SELF PORTRAITS TELL A STORY 6-8

SELF PORTRAITS TELL A STORY

SELF PORTRAITS TELL A STORY

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will explore the use of color in conveying mood and emotion. Students will create a self-portrait inspired by the work of Vincent Van Gogh, using color to express their own emotions and experiences. Additionally, students will write a personal narrative based on the experience that inspired their self-portrait, further connecting the visual representation with their own stories.

 

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 create a self-portrait that communicates mood through color.
  • I can use my self-portrait as inspiration for a personal narrative.
  • I can create a mood in writing.

Essential Questions

  • How do visual artists use color to create mood?
  • How can visual art inspire writing?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 6

ELAGSE6W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences.

  1. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.

 

Grade 7

ELAGSE7W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences.

  1. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

 

Grade 8

ELAGSE8W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences.

  1. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

 

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

VA6.RE.3 Engage in the process of art criticism to make meaning and increase visual literacy. 

 

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

VA7.RE.3 Engage in the process of art criticism to make meaning and increase visual literacy. 

 

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

VA8.RE.3 Engage in the process of art criticism to make meaning and increase visual literacy.

 

 

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Standard 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well structured event sequences. 

3.1 Gather ideas from texts, multimedia, and personal experience to write narratives that: 

  1. develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well- structured event sequences; 
  2. use imagery, precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events and develop characters

 

 

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

  • Personal narrative - A story about one’s own individual experiences
  • Mood - The feeling that an author wants to convey through his/her writing
  • Descriptive details - Details that create vivid and sensory-rich images in the reader's mind
  • Imagery - The use of descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind
  • Sensory language - Descriptive language that engages the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch

Arts Vocabulary

  • Self-portrait - An artist’s rendering of themselves in a visual form
  • Color - One of the seven elements of art; it is how light is seen as reflected or absorbed off of a surface. Visual artists use color to create a mood in their artwork.

 

Materials

    • Mixed media white paper
    • Pencils
    • Crayons or oil pastels

     

     

    Instructional Design

    Opening/Activating Strategy

    • Engage students in the “Step Inside” artful thinking routine using Vincent Van Gogh’s Self-portrait as a painter, 1887.
      • In this routine, students will engage with three questions: 
    1. What can the person or thing perceive?
      2. What might the person or thing know about or believe?
      3. What might the person or thing care about?
    • Have students discuss these questions in small groups or with a partner.
    • Facilitate a class discussion around students’ responses. 
    • Share with students that the artist, Vincent Van Gogh, painted many self-portraits. Explain that a self-portrait is an artist’s rendering of themselves in visual form.

     

    Work Session

      ANALYZING ART

      • In small groups, have students read Tate Museum: Who Is Vincent Van Gogh? to learn about Van Gogh’s life.
      • Explain that Van Gogh used color to create mood in his artwork.
        • Project a Color Wheel on the board. In groups, ask students to identify several mood/feeling words that they associate with each color.
      • Display one of Van Gogh’s self portraits on the board. 
        • Ask students what colors Van Gogh used and how the colors create a mood. 
      • Give each group a different self-portrait by Van Gogh. Ask students to analyze the colors and mood of the painting as well as how they think Van Gogh viewed himself based on the colors he used.
      • Display each of the paintings. Facilitate a class-wide discussion about the similarities and differences in the paintings. 
        • Ask students how the colors change from painting to painting and how that change impacts the mood of the artwork. 
        • Ask students why they think most of Van Gogh’s self-portraits portray his face from an angle instead of straight. 
        • Next, look at the style–ask students to explain how they think Van Gogh made the brush strokes. Ask students whether they think the painting looks finished or unfinished.

       

      CREATING SELF-PORTRAITS

      • Explain to students that they will be creating their own self-portrait depicting themselves at the time of a specific personal experience (for example, the first time they scored a touchdown, when they moved to a new home).
        • Students should use color to create a mood that represents how they felt at the time of the experience.
      • Have students brainstorm a list of personal experiences that they can clearly recall. Students should select experiences from which they can generate enough content for a personal narrative.
        • Students should select one experience from their list as the inspiration for their self-portraits.
        • Next, students should identify the feeling or mood of their experience. Students will use colors in their self-portraits that communicate the mood. 
      • Instruct students to draw a large oval on their white paper using pencil. Project a facial proportions diagram to help students as they draw in their facial features on their self-portraits.
      • Next, remind students of Van Gogh’s style of painting with short, dashed brushstrokes. Demonstrate how to create short dashed lines with an oil pastel to create a similar effect. 
      • Allow students time to create their self-portraits using color to create mood. 

       

      PERSONAL NARRATIVE WRITING

      • Explain to students that they will be using their self-portraits as a basis for personal narrative writing.
      • Students will write a personal narrative about the experience they used to inspire their self-portrait.
        • In addition to grade-level specific expectations for narrative writing, students should focus on using descriptive details, imagery and sensory language to create mood in their writing that is consistent with the mood in their self-portraits.
        • Students should engage in peer-editing before producing their final narrative.
      • Students should give both their narratives and self-portraits a relevant title.

