Education 2015-2016
Art and Feelings Multiple Visit Program Teacher Guide
How to Use This Guide This guide provides additional context for what your students will experience when visiting the museum. Pre- and post-visit lessons target a variety of curricular areas including literacy, drama, social and emotional learning, and visual art. They ask students to think critically and solve problems. Lesson plans are carefully aligned to provide either an entry into the conversations that will take place in the galleries, or further ideas that were constructed during time spent at the Blanton. We recommend that you teach them in order and within two weeks of your museum visits. You will notice that lessons vary in duration from thirty minutes to two hours, and many include extensions for both the classroom and home. Specific TEKS are outlined within each lesson plan; subjects addressed are noted on the Teaching Timeline. The timeline will help you quickly assess the content of all six lessons, as well as let you know what materials are needed. The Art and Feelings curriculum, both in the museum and classroom, is organized around three themes that build upon one another: bodies, relationships, and difficult situations. It has been written for upper elementary and middle school students, with TEKS aligned to grades 3-8. Occasionally suggestions are included for scaffolding content to accommodate student needs. You are encouraged to adapt lessons to meet the needs of your students and to fit your teaching objectives. To learn more about social and emotional learning, visit www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning.
We welcome your feedback! Please get in touch to let us know how things went! We would love to see pictures of students at work or of completed projects. Don’t hesitate to share suggestions for how we can improve our teacher resource materials. Email us at
[email protected].
Blanton Education For more information about education programs at the Blanton, including teacher resources, school programs, opportunities for families and public audiences, please visit our website: www.blantonmuseum.org.
Support for K-12 education programs at the Blanton is provided by the Buena Vista Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.
Art and Feelings
Grades: 3-12
Teaching Timeline Concept/s
Visit 1 Bodies
Visit 2 Relationships
Visit 3 Difficult Situations
Subject Area/s
Pre: art, ELA
Pre: art, ELA
Pre: art, ELA
Post: art, ELA
Post: art
Post: art, ELA
Pre: Interpreting Body Language
Pre: Secret Letters
Pre: The Spectrum Game
Post: Fun Time Diagrams
Post: Alone or Lonely? Poems
Victor Emile Prouve, Le Baiser [The Kiss]
Jacob Lawrence, The Eviction
Lesson
Post: Interpreting Works of Art Focus Works of Art
Oliver Herring, Patrick
for Pre-visit Lessons
Essential Question
Focus Works of Art for Post-visit
How might learning to interpret body language help us build empathetic communication skills? Robert Henri, The Old Model (Old Spanish Woman)
How would you respond to a difficult situation? If you could say anything to a family member, what would it be? James Morgan Dennis, Let’s Go (Scottie Dog)
Donald Roller Wilson, Mrs. Jenkins Late Night Dinner…,
Lessons
Essential Question
Materials
How might we use our knowledge about body language to interpret works of art? Pre: medium sized space for drama-based activity Post: color copies of images provided in lesson
With whom, how and where do you have the most fun? Pre: notepaper, pencils Post: collage materials, glue, paper, scissors, markers
What is the difference between being alone and being lonely?
Pre: Spectrum Game prompts, a large area for students to vote with their feet. Post: paper, pencils
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Pre Lesson for Museum Visit 1
Lesson Title
Interpreting Body Language
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
45 minutes
Essential Question
How might learning to interpret body language help us develop empathetic communication skills?
Abstract
This lesson incorporates a longer looking session and a drama-based activity related to interpreting body language. Through learning about the sculpture Patrick by Oliver Herring, and exploring their own body language, students will build skills in empathetic viewing and communication.
Focus Work of Art
Oliver Herring Patrick 2004 Foam core, museum board, digital c-print photographs, and polystyrene
TEKS Correlations
Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others. English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Articulate ways that body language can be used to communicate emotion. 2. Articulate and discuss what their body language communicates to each other.
Vocabulary
Body language: movements or positions of the body that express a person's thoughts or feelings
Materials
Image of Patrick, by Oliver Herring
Resources
http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search Oliver Herring)
About the Artwork
A man named Patrick posed for artist Oliver Herring over several studio sessions, during which time the artist photographed the model in intimate detail. He then carved a shape that resembled the seated figure and covered it with a skin made of bits of photographic images, in this way creating a new object—half photograph, half sculpture—whose finished form embodies and alludes to the passing of time, the perception of change, and the integration of small moments into the fabric of a life. Strongly flavored by the artist’s laborious working process and exceptionally careful looking, Patrick nevertheless appears pensive and aloof from that voyeuristic gaze, closed away in a private state that belies his half-naked vulnerability.
