THE ELEMENTS OF ART & NATURE 6-8

THE ELEMENTS OF ART & NATURE

THE ELEMENTS OF ART & NATURE

Learning Description

Air, Fire, Earth, and Water are four natural elements that have captivated the imagination for thousands of years. These elements are often used as inspiration for artists and authors because words and images associated with them can serve as symbolic representations of various aspects of life, such as emotion, personality, and even spiritual feelings. French artist Claude Monet’s iconic “Water Lilies” painting represents something that can’t be seen, reflection, tranquility, and serenity, in the beauty of nature surrounding his environment. In this lesson, students will create written and illustrated compositions using a variety of literacy and visual arts elements and processes.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS & ELA
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can use figurative language to describe theelements of nature in a short phrase.

  • I can write about my artwork and my artisticprocess clearly.
  • I can use color, shape, value and imagery toillustrate an element of nature.

Essential Questions

  • How can I use literacy strategies to write aboutan element of nature?

  • How can I use imagery and the Elements of Artof color, shape and value to illustrate anelement of nature?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:ELAGSE6W2 Write informative/explanatorytexts to examine a topic and convey ideas,concepts, and information through theselection, organization, and analysis ofrelevant content. a. Introduce a topic; organizeideas, concepts, and information, usingstrategies such as definition, classification,comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; includeformatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,charts, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding comprehension. b. Develop the topicwith relevant facts, definitions, concretedetails, quotations, or other information andexamples. c. Use appropriate transitions toclarify the relationships among ideas andconcepts. d. Use precise language anddomain-specific vocabulary to inform about orexplain the topic. e. Establish and maintain aformal style. f. Provide a concluding statementor section that follows from the information orexplanation presented.ELAGSE6L5 Demonstrate understanding offigurative language, word relationships, andnuances in word meanings.

Grade 7:ELAGSE7W2 Write informative/explanatorytexts to examine a topic and convey ideas,concepts, and information through theselection, organization, and analysis ofrelevant content. a. Introduce a topic clearly,previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,concepts, and information, using strategiessuch as definition, classification,comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; includeformatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,charts, tables), and multimedia when useful toaiding comprehension. b. Develop the topicwith relevant facts, definitions, concretedetails, quotations, or other information andexamples. c. Use appropriate transitions tocreate cohesion and clarify the relationshipsamong ideas and concepts. d. Use preciselanguage and domain-specific vocabulary toinform about or explain the topic. e. Establishand maintain a formal style. f. Provide a concluding statement or section that followsfrom and supports the information orexplanation presented.ELAGSE7L5 Demonstrate understanding offigurative language, word relationships, andnuances in word meanings.

Grade 8:ELAGSE8W2 Write informative/explanatorytexts to examine a topic and convey ideas,concepts, and information through theselection, organization, and analysis ofrelevant content. a. Introduce a topic clearly,previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,concepts, and information into broadercategories; include formatting (e.g., headings),graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimediawhen useful to aiding comprehension. b.Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosenfacts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,or other information and examples. c. Useappropriate and varied transitions to createcohesion and clarify the relationships amongideas and concepts. d. Use precise languageand domain-specific vocabulary to informabout or explain the topic. e. Establish andmaintain a formal style. f. Provide a concludingstatement or section that follows from andsupports the information or explanationpresented.ELAGSE8L5 Demonstrate understanding offigurative language, word relationships, andnuances in word meanings.

Arts Standards

Grade 6:VA6.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas forcreating works of art.VA6.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes,media, techniques, and/or technology throughexperimentation, practice, and persistence.VA6.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informalcomponents to create works of art.

Grade 7:VA7.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas forcreating works of art.VA7.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes,media, techniques, and/or technology throughexperimentation, practice, and persistence.VA7.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informalcomponents to create works of art.

Grade 8:VA8.CR.1 Visualize and generate ideas forcreating works of art.VA8.CR.3 Engage in an array of processes,media, techniques, and/or technology throughexperimentation, practice, and persistence.VA8.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informalcomponents to create works of art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6:WRITING - Meaning, Context, and CraftStandard 2: Write informative/explanatory textsto examine and convey complex ideas andinformation clearly and accurately through theeffective selection, organization, and analysisof content.1.1 Write arguments that: a. introduce afocused claim and organize reasons and evidence clearly; b. use information frommultiple print and multimedia sources; c.support claims with clear reasons and relevantevidence, using credible sources anddemonstrating an understanding of the topic ortext; d. use an organizational structure thatprovides unity and clarity among claims,reasons, and evidence; e. develop andstrengthen writing as needed by planning,revising, editing, rewriting; f. paraphrase,quote, and summarize, avoiding plagiarismand providing basic bibliographic informationfor sources; g. establish and maintain a formalstyle; and h. provide a conclusion that followsfrom and supports the argument.

Grade 7:WRITING - Meaning, Context, and CraftStandard 2: Write informative/explanatory textsto examine and convey complex ideas andinformation clearly and accurately through theeffective selection, organization, and analysisof content.1.1 Write arguments that: a. introduce claims,acknowledge alternate or opposing claims,and organize the reasons and evidencelogically; b. use relevant information frommultiple print and multimedia sources; c.support claims with logical reasoning andrelevant evidence, using accurate, crediblesources and demonstrating an understandingof the topic or text; d. use an organizationalstructure that provides unity and clarity amongclaims, reasons, and evidence; e. develop theclaim providing credible evidence and data foreach; f. develop and strengthen writing asneeded by planning, revising, editing,rewriting; g. paraphrase, quote, andsummarize, avoiding plagiarism and followinga standard format for citation; h. establish andmaintain a formal style and objective tone; andi. provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the argument.

