Citizenship Unit Plan for 5th Grade

Joni Hough
October 27, 2009
ARTE 5121

THEMATIC/ISSUE UNIT

Theme: Citizenship

Grade: 5

Rationale for the Unit:

These lessons will introduce students to three aspects of citizenship. Students will study art as a social statement when they learn about and create a political cartoon, they will learn about art as public service by creating postcards to send to soldiers who are stationed overseas, and they will learn about art as a unifying symbol as they study the symbolism of flags around the world and then make their own personal flag.

In fifth-grade social studies, students learn about the United States government. It is important that students learn to think critically about government and about the social issues which are dealt with by our elected officials. It is also important that students have the opportunity to express their views in a safe environment. By studying and creating political cartoons, students are expressing their views and participating in the government process.

By the fifth-grade, students are old enough to realize some of the realities of war, such as the homesickness many soldiers face when they are stationed overseas for long periods of time. This gives students the opportunity to empathize with and appreciate the sacrifice of soldiers. At this age, students like to feel that they can make a difference in the world, which they can by sending postcards to soldiers who are stationed overseas.

At this age students are old enough to begin to understand symbolism. By studying to symbolism of a variety of countries’ flags, students learn about specific examples of symbolism and about the priorities of the country they study. Students will utilize what they learn about other countries’ flags to create a flag that is meaningful to them.

This unit also allows students to continue to explore a variety of media. They will use ink for drawing, colored pencils for drawing and coloring, and textiles for painting and sewing.

Students will begin this unit by studying flags and creating a personal flag. In this lesson, students will learn how to use symbolism to communicate meaning. They will also learn about flags from around the world. Second, students will create a postcard to send to a soldier overseas. Through this project, students will learn that art can be use for community service. Students will also explore the use of blending and variation in value. Finally, students will create an editorial cartoon, which will teach them about using art to express their opinions. Students will also learn that editorials are not fact, but the author/artist's opinion.

For the flag lesson, I have selected visual examples that represent countries all over the world. Through these examples students will learn about the symbolism of flags of United States and countries around the world. For the postcard lesson, I have selected examples that are crated by students of a similar age. By doing this, students will be able to associate with skill level and they will not feel overwhelmed. For the final lesson, I have selected examples that cover a variety of contemporary issues with which students should be familiar.


Goal of the Unit:

In this unit, students will learn that political cartoons express the artist’s opinion, not facts, about an issue and students will express their personal opinion about a current issue by creating an editorial cartoon. Students will learn about the symbolism used to create flags and how that communicates the ideals of a country. Students will then use that information to create a flag that communicates their personality. Students will appreciate the sacrifices soldiers make for our country and will perform a public service by sending them postcards.


Content Standards:

1.01 Use the imagination as a source for symbolic expression.
1.03 Use current events as a catalyst for the discussion and production of art.
3.01 Recognize and apply the elements of art in an aesthetic composition.
3.02 Recognize and apply the design principles used in composition.
3.05 Critique his or her own work and that of others in terms of design principles.
3.06 Recognize the validity of one's feelings and impressions when solving visual problems.
3.07 Recognize the value of intuitive perceptions in the problem-solving process when creating art.
5.04 Compare art of one culture to that of another culture or time.
5.08 Recognize there are many universal themes in art throughout history.
6.02 Critique artwork in relation to design principles: emphasis, movement, repetition, space, balance, value, unity.

INDIVIDUAL LESSON PLAN 1

Title: Personal Flag

Class Time: 45 minutes, Number of Classes: 4

Content Standards: 1.01, 5.04, 5.08

Specific Objectives:
1. Students will research the symbolism of flags from a variety of countries.
2. Students will present their research to the class.
3. Students will design a symbol that represents them.
4. Students will use their symbol to create a flag.


Prior Skills/Learning: Students will use their knowledge about the symbolic nature of color for this lesson.


Materials, Visuals, and Resources:

• sheets of felt, 8" x 10"
• fabric paint
• assorted colors of felt
• large needles
• thread
• Picture of American flag
• Handouts about flags and their symbolism (email for copy of handout attachment)

Teacher Preparation: Print handouts for students and an American flag. Research symbolism of the American flag. Gather felt, needles, and thread.

Vocabulary Concepts:
Symbol- something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially : a visible sign of something invisible (the lion is a symbol of courage)

Procedures for the Classroom:
1. Setting the Stage: Did you know that the US flag is a symbol? Define symbol. You are going to work in pairs and select a flag to research and share your findings with the class. Then you get to create your own flag that represents you. (3-5 minutes)

2. Demonstration of Techniques or Processes:

• Day 1 - Show American flag. Have students point out the symbolism of the American flag.

1. White signifies purity and innocence
2. Red, hardiness & valour
3. Blue, the color of the Chief
4. 50 stars, each state of the US (5-7 minutes)

• Day 2 or 3 (depending on student progress) - Demonstrate how to do a running stitch.

3. Time to Work:

• Day 1 - Divide students into pairs. Have students select a flag from the handouts and present information about their flag to the class. (20-30 minutes)

• Day 2 - Students will design a symbol that represents them. Students will begin cutting out their symbol for their flag. (35 minutes)

• Day 3 and 4 - Student will sew their symbols to their flags. (30-45 minutes)

4. Clean-up: (5-10 minutes)

5. Closure: Students will share their flags with the class for critique. Students will explain their symbols. Students will state what they liked/disliked about this lesson. (15 minutes)

Assessment:

Excellent, Good, or Needs Improvement

Student researched the flag of their choice.
Student clearly presented research to the class.
Student designed a personal symbol.
Student created a neat, well designed flag.

Teacher's comments:

Student's comments:

Adaptations for Students with Special Needs:
Students with limited English proficiency will partner with a student who is more proficient with English and instructions will be written in students’ native languages if possible. Step-by-step instructions will be written for students with ADHD.

INDIVIDUAL LESSON PLAN 2

Title: Editorial Cartoons

Class Time: 45 minutes, Number of Classes: 3

Content Standards: 1.01, 1.03, 3.05, 3.06, 6.02

Specific Objectives:
1. In groups of three to four, students will list a minimum of ten current issues they wish to draw about and brainstorm about ways to illustrate each issue.
2. Each student will analyze their group’s list and select an appropriate idea to illustrate.
3. Each student will draw an editorial cartoon which demonstrates their opinion about a current issue.
4. Students will critique their own work, and that of other students, in relation to design principles, and on how successfully they communicated their opinion.


Prior Skills/Learning:
Students will have prior knowledge of current issues which they have discussed in their social studies class. Students have learned about the use of symbolism in artmaking by creating personal flags. Students also have previous experience critiquing their own work and the work of others, in relation to design principles.

Materials, Visuals, and Resources:

• examples of editorial cartoons (email for copy of examples)
• drawing paper
• pencils
• sharpies

Teacher Preparation: Gather examples of editorial cartoons. Have drawing paper, pencils, and sharpies available for students.

Vocabulary Concepts:
Editorial cartoon: An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message, that usually relates to current events or personalities.


Procedures for the Classroom:
1. Setting the Stage: Explain that freedom of speech is a constitutional right and that drawing is a form of free speech. The right to free speech is considered to be one of the most important rights people possess in the U.S. Ask students to give examples of ways that people express their rights through free speech. Define editorial cartoon when it is mentioned (mention political cartoons if students do not.) (3-5 minutes)

2. Demonstration of Techniques or Processes: Show students two examples of editorial cartoons. Have students explain the meanings of each cartoon. (5-7 minutes)

3. Time to Work:

• Day 1 - Divide students into groups of three or four, depending on class size. Have students practice explaining two more cartoons. Have students brainstorm about current issues and how they might illustrate them. Have each student select an issue that they would like to illustrate for their editorial cartoon. (20-30 minutes)

• Day 2 - Students will draw their cartoons in pencil. (40 minutes)

• Day 3 - Students will finish their pencil drawings. Students will go over their pencil drawings in Sharpie. (30 minutes)

4. Clean-up: Students will clan up their area each day. (5-10 minutes)

5. Closure:

• Day 1 - Students will share their ideas with the class. (5 minutes)

• Day 2 - Students will share what they like/dislike about the project so far. (5 minutes)

• Day 3 - Students will share their cartoons with the class for critique. Students will comment on the use of design principles and the effectiveness of the communication of ideas. (15 minutes)

Assessment:

Excellent, Good, or Needs Improvement

Student actively participated in group discussion.
Student selected an appropriate current issue to illustrate.
Student drew an editorial cartoon which demonstrated his/her opinion about a current issue.
Student used time wisely, worked diligently, respected other students, and helped maintain the art room.