       

      Closing Reflection

      • Students should conduct a gallery walk of self-portraits.
      • After students have had the opportunity to observe each other’s work, facilitate a discussion around how each student as an artist used color to create mood in their self-portrait and how that mood connected to the personal experience in their narratives.

      Assessments

      Formative

      Teachers will assess student learning by observing students’ responses in whole-class and small group discussion and students’ responses to brainstorming sessions.

       

       

      Summative

      CHECKLIST

      • Students can create a self-portrait that communicates mood through color.
      • Students can write a personal narrative based on the experience that inspired their self-portrait. 
      • Students can create a mood in writing using descriptive details, imagery, and sensory language.

       

       

       

      DIFFERENTIATION 

      Acceleration: Students should conduct independent or collaborative research on Van Gogh’s life and how his personal experiences influenced his art. Students should pay special attention to the years his self portraits were painted and what occurred in his life at the time.

       

      Remediation: 

      • Allow students to use a graphic organizer to brainstorm three ideas that they could include in their self-portrait.
      • Provide a graphic organizer to assist students in organizing their personal narratives.

       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

       

       

       
      Back to Modules

      Voice Activation Station 4-5

      VOICE ACTIVATION STATION

      VOICE ACTIVATION STATION

      Learning Description

      Students will harness the power of one of their most valuable assets – their voice – through exploration of vocal expression, including diaphragmatic breathing, the elements of shaping sound, and the dynamics of volume, pace, articulation and pitch.

       

      Learning Targets

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

      Download PDF of this Lesson

      "I Can" Statements

      “I Can…”

      • I can use my voice in different ways to express different emotions and ideas.

      Essential Questions

      • How can drama techniques be used to improve speaking skills?

       

      Georgia Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 4: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).

       

      ELAGSE4SL4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and

      relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

       

      Grade 5:

      ELAGSE5SL4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

       

       

      Arts Standards

      Grade 4:

      TA2.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments. 

      1. Use vocal elements (e.g. inflection, pitch, volume, articulation) to communicate a

      character’s thoughts, emotions, and actions.

       

      Grade 5:

      TA3.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

      1. Use vocal elements (e.g. inflection, pitch, volume, articulation) to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions of a character.

       

       

      South Carolina Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 4:

      COMMUNICATION – Language, Craft & Structure

      Standard 5: Incorporate craft techniques to engage and impact audience and convey messages.

      5.1 Set a purpose and integrate craft techniques to create presentations.

       

      Grade 5: 

      COMMUNICATION – Language, Craft & Structure

      Standard 5: Incorporate craft techniques to engage and impact audience and convey messages.

      5.1 Set a purpose, integrate craft techniques and maintain a clear focus in presentations.

       

       

       

       

      Arts Standards

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

       

       

      Key Vocabulary

      Content Vocabulary

      • Audience – People intently watching and/or listening to a speaker or performer
      • Craft techniques – The ways in which voice and language are used for communication, such as intonation and word stress
      • Characterization - The process by which an author develops and reveals a character's personality, traits, and attributes to the reader

      Arts Vocabulary

      • Articulation – The way that words are shaped by the articulators – the lips, teeth, tongue, cheeks, and jaws; the way that an accent or dialect affects speech; the clarity of speech; also called ‘diction’ or ‘enunciation’
      • Articulators – The parts of the body that help to shape sound
      • Diaphragm – A muscle extending across the bottom of the ribcage, below the lungs and above the stomach
      • Diaphragmatic breathing – Breathing from the diaphragm, allowing the shoulders to remain relaxed and the belly to engage with expansion and contraction
      • Neutral Position – A simple position of readiness and neutrality, in which the actor has not committed to any specific movement or attitude; standing upright with feel flat on the ground and arms hanging by the sides
      • Pace – How fast or slow speech is delivered
      • Pitch – How high or low a sound is
      • Slating – A process in which an actor states their name and piece (text, speech, monologue) before presenting
      • Volume – How loud or quiet the voice is

       

      Materials

      • Anchor paper
      • Markers
      • Photo Image of the respiratory system showing the diaphragm
      • Copies (or projection) of text that demonstrates characterization
      • Paper and pencils

       

       

      Instructional Design

      Opening/Activating Strategy

      • Introduce Neutral Position to students. 
        • Discuss the meaning of “neutrality” as ready and not committed to movement or action in one direction or another.
        • Have students stand in a large circle (alternative: have students stand at desks or tables). 
        • Tell students to put their hands on their hips and look down to place their feet directly under their hips and shoulders. Tell students, “Your feet shouldn’t be too far apart or too close together; directly under the hips; hip distance apart”.
        • Tell students that this is called Neutral Position. Have students repeat the term.  
        • Have students drop their hands by their sides and lead them through some shoulder movements, such as forward and back, up and down, then circles to the front and the back. 
        • Give the students a signal (such as a clap) to move their bodies freely, and then suddenly to return to Neutral Position. Practice several times. 
        • Explain that Neutral Position is a good starting point for speaking with a clear voice.

