Joan Z. Jacobson
This unit sets out to enrich high-school students through the art of journal-making, with a clearer understanding of themselves in their present lives and what they may hope to achieve in the future. It is designed for a course called “Journals and Publications.” In the first half of the journal, the student needs to convey how he envisions himself in his present world through his written word, graphic illustration and/or drawing. In the second half of the journal he is ready to create a written and graphic look into his future. Hopefully his thoughts for the future will be touched with optimism and hopefully his dreams may lead him on to a greater sense of empowerment. The tools to help motivate his imagination come in the way of films, art publications, graphic novels, and art reproductions. Artists discussed in this unit whose work will inspire the imagination include Salvador Dali, Edward Hopper, Joseph Cornell, and Frida Kahlo. Also, by using a wide variety of strategies and media, students can develop their power of drawing and writing about their dreams and hopes as a means of realizing these aspirations for the future.
(Developed for Journals and Publications, grades 9-12; recommended for Creative Writing and Visual Arts, High School grades 9-12)