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (10 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at Oliver Herring’s Patrick. Next, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis. Information about the artist and artwork may also be inserted.] Can students describe the expression he is making? How would they describe his overall appearance (fit, skinny, handsome, unattractive)? What is he wearing, or is he wearing anything? How does this affect their interpretations? Finally, students should be asked to RELATE their discussion to their own lives. What is Patrick’s body language suggesting to the viewer? How do we feel when we sit like Patrick is sitting? Invite students to assume Patrick’s pose. Ask students to reflect on how they are sitting. What do they notice? How does our body language convey what we are feeling? Are there times when body language does not match up with what you might be saying? For example, if you say, “sorry,” and roll your eyes at the same time? Drama-based activity, round one (5 minutes) During this and the following drama-based activities, students will quickly act out and then freeze in a pose according to the action, emotions, or situation that is being called out. In round one, teachers will call out emotions (happy, excited, angry, frightened, eager, shy, etc.). Drama-based activity, round two (10 minutes) Teacher calls out situations that evoke emotions (being introduced to an adult, giving a presentation in front of your peers, apologizing to a teacher, being alone, going to a friend’s birthday party, spending time with your family, hanging out with friends). During this time, students should notice both their body language and the body language of others. The teacher should facilitate a conversation about how students might feel differently about the same situation (ex. one student might feel comfortable being introduced to an adult while another might not). Reflection (5 minutes) In small groups, ask students to reflect on the body language exercises. What did they learn? Ask them to interpret their current body language. What are their postures and/or gestures communicating? Discuss how knowledge about body language can help students become more empathetic. Ask students to think about a time when they misread (or correctly read) someone’s body language. What happened? [You may wish to have questions written on the board or printed on slips of paper, so they are easy to see.]
Assessments
As students share in their small groups, circulate to check for understanding and pose additional questions.
Sample Outcomes
Outcomes will vary.
In Class Extensions
Try other drama-based activities with your class. Search this site for ideas: http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/dbi/ Invite students to notice each other’s body language and reflect openly. They might want to journal about these reflections – does understanding body language lead to better communication among their peers?
At Home Extensions
Encourage students to try the same activity at home with their family. Ask students to observe and decode the body language used by family members. Students can share what they have learned and discuss.
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Post Lesson for Museum Visit 1
Lesson Title
Interpreting Works of Art
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
55 minutes
Essential Question
How might we use our knowledge about body language to interpret works of art?
Abstract
Students will work in pairs to analyze works from the Blanton’s collection, focusing on interpreting body language.
Focus Work of Art
Robert Henri The Old Model (Old Spanish Woman) oil on canvas circa 1912 Additional works of art will be used for the activity, see list at end of lesson.
TEKS Correlations
Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others. English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Use looking and analytical skills to interpret the body language represented in images. 2. Identify emotions represented in certain images and practice perspective-taking.
Vocabulary
Body image: a subjective picture of one's own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others
Materials
Image by Robert Henri (projected or enlarged) One conversation bubble per student (these work well when printed on card stock and cut out) One color print of each of the additional images provided
Resources
http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search Robert Henri) http://www.upworthy.com (search Lupita Nyongos) https://www.lammily.com http://selfesteem.dove.us
About the Artwork
An influential teacher and the outspoken founder of a new, progressive style of realism, Robert Henri is perhaps best known for his acutely sensitive portraits of common people, whom he sought out during his travels around the world. Unlike his contemporaries, who painted commissioned portraits of wealthy industrialists and their families, Henri preferred what he considered to be the deeper and more complex characters of workers, peasants, beggars, and entertainers. He was particularly fond of sitters in Spain, evident in this work, and visited there several times for lengthy painting excursions between 1906 and 1912, and again in 1923–1924. In an article he wrote in The Craftsman in 1915, he said, “The people I like to paint are ‘my people,’ whoever they may be, wherever they may exist, the people through whom dignity of life is manifest, who are in some way expressing themselves naturally. . . . My people may be old or young, rich or poor. . . . But wherever I find them, . . . my interest is awakened and my impulse immediately is to tell about them through my own language—drawing and painting in color.” Perhaps because of the breadth of his foreign experiences, Henri was a champion of the particularities of regional character and encouraged artists in the United States to paint details of everyday American life.