Grade 8:WRITING - Meaning, Context, and CraftStandard 2: Write informative/explanatory textsto examine and convey complex ideas andinformation clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysisof content.1.1 Write arguments that: a. introduce claims,acknowledge and distinguish the claims fromalternate or opposing claims, and organize thereasons and evidence logically; b. use relevantinformation from multiple print and multimediasources; c. support claims using validreasoning and a variety of relevant evidencefrom accurate, verifiable sources; d. use anorganizational structure that provides unity andclarity among claims, counterclaims, reasons,and evidence; e. develop the claim andcounterclaims providing credible evidence anddata for each; f. develop and strengthenwriting as needed by planning, revising,editing, rewriting; g. paraphrase, quote, andsummarize, avoiding plagiarism and followinga standard format for citation; h. establish andmaintain a formal style and objective tone; andi. provide a concluding statement or sectionthat follows from and supports the argument.

Arts Standards

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

Anchor Standard 2: I can use differentmaterials, techniques, and processes to makeart.

Anchor Standard 4: I can organize work forpresentation and documentation to reflectspecific content, ideas, skills, and or media.

Anchor Standard 7: I can relate visual artsideas to other arts disciplines, content areas, andcareers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

● Figurative language - Language enriched by word images and figures of speech

● Imagery – Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensoryexperience or create a picture with words for a reader

● Symbolism - Symbolism is a literary device in which a writer uses one thing—usually a physical object orphenomenon—to represent something more abstract.

Arts Vocabulary

● Color – Color in art refers to the way we see different shades and tones in pictures or paintings. It’s created when light waves hit an object’s surface and are then reflected back to our eyes.

● Shape - An enclosed line; it is two-dimensional and can be geometric or organic

● Value - The range of tone between blackand white (light and dark) that underlines color

● Illustration - A picture or diagram that explains or decorates

 

Materials

  • Colored copies of book pages, Water Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas (see “Additional Resources”) 
  • Pencils and erasers 
  • Brainstorming graphic organizer
  • White copy paper or writing journals for image brainstorming 
  • Black markers (thin, medium) 
  • White mixed media paper or cardstock for final artwork (teacher choice for size) ● Oil pastels 
  • Colored pencils, markers and/or crayons for image brainstorming

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Start with students gathered in a common area to analyze and respond to some of the works of French artist, Claude Monet.
  • Display several of Monet’s paintings incorporating water and ask students to engage in the See, Think, Wonder artful thinking routine about the paintings. ● After five minutes ask the students to turn and talk to another student about their thoughts and wonders. Students should notice that the commonality in all the paintings is water. ● Provide a few minutes to share their responses and jot them down on a “Wonder Wall” to capture their ideas. 
  • Explain to students that water is one of four elements found in nature (air, earth, fire and water) that are the building blocks of our existence and serve as inspiration for authors and artists around the world. 
  • Explain to students that part of the artistic process is responding to art, which includes how people feel when they see/create it. 
  • Facilitate a class discussion around the following questions. This can be done as a Think Pair Share/Turn and Talk. 

○ Did you have the same feelings about the paintings? 

○ Why did some make you feel a certain way? 

○ Did you SEE any feelings or emotions in the paintings? 

○ How did the artist represent emotions without actually putting them in the painting? ○ What pictures in your mind (imagery) did you see when thinking and wondering about the paintings? 

○ What specific images stood out to you, and what do those images

 

Work Session

  • Conduct a read-aloud with the book, Water Can Be (Optional: watch a read aloud video with the Author) by author Laura Purdie Salas and illustrator Violetta Dabija. ● Explain that the author and illustrator use symbolism and imagery in the book to encourage readers to visualize (imagery) the meaning of words. 
  • Watch a brief video on Symbolism in Literature. 
  • Use one of the book pages (see examples in “Additional Resources”) to model the process of determining meaning using imagery (optional video) or symbolism. ● Discuss the Elements of Art, color, shape, and value and provide examples using the Elements of Art handout. 

○ Ask students to identify where they see these elements in the illustration. ● Form small groups of students and distribute a different printed book page to each group.

○ With the teacher’s guidance, repeat the process from above and assess students’ understanding of the symbolism and elements within the illustration. 

  • Pass out blank white paper. Have students fold it into fourths so that they have four sections. Ask the students to practice drawing the four elements of nature using the elements of color (crayons, markers, or colored pencils), shape (organic, which is what we see in nature), and value (lightness and darkness). 

○ Remind students of how Monet’s paintings and the illustrations from Water Can Be were stylized and didn’t look exactly like what we would see in the real world. 

Explain the final artwork to students. 

  • Students will create an illustration of their selected element of nature using imagery and the Elements of Art of color, shape and value. 
  • Students will write a descriptive, informative, or creative phrase (no more than two words) using figurative language (symbolism) about the nature element they selected. Once the phrase is completed, students will add their written phrase neatly and creatively to the final illustrated composition. 

Teach/Model/Practice 

  • Display the following image: 
  • Ask students to look carefully and think about what they see, then solicit a few responses. ● Explain to students that this is an “illustration/artwork” of all four elements of nature. ● Discuss how the “illustrator/artist” created artwork using all the natural elements. Point out 

different parts of the artwork that stand out, such as the tree in the center, the use of warm and cool colors (show students a color wheel so that they understand warm and cool colors), the movement of organic shapes, etc. Provide a couple additional examples (see “Additional Resources”) so that students are clear about the expectations of their artwork. 

  • Tell students that in the artwork that they create, they will be selecting one element to depict instead of all four. 
  • Tell that students will be using oil pastels to create their illustrations. Explain the texture, vibrancy, and the ease of blending with this type of medium. 

○ Provide time for students to experiment with oil pastels on scratch paper creating: ■ Striking and vivid colors 

■ Intense shades of color 

■ Crisp lines and clear contrast 

■ Movement in organic shapes 

  • Distribute white paper and a couple of different oil pastel colors. 

Ask the students to draw one medium-sized organic shape and practice adding color and value to that shape. Tell students to practice blending their oil pastels by overlapping them. Explain that this medium is forgiving, but the pastels can’t erase if they make a mistake.