       

      Work Session

      • Introduce “Breathe” to students.
        • Have them imagine there is a tire around their belly/waist area. Encourage them to fill up the entire tire, the front, the back and the sides.
        • Ask students what “breathing” means. Take in answers and discuss the definition in scientific terms.
        • Instruct students, “Breathe in through your nose all the way to your toes”. 
        • Tell students that this is using our diaphragm. Show an image of the diaphragm to explain its role in supporting breath and the production of sound.

       

      • Introduce vocal exercises to students.
        • Model saying the “Ha!” to the next person in the circle, and having them pass it on.  The “Ha!” is then passed around the circle at full volume.
        • Use fingers to count out how long it takes to completely exhale the breath. 
        • Repeat several times, trying to extend the hiss each time.
        • “Pass the ‘Ha!’”:  Lead students in practicing expelling all the air out of the lungs in one exhalation saying “Ha!”.
        • “Hiss it Out”:  Direct students to breathe in using their diaphragm muscle, and then exhale slowly and evenly using a hiss.  
        • “Ahhhh”:  Shift from the hiss to a voiced “Ahhhh,” continuing to elongate by evenly drawing out the breath longer with each “Ahhhh”.

       

      • Introduce articulation to students.
        • Explain that “articulators” are the body parts that help us to shape sound:  Lips, teeth, tongue, cheeks, jaws, the roof of the mouth, the nasal cavities, etc.
        • Ask, “Does anyone know what the word “Articulation” means?  Discuss the definition of “articulation”, as well as the related words “enunciation” and “diction”.
        • Ask, “What do you think ‘articulators’ are?”  
        • Instruct students, “Let’s warm up our articulators by scrunching and stretching our mouths saying, ‘ee’ and ‘ooo’.”
        • Have students chew on an imaginary wad of bubble gum that keeps getting bigger and bigger, thus requiring greater stretching of the articulators.
        • Discuss how articulation can be very important in communicating with an audience.

       

      • Introduce tongue twisters to students.
        • Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat
        • Unique New York, Unique New Yorl
        • She sells seashells by the seashore.
        • Use other tongue-twisters by preference. 
        • Ask the students to repeat each line of the tongue twisters that you say. Lead the following “call and response” phrases one line at a time.

       

      • Introduce the elements of vocal expression to students. 
        • Volume:  Louder/quieter
        • Pace:  Faster/slower
        • Articulation:  Clearer/mumblier
        • Pitch:  Higher/lower
        • Describe and define the four main elements of vocal expression: Volume, pace, articulation and pitch.
        • Direct the students to change the volume, pace, articulation and pitch with which they speak the tongue twisters.

      Teacher note (South Carolina): Tell students that these elements are sometimes referred to as Craft Techniques – aspects of the craft or techniques of speaking.

      • Make an anchor chart of volume, pace, articulation, and pitch.

       

      • Apply concepts to a class text.
        • Tell students that slating is when you state your name and introduce what you will be reciting in a strong clear voice. 
        • For example, say, “My name is ______ and I’m going to say the first part of the Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Speak the chosen text using the concepts that students have learned.
          • Ask students what techniques they recognized.
        • Apply the voice work to a particular text.  It can be a general text (familiar nursery rhyme, poem, part of a story), or something drawn specifically from a current curriculum topic (e.g., a paragraph about weather, a dialogue between two characters, roles of community helpers, etc.).  
        • Model walking to the front of the room and “slating”. 
        • Have individual students come to the front, slate and speak the selected text.

       

      • Incorporate the concept of characterization. 
        • Practice one or two together as a class.
        • Remind students to try articulating how the character would and to speak from their diaphragm.
        • Refer to the different vocal qualities on the anchor chart as needed.
        • Facilitate a class discussion of how the students embodied the character using their voices.
        • Discuss vocal expression and vocal qualities that characters take on.  
        • Make an anchor chart of different characters or types of characters (e.g., monster, cowboy, kitten) and next to each write some of the vocal qualities they would have. 
        • Arrange students in pairs. Assign (or allow pairs to choose) a character from the list. Students should use what they learned about vocal qualities to speak as that character.
        • Allow students to perform their character for the class. 

       

      Closing Reflection

      • Ask students to point to their diaphragm.  
        • What is diaphragmatic breathing? 
        • Can you point to your articulators?  Who can demonstrate moving one of your articulators?  
        • How can we make different types of sounds?
        • How does an actor’s voice help to convey a character in a play or story?
        • Ask students the following questions: 
      • Have students draw pictures to show people speaking loudly and quietly, fast and slow, clearly and mumbly, and high and low to show what they learned.

      Assessments

      Formative

      Teachers will assess students’ understanding throughout the lesson by observing how students use their voices as each technique is taught and how students use the techniques to embody a character.

       

       

      Summative

      CHECKLIST

      • Students can use the elements of voice to express emotions, ideas and to embody a character.
      • Students can identify different types of vocal qualities.
      • Students can show what they learned about vocal qualities through drawings.

       

       

       

      Differentiation

      Acceleration: 

      • Have students create their own tongue twisters.
      • Have students practice changing volume, pace, articulation and pitch on a scale of 0-10, exploring more subtle gradations.
      • Have students create their own characters and dialogue instead of using one from the class chart.