Teacher's comments:

Student's comments:


Adaptations for Students with Special Needs:
Students with limited English proficiency will partner with a student who is more proficient with English and instructions will be written in students’ native languages if possible. Step-by-step instructions will be written for students with ADHD.

INDIVIDUAL LESSON PLAN 3

Title: Postcard to a Soldier

Class Time: 45 minutes, Number of Classes: 2

Content Standards: 1.03, 3.01, 3.02, 3.07

Specific Objectives:
1. Students will discuss what would be appropriate subject matter for a postcard to a solder.
2. Students will design three thumbnail sketches and select the one with the best composition.
3. Students will draw a 4 x 6 postcard with color pencils.
4. Students will create variation in color values.
5. Students will write a short introductory note and address postcard with address provided by the teacher.

Prior Skills/Learning: Students have previously worked with the elements and principles of design.

Materials, Visuals, and Resources:

• 4 x 6 unlined note cards
• newsprint
• color pencils
• examples of previous students’ work (email for copy of examples)
• postage

Teacher Preparation: Get current addresses for soldiers stationed overseas. Have note cards, newsprint, and color pencils available for students. Get enough postage to send postcards overseas.

Vocabulary Concepts:
Mail art: Art that is sent through the mail.
Blending: Combining two, or more, colors to create a new color.
Value: The lightness or darkness of a value.

Procedures for the Classroom:
1. Setting the Stage: How do you feel when you get mail? Image that you are a soldier away from home for a long period of time. What would you miss? If you received a postcard from home how would you feel? What would you want to see on that postcard? (Write answers on the board.) Explain to students that today we are going try to make some soldiers feel good by sending them a postcard. (3-5 minutes)

2. Demonstration of Techniques or Processes: Review blending techniques and process of creating variations of values. Review principles of design. (5-7 minutes)

3. Time to Work:

• Day 1 - Students will draw thumbnail sketches of their design. Students will begin working on final postcard. (20-30 minutes)

• Day 2 - Students will finish drawing their postcards. Students will write introductory message and address postcards.

4. Clean-up: (5-10 minutes)

5. Closure: Students will share their work with the class for critique. Students will state what they liked/disliked about this lesson. (15 minutes)

Assessment:
1. Did student participate in discussion, show respect toward classmates, and help maintain the art room?
2. Did student create an appropriate postcard to send to a soldier?
3. Did student create three thumbnail sketches and utilize design principles when selecting their final composition?
4. Did student use a variety of values?
5. Did student write an introductory note on postcard?

Adaptations for Students with Special Needs:
Students with limited English proficiency will partner with a student who is more proficient with English and instructions will be written in students’ native languages if possible. Step-by-step instructions will be written for students with ADHD.

Teaching Philosophy

Joni Hough

November 13, 2009

ARTE 5121

Teaching Philosophy

The most important part of an art educator’s job is to teach every student, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, culture, national origin, financial circumstances, and mental and physical ability or disability, to be a responsible global citizen.

An art education program based on the central themes of “sense of self,” “sense of place,” and “sense of community,” in conjunction with art that is multicultural and culturally relevant, students will learn about themselves, their neighbors in their community, and their neighbors around the world and across time periods.

By sufficiently planning, incorporating knowledge of artistic and psychological development, integrating many disciplines to appeal to all students’ interests, and utilizing a variety of teaching strategies, every child can be motivated to learn in a way that meets his or her needs.

Notes on “10 Teaching and Learning Strategies in a ‘Choice-Based’ Art Program” by Nan Hathaway

Hathaway, N. (2008, September). 10 teaching and learning strategies in a choice-based art program. Arts & Activities. Retrieved November 1, 2009 from http://teachingforartisticbehavior.org/articles.html


“This system (a choice-based art program) honors individual learning styles and preferences, enabling children to work from their own strengths and interests and to draw on prior knowledge and experience.”

“Students may work alone or with peers, may “specialize” or may sample from a wide array of options. Students can persist with one project over many weeks, or try a variety of activities during a single class period. In this way, multiple learning styles and preferences are served.”

1. TEACHER-DELIVERED WHOLE-GROUP MINI-LESSON
“Most classes begin with a brief (five-minute) lesson—a demonstration of a new material or technique or an introduction of a new artist or style.”

“Often, original art (student or adult) is viewed and discussed, as are art reproductions or video clips.”

“Introducing topics this way assures that standards are addressed for all students.”

“Since the classroom is set up for students to access on their own, they can think about what they’d like to do ahead of time and arrive to class ready to work.”

2. TEACHER-DELIVERED SMALL GROUP LESSON
“Sometimes clusters of students have similar needs or interests, or work together on a single project, dividing and sharing the work. When this occurs, specific lessons can be designed and targeted to support this type of learning in a small group setting.”

“Organic groupings of this kind benefit students with varied abilities but similar interests; in essence, this is differentiating activities by student interest without regard to ability.”

3. TEACHER-DELIVERED INDIVIDUAL LESSON
” By noticing individual student art direction, the teacher can target lessons to support individual inquiry and pursuit. Noting and illustrating ties between student art and the art of others, across time and across cultures, the teacher can address art history and aesthetics in a way that is personally meaningful.”

4. INFORMAL PEER-TO-PEER TEACHING
“Often a student becomes an expert with a certain material or procedure and can ‘peer coach’ students with less developed skills.”

“Peer teaching also provides opportunity for classroom leadership.”

5. STUDENT “EXPERTS” TEACHING WHOLE GROUP
“Creating a ‘community of artists’ is an important goal in a choice-based art program. Recognizing what each artist has to offer the community is an important role for the teacher to embrace.”

6. CLASSROOM AS ‘SILENT LESSON PLAN/TEACHER’
“The classroom can be set up in numerous distinct ‘centers’ or ‘studios,’ each appointed with the materials and tools needed to make art. Here students can also find related references and resources (books, prints, examples of student work, etc.).”

“’Menus’ are created and displayed, describing procedures for setup and cleanup, or other essential information.”

“These centers include written information, pictographs and real art objects, all of which help get necessary information across to students with various learning predispositions.”

“Students who use and maintain learning centers feel a sense of ownership and control in the classroom.”

7. GUEST EXPERTS
“Exposure to adults passionate about their own art informs and supports the work done in the classroom, broadens horizons and presents new possibilities.”

8. FIELD TRIPS
“Planning trips to art museums, events and galleries heightens awareness and exposes students to the greater world of art.”

9. INDIVIDUAL INQUIRY
“Through individual exploration, practice, research and presentation, students may act as their own guide and teacher.”

“While exposure to a variety of options exists in a choice-based classroom, provisions are made for students to have art experiences that develop at their own pace, over time, going deep into areas of interest and gaining true proficiency with their selected medium.”

“In fact, relearning what authentic child-created art looks like is a challenge for many adults who have come to view teacher-directed art as the norm.”

10. CLASS DISCUSSION/REFLECTION
“Students are invited to talk about their work at the end of each class during an ‘artist’s share.’”

“Students are guided in providing thoughtful feedback for classmates and in ways to discuss art beyond a simple ‘show-and-tell’ format.”

“As students talk about their art, there is opportunity for the teacher to frame student work using pertinent art vocabulary and to reinforce artistic behaviors.”

SUMMARY
“In a choice-based art classroom, students are doing the authentic work of real artists every day. The focus is squarely on learning. It is acknowledged that all learners of all ages and at all levels can also take the role of teacher, and that teachers are also learners. The environment is carefully designed and appointed to facilitate diverse learners and to provide multiple entry points.”

“In this setting, individuality, flexibility, personal relevancy, independence and accountability are valued and supported.”