The mistake can be covered with other colors, but the students need to think about their plan for use before they just dive in to use the medium. 

Final Student Task Launch Activity (Whole Group) 

  • Provide each student with the brainstorming graphic organizer for writing down thoughts, words, imagery sketch ideas, or symbols. 
  • Display vivid photographs or images of the four elements (examples of elements of nature illustrations) and spend time analyzing, questioning, providing examples, and guiding the students. Discuss the elements of art and emphasize the ones they will incorporate in their final illustration. 
  • List the four elements of nature and ask each team to select one element that would inspire them. 

Final Student Task Application (Teams) 

  • In their groups, students will analyze and discuss the content of each team member’s graphic organizer and use a highlighter to emphasize great ideas, words, or representations that could be used to create the artwork or students’ phrases. 
  • Remind students that they will write a descriptive, informative, or creative phrase (no more than two words) using figurative language (symbolism) about the nature element they selected. Note: Each student is responsible for completing every task individually, but the final written phrase will be the same for each member of the team. 
  • Allow students to use resources such as an online thesaurus to create their phrases. Their phrases must meet the following requirements: 

○ Use no more than two words for the final phrase 

○ Use powerful and unique words that serve as a symbol for the element of nature or unique words that best represent the element of nature 

○ Write the final phrase neatly and creatively on the final illustration 

  • Students should take out their illustrations of the four elements that they previously created and share them with their teammates. They can discuss how each of them represented the different elements of nature. 

Creating Elements of Nature Artwork 

  • Pass out mixed media paper/cardstock, oil pastels, pencils, and black markers to students. 
  • Students can use their sketch for the final illustration that should align with the completed written phrase of their element of nature. 
  • Encourage students to sketch out their design in pencil before beginning with oil pastels. ● Remind students of the benefit of using oil pastels to emphasize color and value in their artwork. 
  • Tell students that if they want to use a thin or medium black marker before they use the oil pastels, they may do so. 
  • Students should add the final written phrase neatly and creatively to the illustration as if it were another page in the book they explored. 

Writing Artist Statements 

  • Students will write an artist statement about their work. Tell students that when artists show their artwork at galleries, they often include an artist statement to tell the viewer about their work. This is especially helpful for artwork that is abstract or uses lots of symbolism.
    • Students’ artist statements must include:

      ○ What inspired their artwork/why did they choose the element of nature that they did ○ What their two word phrase is and why they chose it 

      ○ What their artwork shows and how they showed it (e.g., using warm colors and curling lines to show the heat and movement of fire) 

      ○ How they made their artwork–this is where students will explain their process using sequential terms like first, next, last 

      • Allow time for students to engage in a peer review, editing and revising process.

 

Closing Reflection

● Allow either volunteers to share their artwork with their peers or display work and allow students to view each other's art through a gallery walk. This can be done with artist statements displayed next to students’ artwork.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding through observing students’ responses during the activating strategy, discussion of symbolism in literature and art, ability to identify the Elements of Art, practice drawings exploring the different elements of nature, collaboration with groups to create a phrase about their element using imagery, planning and execution of final artwork, and conferencing with students during the writing process.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST 

  • Students can use figurative language to describe an element of nature in a short phrase. ● Students can use color, shape, value, and imagery to illustrate an element of nature. ● Students can write about their artwork and their process clearly meeting grade level standards and criteria.

 

Differentiation

Acceleration: 

  • Integrate with a STEAM Project: 

○ Provide students with a basket of everyday small household or nature items to build a new use for water. (Several ideas for materials include: bark, leaves, twigs, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, paper clips, or thimbles.) 

○ Ask students to draw a prototype of the new use and share it with the class. ○ Ask students to create a sales flier using the elements of line, color, and shape to market their new use for water. 

Remediation: 

  • Allow students to work with a partner to create their artwork. 
  • Provide a graphic organizer to help students structure their writing.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Helpful Video Links 

● Symbolism in Literature 

Water Can Be read aloud by the author 

● What is Imagery Video 

Documents 

● Brainstorming graphic organizer 

● Examples of elements of nature illustrations 

Examples of book pages from Water Can Be

Otter feeder” Valley cloaker” “Salmon hIghway” “Bruise shrinker” 

Note: Copies of pages extracted/displayed from the book, Water Can Be, are only used to assist with content understanding.

 

*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: Kim Spivey 

Revised and copyright: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

REIMAGINING HISTORICAL FIGURES THROUGH PORTRAIT ART 6-8

REIMAGINING HISTORICAL FIGURES THROUGH PORTRAIT ART

REIMAGINING HISTORICAL FIGURES THROUGH PORTRAIT ART

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the artwork of Kehinde Wiley to the artwork that inspired it. Similar to Wiley, students will creatively reinterpret a historical figure from their unit of study within the framework of another portrait artist’s work.

 

Learning Targets

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

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can compare and contrast Kehinde Wiley’s artwork to the artwork that inspired it.

  • I can create a unique work of art that reinterprets a historical figure from my unit of study within the framework of another portrait artist’s work.

  • I can explain how historical context impacts dynamics of power.

  • I can explain how replacing a figure from a portrait with a new figure changes the meaning of the artwork.

Essential Questions

  • How is Kehinde Wiley’s artwork similar and different to the artwork that inspired it?

  • How does historical context impact dynamics of power?

  • How does replacing a figure from a portrait with a new figure change the meaning of the artwork?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Social Studies

This lesson can be used to teach any social studies standard that deals with power dynamics between two people groups. Listed below are example standards. 

 

Grade 6

SS6H1 Explain conflict and change in Latin America. 

  1. Describe the influence of African slavery on the development of the Americas.

SS6H2 Describe Quebec’s independence movement.

 

SS6H3 Explain conflict and change in Europe.

  1. Explain the rise of Nazism including preexisting prejudices, the use of propaganda, and events which resulted in the Holocaust.

 

SS6H4 Explain the impact of English colonization on current Aboriginal basic rights, health, literacy, and language.