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (5 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at Robert Henri’s Old Model, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis. Information about the artist and artwork may also be inserted. What choices did the artist make when portraying the woman in this painting? How do they think she feels? Finally, students should be asked to RELATE their discussion to their own lives. Activity: Qualities of a hero (5 minutes) Pass out conversation bubble cutouts. Invite students to think about what the woman in the painting might say or think. Once they have an idea, they should hold up their conversation bubble and share. Activity: Picture Pass (20 minutes) Students will work in pairs for this simple interpretation game. Pass out one of the supplemental images per pair. Designate which direction students will pass their images before starting. Explain to the class that every pair will get a couple minutes to discuss the image they have, and then will pass to the next pair. The game will end when students receive their initial image back (in other words, once all students have seen all images). Write these questions on the board for students to reference as they look at their images (you may also want to remind them as they pass pictures): What body language do they notice in their image? What emotions are evoked as they look at their image? What perceptions (ideas) do they have about the figure or figures (or object) in their image? How do they relate to the image? Reflection (10 minutes) Ask students to reflect on this activity. What did they notice about the images? Were there images with which they identified? Why and how did they identify with those images? How did this activity relate to what they discussed during their museum visit?
Assessments
Assess student understanding of assignment through their participation in discussion.
In Class Extensions
Continue this conversation about body language throughout the year. How else might the topic be explored?
At Home Extensions
Invite students to journal about their thoughts on beauty. Girls might want to pay extra attention to visual culture critically think about how images impact their perceptions.
Supplemental Images from the Blanton’s Permanent Collection For more information about these or other Blanton works of art, search the online collection database.
Herman Braun Everyday Shirt … No. 1 La camisa de casa dia … No. 1 1976 pastel, pencil on paper Daniele Crespi Conversion of Saint Paul c. 1621 (Seventeenth century) oil on canvas Roy Lictenstein Crying Girl 1963 lithograph Philip Evergood Dance Marathon 1934 oil on canvas Claude Vignon David with the Head of Goliath c. 1620-‐1623n (Seventeenth century) oil on canvas José A. Toirac Diptico [En el desierto] Diptych [In the Desert] 2000-‐2001 oil on canvas
Luca Cambiaso Ecce Homo c. 1570s (Sixteenth century) oil on canvas Kathe Kollwitz Die Eltern [The Parents], plate III from Sieben Holzschnitte Zum Krieg [Seven Woodcuts about War] 1922-‐1923 woodcut Antonio Berni Mediodía [Noon Time] 1976 mixed media on canvas Pablo O’Higgins Mujer en blanco [Woman in White] 1944 watercolor and charcoal on paper Oscar Muñoz Untitled 1977 chalk on paper José Clemente Orozco Embarazada or Solandera [Pregnant Woman or Soldier’s Wife] 1930 lithograph
Fernando Castro Pacheco Otomi 1946 lithograph Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (aka Rembrandt) Christ Preaching (La Petite Tombe) c. 1652 (Seventeenth century) etching, drypoint and burin on Japanese paper Leopoldo Mendez Tengo sed, from “Rio Escondido” 1948 linoleum cut Tom Lea The Lead Steer 1941 oil on canvas Raphael Soyer Transients 1936 oil on canvas
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Pre Lesson for Museum Visit 2
Lesson Title
Secret Letters
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
55 minutes
Essential Question
What do we appreciate about our family members?
Abstract
Students will have an opportunity to reflect on the concept of family and on their own families. They will then write a secret letter to a family member saying everything they appreciate about them.
Focus Work of Art
Victor Emile-Prouve Le Baiser [The Kiss], from L'Estampe moderne [The Modern Print] 1898 19th century Color Lithograph
TEKS Correlations
Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others. English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.17, 4.b.15, 5.b.15, 6.b.14, 7.b.14, 8.b.14) Students use elements of the writing process to compose text. (3.b.19, 4.b.17, 5.b.17, 6.b.16, 7.b.16, 8.b.16) Students write about their own experiences.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Compare and contrast Le Baiser to their family. 2. Write a letter to a family member saying something they wish they could actually tell them.
Vocabulary
N/A
Materials
Image Paper Pencils Table dividers or space for students to work in privacy
Resources
http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search Emile-Prouve)
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (10 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at Le Baiser. Next, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis.] How do they think the child feels? How do they feel when looking at this image? Finally, students should be asked to RELATE their discussion to their own lives. Does this family look like theirs? How is it different? How is it similar? Have they seen families like this? When and where? Warm-up (10 minutes) Ask students to talk with a partner about their family. Who are the members of their families? Who do they see every day? Who do they live with? Do they live in different places depending on who is taking care of them? Do they consider pets to be member of their family? What about good friends or relatives? Ask students to think of a memory to share about their family. Activity (20 minutes) Pass out paper and pencils. Ask students to write a secret letter to a family member, or to their entire family, saying everything positive that they wish they could say. Reassure students that these letters are private and will not be shared or viewed (unless the student would like to share). Give students plenty of time to think and work. Monitor time on task, but don’t read over shoulders- so that students know you are respecting their private thoughts. Give a two-minute warning for students to finish writing. Reflection (10 minutes) Once students have finished writing, ask them to reflect on the process. What was it like to write a secret letter? What will they do with it? Would they do this exercise again? Why or why not?
Assessments
How do you assess that students are writing about their assigned topic, when you aren’t able to review their finished product? Check for student understanding by looking for equal participation during the introductory, warm-up, and reflective sections of the lesson. Circulate to monitor time-on-task during the activity.
In Class Extensions
Secret letters might also be used to work through frustrations at school.
At Home Extensions
Encourage a family member to write an open letter to their child – saying everything positive that they wish they would say on a regular basis. This letter should be shared with the student.
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Post Lesson for Museum Visit 2
Title
Fun Time Diagrams
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
55 minutes
Essential Question
With whom, how and where do you have the most fun?
Abstract
Let’s Go (Scottie Dog) immediately evokes ideas about the friendship between a dog and its owner. The image also begs: Where are they going? Students will consider the fun and special relationships in their lives, and the places they enjoy spending their time. They will then create diagrams that visually represent these relationships, times, and locations.
Focus Work of Art
James Morgan Dennis Let’s Go (Scottie Dog) th 20 century Etching
TEKS Correlations
Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others. English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Articulate one or more relationships in their lives that are fun and special. 2. Articulate the places they enjoy spending their time. 3. Create a diagram that visually represents one or more special relationship, a special time, and the location.
Vocabulary
N/A
Materials
Image Notepaper Pencils 1 large sheet of paper per student (18”24”) Markers Collage materials Glue Scissors
Resources
http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search Let’s Go)
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (10 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at Let’s Go (Scottie Dog). Next, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis.] How does the Scottie look? Have they ever seen a dog look like this? When? Where? Why do they think the work was given the title ”Let’s Go?” Finally, students should be asked to RELATE their discussion to their own lives. Have they ever felt like they imagine the Scottie feels? When and where? If they were with someone, who was it? Warm-up (10 minutes) Pass out notepaper and pencils. Ask students to start listing fun times that they have had (at least three). These can be single words, phrases, or sentences. They should write down the people they were with, the location, and what they did. They should include as many details as they remember. Once students have had time to get their thoughts on paper, stop the class and introduce the art activity. Activity (20 minutes) Pass out the large sheet of paper, markers, glue, and scissors. Tell students that they will now need to think about how they can create a diagram of their fun time/s. They can choose one memory from their warm-up notes or more than one. Their diagram can look however they want. Students might choose to use one color to represent a specific memory, location, or person. Once their diagrams are laid out, pass out collage materials for them to add to their diagrams. Explain that these materials might represent elements or qualities of a location, thing, or person. For example, a cotton ball might represent a cloudy day or a fluffy cat. The notes students wrote during their warm-up can be torn or cut and used within the diagram. Reflection (10 minutes) Do a gallery walk to view everyone’s work. Ask students to share their artwork and discuss. What similarities students notice? What other ways could these memories be mapped?
Assessments
As students are working, circulate around the class and ask clarifying questions about their diagrams. Students should be able to explain their diagrams and choices of collage elements.
In Class Extensions
Create a fun time class diagram to keep up all year! This might be a bulletin board or a poster to which students can freely contribute. Encourage students to journal about their happy experiences.
At Home Extensions
Encourage your students to talk with their family members about times they spend together. What do they enjoy doing? Do they have a favorite memory or activity?
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Pre Lesson for Museum Visit 3
Title
The Spectrum Game
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
55 minutes
Essential Question
How would you respond to a difficult situation?
Abstract
Students will consider on how they would act in situations of varying difficulty and discuss.
Focus Work of Art
Jacob Lawrence The Eviction 1935 Drawing
TEKS Correlations
Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others. English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Articulate a rationale for how they vote based on different situations presented. 2. Demonstrate respect for divergent opinions.
Vocabulary
Eviction (verb) a : to recover (property) from a person by legal process b : to put (a tenant) out by legal process Image Spectrum game prompts: What would you do? and How do you Feel? Large space for students to form a circle http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search The Eviction)
Materials
Resources
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (10 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at The Eviction. Next, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. What is happening in this picture? After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis.] Why do you think Jacob Lawrence chose to depict this scene? What message is the artist trying to convey? How might you feel if you were witnessing this scene? Finally, students should be asked to RELATE their discussion to their own lives. What would you do if you saw this happening? What would you say? Can you think of a time when you have witnessed an injustice? What did you do? Is there anything you wish you had done, but didn’t? Warm-up (10 minutes) Using the conversation about The Eviction as a springboard, discuss the What would you do? questions. You might choose to have students work in pairs to talk, or discuss as a whole class. Talk with students about their responses. Note: If these questions do not relate to your students, you will want to think of others in advance.
Activity (20 minutes): The Spectrum Game After warming up, ask students to form a circle. Tell them that you will make a statement and that they will move along a spectrum depending on how they feel about the statement. Students should go to the circle's center if they strongly agree with the statement, to the middle if they somewhat agree, and stay in place if they disagree. If a player strongly disagrees, they can step outside the circle. Once everyone is in place, players can look around to see who stands where and ask a few students to discuss their rationales. Next, all players return to their original positions and wait for a new statement. Use The Spectrum Game prompts, or make your own. Note: If you are doing this in an art classroom, you might consider making a gradient scale for students to stand on. If that is the case, one end of the scale would represent agreement while the other would represent disagreement.
Reflection (10 minutes) Ask students to write a brief reflection about this lesson. How was it to discuss these questions and situations with their classmates?
Assessments
Assess student understanding of situations by asking clarifying questions.
In Class Extensions
Consider playing the spectrum game the next time a difficult subject comes up.
At Home Extensions
Invite students to talk with their family members about the situations discussed in class. How might their family address some of these same topics? Are their responses different?
What would you do?
You witness a classmate getting into a fight after school?
Your classmate makes fun of you?
Your friend asks you to do something you know is dangerous?
You hear someone say something about a person that you know isn’t true?
You see something on TV that bothers you, but other people are watching?
You were given credit for something that you didn’t do?
The Spectrum Game
I like to spend time in nature.
People think I am funny.
My room is a mess.
I can picture myself going to college (being a parent).
I am athletic.
I consider myself artistic.
I speak more than one language.
I am good at math.
I like being different.
Most of my time outside of school is spent playing a sport.
Most of my time outside of school I like reading fiction. is spent with my family. I like where I live.
Sometimes I gossip.
I stand up for people who are getting picked on, even if I don’t know them.
I look for opportunities to help people.
MVP
Art and Feelings
Sequence
Post Lesson for Museum Visit 3
Lesson Title
Alone or Lonely? Poems
Grade Level/s
3-8
Subject Area/s
Art, English Language Arts
Duration
55 minutes
Essential Question
What is the difference between being alone and being lonely?
Abstract
Students will compose poems related to their reflections on times when they have either been alone, lonely, or both.
Focus Work of Art
Donald Roller Wilson Mrs. Jenkins’ Late Night Dinner in Her Room, Alone (While, Out in the Hall Leading to Her Room, Her Small Friends were Sleeping) 1984 Painting Art (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.c.1, 7.c.1, 8.c.1) The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. (3.b.2, 4.b.4, 5.b.4, 6.c.4, 7.c.4, 8.c.4) The student makes informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others.