       

      Remediation:

      • Allow students to work and vocalize at their own level of comfort throughout the lesson.
      • Introduce the tongue twisters slowly and chunk them into sections.
      • Provide pictures for students to sort and glue onto a chart in the closing activity rather than drawing.

       

       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: Jessica Rosa Espinoza and Barry Stewart Mann

      Revised and copyright:  June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

       

       

       
      Back to Modules

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      Voice Activation Station 2-3

      VOICE ACTIVATION STATION

      VOICE ACTIVATION STATION

      Learning Description

      Students will harness the power of one of their most valuable assets – their voice – through exploration of vocal expression, including diaphragmatic breathing, the elements of shaping sound, and the dynamics of volume, pace, articulation and pitch.

       

      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 my voice in different ways to express different emotions and ideas.

      Essential Questions

      • How can drama techniques be used to improve speaking skills?

       

      Georgia Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2:

      ELAGSE2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

       

      Grade 3:

      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:

      TA2.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments. 

      1. Use imagination and vocal elements (e.g. inflection, pitch, volume, articulation) to

      communicate a character’s thoughts, emotions, and actions.

       

      Grade 3:

      TA3.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal

      environments.   

      1. Use vocal elements (e.g. inflection, pitch, volume, articulation) to communicate a character’s thoughts, emotions, and actions.

       

       

       

       

      South Carolina Standards

      Curriculum Standards

      Grade 2:

      COMMUNICATION – Language, Craft & Structure

      Standard 5: Incorporate craft techniques to engage and impact audience and convey messages.

      5.1 Utilize intonation and word stress to highlight essential concepts and engage the audience.

       

      Grade 3:

      COMMUNICATION – Language, Craft & Structure

      Standard 5: Incorporate craft techniques to engage and impact audience and convey messages.

      5.1 Set a purpose and integrate craft techniques to create presentations.

       

       

       

      Arts Standards

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

       

       

      Key Vocabulary

      Content Vocabulary

      • Audience – People intently watching and/or listening to a speaker or performer
      • Craft techniques – The ways in which voice and language are used for communication, such as intonation and word stress
      • Characterization - The process by which an author develops and reveals a character's personality, traits, and attributes to the reader

      Arts Vocabulary

      • Articulation – The way that words are shaped by the articulators – the lips, teeth, tongue, cheeks, and jaws; the way that an accent or dialect affects speech; the clarity of speech; also called ‘diction’ or ‘enunciation’
      • Articulators – The parts of the body that help to shape sound
      • Diaphragm – A muscle extending across the bottom of the ribcage, below the lungs and above the stomach
      • Diaphragmatic breathing – Breathing from the diaphragm, allowing the shoulders to remain relaxed and the belly to engage with expansion and contraction
      • Neutral Position – A simple position of readiness and neutrality, in which the actor has not committed to any specific movement or attitude; standing upright with feel flat on the ground and arms hanging by the sides
      • Pace – How fast or slow speech is delivered
      • Pitch – How high or low a sound is
      • Slating – A process in which an actor states their name and piece (text, speech, monologue) before presenting
      • Volume – How loud or quiet the voice is

       

      Materials

        • Anchor paper
        • Markers
        • Photo Image of the respiratory system showing the diaphragm
        • Copies (or projection) of text that demonstrates characterization
        • Paper and pencils

         

         

        Instructional Design

        Opening/Activating Strategy

        • Introduce Neutral Position to students. 
          • Discuss the meaning of “neutrality” as ready and not committed to movement or action in one direction or another.
          • Have students stand in a large circle (alternative: have students stand at desks or tables). 
          • Tell students to put their hands on their hips and look down to place their feet directly under their hips and shoulders. Tell students, “Your feet shouldn’t be too far apart or too close together; directly under the hips; hip distance apart”.
          • Tell students that this is called Neutral Position. Have students repeat the term.  
          • Have students drop their hands by their sides and lead them through some shoulder movements, such as forward and back, up and down, then circles to the front and the back. 
          • Give the students a signal (such as a clap) to move their bodies freely, and then suddenly to return to Neutral Position. Practice several times. 
          • Explain that Neutral Position is a good starting point for speaking with a clear voice.

         

        Work Session

          • Introduce “Breathe” to students.
            • Ask students what “breathing” means. Take in answers and discuss the definition in scientific terms.
            • Instruct students, “Breathe in through your nose all the way to your toes”. 
              • Have them imagine there is a tire around their belly/waist area. Encourage them to fill up the entire tire, the front, the back and the sides.
            • Tell students that this is using our diaphragm. Show an image of the diaphragm to explain its role in supporting breath and the production of sound.

           

          • Introduce vocal exercises to students.
            • “Pass the ‘Ha!’”:  Lead students in practicing expelling all the air out of the lungs in one exhalation saying “Ha!”.
              • Model saying the “Ha!” to the next person in the circle, and having them pass it on.  The “Ha!” is then passed around the circle at full volume.
            • “Hiss it Out”:  Direct students to breathe in using their diaphragm muscle, and then exhale slowly and evenly using a hiss.  
              • Use fingers to count out how long it takes to completely exhale the breath. 
              • Repeat several times, trying to extend the hiss each time.
            • “Ahhhh”:  Shift from the hiss to a voiced “Ahhhh,” continuing to elongate by evenly drawing out the breath longer with each “Ahhhh”.

