Take a Trip 2-3

TAKE A TRIP

TAKE A TRIP

Learning Description

Students will merge the elements of opinion writing, text features, and design elements by creating their own travel guide! They will explain why someone should visit their chosen location, supporting their reasons with illustrations that bring the destination to life. To test the persuasiveness of their guides, students will present them to their peers, attempting to convince them to visit the location.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 2-3
CONTENT FOCUS: VISUAL ARTS, ELA & SOCIAL STUDIES
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can create a travel guide that uses design and text features to convince someone to travel to my chosen location.
  • I can provide reasons that are supported with details as to why someone should travel to my chosen location.

Essential Questions

  • How can design features and text features be used to convince someone to travel to a location?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 2: 

ELA

ELAGSE2RI5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

 

ELAGSE2W1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

 

Social Studies

SS2G1 Locate and compare major topographical features of Georgia and describe how these features define Georgia’s surface. a. Locate and compare the geographic regions of Georgia: Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateau. b. Locate on a physical map the major rivers: Savannah, Flint, and Chattahoochee.

 

Grade 3: 

ELA

ELAGSE3W1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. a. Introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. b. Provide reasons that support the opinion. c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

 

ELAGSE3RI5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic quickly and efficiently

 

Social Studies

SS3G1 Locate major topographical features on a physical map of the United States. a. Locate major rivers of the United States of America: Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, and St. Lawrence. b. Locate major mountain ranges of the United States of America: Appalachian, Rocky.

 

Arts Standards

Grade 2: 

VA2.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

VA2.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

VA2.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art.

VA2.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

 

Grade 3: 

VA3.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

VA3.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

VA3.CR.3 Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art.

VA3.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

 

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 2: 

ELA

ELA.2.AOR.5.2 Explain how text features contribute to meaning in an informational text; identify the text structure of sequence.

 

ELA.2.C.1.1 Write opinion pieces about a topic. When writing: a. introduce an opinion and include reasons with details to support the opinion; b. use grade-appropriate transitions; and c. provide a concluding statement.

 

Social Studies

Standard 2: Utilize the college and career skills of a geographer to apply map skills and draw conclusions about the United States.

2.G.1 Identify the geographic location of the U.S. in relation to the rest of the world.

2.G.2 Describe and compare various landforms over time within the U.S. through the use of primary and secondary sources.

 

Grade 3: 

ELA.3.AOR.5.2 Explain how basic text features contribute to meaning in an informational text; identify the text structures of description/list and/or cause and effect.

 

ELA.3.C.1.1 Write opinion pieces about a topic. When writing: a. introduce a topic; include an opinion statement; b. include reasons supported by details from a provided source; c. use grade-appropriate transitions to link ideas; d. organize information; and e. provide a concluding statement.

 

Arts Standards

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

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

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

 

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Opinion writing - A form of writing in which the author expresses their personal beliefs, thoughts, or feelings about a particular topic or issue
  • Argumentative writing - A type of writing that presents a clear stance on a specific issue or topic and supports that stance with logical reasoning, evidence, and analysis
  • Persuade - To move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
  • Audience - A reading, viewing, or listening public
  • Text features - The components of a text that help organize and highlight important information, making it easier for readers to navigate and understand the content

Arts Vocabulary

  • Space - How the elements are organized in an artwork
  • Emphasis - Where the artist wants to draw the viewer’s eye
  • Color scheme - A limited grouping of colors used in an artwork
  • Unity - The sense of cohesion or harmony that is created when all elements of a piece of artwork work together to create a unified whole

 

Materials

  • A variety of travel guides (see “Additional Resources”)
  • Construction paper
  • Markers and or/colored pencils
  • Scratch paper
  • Pencils

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Pass out travel guides for students to look at. Provide each group of students several different guides to view.
  • Next, ask students to look at the images and any text.
    • Ask students to pick the place they would most like to go.
    • Allow students time to share where they would go and explain why.

 