 

Grade 7

SS7H1 Analyze continuity and change in Africa. 

  1. Explain how the Pan-African movement and nationalism led to independence in Kenya and Nigeria. 
  2. Explain the creation and end of apartheid in South Africa and the roles of Nelson Mandela and F.W.de Klerk.

 

SS7H3 Analyze continuity and change in Southern and Eastern Asia.

  1. Explain the historical factors contributing to the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948; include the Jewish religious connection to the land, antisemitism, the development of Zionism in Europe, and the aftermath of the Holocaust.

 

SS7H3 Analyze continuity and change in Southern and Eastern Asia.

  1. Describe how nationalism led to independence in India. b. Describe the impact of Mohandas Gandhi’s belief in non-violent protest. c. Explain the role of the United States in the rebuilding of Japan after WWII. d. Describe the impact of communism in China in terms of Mao Zedong, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Tiananmen Square.

 

Grade 8

SS8H1 Evaluate the impact of European exploration and settlement on American Indians in Georgia.

 

SS8H4 Explain significant factors that affected westward expansion in Georgia between 1789 and 1840.

  1. Analyze how key people (John Ross, John Marshall, and Andrew Jackson) and events (Dahlonega Gold Rush and Worcester v. Georgia) led to the removal of the Cherokees from Georgia known as the Trail of Tears.

 

SS8H6 Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia.

 

SS8H7 Evaluate key political, social, and economic changes that occurred in Georgia during the New South Era.

  1. Analyze how rights were denied to African Americans or Blacks through Jim Crow laws, Plessy v. Ferguson, disenfranchisement, and racial violence, including the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre. c. Explain the roles of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, and Alonzo Herndon in advancement of the rights of African Americans or Blacks in the New South Era. d. Examine antisemitism and the resistance to racial equality exemplified in the Leo Frank case.

 

SS8H11 Evaluate the role of Georgia in the modern civil rights movement. 

  1. Explain Georgia’s response to Brown v. Board of Education including the 1956 flag and the Sibley Commission. b. Describe the role of individuals (Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis), groups (SNCC and SCLC) and events (Albany Movement and March on Washington) in the Civil Rights Movement. c. Explain the resistance to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, emphasizing the role of Lester Maddox.

 

ELA

Grade 6

ELAGSE6W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

 

Grade 7

ELAGSE7W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

 

Grade 8

ELAGSE8W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

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.

VA6.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

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. 

VA7.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

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.

VA8.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Social Studies

This lesson can be used to teach any social studies standard that deals with power dynamics between two people groups. Listed below are example standards. 

 

Grade 6

Standard 3: Demonstrate an understanding of the development of the Atlantic World from the invention of the printing press to the Industrial Revolution (i.e., 1450–1760). 

6.3.P Summarize the impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on ideological, political, and social systems in the Atlantic World.

6.3.CX Contextualize the experience of indigenous peoples due to expansion and the conflict that arose from it.

 

Standard 5: Demonstrate an understanding of the development of global interdependence from 1920 to the present. 

6.5.CO Compare the global movements that resulted in the advancement or limitation of human rights during the 20th and 21st centuries. 

6.5.CE Explain the impact of nationalism on global conflicts and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

 

Grade 8

Standard 1: Demonstrate an understanding of the development of South Carolina during the settlement and colonization of North America in the period of 1500– 1756. 

8.1.CC Analyze the changes and continuities of the Native Americans’ experiences prior to and as a result of settlement and colonization. 

 

Standard 2: Demonstrate an understanding of how South Carolinians and Americans created a revolutionary form of government during the period of 1757– 1815.

8.2.CC Analyze the continuities and changes of how different groups immigrated to and migrated within South Carolina. 

 

Standard 5: Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of world events on South Carolina and the United States from 1929 to present. 

8.5.CX Analyze the correlation between the Modern Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina and the U.S. 

 

ELA

WRITING (W) - Meaning, Context, and Craft (MCC)

Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Arts Standards

Artistic Processes: Creating- I can make artwork using a variety of materials, techniques, and processes.

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.

 

Artistic Processes: Responding- I can evaluate and communicate about the meaning in my artwork and the artwork of others.

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

 

Artistic Processes: Connecting- I can relate artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Napoleon Bonaparte - A French military general who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and later became the Emperor of France. Napoleon is known for his strategic military prowess, leading France to numerous victories in battles across Europe.

  • Slavery - A historical and social institution where individuals are treated as property and are forced to work without personal freedom or compensation
  • Colonization - A historical process in which a powerful nation or group of people establishes control over a territory, often distant from their own, with the intention of exploiting its resources, economy, and people for monetary gain
  • Independence movement - ​​A collective effort by a group or community to assert and achieve political autonomy, sovereignty, and freedom from the control or rule of another political entity
  • Persecution - The act of unfairly and systematically mistreating or harassing individuals or a group based on their beliefs, ethnicity, race, or other distinguishing characteristics

Arts Vocabulary

  • Portrait - An artwork that is a representation of a person; it is a visual depiction that aims to capture the likeness, personality, and sometimes the mood or emotions of the individual being portrayed

  • Kehinde Wiley - An African American contemporary portrait artist
  • Master Painters - European painters who were considered the experts and authority on art at the time and depicted the height of civilization in the Western World; examples include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt
  • Composition - How an artist uses the Elements of Art (line, shape, form, value, color, space, texture) to create an artwork

 

Materials

  • White paper
  • Pencils
  • Markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, or paint

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Display Kehinde Wiley’s painting Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps, 2005.
  • Ask students to work collaboratively to engage in the See, Think, Wonder protocol.
    • First, students will identify what they see in the image. Emphasize that they should make objective observations about the sculpture (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 artwork. 
    • Finally, ask students what they wonder about the image. 
  • Facilitate a class-wide discussion around students’ observations, inferences, and questions.

