonyms, antonyms, and/or homographs.
- Students can use color and shape to create emphasis in art.
DIFFERENTIATION
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Acceleration: Have students engage in the same artistic process. Rather than using synonyms, antonyms, and homographs, this time have students explore different types of figurative language through visual art such as onomatopoeia, simile, etc. Remediation: Allow students to work with a partner. Partners will be assigned the same vocabulary word and will complete their graphic organizers together. Then, students will determine the meaning of the word’s antonym or a synonym for their word. They will complete their second graphic organizer for that word. Students will then create their own individual artworks–one word per student. The students will display their artwork side by side. This can also be done with homographs. |
*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: Debi West and Katy Betts.
Revised and copyright: July 2024 @ ArtsNOW