           

          • Introduce articulation to students.
            • Ask, “Does anyone know what the word “Articulation” means?  Discuss the definition of “articulation”, as well as the related words “enunciation” and “diction”.
            • Ask, “What do you think ‘articulators’ are?”  
              • Explain that “articulators” are the body parts that help us to shape sound:  Lips, teeth, tongue, cheeks, jaws, the roof of the mouth, the nasal cavities, etc.
            • Instruct students, “Let’s warm up our articulators by scrunching and stretching our mouths saying, ‘ee’ and ‘ooo’.”
            • Have students chew on an imaginary wad of bubble gum that keeps getting bigger and bigger, thus requiring greater stretching of the articulators.
            • Discuss how articulation can be very important in communicating with an audience.

           

          • Introduce tongue twisters to students.
            • Ask the students to repeat each line of the tongue twisters that you say. Lead the following “call and response” phrases one line at a time.
              • Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat
              • Unique New York, Unique New Yorl
              • She sells seashells by the seashore.
              • Use other tongue-twisters by preference. 

           

          • Introduce the elements of vocal expression to students. 
            • Describe and define the four main elements of vocal expression: Volume, pace, articulation and pitch.
            • Direct the students to change the volume, pace, articulation and pitch with which they speak the tongue twisters.
              • Volume:  Louder/quieter
              • Pace:  Faster/slower
              • Articulation:  Clearer/mumblier
              • Pitch:  Higher/lower

          Teacher note (South Carolina): Tell students that these elements are sometimes referred to as Craft Techniques – aspects of the craft or techniques of speaking.

          • Make an anchor chart of volume, pace, articulation, and pitch.

           

          • Apply concepts to a class text.
            • Apply the voice work to a particular text.  It can be a general text (familiar nursery rhyme, poem, part of a story), or something drawn specifically from a current curriculum topic (e.g., a paragraph about weather, a dialogue between two characters, roles of community helpers, etc.).  
            • Model walking to the front of the room and “slating”. 
              • Tell students that slating is when you state your name and introduce what you will be reciting in a strong clear voice. 
              • For example, say, “My name is ______ and I’m going to say the first part of the Itsy Bitsy Spider”. Speak the chosen text using the concepts that students have learned.
                • Ask students what techniques they recognized.
            • Have individual students come to the front, slate and speak the selected text.

           

          • Incorporate the concept of characterization. 
            • Discuss vocal expression and vocal qualities that characters take on.  
            • Make an anchor chart of different characters or types of characters (e.g., monster, cowboy, kitten) and next to each write some of the vocal qualities they would have. 
              • Practice one or two together as a class.
            • Arrange students in pairs. Assign (or allow pairs to choose) a character from the list. Students should use what they learned about vocal qualities to speak as that character.
              • Remind students to try articulating how the character would and to speak from their diaphragm.
              • Refer to the different vocal qualities on the anchor chart as needed.
            • Allow students to perform their character for the class. 
              • Facilitate a class discussion of how the students embodied the character using their voices.

           

          Closing Reflection

          • Ask students to point to their diaphragm.  
            • Ask students the following questions: 
              • What is diaphragmatic breathing? 
              • Can you point to your articulators?  Who can demonstrate moving one of your articulators?  
              • How can we make different types of sounds?
              • How does an actor’s voice help to convey a character in a play or story?
          • Have students draw pictures to show people speaking loudly and quietly, fast and slow, clearly and mumbly, and high and low to show what they learned.

          Assessments

          Formative

          Teachers will assess students’ understanding throughout the lesson by observing how students use their voices as each technique is taught and how students use the techniques to embody a character.

           

           

          Summative

          CHECKLIST

          • Students can use the elements of voice to express emotions, ideas and to embody a character.
          • Students can identify different types of vocal qualities.
          • Students can show what they learned about vocal qualities through drawings.

           

           

           

          Differentiation

          Acceleration: 

          • Have students create their own tongue twisters.
          • Have students practice changing volume, pace, articulation and pitch on a scale of 0-10, exploring more subtle gradations.
          • Have students create their own characters and dialogue instead of using one from the class chart.

           

          Remediation:

          • Allow students to work and vocalize at their own level of comfort throughout the lesson.
          • Introduce the tongue twisters slowly and chunk them into sections.
          • Provide pictures for students to sort and glue onto a chart in the closing activity rather than drawing.

           

           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: Jessica Rosa Espinoza and Barry Stewart Mann

          Revised and copyright:  June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

           

           
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          BRINGING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE TO LIFE 4-5

          BRINGING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE TO LIFE WITH COME ON, RAIN!

          BRINGING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE TO LIFE WITH COME ON, RAIN!

          Learning Description

          Splash and play with figurative language through book that is light on action but rich with carefully crafted language, Come On, Rain!, by Karen Hesse. Working their way through the story, students will identify and enact similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification.

           

          Learning Targets

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

          Download PDF of this Lesson

          "I Can" Statements

          “I Can…”

          • I can identify examples of and define similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification.
          • I can change my voice and body to convey the meaning of examples of figurative language.

          Essential Questions

          • What is figurative language?
          • What are similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification?
          • How can I enact figurative language?

           

          Georgia Standards

          Curriculum Standards

          Grade 4:

          ELAGSE4L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

           

          Grade 5: 

          ELAGSE5RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

          Arts Standards

          Grade 4:

          TA4.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

           

          Grade 5:

          TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

           

          South Carolina Standards

          Curriculum Standards

          Grade 4:

          READING - Literary Text

          Language, Craft, and Structure 

          Standard 9: Interpret and analyze the author’s use of words, phrases, and conventions, and how their relationships shape meaning and tone in print and multimedia texts. 

          9.1 Identify and explain how the author uses imagery, hyperbole, adages, or proverbs to shape meaning and tone. 

           

          Grade 5: 

          READING - Literary Text

          Language, Craft, and Structure 

          Standard 9: Interpret and analyze the author’s use of words, phrases, and conventions, and how their relationships shape meaning and tone in print and multimedia texts. 

          9.1 Cite examples of the author’s use of figurative language, dialogue, imagery, idioms, adages, and proverbs to shape meaning and tone.

          Arts Standards

          Anchor Standard 3:

          I can act in improvised scenes and written scripts.

           

          Key Vocabulary

          Content Vocabulary

          • Simile – A comparison of two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’
          • Metaphor – An implied comparison of two things
          • Hyperbole – Extravagant exaggeration
          • Personification – The attribution of human qualities to something that is not human

          Arts Vocabulary

          • Voice – An actor’s tool used to portray the way a character speaks or sounds
          • Body – An actor’s tool used to portray the way a character looks, walks, or moves

           

          Materials

          • Come On, Rain! By Karen Hesse
          • Drum or percussion instrument (optional)
          • Board or chart paper and marker (optional)
          • Rain-like instrumental music (optional)
          • Spray bottle with water (optional)
          • Pencils and paper

           

           

          Instructional Design

          Opening/Activating Strategy

          • Lead students in a walking warm-up with figurative language; use a drum or clapping protocol for stopping and starting.  
            • Signal students to start walking. 
            • Give them a prompt, then have them walk to that prompt. 
              • Prompts should include examples of figurative language such as “Walk as slowly as a snail”, “Walk like an angry bull”, “Walk as if you are carrying three tons of bricks”, “Walk on ground as slimy as a slug”, “Walk with a heavy heart”, “Walk on twinkly toes”, “Walk as smoothly as a gently flowing river”, etc.

           

          Work Session

          Introduce or review figurative language devices including simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification.  

              • Connect the types with the warm-up.  
              • Discuss how students made choices with their bodies to bring the figurative language to life.
            • Introduce the book, Come On, Rain!, to students. Explain that students will use their voices and bodies to enact the figurative language in the book.
            • Do a slow read aloud of the book. Ask students to listen for examples of figurative language. Help direct their attention to examples as needed.  
              • When an example is located, have students determine what kind of figurative language it is, and articulate why (what is being compared to what, what is being exaggerated, or what is being given human qualities or abilities). 
              • For each page or several pages, select a phrase or two for students to enact.  Suggestions include:
                • “endless heat” (hyperbole)
                • “listless vine” (personification)
                • “sagging over her parched plants” (metaphor)
                • “I am sizzling like a hot potato” (simile)
                • “not a peep from my pal Jackie-Joyce” (metaphor)
                • “grey clouds, bunched and bulging” (metaphor)
                • “a creeper of hope circles ‘round my bones” (metaphor)
                • “the dim stuffy cave of her room” (metaphor)
                • “the smell of hot tar and garbage bullies the air” (personification)
                • “her long legs, like two string beans, sprout” (simile)
                • “sweeps off her hat” (metaphor)     
                • “peeling out of my clothes” (metaphor)
                • “swollen sky” (metaphor)
                • “making dust dance all around us” (personification)
              • When an example is located, have students determine what kind of figurative language it is.
          • Optional: Create a chart on a board or chart paper, with columns for the four types of figurative language. Write the first example of figurative language in the appropriate column.
              • Model for students using voice and body to convey the meaning of the phrase.  
                • For example, bend at the knees and allow the head, shoulders, arms, and back to droop or sag, and let out a long sigh for, “sagging over her parched plants”.
                  • Have students replicate the movements.  
                  • Then, read the phrase again and allow students to interpret the phrase in their own ways. 
                    • Use observational language to uplift the different choices that the students make, such as, “I see Carlos’s fingers dangling close to the floor.  Kierra’s eyes look really tired and droopy”.
              • After ample modeling, group students with a partner or in groups of three. 
              • Assign each group a phrase; have the students determine the vocal and physical expression for the figurative language.  
                • Allow for variety in students’ interpretations and expressions.  
                • After practicing, allow each group or pair to perform their phase.
                • Engage the class in a discussion after each performance of how the students used their voices and bodies to enact the phrase. 
                • Identify which type of figurative language was portrayed. If using the optional chart, have a student come and write the word or phrase in the appropriate column after each performance.
            • Optional:  
            • At the climax of the story, play instrumental music that is suggestive of rain (see Additional Resources for recommendations), and allow students to move/dance like falling rain.  
            • Use a spray bottle full of water to reinforce the sensation of rainfall by spraying a gentle mist or spray over any students who would like the experience.