 

Work Session

SESSION 1

  • Display Jacques-Louis David’s painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1801, and Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps by Kehinde Wiley, 2005, side by side.
  • Using a Venn diagram, students should work collaboratively to compare and contrast the two artworks.
  • Briefly discuss who Napoleon was, what he did, and what his goals were for context. 
  • Next, explain who Kehinde Wiley is.
    • Wiley is an African American contemporary portrait artist. His father is from Nigeria and his mother from the United States.
    • Wiley uses many European artworks from the 18th and 19th centuries painted by the European master painters and reimagines them with people of color, sometimes from pop culture, such as the hip hop artist, Ice T.
      • Ask students to discuss in groups why they think Wiley does this.
      • In whole-class discussion, help students understand the cause and effect relationship between European colonization and independence movements and civil rights movements.
        • For example, connect European colonization with slavery (such as in the Transatlantic Slave Trade or wiping out indigenous cultures and people such as with the Aborigines in Australia or the Native Americans in the Americas, or Apartheid in South Africa). Help students then connect this to independence movements and civil rights movements in various countries.
  • Ask students how replacing a figure from a portrait with a new figure changes the meaning of the artwork.
  • Provide students with options for other artworks of Kehinde Wiley to compare and contrast to the artwork that inspired it.

 

SESSION 2

  • Tell students that they will be reimagining a real or fictional historical figure from their unit of study by reinterpreting a portrait like Kehinde Wiley does in his artwork.
    • Explain to students that a portrait in art is a visual depiction of a person in art. All of the artworks students looked at previously in the lesson were examples of portraits.
    • A real historical figure could be someone like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. if students are studying the Civil Rights Movement. If students are studying the independence movement in India, students might select someone like Mohandas Gandhi. If students are creating a fictional person, such as an indigenous person in a colonized territory, that person should be someone who could realistically be from the historical context.
    • Students should first select a painting to use as a basis for their artwork.
    • Next, students should create a rough sketch of their new artwork on blank white paper. Encourage students to think about how the artists of the artworks that they looked at used the whole space/canvas in their composition, paying attention to the positive space (subject/person) and negative space (background).
    • Once they’ve created a rough sketch, they should draw their final draft in pencil. Using colored pencils, markers, or another art material like oil pastels or paint, students should add color to their artwork.
    • Finally, students should write a paragraph that explains how they used the original artwork and reimagined it with a new historical figure. Students should explain who the historical figure is, the historical context, and how they reimagined the figure. Students should explain how replacing a figure from the artwork that they chose with a new figure changed the meaning of the artwork.

 

Closing Reflection

  • In small groups of four to five, students should present their portraits to their classmates.
    • Students should explain who they depicted, the historical context, and how they used the original artwork as a basis for their artwork. 
    • Students should also explain why they picked that artwork to reimagine and how replacing a figure from the artwork that they chose with a new figure changed the meaning of the artwork.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding by observing whether students can compare and contrast two artworks, identify an important historical figure and explain why she or he was influential, and explain how replacing one figure with another figure can change the meaning of an artwork.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can reimagine a real or fictional historical figure from their unit of study by creating a portrait of this person in the context of another painting.
  • Students are able to explain who the historical figure is, the historical context, and how they reimagined the figure.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Students should research the original painting that they are using to reimagine their historical figure. Students should learn about the artist and the historical and social context for the artwork. Students should then evaluate how replacing the figure from the portrait with a new figure changes the meaning of the artwork. Students can create a presentation about the artwork in the medium of their choice–written form, PowerPoint, visual art, etc. 

Remediation: 

  • Allow students to compare and contrast two artworks using a Venn diagram or another type of graphic organizer as an assessment instead of a written paragraph.
  • Allow students to work together to compare and contrast two artworks using a Venn diagram or another type of graphic organizer.
  • Provide a graphic organizer/sentence starters for students to write their paragraphs.

 

 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:  May 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

ECHOES OF GIACOMETTI – COMMEMORATING HISTORY 6-8

ECHOES OF GIACOMETTI - COMMEMORATING HISTORY

ECHOES OF GIACOMETTI - COMMEMORATING HISTORY

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will study how the artist, Alberto Giacometti, visually communicates meaning through texture, proportion, and posture. Applying these concepts, students will design a monument or memorial honoring a significant historical event from their unit of study.

 

Learning Targets

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

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can describe an important historical event from my unit of study.

  • I can explain how Giacometti used posture, texture, and proportion to communicate meaning in his art.

  • I can use posture, texture, and proportion to communicate meaning in my sculpture.

Essential Questions

  • How can visual artists use art to tell about an important historical event?

  • How did Giacometti use posture, texture, and proportion to communicate meaning in his art?

  • How can I use posture, texture, and proportion to communicate meaning in my sculpture?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

Any history standard for grade 6 can be used for this lesson.

SS6H1, SS6H2, SS6H3, SS6H4

 

Grade 7

Any history standard for grade 7 can be used for this lesson.

SS7H1, SS7H2, SS7H3

 

Grade 8

Any history standard for grade 8 can be used for this lesson.

SS8H1, SS8H2, SS8H3, SS8H4, SS8H5, SS8H6, SS8H7, SS8H8, SS8H9, SS8H10, SS8H11, SS8H12 

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.

VA6.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

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. 

VA7.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

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.

VA8.CR.4 Incorporate formal and informal components to create works of art.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

Any history standard for grade 6 can be used for this lesson.

 

Grade 8

Any history standard for grade 8 can be used for this lesson.

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

*Specific content vocabulary will be unique to the Social Studies unit being studied.

