Integrating Disciplines

 

In class today we incorporated writing and language arts into different art activities. The first one was a letter to an artist which involved having our class to become familiar with a particular piece of art and then compose a letter to the artist asking questions or making comments. The second activity was called the script and this was where our class got to look at a painting and decide what we thought the people in the painting were having conversations about, and then write a dialogue of that. The third activity was an activity where we described a piece of artwork in 5 sentences and then also picked a sound we thought this piece made. The fourth activity was called diamante and this was an arrangement of words that described the artwork, but there had to be four lines and the first line had to be a one-word descriptive, the second line had to be an action phrase, the third line had to be a simile and the fourth line had to be a one-word summation. These activities were a great way to include another subject in art!

Art Exercises

 

In class today, we did a few different exercises. The first one was called 60 seconds and this was an activity where the class was able to look at this painting for 60 seconds and try to memorize the way things looked, and then draw from memory what we thought it should look like. The second activity was called the curator and this one involved a stack of different photos on each table where we were instructed to choose three of them and then come up with a title and a subtitle describing the pieces we chose. Mine was called "Blue Bliss - Paintings using blue oil" because I picked three pictures that were all the same color. The third activity was called frozen moment and this was a fun activity where our table groups got to act out a certain picture and the class had to guess which one they thought it was. The fourth activity was called visual analysis and in this activity you paired off with someone and you both picked a photo and then described them to one another and based on what your partner told you, is how you decided what to draw. The last activity was called list and draw and this was where the class was given a list of different items to draw and we got to decide how and where we wanted to place them on our paper. All of these exercises are great for students to be able to use their creativity and to help them think outside of the box, plus they are fun!

 





Chapter 5 Reflection

After reading chapter 5 in Rethinking Curriculum in Art I realized the importance of essential questions and the importance of teaching for deep understanding. Before starting a unit it is important to remember that you should establish foundations early on such as, enduring ideas, key concepts, and also unit lesson objectives so that students can focus in on lesson development. I learned in this chapter that it is always a good idea to ask question before a unit is started, and after it is finished to assess what your student know prior to the lesson and what they have learned afterwards. I liked the quote "We teach students, not subjects," because teachers are supposed to benefit their students as much as they can and not always just go by the book. It is essential that teachers find good methods to engage their students' interests in a unit. It is always important to think about how meaningful the learning experience is for the students and how much they are really getting out of it. I also learned that it is important for students to practice skills which requires connection to prior skills. When assessing students artwork or group work it is important that both the teacher and the student are aware of what needed to be accomplished. It is easier to do this when there is an organized plan to go by. I liked this chapter because I learned how important it is to be organized for your students and to help keep them focused on their goals and objectives.

Kente Cloth

Art Lesson Plan

 

Grade level: 4th-5th

 

Suggested time: 1-2 class periods

 

Unit: African Art

 

Medium: Tempera Paint

 

Instructional Objectives: Students will identify and use a pattern by repeating a single shape, line, form or color (MO); Students will paint lines and fill in shapes with even color using tempera (MO)

 

Elements of Art: color, shape, value

 

Principles of Design: repetition, pattern, unity

 

Materials and Equipment: 6 by 18 inch paper, black tempera paint and 4 other tempera colors, pencil, cup for water, paint brush, painting palette

 

Vocabulary: primary and secondary colors, tempera paint, kente, painting, palette

 

Art Production:

1. Anticipatory Set: First students will fold paper in half and then in half again, hamburger style; in the first square draw 2 shapes and 5 lines; in the third square repeat square one; in the fourth square repeat square two; choose 3-4 colors and black of tempera paint; paint over every pencil line in black; paint each square with at least 3 different colors.

 

2. Objectives: Students will identify patters and utilize tempera paint

 

3. Input: Background information on Kente Cloth

 

4. Demonstration: Teacher showed example on the board of how to draw different shapes with pencil and then outlining them in black paint

 

5. Check for Understanding: Teacher made sure everyone had their materials and also that they had drawn their lines and shapes prior to painting

 

6. Guided Practice: Teacher walked around and helped students and also told students to paint thicker more defined lines

 

7. Independent Practice: Students painted with their own colors and used their own creativity

 

8. Closure: Took picture of final project

 

Rubric

 

Content:

Student identified the use of pattern, line, and form and filled in shapes evenly using tempera paint.

1  2  3  4  5

 

Creativity:

Did students utilize primary and secondary colors in a unique and appealing way?

1  2  3  4  5

 

Craftsmanship:

Was the black tempera paint think and defined? Was there little to no white on left on the paper?

1  2  3  4  5

 

Completion:

Did they complete the project following the directions given within the assigned class time?

1  2  3  4  5

 

Comments:

 

  /20

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4 Reflection

As I read chapter 4 in Rethinking Curriculum in Art I learned some things I did not know before. I learned that there are many different perspectives one can have on a piece of artwork, and art can have different meanings to different people. In this chapter it talked about different grade levels and how students interpret different pieces of artwork. It also talked about how teachers find ways to incorporate lesson content in order to build on other foundations. It is important for students to feel free to express themselves, and art is a really great way for them to do that. Chapter 4 also discusses the history of art and why it is important to know the artists point of view as well. It is really interesting to think one thing about a piece of art and then to find out what the artist was thinking while they were creating it. I learned that it is important for students to focus on an enduring question while studying a piece of artwork to focus their thoughts on a particular aspect in the artwork. I liked this chapter because it focused a lot on how to build content in your classroom, and what types of questions you should be asking your students.