            Closing Reflection

            • Facilitate a class discussion asking:
              • What types of figurative language did we explore?  
              • What were some examples of each, either from Come On, Rain! or in general?
              • How did you use your bodies and voices to enact the figurative language?
            • Have students create a chart with five rows and three columns.  
              • Across the top row, have them write “Figurative Language”, “Definition” and “Example”. 
              • Solicit from the class the types of figurative language explored in the lesson, and have the students write them in the four cells of the left column.
              • Instruct students to write definitions and provide examples.  Examples can be general, or specifically from Come On, Rain! Students can work independently or with a partner.

             

            Assessments

            Formative

            Teachers will assess student learning by observing students’ use of voice and body to enact figurative language; by assessing students’ responses to questions about figurative language; and by their ability to locate examples and identify figurative language by type.

             

            Summative

            CHECKLIST

            • Students can identify, classify, and define similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification in a story.
            • Students can change their voices and bodies to convey the meaning of examples of figurative language.

             

            Differentiation

            Acceleration: 

            • After several examples enacted all together, assign pages to groups/partners to locate for examples of figurative language. Students will enact the example they located in the text.
            • Add in additional figurative language, such as idioms and onomatopoeia, to seek and enact.

             

            Remediation:

            • Focus on the contrast between the literal and figurative meanings of each example found in the text (e.g., “endless heat” suggests that it is hot in all directions, everywhere, and until the end of time, but in reality it is not hot everywhere and for all time, it just feels that way).
            • Reduce the number of examples of figurative language explored.
            • Instead of having students write in the chart in the closing, provide printed examples from the text that students will glue in the appropriate column.

             ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

            Suggested music for the optional rain movement: 

            • “Stars”, by Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma
            • “Paul’s Dance” or “From the Colonies”, by the Penguin Café Orchestra
            • “Clouds Below Your Knees” or “Celestial Soda Pop”, by Ray Lynch
            • Search “playful children's instrumental music” for options in online videos

             

            *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: Barry Stewart Mann

            Revised and copyright: June 2024 @ ArtsNOW

            Back to Modules

            WE ARE THE PARTS 4-5

            WE ARE THE PARTS

            WE ARE THE PARTS

            Learning Description

            In this lesson, students will use their bodies and space, working together to create visual and corporal models to investigate and represent equivalent fractions.

             

            Learning Targets

            GRADE BAND: 4-5
            CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS, ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES
            LESSON DOWNLOADS:

            Download PDF of this Lesson

            "I Can" Statements

            “I Can…”

            • I can use my body and work with others to create visual representations of equivalent fractions.
            • I can identify and articulate equivalent fractions.

            Essential Questions

            • How can I demonstrate equivalent fractions using my body?

             

            Georgia Standards

            Curriculum Standards

            Grade 4 

            4.NR.4: Solve real-life problems involving addition, subtraction, equivalence, and comparison of fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100

            using part-whole strategies and visual models.

             

            Grade 5

            5.NR.3: Describe fractions and perform operations with fractions to solve relevant, mathematical problems using part-whole strategies and visual models.

             

            Arts Standards

            Grade 4  

            TA4.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

            1. Use body and movement to communicate a character’s thoughts and emotions.
            2. Collaborate and perform with an ensemble to present theatre to an audience.

             

            Grade 5

            TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

            1. Use body and movement to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions of a character.
            2. Collaborate and perform with an ensemble to present theatre to an audience.

             

             

             

            South Carolina Standards

            Curriculum Standards

            Grade 4

            4.NSF.1 Explain why a fraction (i.e., denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 25, 100), / , is equivalent to a fraction, ×

            × , by using visual fraction models, with attention to how the number and size of the parts differ even though the two fractions themselves are the same size. Use this principle to recognize and generate equivalent fractions.

             

            Grade 5

            5.NSF.1 Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) using a variety of models, including an area model and number line.

             

             

            Arts Standards

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

             

             

            Key Vocabulary

            Content Vocabulary

            • Denominator – The bottom number in a fraction, indicating how many total equal parts in the whole
            • Equivalent Fractions – Fractions that have the same value, though they have different numerators and denominators
            • Fraction – A numerical value that is part of a whole, indicating a certain number of parts of an equally divided whole
            • Numerator – The top number in a fraction, indicating how many of the total parts are present or included.