 

  • Monument - A type of sculpture, often of significant size or importance, created to commemorate or honor a person, an event, an idea, or a place; it serves as a symbol or a reminder, preserving history, culture, or achievements

  • Memorial - Can be a type of sculpture; similar to a monument but a memorial is focused more on honoring and remembering those who are no longer present or marking significant moments of loss or tragedy
  • Inscription - A piece of writing that typically includes words, phrases, or sentences that commemorate, honor, or describe the significance of the monument

Arts Vocabulary

  • Sculpture - A form of artwork that has three dimensions

  • Texture - How something feels or looks like it feels
  • Proportion - The size, scale, and relationships between different elements within a piece
  • Disproportionate - When something in a piece of art looks unusually big, small, or out of place compared to the other things around it
  • Posture - The way a person or an object is positioned or how they hold themselves in a painting, drawing, or sculpture
  • Emphasis - What the artist wants to draw the viewer’s attention to

 

Materials

  • Model Magic, modeling clay, OR aluminum foil sheets
  • Scrap cardboard rectangles for base of sculpture (can be a cereal or snack box)
  • If using foil for sculptures:
    • Scissors
    • Permanent markers
    • Hot glue and hot glue gun for mounting sculpture on base

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Project an image of Alberto Giacometti’s sculpture, Walking Man II.
  • Ask students to work collaboratively to engage in the See, Think, Wonder artful thinking routine.
    • First, students will identify what they see in the image. Emphasize that they should make objective observations about the sculpture (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 sculpture. 
    • Finally, ask students what they wonder about the image. 
  • Facilitate a class-wide discussion around students’ observations, inferences, and questions.

 

Work Session

  • Show students additional images of Giacometti’s sculptures (see “Additional Resources” section below).
    • Focus on the question–what is the artwork about? What emotions does it evoke?
    • Provide information to students on the artist and the sculpture:
    • Ask students what characteristics of the sculpture communicate this message. Answers could include responses such as the elongated, thin figure; the rough, unfinished texture; the posture of the figure; etc.
    • Tell students that texture in art is how something feels, like in a sculpture, or how something looks like it would feel, like in a painting or drawing.
      • The rough texture of Giacometti’s sculptures is intentional. Ask students how they think Giacometti used texture to communicate his message.
    • Tell students that when artists make things disproportionate, they are usually trying to emphasize (or draw attention to) something. Ask students why they think Giacometti's sculptures are disproportionate/elongated. 
    • Direct students’ attention to the posture of the figures. Ask students what the postures could mean.
  • Explain to students that they will be creating sculptures in the style of Giacometti to demonstrate what they learned about the current history unit. Their sculptures will be a monument or memorial to commemorate an important event they are studying.
  • Allow time for students to select an event.
  • Show students examples of monuments and memorials. Ask students to consider what each monument or memorial means/symbolizes and how the artist communicated that. Example monuments and memorials:
  • Tell students that they should consider the posture, texture and proportion of their figure(s) when creating their sculptures. The posture of the figure, the texture, and the proportion should say something about what they are trying to communicate.
  • Sculptures can be made from Model Magic (air-dry), modeling clay (does not dry), or sheets of aluminum foil. Click here to view step by step instructions on how to create a Giacometti-inspired sculpture using aluminum foil.
  • Allow time for students to brainstorm ideas for their sculptures. Students should create a sketched plan of their sculpture before beginning their sculpture.
  • After they finish, students should create a title for their sculpture and write an inscription for their sculpture, such as a monument would have, on a 3x5 inch note card. Display the note card with the sculpture.
  • Students should arrange their sculptures to create a class timeline.

 

Closing Reflection

  • After students create their sculptures, they should complete a written explanation of their sculptures including how the characteristics of their sculpture–texture, proportion, and posture–connect to the event they are commemorating. They should be able to create direct connections between the characteristics of their sculptures and the event. They should also include why they selected the event for their sculpture.
  • Provide an opportunity for students to talk about their artwork and their artistic choices with each other.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teacher will assess student learning through observation of students’ discussion of Standing Man II and how Giacometti used posture, texture, and proportion to communicate meaning in his sculptures; students’ ability to identify and explain an important event from the current unit of study; and observation of students’ sketched plans for their sculptures.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can use posture, texture, and proportion to communicate important information about their event.
  • Students can explain in written form how they used posture, texture, and proportion to communicate important information about their event.
  • Students can explain why they selected the event for their sculpture.
  • Students can describe the event accurately and concisely in their inscription.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: Have students research a memorial or monument that is associated with the unit of study; students should create a sketch of the memorial or monument and analyze how the artist(s) used texture, posture, and proportion to communicate meaning in the sculpture.

Remediation: 

  • Allow students to orally explain how the characteristics of their sculpture–texture, proportion, and posture–connect to the event they are commemorating. They should be able to create direct connections between the characteristics of their sculptures and the event. They should also explain why they selected the event for their sculpture.
  • Allow students to work together on a sculpture and/or on creating the inscription for the monument or memorial.

 

 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:  May 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

Cultural Characters 6-8

CULTURAL CHARACTERS

CULTURAL CHARACTERS

Learning Description

In this lesson, students use photos that relate to a social studies concept as a springboard to write a first person monologue embodying the person who is pictured. This monologue explores the character’s views on the subject of the second photo that deals with the historical context students are studying. Next, students will bring the photo to life in an improvisation. By allowing your students to explore what they have read and heard about the social studies concept through the eyes of someone who experienced it, they learn empathy and better embody the concept. This exercise is a wonderful tool to increase presentation skills, empathy and ensemble in your classroom.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & SOCIAL STUDIES
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can write a monologue using photography as inspiration.

  • I can improvise a scene with a partner using photography as inspiration.

  • I can use theatre techniques to help me better understand a historical context/event.

Essential Questions

  • What impact does a photograph have on our perception of a society and/or historical context/event?

  • How can theatre techniques help me better understand a historical context/event?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

*This lesson can be taught using any Social Studies history standard that includes a figure who played a key role in a specific event, such as a governmental act, natural disaster, religious or governmental strife, etc.

Arts Standards

Grade 6: 

TA6.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

TA6.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

Grade 7: 

TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

Grade 8: 

TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

*This lesson can be taught using any Social Studies history standard that includes a figure who played a key role in a specific event, such as a governmental act, natural disaster, religious or governmental strife, etc.