Notes on Guidelines for Teaching Art to Children and Youth Experiencing Significant Mental/Physical Challenges

Author(s): Doug Blandy, Ernest Pancsofar, Tom Mockensturm
Source: Art Education, Vol. 41, No. 1, Teaching Art (Jan., 1988), pp. 60-66
Published by: National Art Education Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3194135
Accessed: 19/08/2009 23:05


“This article will propose six guidelines for art educators working with children and youth experiencing significant mental and physical challenges.”

“The guidelines assume that art specialists in local schools will identify content that is considered to be of value for all students, including those experiencing significant mental/physical challenges.”

Guideline One: The Use of Age- Appropriate Materials
“The art specialist should select materials and experiences that are chronologically age-appropriate to substitute for those of earlier years.”

“With some creativity, an art specialist can modify a seemingly inappropriate situation or material to a student's satisfaction and allow the student to be perceived as a more competent individual.”

Guideline Two: Incorporate the Principle of Partial Participation
“This guideline is directed to students who fail to complete all the steps of an activity and where individualized assistance has not resulted in expected gains.”

“I. Conduct a non-disabled person inventory by evaluating the performance of a non-disabled peer in a given art activity.”

“II. Conduct a significantly mentally/physically challenged student inventory by evaluating the performance of the student having difficulty with the art activity. This inventory should take careful note of what the student can and cannot do.“

“III. Determine the skills that the student with challenges can probably acquire. This determination can be made by looking at what the student can presently do; considering the student's history; talking with other teachers and significant others in the student's life; and by talking with the student.”

“IV. Determine the skills associated with the activity in question which the student probably cannot acquire by using the strategies listed in III.“

“V. Given the information obtained in I. through IV., generate several hypotheses as to how the activity can be adapted for the student.“

“VI. Inventory the skills associated with the adaptations using a non-disabled peer.”

“VII. Based on those adaptations which seem possible, choose an individualized adaptation by considering the information obtained in III., IV., and VI.”

“VIII. By referring to IV. determine which skills can now be acquired through the use of the adaptation.”

Guideline Three: Development of a Cue Hierarchy
“Cues should be graduated with the least amount of intervention by the art specialist followed by a greater amount in those cases where a student fails with the lesser intervention.”

“Each student's cue hierarchy should be included in the Individualized Education Plan and attached to all correspondence to art educators who provide intermittent services to the students.”

Guideline Four: Analysis of Current and Subsequent Environments
“Survey questions can address the availability of art materials and work space in the home, the hobbies of family members, leisure activities, knowledge, attitudes, values, and beliefs about art, and the family's use of community art resources.”

“Once this relationship is established it can be periodically reinforced through informal telephone conversations, classroom produced newsletters, teacher/parent/student conferences, home visits, and the Individual Education Plan conference.”

Guideline Five: Attention to Multi-Cultural Issues in Art Education
“Students with significant mental/physical challenges must also participate in art education programs that recognize and celebrate ethnic, racial, occupational, regional, religious, generational, and other multi-cultural influences.”

Guideline Six: Participation in the Greater Art Community
“I. Encourage your students to participate in local, regional, national, and international juried and un-juried exhibits which are not specifically for people with disabilities.”

“II. In your capacity as an art specialist act as an advocate for the programmatic and physical accessibility of art museums, cultural art centers, galleries, and other arts institutions.”

“III. Encourage your students to become members of art institutions and interest groups.”

“IV. Link your students to the art community through trips to art institutions and art openings and by subscribing to local, regional, national, and international art publications.”

“V. In your capacity as an art specialist, seek memberships on local, regional, national, and inter-national curriculum committees and advocate for non-segregating programs for people with disabilities.”

Notes on Chapter 16: A Sequential Curriculum for Grades 1 and 2

First and second graders typically:

• Are active and easily excited; use almost any topic as motivation
• Enjoy working with their hands
• Take great pride in their work
• Exhibit strong feelings of possessiveness
• Are eager to learn, do not underteach
• Want to be first; assign special responsibilities
• Have a limited attention span and are easily fatigued; give a series of objectives throughout lesson rather than all at the beginning
• Have feelings that are easily hurt; praise when students arrive at their “own way”
• Are alternately cooperative and uncooperative
• Usually can grasp only one idea at a time
• Delight in imaginative games, dances, stories, and plays; like to pretend and engage in make-believe
• Desire the approval of classmates and teachers
• Enjoy fantasy; use fantasy as motivation
• Are interested in new things to touch and taste; use tactile motivations
• Are fascinated by moving and mechanical devices
• Enjoy TV, illustrated books, movies, picnics, school field trips, new clothes, and pets

ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT
Shapes
Five- and six-year-olds will typically:

• Draw the geometric symbols of the circle, square, triangle, oval, and rectangle
• Employ a basic symbol, such as a circle, to depict varied visual images-the sun, a head, a table, a flower blossom, a tree, a body, a room
• Use combinations of symbols that differ from those their classmates use
• Depict simplified representations and are not too concerned with details

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Change slowly from geometric, symbolic interpretations to more specific characterization and delineation
• Use more details in their depictions

Size
Five- and six-year-olds typically:

• Use emotional exaggeration of size, enlarging things that are important to them and omitting features that are not

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Approximate more representative proportions

Color
Five- and six-year-olds typically:

• Use color in a personal or emotional context without regard to its identity

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Use color in a local, stereotypical way

Space
Five- and six-year-olds typically:

• Employ a baseline as a foundation
• Draw both the inside and outside of an object

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Begin to place distant objects higher on the page, although objects are often drawn the same size
• Use a foldover technique, turning their papers completely around as they draw

Objects
Five- and six-year-olds typically:

• Draw things intuitively as they know them

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Draw objects as they know them to be rather than how they see them at the moments

The Human Figure
Five- and six-year-olds typically:

• Devise a variety of interpretations or schemata depending on their experience

Some six-year-olds and most seven-year-olds typically:

• Begin to use apparel and detail to distinguish sexes

TEACHING ART
Teaching Drawing

• Discourage from rushing to finish by scribbling backgrounds haphazardly
• Like to use their pictures to tell stories
• Introduce students to various tools for making linear images
• Praise their discovery of various line patterns
• Will use fold-over and x-ray drawing
• Introduce to line drawing, shades and value, color, and pattern
• Provide opportunity to draw real objects
• Encourage to fill the page

Teaching Cutting, Pasting, and Collage

• Need to develop scissor skills
• Provide left-handed scissors
• Demonstrate how to use glue economically
• Provide opportunities to paste little shapes onto large shapes

Teaching Printmaking

• Can be made with vegetables, found objects, clay pieces, erasures, cellulose scraps, or hands and fingers

Teaching Ceramics

• Each student should have a clay ball about the size of a grapefruit
• Encourage students to squeeze, pinch, poke, and stretch clay
• Teach them how to make coils and balls
• Encourage students to hold clay while they work with it
• Can create simple sculptural forms, such as animals
• Can make simple pinch pots

ART CRITICISM, ART HISTORY, AND AESTHETICS

• They can begin to develop a language for art criticism, with the manes of the formal elements
• Expose students to as much material as possible to establish knowledge base to (1) teach students how to experience the delight and values shown in the arts and (2) to contribute to the students’ general perceptual and conceptual knowledge
• Children at this age like pictures that clear and vivid

Children between ages 5 and 7 should know the following basic art terms:

• Black
• Blue
• Bright
• Brown
• Brush
• Cardboard
• Chalk
• Circle
• Clay
• Coil
• Construction paper
• Crayon
• Bark
• Dot
• Drawing
• Easel
• Eraser
• Fingerpaint
• Glue
• Green
• Grey
• Hammer
• Ink
• Kiln
• Light
• Manila paper
• Mural
• Nail
• Newsprint paper
• Orange
• Oval
• Overlap
• Paste
• Pastel
• Pen
• Pencil
• Pink
• Pinch pot
• Purple or violet
• Rectangle
• Red
• Ruler
• Scribble
• Shape
• Square
• Stripe
• Tempera paint
• Tissue paper
• Triangle
• Watercolor
• Weaving
• White
• Yellow

Suggested Subjects or Themes for First- and Second-Graders

• Playground games
• Fun in the snow
• Fun in the fall leaves
• A flower garden with insects
• My pet and me
• Stuffed animals
• Animals in the zoo or jungle
• Farm animals
• Noah’s ark
• Kings and queens
• What I like to do when it rains
• What my parents and I like to do together
• My make-believe wish
• Skipping rope
• Our community helpers
• Butterflies in a garden
• Fish in the sea
• Land of make-believe
• My favorite toy
• Clowns