Work Session

  • Ask students to work collaboratively to identify the text features in the guides.
    • Facilitate a discussion around which text features they identified and create a class list.
    • Discuss how the text features contribute to persuading someone to visit the location.
  • Look at the design features of the travel guides.
    • Ask students to describe how the designer of the guide used the space on the paper. Students should notice that visuals take up a large portion of the space. They may also notice bold or large headings.
    • Ask students how the designer used color. Students may notice vibrant colors in the pictures that communicate the beauty of the place. Students may also notice that some designers use color in the headings and in text boxes to draw the viewer’s attention. This is called emphasis in art.
    • Ask students to make observations about the style of guide. Students will notice that the colors used throughout the guide are consistent. This is called a color scheme in art and it creates unity.
      • Ask students how different colors make them feel–relaxed, excited, etc.
      • Have students look through the guides and see if they can see how the colors reflect the atmosphere of the place.
  • Ask students what they think the purpose of the guides is. Students should determine that their purpose is to persuade someone to visit the location.
  • Now, ask students who they think the travel guides are written for (audience). Ask students how they know.
  • Talk about some of the reasons or arguments presented in the text and pictures of the guides which may persuade someone to visit.
    • Some examples may include: Relaxing beaches or exciting activities for the whole family.
  • Next, discuss the order in which the reasons to visit are presented, noting that the strongest reason is usually listed first.
  • Tell students that they will be creating their own travel guides (this can be done individually, with a partner, or in a small group).
  • The teacher will then instruct the students to select a location to use as the topic of their travel guide.
    • Have students select and research a location that connects to a geography standard in Social Studies. (For example, SS3G1 Locate major topographical features on a physical map of the United States. a. Locate major rivers of the United States of America: Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, and St. Lawrence. b. Locate major mountain ranges of the United States of America: Appalachian, Rocky.)
    • Alternatively, students could select a favorite place that they’ve visited or could focus on their state or town geography.
  • Pass out scratch paper to students. Students should identify:
    • The purpose of the guide (to convince someone to visit the location)
    • Their audience (this may be different depending on the location that they choose)
    • Three reasons why someone should visit. Students should rank the reasons from most convincing to least convincing.
  • Have students share their answers with a partner and allow time for students to ask each other questions about their answers.

 

Creating Travel Guides

  • Pass out paper to students.
  • Demonstrate to students how to trifold paper to make a travel guide.
  • Have students label each section of their guide.
    • The front flap will be the cover.
    • The first page will be the first and strongest reason to travel, and will include a heading, an illustration of the reason and a brief paragraph explaining why the audience should visit for this reason.
    • The students will continue this process by illustrating and writing in pages two and three.
    • They should use the back to write their name. They can create a fake travel company name and contact information if they would like!
  • Remind students of the text features that they identified in the travel guide.
    • Create a list of features that should be included on the cover (title and large illustration) and on each page (heading, text, and illustration).
    • Next, have students designate space for their title, headings, text and illustrations.
  • Remind students that in the text portion of the travel guide, their writing should:
    • State three reasons why someone should visit the location.
    • Support each reason with relevant details.
    • Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) and transitions to connect opinion and reasons.
    • Students should write in complete sentences/paragraph form.
  • Remind students to use the following techniques in their design:
    • Create large illustrations with vibrant colors.
    • Use color to create emphasis in text boxes and/or in headings to draw the viewer’s attention.
    • Choose a limited number of colors that reflect the atmosphere of the location for the headings and text boxes to create unity.
  • Allow time for students to create their travel guides. Circulate the room to work with students.

 

Closing Reflection

  • Place students in small groups. Tell students that they will get to pick one place from their group member’s locations to travel.
  • Have students share their travel guides with their group members.
  • After each group member has shared, students will do a quick write on which place they would choose to visit and why.
  • Allow time for a few students to share their responses with the whole class.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding of the content throughout the lesson by observing students’ participation in the activator; discussion of design and text features; discussion of the purpose of travel guides; and research, planning, and creation process.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can create a travel guide for a location that uses design and text features to convince someone to travel to the location.
  • Students can provide reasons that are supported with details as to why someone should travel to the location.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration: 

  • Students will turn their travel guide into a commercial. In addition to a script, encourage students to videotape and share the commercials with the class.
  • Students can turn their guides into digital guides using an application on their student devices, such as Microsoft Publisher.

Remediation: 

  • As a group, make a visual list of why someone should want to go to the specific destination. Use verbal prompting questions to elicit responses from students about the guide.
  • Provide the students with pre-folded tri fold paper to create their own guide.
  • Encourage the students to write 1-2 sentences per section of their guide.

ESOL Modifications and Adaptations: 

  • Introduce vocabulary: persuade, argument, logical, effective, appeal, and audience. Have the ESOL teacher model using each word in a sentence to help students understand the meaning.
  • ESOL Assessments: Each section/page has an  illustration and, depending on students’ language level, a paragraph, sentence, or words explaining their reason and why the audience should visit.

 

 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: Deborah Kupperbusch. Modifications, Extensions, and Adaptations Contributed by: Candy Bennett, Patty Bickell, Vilma Thomas, and Lori Young Reviewed by Debbie Frost. Updated by: Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright: August 2024 @ ArtsNOW

 

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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

 

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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

 

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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

 

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DOL DANCING THE BILL OF RIGHTS 4-5

DANCING THE BILL OF RIGHTS

 

DANCING THE BILL OF RIGHTS

Learning Description

In this lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of the Bill of Rights by choreographing a movement phrase to represent each amendment using the elements of dance.

 

Learning Targets

GRADE BAND: 4-5
CONTENT FOCUS: DANCE & SOCIAL STUDIES
LESSON DOWNLOADS:

Download PDF of this Lesson

"I Can" Statements

“I Can…”

  • I can choreograph a movement phrase using the elements of dance to represent the Bill of Rights.
  • I can explain my assigned amendment from the Bill of Rights.