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.

 

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

Anchor Standard 8: I can relate theatre to other content areas, arts disciplines, and careers.

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Expository Writing - Writing with the purpose to demonstrate or explain 

 

*Social Studies vocabulary will differ by grade level and unit being studied.

Arts Vocabulary

  • Ensemble - All the parts of a thing taken together, so that each part is considered only in relation to the whole

  • Theater - Dramatic literature or its performance; drama

 

  • Improvisation - A creation that is spoken or written without prior preparation

 

  • Monologue - A speech by a single character in a play, film, or other dramatic work; often used to give the audience deeper insight into the character's motivations and feelings

 

  • Scene - A division of a play or act that presents continuous action in one place or setting

  • Dialogue - The conversation or interaction between characters in a written work

 

Materials

  • Printed photos
  • Index cards and pencils
  • Music and sound source

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

Classroom Tips: This activity works best in an open space with room for students to move. 

 

  • Begin by playing music from the region or culture that students are studying (e.g., Latin American music) quietly as you pass out the images (photographs).
    • Each student should have one sheet of paper with two images, an index card, and pencil.
      • The first picture is of two people engaged in an activity. The name of the country or event should be written at the bottom of the photo. One of the people should be circled so you can pair up the students to act out the scene later. 
      • The second picture is of a prominent figure who played a key role in the event or culture, a governmental act or natural disaster, geographical landmark, religious or governmental strife in the corresponding to the event or country of choice. The photo should be titled with the reference to the event, landmark, etc.
    • Have students write their name in the top right hand corner of the index card.
    • Ask the students to closely observe the person that is circled in the top photo. 
    • Ask questions for them to more deeply embody their character.
      • They should list the following on the left hand side of the card:  Character’s name, character's age, home country, how does the character feel about what is happening or who is pictured in the second photo and how is it affecting them and their people? 
      • What is the character’s greatest fear?  
      • What is the character’s greatest dream? 
      • Encourage students to use descriptive phrases and relevant details and facts from the unit of study to complete the card. 
  • Provide time for students to pair-share or share responses with the class.

 

Work Session

  • Tell students that they will be writing a monologue in the first person introducing themselves as the person in their photograph.
    • Tell students that a monologue is a speech by a single character in a play, film, or other dramatic work. Monologues are often used to give the audience deeper insight into the character's motivations and feelings. 
    • Tell students to turn the card over and write a monologue in the first person introducing themselves as the character and including all of the elements on the front side of the card.
      • Tell students to make sure to summarize the paragraph with their character’s greatest dream for themselves and their country.   
      • Turn up the volume of the music while students are writing. Give them a set amount of time to write. This could also be a longer exercise or assignment that they bring in the following class period.  
    • When everyone is finished writing, introduce the next section. 
    • Tell students, “Today we are going to learn about the ______ period through the eyes of its people. Each of you have been brought here to help us explore this time. Welcome!”
    • Tell students, “Using a voice different from your own, the voice of the character in the picture, on a count of three, softly but out loud, tell me what you had for breakfast this morning.  Now sit like your character sits, different from yourself. Imagine your character is wearing an article of clothing that you don’t have on. On a count of three adjust that article of clothing.”  
    • Next, ask a student to walk to the front of the class as that character would walk.  
    • Once they get to the front of the classroom, ask them to pick one person to tell their story to. Ask the student to look at this person as they are telling their story.  Have them read their character’s monologue aloud. 
    • If you desire or time permits, you can open the floor up for questions so the other students can interview the character. Let the class know that they can openly discuss the issues at hand and help the character answer questions that they might know the answers to.
  • Now, tell students to find the classmate who has the other character depicted in the photograph on their page. Pass out two index cards to each pair.
    • Have students read their monologues to each other practicing embodying the character they have created. 
    • Students should then discuss the historical context from the photographs and establish each of their character’s points of view. 
    • On each card, students should write a sentence in the first person with the first thing their character wants to say about the context/event depicted.
    • When you say “action,” students bring the photo to life using improvisation.
    • Beginning with the first line they previously generated on their index card, students should improvise a scene between the two characters discussing the context/event. 
    • Say “freeze!” and have students return to their seats.

 

NOTE: Instead of improvising scenes, students can write a script for their scene and present it to the class.

 

Closing Reflection

  • On the back of their index cards students should reflect on the process and how both embodying their character and listening to another character’s point of view helped them gain a deeper understanding of the historical context/event.
  • Allow students time to share with the whole class.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students by observing students’ responses to class discussion around photographs in the opening strategy, consulting with students during the writing process, and observing students’ work with their partners creating improvisational scenes.

 

Summative

  • Students can write a monologue in the first person using photography as inspiration that addresses all parts of the prompt.
  • Students can use historical context and relevant facts to create a realistic first person account.
  • Students can work collaboratively to improvise a scene with a partner to investigate a historical context or event.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: 

  • Challenge students by telling them in the middle of the improvised scene, to swap characters with their partner and continue the scene from the new perspective. This tests their adaptability and understanding of character dynamics.
  • Pair two partner teams together to create a new scene with all four characters.

Remediation: 

  • Pair English Language Learning students with native English speakers.
  • When writing the questions about the pictures, provide the students with a graphic organizer on which to write answers and to assist with organization of thoughts and ideas.
  • Have students choose fewer items from the list about the character in the picture. 
  • Conference with students who struggle with writing. 

*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:  Susie Spear Purcell. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright:  June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

CELL TALK 6-8

CELL TALK

CELL TALK

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will become a part of a cell using their bodies and voices to become a particular part of the cell. After they create a character for an assigned part of a cell, students will pair up to create dialogue between the different parts of the cell. Cell Talk brings cells to life before students’ eyes. Through embodying the parts of animal and plant cells, students get an in depth understanding of their functions.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 6-8
CONTENT FOCUS: THEATRE & SCIENCE
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can accurately identify and describe my assigned cell type and part.