Art Rubric

Content:

Student utilized art materials such as, paint, glue, markers, crayons, clay, pencils etc. and also manipulated images to resemble the art of particular cultures.

1  2  3  4  5 

 

Creativity:

Student placed portraits in a unique way on their paper thinking outside of the box

1  2  3  4  5

 

Craftsmanship:

Sharpie lines were neat and organized, glue was not thick and messy on the paper, images were cut out neatly

1  2  3  4  5

 

Completion:

Did they complete the final project using the directions given and in the assigned class period?

1  2  3  4  5

 

Comments:

 

   /20

African Family Portrait

Art Lesson Plan

 

Title: African Family Portrait

 

Grade Level: 5th-6th 

 

Suggested time: 1-2 class periods

 

Unit: African Art

 

Medium: Drawing

 

Instructional Objectives: Student correctly uses art materials such as, paint, glue, markers, crayons, clay, pencils; Student manipulates images to resemble the art of particular cultures, times, places.

 

Elements of Art: line, shape, form

 

Principles of Design: balance, emphasis, unity

 

Materials and Equipment: 3 pieces of 8.5 by 11 paper, white school glue, pencil, sharpie, scissors

Vocabulary: contour, blind contour, observational, composition

 

Art Production:

1. Anticipatory Set: Teacher held up mask and drew it 2 different ways on the white board (contour and blind contour)

2. State Objectives: Today students will learn how to draw contour lines

3. Input: There were different sculptors on each table

4. Demonstration: Teacher showed students how to draw different contours

5. Check for Understanding: Students watched the teachers example

6. Guided Practice: Teacher showed students how to cut, glue, and draw

7. Independent Practice: Teacher walked around and assisted students

8. Closure: Took picture of final project

Chapter 3 Reflection

After reading chapter 3 in Rethinking Curriculum in Art I learned that it is very important help your students find enduring ideas in artwork. It is even important at the elementary school age level, because it is a matter of conceptualizing enduring ideas in an accessible manner. I learned in this chapter that the 1960's curriculum reform movement led by Jerome Bruner sought to strengthen schooling through a focus upon discipline structures, constructing knowledge to be absorbed, which I thought was very interesting. It is good for students to relate artwork to things that are actually going on in their lives, as a way for them to express their feelings. I also learned that enduring ideas can direct an entire course of study, a single unit, or an entire curriculum, which is why they are so important. When trying to figure out enduring ideas it is important to consider key concepts first, and even make a list of them to help generate ideas about where the enduring idea is going. Another significant component to enduring ideas is coming up with essential questions. Essential questions synthesize key concepts and bring focus to the unit. Essential questions are not only important for the teacher but they are also important for the students to stay on track. I felt that this chapter was very informational and I learned new concepts about art that I did not know before!

Symmetrical African Mask

Art Lesson Plan 

 

Title: Symmetrical African Mask

 

Grade level: 3rd-4th

 

Suggested time: 1.5-2 class periods

 

Unit: African Art

 

Medium: Cut paper

 

Instructional Objectives: Students will demonstrate good use of materials with scissors (KS.); Students will recognize relationships between history, culture, and visual arts (KS.)

 

Elements of Art: Color, Shape, Space

 

Principles of Design: Balance, Contrast, Unity

 

Materials and Equipment: Varied construction paper, 8 and 1/2 by 11 and 4 and 1/4 by 11, scissors, white school glue, pencil

 

Vocabulary: Symmetrical, mask, unity

 

Art Production:

1. Anticipatory Set: Teacher help up example and discussed lesson; showed students African mask

2. Objective: Students will understand how to use scissors safely

3. Input: Books with examples; African mask

4. Demonstration: Teacher demonstrated cuts, gluing, and drawing

5. Check for Understanding: Students watched teacher's example

6. Guided Practice: Teacher helped students cut pieces of paper out correctly

7. Independent Practice: Teacher walked around classroom and observed students and helped when needed

8. Closure: Students took a picture of their final project

Reflection (Ch. 1&2)

After reading chapters 1 and 2 in Rethinking Curriculum in Art I was way more open-minded to all the different opportunities you have as a teacher to incorporate art in your classroom. In the first chapter it discussed who should read this book and why, and I learned that it's most helpful for practicing teachers to give them useful ideas to use in their classrooms. It also focused on the different types of guidelines there are for art curriculum. The authors of this book wanted the purpose of this book to help teachers incorporate art into their classrooms and to help teachers develop strategies to help their students. In chapter two it talks about different assumptions people have about art and why art is really important for students. I have never really been a very good artist but now I know that doesn't even matter, as long as I make it a fun experience for my students. I can't wait to have my own classroom and to be able to be creative with my students and to help them express what's on their minds. The first couple of chapters really opened my eyes to how important art is for students and how being a teacher it's my job to help them express themselves as much as possible. These chapters were also helpful for understanding what standards there are in art that you should follow and keep up with as a teacher.