Notes on Chapter 15: A Sequential Curriculum for Kindergarten

In general, Kindergartners:

• Are interested in new things and are eager to learn, but have short attention spans and are easily fatigued. Stimulate their natural curiosity. Expose them to many manipulative materials and encourage their interest in using art materials.
• Are prolific workers for a short period of time and want to see immediate results. Break lessons into parts, but make sure each part produces a result.
• Can answer speculative questions.
• Can sing songs from memory; can chant and move rhythmically.
• May play alone or cooperatively. The typical developmental sequence is:

1. Solitary play (no awareness or interaction with another)
2. Onlooker play (near others and aware of their play, but not entering into the other's play)
3. Parallel play (independently working on a common activity)
4. Associative play (using each other's toys and asking questions)
5. Cooperative play (play using differentiated roles)

• Do group projects only when each child can do his/her individual part independently
• Learn social and interpersonal skills while playing. Teach them how to give encouragement to each other about their art
• Like to pretend and engage in make-believe stories about the characters in their pictures.
• Desire the approval of classmates and teachers. Show that you respect their art.
• Have a playful attitude. Can easily interchange between what is real and what is fantasy.
• Can imitate movements of animals. Use movement to motivate art experience.
• Delight in fantasy and imaginative games. Use psychomotor games and role-playing to stimulate art.
• Are developing awareness of their bodies. Use games to encourage children to represent body parts in their artwork.
• Can manipulate object appropriately. Teach the proper way to use a paint brush, markers, and clay, as well as how to clean a table.
• Can spend hours in sand and water play.
• Desire to discover and to test their conceptual and physical powers. Praise students when they have arrived at their "own way" of drawing something.
• Have feelings that are hurt easily. May experience a lack of confidence by determining that another child is the "class artist." Praise individual expression.
• Need outlets for wishes to dominate, destroy, or make a mess.

ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT

• Drawing development is highly variable
• Children's scribbles or presentations may include:

1. Patterns of marking in strokes
2. Patterns of dots
3. Vertical, horizontal, diagonal, circular, curved, and waving lines
4. Placement of patterns on the page, such as overall, quarter page, centered, in halves, along a diagonal axis, and following the shape of a two-cornered arch, a one-corner fan, or a two-corner pyramidal

• They begin to make geometric symbols into their artwork
• They will exaggerate the sizes of things important to them
• They will use non-realistic colors
• May develop an awareness of a ground-line

TEACHING ART

• Kindergartners require little or no motivation from a teacher to create art
• Teacher's role is to encourage and guide individual expression and to help children understand appropriate behaviors in working with art materials
• Help children to be inwardly motivated and to use personal symbols
• Avoid asking questions that may confuse some children or divert their attention
• If children run out of ideas, suggest that they review their past drawings
• While it is important not to dictate creative efforts, teacher must demonstrate how to handle art supplies, finish work appropriately, and reinforce proper classroom behaviors
• Avoid cute, follow-the-directions, gimmicky assembly projects geared to impress parents
• The younger the child, the more attention should be placed on process and less on final product
• Praise the act, not the child

Teaching Drawing-drawing clarifies, focuses, and increases children's comprehension

• Discourage erasing
• Encourage children to perceive and discover

Teaching Painting

• Use 1/2 inch brushes
• If space permits, let children sit on the floor and us 18- by 24-inch paper
• To minimize spills, paint should be the consistency of heavy cream, not water
• Teach children to tap their brushes on jars to control drips
• Use newspapers to control clean-up

Teaching Cutting, Pasting, and Collage

• Have good, working scissors for students to use
  
• Have a few pairs of left-handed scissors
• Always teach scissors-safety
• Students must be taught how much glue or paste to use and on which surfaces to apply it
• For collage, organize trays or shoeboxes of wallpaper and cloth strips, metal foils and textured papers, feathers, and yarn

Teaching Fingerpainting

• Helps children discover types of lines
• Guide children to use the edge of their hands and their palms as they paint

Teaching with Chalk

• Can be used outdoors on sidewalks or playgrounds
• Water down paper to reduce dust levels or dip into buttermilk while drawing (clean chalk on a screen or on concrete when project is done)
• Use dark colored paper for dramatic effect

Teaching Three-Dimensional Art

• Colored, scented clays may work better with Kindergartners (1 cup of salt, 2-3 cups of flour, and 1 teaspoon of salad oil. Cook in a saucepan on the stove, adding just enough water so that it releases from the sides of the pan.)
• Puppetry helps students overcome shyness and develop public speaking skills

ART CRITICISM, ART HISTORY, AND AESTHETICS

• Art criticism-art talk can deal with what we see, what it is called, how it appears, what colors, shapes, and textures it has in it, and what ideas it brings to mind
• Art history-use art representations to tell stories and let children tell stories, but be careful that children do not feel that their work is insufficient
• Aesthetics-discussions about aesthetics are not beyond kindergartners

Notes on Chapter 25: Painting

PAINTING WITH WATERCOLORS

• Watercolors are good for teaching color properties of hue, value, and intensity
• White watercolor or construction paper is recommended
  
• Use newspaper under paintings to speed up cleaning
• Round, pointed, soft-bristle, camel-hair brushed are recommended
• Watercolor boxes containing semimoist cakes should be cleaned at the end of the period, and left open to dry
• Change water containers when they become muddy
• Preliminary sketches are recommended
• Areas that are to appear white can be masked off during painting
• Students should begin with light colors and build to darker values
• Try combining with crayons or oil pastels in a resist method
• Art history examples: Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and brush paintings from China and Japan
• Consider the importance of a vibrant, fresh appearance verses a labored, fussy, muddled appearance

PAINTING WITH TEMPERA

• Use discarded baby-food jars and half-pint milk cartons as containers
• For a class of 30, prepare about 60 containers of varying colors, 6 containers of white, and 4 containers of black
• Students can help out and gain color knowledge by helping prepare the paints
• Only fill the paint container to the length of the paint brush's bristles
• If possible, a separate brush should be available for each color of paint
• After use, squeeze excess paint into containers, then place brushes in a large basin of soapy water to soak overnight, then rinse in clear water
• Encourage students to make preliminary sketches in chalk or with a brush and light-colored paint
• Minimize clean-up by using newspapers
• Encourage students to wear protective clothing
• To keep paints from running together, avoid painting next to wet areas
• Tell students to squeeze out excess water thoroughly before using brush to paint again
• Consider using tempura resist methods with older students

MURAL MAKING

• Helps students acquire art knowledge and work with others to plan and carry out a project
• For a collage pin-up mural, urge students to make large and small figures and objects, use overlapping and object groupings, and use size to create sense of distance
• For scaling up a mural, use the grid method (1 foot = 5 feet is a convenient conversion)

Notes on Chapter 26: Paper Projects in Two Dimensions

COLLAGE - derives from the French coller, meaning "to stick or to adhere"

• This technique is well suited for design using overlapping of shapes and colors, positive and negative shapes, value contrast, pattern, and texture
• Cut and arrange the large shapes in a motif first
• Overlapping of shapes is a major feature of collage making
• Guide students to use eye-catching materials (i.e. foils, cellophane, and shiny plastic) only as points of emphasis
• Encourage students to use uneven repetition
  
• Use informal (asymmetrical) balance instead of formal (symmetrical) balance
• Use discarded magazines as paste-applying surfaces

TISSUE-PAPER COLLAGE

• Adhere tissue to the background using undiluted liquid laundry starch
• Work with lighter color tissue first
• Apply a layer of starch on the background, then apply tissue, then apply another layer of starch
  

MOSAICS

• Tesserae - the little colored pieces
  
• Teaches that wholes are made of parts - important concepts in math, science, and social studies
• Examples of mosaic art: San Vitale in Rome, Gaudi's Cathedral in Barcelona, Simon Rodia's Watts Towers in Los Angeles, and the avenues of Rio de Janeiro
• Store tesserae by color in shoe boxes
• It is best to begin on the outer edge and work inward toward center
• Employ several values of a color in larger areas
  

Lesson Plan 1: Life-Sized Self-Portraits

Andrea Eisenberger and Joni Hough

October 6, 2009
ARTE 5121

Art/Integrated Lesson Plan: Life-Size Self-Portraits

Subject: Art & Language Arts
Grade Level: 3
NCSCOS Objective #: Art 1.06, 2.01, & 4.02; Language Arts 1.04


GOAL: The goal of this lesson is to explore language arts in the visual arts classroom by having students identify words that describe themselves and then juxtaposing those words with images to create a life-size self-portrait. This lesson gives students the opportunity to explore their identity and creative expression and helps them make the connection between what they see and what they think and/or feel.


DEVELOPMENTAL RATIONALE: At this age, students generally are becoming aware of the differences in people and can begin to understand what makes them unique. Students are also growing in critical skills, self-evaluation, and evaluation of others. This lesson will allow students to explore their emerging self-image. In the previous lesson in this unit, students created representational self-portraits using magic markers. Students studied facial proportions.


MATERIALS: Examples of self-portraits from
Picasso,













Kahlo,


















Basquiat,


















Lawrence,
















and Liao;














butcher paper, pencils, markers, paint, brushes, magazine images, glue, pastels, chalk, decorative paper, scissors, computer with a variety of fonts, etc.


Websites for self-portrait examples:
Picasso: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/picasso/self7.jpg.html
Kahlo: http://www.paintinghere.com/UploadPic/Frida%20Kahlo/big/FridaKahlo-Self-Portrait-on-the-Border-Line-Between-Mexico-and-the-United-States-1932.jpg
Basquiat: http://rawartint.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/basquiat.jpg
Lawrence: http://culturemob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/nationalacademyjacob-lawrence-self-portrait.jpg
Kathy Liao: http://www.kathyliao.com/


INTRODUCTION/MOTIVATION:
Day 1
1. Tell students to think of the things that make you what you are: (5 min.)
-the way you look
-the music you listen to and the music you make
-the words you write and the images you create
-what you've been through and how you feel now
-where you live and where you belong
-the things you love and the things you hate
-your family and friends
-the things that make you laugh and the things that make you cry
-the places you like and the places you fear

2. Have students write down five to seven words to describe who they are. (5 min.)
3. Show/discuss examples of self-portraits from Picasso, Kahlo, Basquiat, Lawrence, and Liao. (5 min.)
4. Have students describe artists based on their self-portraits. (3 min.)


VISUALIZATION/TRANSITION:
Day 1 (cont’d)
Tell students that we will now make our on life-sized self-portraits. Show students the example that the teacher made and explain that students will be making conceptual self-portraits. Encourage students to experiment with the shapes they can make with their outline. (2 min.)



ACTIVITY:
Day 1 (cont’d)
Divide students into same-sex pairs. (2 min.)
Have students take turns tracing each other’s outline on butcher paper. (15 min.)

Day 2
Have students fill in their outlines with a variety of media. (35 min.)
Students who complete this phase quickly may move on to the next phase.

Day 3
Have students print, affix, paint and/or collage their descriptive words onto their self-portrait using at least three different types of media. (25 min.)

Have students cut out their outlines. (10 min.)


SUMMARY/CLOSING: Students will show their finished self-portraits to the class and state what five to seven adjectives they used to describe themselves. Portraits will be displayed throughout the school.


EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
Did student use at least five words to describe him/herself?
Did student draw a life-size self-portrait?
Did student use three different media?
Did student incorporate text in self-portrait?
Did student use time wisely/participate in class?

Notes on Capter 7: Art and Literacy: Reading and Language Arts

Similarities between Language Arts and Visual Arts

• Both focus on means of expression
• Both use symbols
• Both employ similar methods of critical analysis and interpretation

Drawing before writing forces the child to recall and decide on the details that enrich the writing

• encourage students to draw something that is meaningful to them, on a topic they choose - then ask them to write about it
• the drawing and the accompanying talk give the naturally curious young child access to other children's minds and feelings

Drawing is critical to the early development of language and narritive

• Learning to draw requires close observation skills - skills that catalyze thinking skills

THE VOCABULARY OF ART

• Vocabulary development is a major factor in success in reading
• The formal elements reflect potential vocabulary for description or representation
• Have students describe characteristics of lines
• Have students compare/contrast shapes and forms
• Art can be used to give visual expression to what adjectives express verbally
• Making art and talking about what they have made allows children to expand their ability to communicate in alomost endless ways

SPEECH, THOUGHT, AND ART - use art to promote Language Arts goals

• Illustrate a story - illustrate a character or a scene
  
• Keep a journal - for writing and drawing
  
• Write a poem or essay about an artwork
• Talk about a memory
• Write a story
• Learn to "read" pictures
  

Visual Literacy - the ability to analyze and interpret visual images

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT AND THROUGH ART

• Speech development and the ability to think critically are fostered by conversations about art
• Give students a chance to tell you what the see and feel
• Working in groups facilitates language development

THE ART OF LANGUAGE: COMMONALITIES BETWEEN DESIGN STRUCTURES IN LANGUAGE AND ART

• Metaphors, representation, variation, symmetry, dominance, and emphasis - design elements that can be used in writing, i.e. figures of speech, alliteration, etc.

Notes on Stuhr’s book review of Celebrating Pluralism: Art, Education, and Cultural Diversity by G. Chalmers

From Studies in Art Education, 1999 40(2), 180-191

According to the feminist postmodern studies (PMS) reading group at The Ohio State University:
“Reviewers must state her perspectives and biases”

“…traditional academic model of critique is not the only available model and that letters to the author, narratives, jotted diary thoughts, poems, and multi-voiced texts, and other writings might hold promise as forms of critique.”

“…multicultural art education should take a position that furthers human rights for all people.”

“We consider multicultural education as a process agent to assist in providing for more equitable opportunities for individuals and groups to gain social, political, and especially educational arenas.”

“There is no such thing as a homogeneous culture anyway that you can get to know completely.”

“All there is that you can get to know is individual people’s experience based on their living within particular cultural groups that exist within a particular nation(s): a piece of that culture.”

“…a person’s cultural identity is made up of many aspects that include their age, gender, social and economic class (education, job, family position), exceptionality, geographic location, religion, sexuality, political status, and ethnicity (which is the aspect most people concentrate on when they think about culture). And many of these aspects of a person’s cultural identity are always in flux and dynamic…”

“…in multicultural education (especially the reconstructionists type) a primary component is to provide a critical filter, and not just to look critically at other cultures but also at our own and nothing should be taken for granted.”

“Because there is bad in every culture doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study that culture, but he (Chalmers) doesn’t talk about what we should do about the bad.” –Terry Barret

“…we want to critically examine differences not just celebrate them.” –Terry Barret

“I think that cultural imperialism advocates one point of view. Pluralism looks at several perspectives.” –Don Krug

“But seeing things from multiple perspectives is a Western point of view.” –Michael Parsons

Notes on Issues vs. Themes: Two Approaches to a Multicultural Art Curriculum

Issues vs. Themes: Two Approaches to a Multicultural Art Curriculum
Author(s): Mary-Michael Billings
Source: Art Education, Vol. 48, No. 1, Content as Method as Content (Jan., 1995), pp. 21-56
Published by: National Art Education Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193557
Accessed: 08/08/2009 17:19


“Though both approaches call for a multicultural curriculum, the issue-oriented approach to art education supports cultural diversity by emphasizing art's potential to promote political change. In contrast, experience of cultural traditions is a primary aim of the thematic approach to art education.”


“…motifs may be developed from observation of natural phenomena (nature), inner psychological experience (self), and social realities (the other).”


“Whereas recurrent motifs and thematic imagery are developed by a culture to express perceptions and ideas about mundane and sacred aspects of reality, an issue develops when ethical questions arise”


“In an issue-oriented approach to art education, the context for making and viewing art requires awareness of immediate political and social realities.”


“While issues are immanent and laden with ethical considerations that require rational discourse, themes in art can be intuitively experienced when the viewer is deeply connected to the cultural context upon which the work is founded”


“In an issue-oriented approach, the focus moves from the artist's (and viewer's) personal experience of aesthetics to development of an ethical point of view. Images are used to communicate ideas to the viewer and therefore it is important to consider the audience and how the work interacts with the viewer.”


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
“The ideal of the melting-pot, also known as Americanization, was to promote harmony and unity through creation of a distinctly American culture.”


“…discontinuity; this occurs when the school environment represents a culture that differs substantially from the student's and results in the student's alienation.”


“…the reaction against Americanization stems from the belief that the benefits of a culturally diverse society outweigh the benefits of a homogenous culture.”


“…the reaction against disparity in power among different social groups stems from a basic belief that such disparities are unjust.”


“I suggest that the former goal, that of promoting ethnic diversity, per se, may best be realized through a thematic approach to art education focusing on aesthetics. On the other hand, a goal of promoting equality through art may best be realized through an issue-oriented approach focusing on ethics.”


“…the political goals of any particular group may conflict with the cultural traditions of another.”


“…that while preserving cultural diversity and promoting political equality are both goals of multiculturalism, it is difficult to balance the two when developing curricula.”


THE THEMATIC APPROACH
“In a thematic approach to the study of art, the educator begins by presenting an idea or subject to the class which has been or should be explored through visual imagery.”


“In this approach, art is seen as a means by which individuals express ideas and beliefs, and these ideas are seen as part of a cultural aesthetic. The role of the educator is to facilitate dialogue among students and with the artists of various cultures, whose aesthetic views are represented through their artwork.”


“A thematic approach to art education has the ultimate goal of increased awareness and acceptance of a variety of cultural traditions.”


“Values, beliefs and ideas are communicated through art and these ideas are developed within a social context.”


ISSUE-ORIENTED APPROACH
“In an issue-oriented approach, the teacher or perhaps the class as a whole, begins by selecting a matter of general concern. Though this issue might be explored historically, through contextual analysis of complete artworks, the emphasis is on the student's own life experiences and understanding of the current situation in the student's own life and community.”


“In this approach, the power of art not only to shape cultural identity, but also to influence political realities is seen as the fundamental concern of the art educator.”


“…questions of power are among the most central issues discussed in the literature on this approach.”


“Other issues of concern suggested in the literature on this approach to art education include: the ecological crisis, freedom of expression, alienation in a technocratic society, democratization of technology, and feminism.”


“Using an issue-oriented approach, the artist must first recognize his/her own cultural filters and work toward freedom from a limited ethnocentric view of art.”


IMPLICATIONS OF A THEMATIC VS. ISSUE-ORIENTED APPROACH
“…for the artist who defines art in terms of aesthetics or abstract form, an issue-oriented approach to creating art is problematic.”


“Though many advocates of the issue-oriented approach take great pains to expand the traditional focus on "fine arts" to include folk art, crafts, or industrial arts, the reality is that even when the producers of these artifacts insist that they are only concerned with form or that their work is primarily functional and not to be considered art, the social activist will develop a political viewpoint in terms of the context within which these artifacts are produced or used.”


“A related problem occurs when the social activist uses traditional artforms in non-traditional contexts.”


“In seeking to empower students, issue-oriented and the thematic approaches to multiculturalism require a flexible curriculum with attention to the cultural makeup of the class or community.”


“While the thematic approach will focus on cultural differences and commonalties through exploration of themes, the issue-oriented approach will seek to discover ways in which visual images have been used to oppress certain groups in the past, or are presently being used to maintain the dominant culture.”


VALUE OF THE TWO APPROACHES TO CURRICULA
“I would use the issue-oriented approach sparingly. Not only do I find it limited in creating opportunities for individual aesthetic experience in the studio, I see it as potentially ethnocentric when used to study diverse or foreign cultural traditions.”


“I would introduce content because of its educational value, not because it has been previously neglected.”


“I believe that providing an atmosphere conducive to free speech and creative expression will allow for the natural process of cultural change. This does not require an overt emphasis on ethics on the part of the instructor.”


“While I agree that examining one's own cultural filters can be a positive educational tool, it can be destructive and alienating when traditional knowledge is denigrated or lost rather than used as a foundation to be built upon.”


“…each student must be free to create a personal aesthetic, whether or not this aesthetic is perceived as politically correct or socially relevant.”

Notes on Chapter 9: Art and Social Studies

General Strategies for Art and Social Studies Integration

Personalized Responses

• Motivate student's personal experiences
• Involve student's from differing cultural backgrounds, but do not stereotype cultures by expecting students to express particular preferences

Hands-on art activities

• Murals promote social intelligence
• Promote cultural understanding through puppets and dioramas
• Discuss sociopolitical issues when doing artwork in the style of another culture

Drawing still-life arrangements about a culture

• Borrow items from a children's museum
• Ask parents to loan items from their culture

Using models or speakers

• When studying a region, invite someone from that region to come and talk while wearing an ethnic costume
• Invite parents or guests with interesting occupations or hobbies
• Have students take turns wearing special hats or clothing

Sketching trips

• Can help students gain insight into issues of historic preservation, trade, technological innovation, and community growth
• Discuss background or sociopolitical issues that you want students to understand
• While at the site, point out aesthetic qualities

Using art reproductions

• Use hypothesizing, evaluating, and synthesizing when discussing reproductions
• Use posters, postcards, or photographs

A Danger of Social Studies/Art Integration

avoid stereotypes and look-alike art projects

Social Studies Disciplines

Anthropology - the study of a people's symbols

• It is disrespectful to emphasize just one aspect of a group's culture
• It is not helpful to exoticise a culture or people
• Do not homogenize many national groups into one (i.e. lumping Puerto Ricans, Mexican-Americans, and Cubans into a single category of Latino or Hispanic)

Economics/Vocations - deals with both the structures that exist to provide jobs and services and also with the distribution of wealth

Geography - have students compare geographic areas including differences in climate, transportation, foods, customs, and home architecture

History - make history vivid through art projects

Political science and law-related education

• Law-related education deals with concepts such as equality, fairness, honesty, justice, power, property, responsibility, and tolerance
• Include issues such as family law (i.e. beatings), community-safety law (i.e. bike helmets), and consumer law (i.e. shoplifting)
• Political science is concerned with examining rules, both good and bad, and taking the rights of others into account

Psychology - concerned with how an individual perceives the world or behaves based on those perceptions

• Use art to build self-respect and positive self-concept
• Celebrate individual differences through art

Sociology - the study of how people function in groups

• Encourage students to think about such concepts as norms, society, values, competition, status, and change
• Use art reproduction to discuss sociological issues

Multicultural Understanding through Art - we can help children to understand and acquire the shared knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes common to both our nation's culture and their specific group

Multiculturalism in the postmodern art world

• Recently art has moved away from abstract art elements and toward exploring social, political, and environmental world problems through combining historical and popular images and new mixed-media techniques

Multiculturalism through a thematic approach

• Focuses on cultural differences and commonalities through exploration of concepts such as adaptation, survival, environment, time, space, and motion
• In teaching thematic units, relate material to the students' own personal experiences

Multiculturalism using contestable issues

• Another approach is to use issues about which students can debate

Notes on Chapter 6: Integration in the Three Domains: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor

• Cognitive domain – deals with factual information and higher-level skills such as analysis and synthesis
• Affective domain – deals with the role emotions play in learning; includes emotions, drives, and temporary and pervasive feeling states
• Psychomotor domain – deals with how the movement of the body is involved in learning

Each domain has several levels, or stages, within it


Affective stages in Bloom's Taxonomy:

1. Receiving or willingness to attend
2. Awareness
3. Responding or willingness to participate actively
4. Valuing
5. Organizing values



Psychomotor stages in Bloom Taxonomy:

1. Perception
2. Readiness to act
3. Ability to copy an instructor
4. Ability to carry out simple, and then complex, movement patterns
5. Ability too modify and adapt established patterns
6. Ability to create new movement patterns

List of Teachers on Twitter

This spreadsheet contains an extensive list of teachers on Twitter with what subject they teach.

Notes on Chapter 14: Cognitive and Psychological Factors in Children’s Learning and Creative Development

• Younger children draw what they know, using scheme (stereotyped ideas that must be overcome so children can draw with accuracy in representation)
• Older children draw what they see

Constructivism (Piaget’s theory of the self-constructed nature of knowledge)

• Children are problem seekers, not problem solvers
• Learners need to discover the means by which to make meaning out of experience and knowledge
• Discovery learning – focusing on creating the possibilities for the child to invent and discover knowledge
• Mental change occurs from action, exploration, and interpretation
• Knowledge is transformative and changing, not objective truth

Changes in children’s thinking correspond with the stages of artistic development

• The sensory-motor period/scribbling stage
• Period of concrete operations/learning how to represent things and ideas through art media
• Period of formal operations/increased intellectual examination (i.e. art criticism, art history, and aesthetics)

Matching the Child's Natural Way of Thinking

• The task in the early years of school is to put the materials into the child's natural way of thinking-using the senses along with concrete objects
• Knowledge is acquired in a spiral manner-revisited every year

Role of Social Context

• Encourage students verbal interaction with peers to develop thinking about issues
• This encourages students to confront the views of others and defend their own ideas
• Cooperative learning - requires students to be dependent on each other to achieve learning goals

Role of the Emotions: The Intuitive and the Nonrational

• Emotions guide actions and are shaped by them
• Elementary age children must develop an emotion-filled eagerness to learn new skills and win recognition through successful performance, or the child risks developing a sense of failure and inferiority (from Erickson)
• We "know" about things with both ideas and feelings
• Art can give psychological voice to the creator's coping strategies

Transformation

• As art is made, the brain's different mental functions - the rational, the intuitive, and the irrational - are brought together
• Transformation and novelty are important goals of education
• Educational task is to keep the playful analogical thinking growing, rather than dwindling, throughout the school year

Children's Similarities and Variability

• Scribbling - preschoolers begin with random, haphazard marks and then move on to explore different kinds of scribbles, acquiring more control
• Scribbling is universal across cultures
• Stage theory should only be used as a descriptive not a prescriptive device
• U-Shape Decline - slump in creativity that can occur around ages 8-11, probably due to child's inner demand for photographic realism

Formalism Paper

Joni Hough

September 9, 2009

ARTE 5121

Formalism in the Art Classroom

For the last several decades, formalism has played a central role in most K-12 art classrooms. According to Anderson and McRorie, “Any lesson or curriculum teachers institute comes from what they believe is important to be taught” (1997). Since the theories of Clive Bell and Roger Fry reached popularity, formalism has had “a profound influence on art instruction, in schools, as well as in college and university art departments. Indeed, many art teachers are formalist without being aware of the fact, a sure sign that formalist doctrines have been assimilated into our critical, aesthetic, and pedagogical cultures” (Feldman, 1992). Recently, formalism as the central theme in the art classroom has become controversial.

In his article, Formalism and Its Discontents, Feldman defines pedagogical formalism as, “the doctrine that the ultimate focus of aesthetic attention and critical meaning is, or ought to be, organization and presentation of the visual elements of works of art: line, shape, color, texture, mass, space, volume, and pattern” (1992). Feldman also claims that the visual elements are seductive to educators because they easily lend themselves to teaching. However, Feldman objects to a strictly formalist approach to art education. Feldman contends that “in the world’s major art traditions, motives for creating and looking at art are rarely formalist” (1992). Also, formalists tend to ignore nonart contexts, show a preference for nonobjective art, and formalism is ahistorical. Feldman further maintains that “formalist art instruction demeans working-class and/or populist values and aspirations” (1992). Feldman does not propose eliminating formalism from education, “Formalism is effective insofar as it encourages students to attend to ‘the facts’ of form, but formalism is counter-productive insofar as it persuades students that art is always and only a matter of finding the abstract geometrical order hidden in every image” (1992).

In Gude’s article, Postmodern Principles: 7 + 7?, she contends that the seven elements and seven principles of design that are the backbone of formalism are outdated and boring. She states that, “when visiting K-12 school art programs, I rarely see meaningful connections being made between these formal descriptors and understanding works of art or analyzing the quality of everyday design” (2004). Gude argues that when, “artworks are viewed and understood using the streamlined 7 + 7 Euro-American system of describing form…students often do not learn the aesthetic context of making and valuing inherent to the artists and communities who actually created the works” (2004). Gude proposes that instead of using the elements and principles of formalism, art educators should use eight postmodern principles to aid in understanding and making contemporary art: appropriation, juxtaposition, recontextualization, layering, interaction of text and image, hybridity, gazing, and representin’. Gude maintains that, “structuring art projects to introduce students to the relevant contemporary art and thus to postmodern principles…students will gain the skills to participate in and shape contemporary cultural conversations” (2004).

In contrast to Gude’s embracing of postmodernism, Lloyd clings to the formalism of modernist art. In his article, Souvenirs of Formalism: From Modernism to Postmodernism and Deconstruction, Lloyd asserts that formalism is the basis of good design and should be the foundation of any art curriculum. Lloyd states, “I strongly argue for foundation courses in the elements of art, the language of vision, and the grammar of design” (1997). To Lloyd, formalism is “the language of vision” and consists of a notion of order, clarity of form and space, and significant contrast (1997). Of postmodernist work, Lloyd declares, “Form had degenerated into grotesque assemblage. It fit the description of ‘funk’ as an art of systemized irrationality and bad taste” (1997). Lloyd further states, “I would like to admit that today’s postmodernism might be considered an intuitive rather than rational approach, but what I see is capriciousness and novelty celebrating itself as personal power masquerading as direct knowledge” (1997).

In their article, A Role for Aesthetics in Centering the K-12 Art Curriculum, Anderson and McRorie contend that there are, “two critical functions for aesthetics in art education: first, in directing student inquiry; and second …in framing curricula and programs” (1997). Anderson and McRorie then look at two approaches studying aesthetics: formalism and contextualism. They define formalism as, “emphasis upon (1) use of the elements and principles of design, (2) manipulation of materials with focus on mastery of particular media, and (3) originality, all leading to production of objects that have ‘significant form’ or that look good, look well crafted, aren’t copies of other work, that in short, look like art with a capital ‘A’” (1997). Contextualism is defined as the belief, “that the meaning and worth of art can only be determined in the context in which it’s made and used” (1997). Anderson and McRorie argue that formalism alone is not a comprehensive approach to art education. They state, “Women, African Americans, and other representatives of cultural minorities have been underrepresented in the artworld. They have felt left out of the so-called universal (formalist) agenda and have been the strongest advocates of the instrumental reconstructionists train of contextualism” (1997). Anderson and McRorie also state that, “What you won’t find in a pure contextualist curriculum, then, are technical and design solutions engaged in for their own sake. Pure aesthetic enjoyment is not a justified rationale for making art” (1997). They conclude that, “Neither a purely formalist aesthetic position, with its emphasis on elements and principles, media exploration, and originality, nor a purely contextualist one, with its emphasis on communication and socially relevant subject matter, is adequate to ground a comprehensive art program” (1997). Anderson and McRorie argue that a combination of formalism and contextualism, “allows for an almost infinite range of highly suitable art curricula that are locally specific, that includes themes that fire students’ individual imaginations as well as their collaborative social conscience, and that integrate art skills and techniques enabling them to effectively communicate their ideas in visual form” (1997).

In her article, Semiotics: Inscribing a Place between Formalism and Contextualism, Jeffers expands on Anderson and McRorie’s ideas. She states that, “Formalism/universalism is characterized by an essentialist view that sees form as paramount. Indeed, form is self-referential and universally communicates issues of pleasure and beauty to all who respond. The viewer’s (and student’s) task is to read and appropriate the meanings that reside within these aesthetic forms as to appreciate their intrinsic beauty” (2000). About contextualism, Jeffers asserts it, “sees context as paramount and holds that the meaning and worth of art can only be determined in the context in which the work was made and used. In this view, the meaning of a work of art does not reside within its form, but rather, is constructed in the context of its cultural, historical, social, or political functions. The viewer’s (and student’s) task, then, is to construct meanings about the work in these contexts-which themselves have constructed meanings” (2000). Jeffers maintains that, “semiotics not only allows for the exploration of this place (a place between formalist/universalist and contextualist theoretical position), it also calls into question the adequacy of either formalism/universalism or contextualism to explain art-making in the classroom” (2000).

In her article, Using Form+Theme+Context (FTC) for Rebalancing 21^st-Century Art Education, Sandall states, “In embracing today’s standards for teaching studio art and art history in the context of contemporary visual culture, we need to help learners more fully understand art images, objects, and events, present and past, building a sense of relevance and significance in their lives” (2009). Sandall proposes a three-pronged approach for doing this. She contends that a comprehensive art program focuses on form, theme, and context. Through, “form, or how the work ‘is,’ we scrutinize the artist’s many structural decisions embedded in the creative process that leads to a final product,” through, “theme, or what the work is about, we discern what the artist expresses through a selected overarching concept that addresses the Big or Enduring Idea (Walker, 2001; Stewart & Walker, 2005) along with relationships that reveal the artist’s expressive viewpoint connecting art to life,” and through, “context(s), or when, where, by/for whom and why the art was created (and valued), we comprehend the authentic nature of the artwork by probing the conditions for and under which the art was created and valued as well as by considering the work under conditions from our perspectives in contemporary, foreign, or older cultures” (Sandall, 2009). Sandall contends that, “rebalancing art and art education through the conceptual mapping approach to exploring art contained in the FTC Palette has the following characteristics: it is focused, dialectical, inclusive (comprehensive), connective, creative, and engaging” (2009).

Personally, I find Sandall’s method to be the most compelling. Her focus on form, theme, and context provides students with a comprehensive, balanced art program. This approach, “…combines the vital aspects of modernism, postmodernism, and visual culture while ensuring each of their important contributions and place in our contemporary understanding of art and visual culture” (Sandall, 2009). This method incorporates the best ideas from Feldman, Gude, Lloyd, and Anderson and McRorie. With this style, students not only learn strong techniques, but they also learn to appreciate the broader meaning of art, while still learning to relate to art in a personal manner.

References

Anderson, T and McRorie, S. (1997). A role for aesthetics in centering the K-12 art curriculum. Art Education. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193692

Feldman, E. (1992). Formalism and its discontents. Studies in Art Education. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1320360

Gude, O. (2004). Postmodern principles: 7 + 7?. Art Education. Retrieved August 31, 2009, from https://moodle.uncc.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=43423

Jeffers, C. (2000). Semiotics: Inscribing a place between formalism and contextualism. Art Education. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193882

Lloyd, B. (1997). Souvenirs of formalism: From modernism to postmodernism and deconstruction. Art Education. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193693

Sandell, R. (2009). Using form+theme+context (FTC) for rebalancing 21st-century art education. Studies in Art Education. Retrieved September 6, 2009 from http://alumniconnections.com/olc/filelib/NAEA/cpages/9002/Library/UsingFTCStudies_Spring09_Sandell.pdf

Notes on Art Education in a Post-Modern Age

Art Education in a Post-Modern Age
Author(s): Michael E. Parks
Source: Art Education, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Mar., 1989), pp. 10-13
Published by: National Art Education Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193128
Accessed: 08/09/2009 14:10

Modernism Becomes the Establishment
“…formalism became the measure of quality; a work was judged not for its relevance to external concerns, but on the basis of aesthetic coherence within the work itself.”

Industrialization vs. Computerization
“…art becomes pluralistic and diverse, acknowledging the ambiguousness of the present and future, while reinterpreting contemporary life by reflecting on the look of "old" art. It rejects formalism as a standard of measure, relying instead on allegory, metaphor, narration, and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images.”

Post-Modernism and Its Critics
“The most vocal critics, however, have targeted the art establishment as a primary source of concern, the proliferation of dealers who select work based on what is marketable rather than on what is good, fostering the idea that art is a commodity, and the museums with their corporately-financed extravaganzas, exhibiting work that is pleasing to the eye, but devoid of anything controversial or particularly thought-provoking.”

Implications for Art Education
Criticism
“The new work is richly endowed with appropriated styles and subject matter, visual metaphor, allegory, and narrative imagery.”

History
“Where Modem artists totally rejected the past, Post-Modem artists have seemingly embraced it.”

Aesthetics
“During the Modem era, the judgment of quality and truth rested on the formal principles of symmetry and closure.”

“Today, artists frequently ignore such concerns, and in some cases deliberately create "bad" art - works that deliberately break accepted rules of composition and taste.”

Conclusion
“The Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) approach to teaching has parallels with current trends in art. It shifts the emphasis from art as a tool for nurturing self-expression, to art as a subject worthy of study.”

“To understand post-modem art, a viewer needs the kind of background that the DBAE approach provides.”

Notes on Using Form+Theme+Context (FTC) for Rebalancing 21st-Century Art Education

Sandell, R. (2009). Using form+theme+context (FTC) for rebalancing 21st-century art education. Studies in Art Education. Retrieved September 6, 2009 from http://alumniconnections.com/olc/filelib/NAEA/cpages/9002/Library/UsingFTCStudies_Spring09_Sandell.pdf


“…all learners increasingly need 21st-century skills that rely on multiple forms of literacy, including visual literacy, which is to images what reading and writing are to words (Burmark, 2002)”

“Today’s students require capabilities that enable them to encode visual concepts through creating art and to decode meaning by responding to society’s images, ideas, and media which permeate our increasingly complex visual world (Sandell, 2003).”

“Despite how highly visual our world is, for many, art remains a mystery— people do not know how to dissect its meaning and “own” it purposefully in their lives.”

“(Daniel) Pink (2005) indicates that today’s learners will need to use six new senses: design (increasing the visual appeal and organization of things), story (communicating effectively through compelling narrative), symphony (synthesizing ideas, seeing the big picture and how the pieces fit together), empathy (seeing the world as others see it), play (creatively engaging in problem solving and inventive thinking), and meaning (uncovering, finding a sense of purpose, and making informed choices towards higher-order thinking skills and transformation).”

A New Tool for Balanced Visual Literacy in Art Education
“In embracing today’s standards for teaching studio art and art history in the context of contemporary visual culture, we need to help learners more fully understand art images, objects, and events, present and past, building a sense of relevance and significance in their lives.”

“Art = Form + Theme + Context”

“…form, or how the work “is,” we scrutinize the artist’s many structural decisions embedded in the creative process that leads to a final product”

“…theme, or what the work is about, we discern what the artist expresses through a selected overarching concept that addresses the Big or Enduring Idea (Walker, 2001; Stewart & Walker, 2005) along with relationships that reveal the artist’s expressive viewpoint connecting art to life.”

“…context(s), or when, where, by/for whom and why the art was created (and valued), we comprehend the authentic nature of the artwork by probing the conditions for and under which the art was created and valued as well as by considering the work under conditions from our perspectives in contemporary, foreign, or older cultures.”

“By distinguishing how the form and theme work together within specific contexts, we can comprehend art’s relevance and significance for the creator within his/her culture or society, which can lead to greater understanding and appreciation by the contemporary viewer”

“With contextual information, visual learners can perceive the intention and purpose of an artwork by identifying personal, social, cultural, historical, artistic, educational, political, spiritual, and other contexts that influence the creation and understanding of the work.”

“Rather than reactively reject the “infamous” elements of art and principles of design, we might proactively embrace a metaphorically bigger picture of art by balancing Form + Theme + Context.”

“Designed to activate thinking by generating and “mixing” information, the FTC Palette is a visual organizer that builds understanding, makes connections, and inspires deeper inquiry and creativity.”

“Rebalancing art and art education through the conceptual mapping approach to exploring art contained in the FTC Palette has the following characteristics: it is focused, dialectical, inclusive (comprehensive), connective, creative, and engaging.”

“The use of FTC emphasizes balance in making connections so that even inexperienced viewers can more fully address thematic relationships and contextual relevance while gaining a clearer understanding of artistic form.”

“By enlarging the visual thinking process, FTC considerations can help students create and respond to art that is authentic, deep, and meaningful.”

“…we might note Modernism as emphasizing form, Postmodernism as emphasizing theme, and Visual Culture as emphasizing context.”

“…using Form+Theme+Context inclusively combines the vital aspects of modernism, postmodernism, and visual culture while ensuring each of their important contributions and place in our contemporary understanding of art and visual culture.”

“…the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s (n.d.) “new 3Rs” consisting of “Rigor, Relevance and Relationships” used to address high school reform (McCallum, 2007).”

“These 3Rs are equally pertinent to deepening the power of arts learning through FTC when focusing on the rigor of skill and structure (form), understanding and establishing meaningful relationships (theme), and appreciation of significance and relevance (context).”