            Arts Vocabulary

            • Collaborate/Collaboration – Teamwork, working together in a group
            • Pose – A positioning or shape of the body

             

            Materials

              • Optional: Paper and pencils for drawing the extension activity

               

               

              Instructional Design

              Opening/Activating Strategy

              • Teach and lead the students in playing Countup, a listening game in which the group tries to count as high as possible, one number per person, randomly, without duplication.  
                • Leader (teacher) gives a cue (e.g., “Ready, Set, Go!”), then someone says “1,” then someone else says “2”, and so on.  If two people say a number at the same time, the round ends and the game reverts to the beginning, back to 1.  
                • If a pattern emerges (e.g., three players start alternating numbers), the round is stopped and a new one begins.  
                • After the game is established, give volunteers the opportunity to give the starting cue.
                • Once students understand the game, emphasize the listening aspect, and the fact that the class will not necessarily get farther by going faster.
                • After playing with cardinal numbers, explore variations through other sequences.  Move into odd/even numbers and multiples (of 3, 5, 10, 4, 6, etc.).  
                • Then move into fractions: Unit fractions (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc.), the complements of unit fractions (1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, etc.), and equivalent fractions (1/2, 2/4, 3/6, 4/8, etc.; 1/3, 2/6, 3/9, 4/12, etc.).

               

              Work Session

                EQUIVALENT FRACTION POSES

                • Tell students that they will be using their bodies to create poses that represent equivalent fractions.
                • Review equivalent fractions with students.

                Creating Halves

                • Have two students come to the front or the center of the room, ideally where they can sit on the ground and be seen by all.  
                • Have them sit cross-legged facing each other.  Explain that together, their upper legs form a whole square, and their lower legs bisect the square, or cut it in half.  
                  • Have each student say, “I am one half.”
                • Have the two students place one arm with the elbow at their navel and the arm extended out to the center.  Point out that each half has been cut in half, and the resulting parts are fourths of the whole.  
                  • Have each student say, “I am two fourths.”  
                  • Point out that by splitting the space in half, the students are effectively multiplying the number of parts by two – both the number of parts each student represents and the number of parts overall.  
                    • This is the same as multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by the same number to get an equivalent fraction.
                • Have the students use both arms, with elbows on thighs and fingertips to the center, to trisect the shape defined by their legs.  Point out that each half has been cut in thirds, resulting in six parts all together.  Have each student say, “I am three sixths.”
                • Have all the students pair up and find a place in the room to repeat the sequence – “I am one half,” “I am two fourths,” “I am three sixths.”
                • Reflect and discuss how and why the fractions described by the parts created are equivalent.

                 

                Creating Thirds

                  • Have the students form groups of three.  Rather than sitting cross-legged, have them sit so that their bodies form a single triangle. 
                  • Repeat the process with the further divisions of the parts, and the accompanying lines, “I am one third,” “I am two sixths”. Challenge students to see how many equivalent fractions they can make.
                  • Have students describe fractions made by combining parts.  For example, “Giselle and I are two thirds,” “Giselle and I are four sixths,” “Mariah and I are six ninths.”
                • If the class does not divide evenly into threes, assign the extra student or two to other groups and have them ask prompting questions, e.g., “Terence, what part are you?”  “Abby and Lucas, what part are you?”

                 

                Beyond Thirds

                • Continue the process with even larger groupings.  
                • Each time, have students seat themselves on the ground with their legs to the side and their feet together. (As the numbers grow larger, the angle formed by each child’s legs grows smaller, and the distance to stretch the arms toward the center grows greater.)  
                • Have students articulate their fractions; then, add an arm to bisect the part, and then two arms.  As the groups grow, the number of groups will get smaller but the number of extra students who can be assigned to ask questions will increase.

                 

                 

                Closing Reflection

                • Have the students reflect on how they used their bodies to create the fractions, and how they used their voices to name their values.
                • Ask students to reflect on the activity with the following questions: 
                  • What are equivalent fractions?  
                  • Who can give an example of equivalent fractions?  
                  • When you were sitting on the floor, how did you use your bodies to show equivalent fractions?” (“We stretched out our arms to divide the parts.”)  
                  • “With numbers in your minds or on paper, how do you find equivalent fractions?” (“We multiply the numerator and the denominator by the same number.”)

                Assessments

                Formative

                Teachers will assess students’ learning by observing students’ participation in creating equivalent fractions with their bodies and students’ responses to class discussion.

                 

                 

                Summative

                CHECKLIST

                • Students can accurately define, create, and identify equivalent fractions.
                • Students can form equivalent fractions by creating poses with their bodies.

                 

                 

                 

                Differentiation

                Acceleration: 

                • Have students imagine and articulate fractions with greater numerators and denominators, beyond what is apparent in their positions.  E.g., when in groups of 3, call out a higher denominator, such as 12, or a higher numerator, such as 5, and have students identify the fractions they represent with those values.
                • Have students draw a picture of one of their groups as if looking down from the ceiling.  Label the classmates in the group.  Write sentences naming the fractions they represent (e.g., “Alberto is one fifth,” “Cameron is two tenths,” “Alberto, Cameron and Jade are nine fifteenths,” etc.).

                 

                Remediation:

                • Build the Count-up game slowly.  Use a fishbowl process to have a smaller group play the game while others watch, and rotate students through the activity.
                • Limit the process to fractions involving halves and thirds.

                 

                •  

                 

                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: Mary Gagliardi and Barry Stewart Mann

                Revised and copyright:  May 2024 @ ArtsNOW

                 

                 
                Back to Modules