TEKS Correlations
English Language Arts (3.b.1, 4.b.1, 5.b.1, 6.b.26, 7.b.26, 8.b.26) The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings. (3.b.29, 4.b.27, 5.b.27) The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures. (3.b.23, 4.b.23, 5.b.23, 6.b.22) The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.24, 4.b.24, 5.b.24, 6.b.23) The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages, and meanings. (3.b.17, 4.b.15, 5.b.15, 6.b.14, 7.b.14, 8.b.14) Students use elements of the writing process to compose text. (3.b.19, 4.b.17, 5.b.17, 6.b.16, 7.b.16, 8.b.16) Students write about their own experiences. Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to… 1. Reflect on the differences and similarities between being alone and lonely. 2. Write a poem about a time when they have either been alone or lonely.
Vocabulary
N/A
Materials
Image Poem Paper Pencils
Resources
http://collection.blantonmuseum.org (search Donald Roller Wilson)
About the Artwork
The title of Mrs. Jenkins’ Late Night Dinner in Her Room, Alone (While, Out in the Hall Leading to Her Room, Her Small Friends Were Sleeping) and a poem that accompanies it tell part of a sprawling story while the haunting and realistic large-scale canvas tells another. With words and images, Donald Roller Wilson weaves a Southern Gothic tale of sorts. In the painting we do not see Mrs. Jenkins, who is invoked in the poem, or the surreal cast of characters that recur in many of Wilson’s canvases, often animals dressed in vintage clothing. Employing the painting techniques of seventeenth-century Dutch masters such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Wilson paints from life, filling his studio with scouted artifacts. He attends to every detail with photographic precision and the finest of touches: here, the wrinkles and folds of the fabric covering the chairs, the halos of stains coming through the paint on the walls, and the evocative play of light and shadow dancing across the room.
Lesson Components
Introduction to artwork (20 minutes) Using the same strategy that students learn at the Blanton, invite them to silently LOOK at the painting by Donald Roller Wilson. Ask students to pay attention to the many details included. Next, ask students to DESCRIBE what they see. After taking full inventory, students should move on to ANALYZING the artwork. [As facilitator, the teacher should link observations and descriptions to assist student analysis.] What is happening here? Provide the title of the painting. How would they describe Mrs. Jenkins? How does knowing the title of the painting alter their first impression of what was going on? Next, read the poem by Wilson (you may also want to project it while reading). How does this change their analysis? Why might Mrs. Jenkins’ set the table for two? Pass out copies of the poem to groups of students. Ask them to discuss its meaning and report back. Discussion questions might include: What does Wilson mean when he writes, “Most who peeked inside had seen the plates, but none had seen the light.” In what ways do you think “those who knew” were trying to be polite? Was she alone? Was she lonely? Why might she have been lonely? Warm-up (20 minutes) Pass out paper and pencils. Ask students to think about times when they are alone and write these times down. Next, ask them to consider if they were lonely during these times. Did they want companionship or were they OK being alone doing the things they had just written down? Students should make a mark next to the times they were alone and also felt lonely. Discuss the difference between being alone and feeling lonely. If you are alone, does that mean you are also lonely? If you are lonely, does that mean you are also alone? How can you tell when somebody else feels lonely? What might you do for someone who you think is lonely? What might you do if you are lonely? Activity (20 minutes) Found word poems Finally, ask students to think of times they have been lonely. Ask them to really think if they have ever felt this emotion. Students should then write down the times or adjectives they associate with loneliness. Ask students to circle three to five words from their brainstorm and arrange in any order they wish. Share poems. Reflection (10 minutes) How did the poems reflect their brainstorms? Did students notice certain words used more frequently? Did they notice things in common with other students?
Assessments
Check for student understanding by looking for equal participation during the introductory, warm-up, and reflective sections of the lesson. Circulate to monitor time-on-task during the activity.
In Class Extensions
Write letters to senior citizens or create a class project to assist a senior center. Brainstorm ways students can help one another when they are feeling lonely.
At Home Extensions
Encourage students to talk with family members about loneliness. Encourage students to spend time with an elderly member of the family or volunteer at a senior center.
Mrs. Jenkins’ late night dinner in her room, alone (While, out in the hall leading to her room, her small friends were sleeping) Mrs. Jenkins set her table Made it look like two Had dined together in her room last night And in the morning—through her keyhole Most who peeked inside Had seen the plates but none had seen the light And very few who saw caught on For most were fooled—it seemed And those who knew had tried to be polite They knew that though she played her tricks Down deep, she was inside And, in the end, that she would be allright. Donald Roller Wilson, 6:32 p.m., Saturday evening, July 14