Essential Questions

  • How can movement represent an idea?
  • What is the Bill of Rights?

 

Georgia Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4

SS4CG3 Describe the structure of government and the Bill of Rights. 

Identify and explain the rights in the Bill of Rights, describe how the Bill of Rights places limits on the powers of government, and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution in 1791.

Arts Standards

Grade 4

ESD4.CR.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the choreographic process.

 

ESD4.CR.2 Demonstrate an understanding of dance as a form of communication.

 

ESD4.CN.3 Integrate dance into other areas of knowledge.

 

 

South Carolina Standards

Curriculum Standards

Grade 4

Standard 2: Demonstrate an understanding of the identity of a new nation, including the state of South Carolina between 1730-1800.

4.2.CC Explain the continuities and changes in natural rights as seen from the French and Indian War to the creation of the Bill of Rights.

Arts Standards

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

 

Anchor Standard 2: I can choreograph a dance.

 

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

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

 

Key Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

  • Bill of Rights - The first ten amendments of the US Constitution; the purpose is to protect the rights of citizens
  • Amendment - A formal change to a legal document, statute, or constitution

Arts Vocabulary

  • Body - The physical instrument used by dancers to express movement, emotion, and artistry
  • Locomotor Movements - Movements that travel through space, such as walking, running, hopping, skipping, leaping, sliding, and galloping
  • Non-locomotor Movements - Movements that occur without traveling, such as bending, stretching, pushing, pulling, twisting, turning, and shaking
  • Levels - The height of the movement, which can be low (close to the ground), middle (midway), or high (elevated)
  • Directions - The direction of movement, such as forward, backward, sideways, diagonal, up, and down
  • Pathways - The patterns made in space, like straight, curved, zigzag, or circular
  • Dynamics - The quality of movement, which can be smooth, sharp, sustained, percussive, swinging, or collapsing
  • Tempo - The speed of movement, which can be fast, moderate, or slow
  • Choreography - The art and practice of designing and arranging dance movements and sequences
  • Movement phrase - A sequence of movements that are connected and form a coherent unit of motion, much like a sentence in language

 

Materials

  • Copy of the Bill of Rights
  • Smart board

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

  • Begin the lesson by practicing a typical call and response with students. Continue the call and response adding body movements.
    • Incorporate some of the aspects of the elements of dance such as levels, pathways, direction, locomotor/non-locomotor movements, changes in tempo, etc.

 

Work Session

  • Tell students that they will be using movement and dance to express ideas. 
    • Have students practice using their whole bodies based on a specific task, such as, to write their names in the air with finger, then elbow, then foot, then nose, then top of your head, then hip.
    • Begin to make the directions more abstract (i.e. make your body a leaf, and move like a leaf holding on to a branch in the wind, etc). Remind students that they should use their whole bodies.
    • Add in the aspects of the elements of dance such as levels, pathways, direction, locomotor/non-locomotor movements, changes in tempo, etc.
  • Tell students that dancers use their bodies to communicate ideas. Today, they will be using dance to represent the Bill of Rights.
    • Review the Bill of Rights; display each amendment on the board.
    • Arrange students into small groups. 
    • Each group will be responsible for choreographing a two to three movement phrase to represent their assigned amendment. 
      • Remind students to use their bodies and movement to represent ideas (like the leaf blowing in the wind), not to act or pantomime.
      • Remind students of some of the aspects of the elements of dance (types of movements, levels, tempo, dynamics, etc.). Tell students to select at least one that they will use intentionally in their movement phrases. 
  • After a designated time, have each group come up and present their choreography to the class.
    • Facilitate a discussion around how the dancers’ movements represented their assigned amendment. Ask students where they saw the elements of dance in each movement phrase and how that element of dance helped to communicate meaning.
  • Finally, have the entire class perform their choreography consecutively as a complete dance. This will allow all of them to sequence the movements and collectively perform one dance of the entire Bill of Rights.

 

Closing Reflection

  • In their groups, students should discuss which movements they chose and how those movements represented their assigned amendment. 
  • Facilitate a class discussion around the process of choreographing a dance that communicated a specific idea.
    • Ask students what they thought they did well and what they would do differently if they were to do it again.

 

Assessments

Formative

Teachers will assess students’ understanding by observing students’ review of the Bill of Rights, contributions to small group choreography and ability to create movements to represent ideas using the elements of dance.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

  • Students can choreograph a movement phrase using the elements of dance to represent their assigned amendment.
  • Students can explain how their movements represent the meaning of their assigned amendment.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Accelerated: 

  • Challenge students to move to the steady beat of the music.
  • Students can complete a written reflection around which movements they chose and how those movements represented their assigned amendment.

 

Remedial: 

  • Students can create one movement instead of a two to three movement phrase to represent their amendment.
  • Choreograph the first amendment as a whole class to scaffold the process.
 

 

*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: Andrew Sbarra

Revised and copyright:  May 2024 @ ArtsNOW

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