  • I can explain the role of my cell part.

  • I can portray my cell part using my body and voice.

  • I can write my Cell Talk dialogue demonstrating my understanding of the part and function of my assigned cell.

Essential Questions

  • How can theatre techniques be used to help us understand the parts of cells and their functions?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 7

S7L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to describe how cell structures, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems interact to maintain the basic needs of organisms.

 

Arts Standards

Grade 7: 

TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.

 

TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

 

TA7.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.

 

TA7.CN.1 Explore how theatre connects to life experience, careers, and other content.

 

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

6-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function.

 

Arts Standards

Anchor Standard 1: I can create scenes and write scripts using story elements and structure.

 

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

Anchor Standard 8: I can relate theatre to other content areas, arts disciplines, and careers.

 

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Animal Cell - Animals are made up of these cells. They are round and do not have a cell wall.

  • Plant Cell - Rectangular with a cell wall. They make up all plants.
  • Cell - The smallest unit of an organism that can carry on life functions
  • Mitochondria - Cell organelle that breaks down food into energy. It gives and stores energy.
  • Vacuole - Stores water and nutrients for the cell
  • Organelle - A tiny cell structure that carries out a specific function within the cell
  • Tissue - A group of similar cells that perform the same function
  • Organ - Groups of tissues that work together
  • Chlorophyll - A green chemical in plant cells that allow plants to use sun energy for making food
  • Ribosomes - The complex of RNA and protein molecules that can be found either floating freely or attached to the surface of rough endoplasmic reticulum
  • Nucleus - Organelle that controls all the activities of a cell; the cell's control center
  • Cell membrane - A thin, flexible barrier around a cell, it protects the cell while allowing food and waste to enter and leave the cell
  • Cell Wall - A protective outer covering that lies just outside the cell membrane
  • Cytoplasm - A liquid that fills the plant and animal cells. It is jelly-like and holds all the parts in place.
  • Nucleus - Part in both cells that controls the cell like a brain
  • Chloroplast - A structure that contains chlorophyll and is found in plant cells; uses energy from sunlight to make energy rich food

Arts Vocabulary

  • Dialogue - A conversation between two or more persons

  • Scene - A single situation or unit of dialogue in a play
  • Theater - Dramatic literature or its performance; drama
  • Character - A person, an animal or other figure assuming human qualities, in a story

 

  • Voice – An actor’s tool, which we shape and change to portray the way a character speaks or sounds

  • Body – An actor’s tool, which we shape and change to portray the way a character looks, walks, or moves

 

Materials

  • Cell Visuals (half the class needs the plant cell diagram, the other half needs the animal cell diagram. Each visual should have one part circled.) 
  • Lined paper 
  • Pencils

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Start with a general physical warm-up to get the students' bodies ready. Use exercises such as:
    • Stretching: Stretch all major muscle groups.
    • Shaking Out Limbs: Shake out arms, legs, and the whole body to release tension.
    • Energy Passes: Stand in a circle and pass a clap or a simple motion around to build group focus and energy.
  • Explain that students will explore different characters with their bodies by changing their movements. Encourage them to think about how their character’s age, status, mood, and personality influence their movement.
    • Begin with simple prompts to get students thinking about different ways to move. Call out various types of characters and ask students to walk around the space embodying those characters. Examples include:
      • An elderly person with a cane
      • A proud soldier
      • A sneaky thief
      • A graceful dancer
  • Next, ask students to use their voices to introduce their characters. Have students use their voices and bodies to introduce themselves to a neighbor.
  • Have students return to their seats.

Work Session

  • Review animal and plant cells with students.
    • Talk about their parts and the function of each part.  
    • With a neighbor, ask students to create a movement and sound for each cell part. The movement/sound should reflect the function of each part.
      • Provide partners to share with another partner.
  • Creating cell characters:
    • Hand out diagrams of plant and animal cells. Each student should get one cell diagram. Each diagram should have one part circled on it.  
    • Ask the student to write down the type of cell that is pictured on their visual and the name of the circled part of the cell.
    • Ask the students to study the circled part of their pictured cell and write down the following:
      • What shape are you?  
      • What size are you?  
      • What color are you?  
      • What is your job?  
      • Give your cell part a personal name (i.e., Vicky Vacuole).
      • Ask students to use their body and a sound/voice to become their cell part.  
    • Ask students to introduce themselves all at the same time using a voice different from their own voice.  
    • Now, go around the room and ask volunteers to introduce themselves to the rest of the class.  
  • Creating Cell Talk:
    • Pair students up to represent two different parts of the same cell (animal or plant).  
    • Ask them to introduce themselves as the cell part to each other and tell about themselves and their function based on the list above.
    • Ask students to imagine that they are inside the cell and that they bump into each other. Ask students what would they talk about?  
    • Tell students to introduce themselves to each other. Then, they should talk about what they do for the cell and why they are so important to its survival.
      • Remind students to make sure that they talk about which type of cell they are a part of–plant or animal.
    • Next, have students write their conversation down as a scene using dialogue.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Students will perform their scenes for the class. Discuss appropriate audience etiquette and participation prior to performances.
  • After each performance, have students discuss how the actors represented their part of the cell through dialogue.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator; discussion of the types of cells, their parts, and their roles; improvised dialogue; and conferencing with students during the writing process.

 

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can accurately identify and describe their assigned cell type and part. 
  • Students can explain the role of their cell part.
  • Students can portray their cell parts using their bodies and voice.  
  • Students can write their cell talk dialogue demonstrating their understanding of the parts of their assigned cell.

 

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: 

  • Have students write a monologue for their cell part introducing themselves and explaining their role and importance.
  • Have students create a scene using dialogue with multiple students representing multiple cell parts.

Remediation: 

  • Scaffold the lesson by modeling the improvised scene with another student.
  • Provide a dialogue graphic organizer or sentence starters to help students structure their writing.

 

*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: Susie Spear Purcell. Updated by Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW