From Section 1-The Museum Visits (third of three visits)
This lesson plan is for the third of three museum visits the students will be undertaking. As mentioned in the introduction, these visits that my class takes are to the Yale Center for British Art, but any museum visit will work just as well. In the third visit my students will be focusing on portraits in preparation for the monologues that they will create and also to give them a glimpse at portraits, which will play a major role in the completion of the unit with the creation of students’ self-portraits at the end of the unit.
Objectives
-
Students will review museum rules and etiquette
-
Students will observe several paintings in the museum
-
Students will share observations and ideas on paintings through oral discussion
-
Students will use graphic organizer to take notes on one portrait
-
Students will write a monologue in their journal from the point of view of one of the painted characters
Initiation
In the classroom students are asked who remembers the rules for going to the museum. As this is the third trip to the museum, many of the students should remember rules and procedures from previous trips. It will take five to ten minutes for the students to run through the rules; no chewing gum, no touching the walls, no leaning on the walls, no touching the paintings, no running in the museum, use museum voices in the museum, be polite, raise your hand, etc.
Procedure
Once at the museum, students hang up their jackets, reassemble and head up to one of the paintings. On the third visit our focus will be portraits. Students will sit in front of a painting, observe silently for about a minute and then the teacher will initiate the discussion.
As mentioned earlier in the unit the teacher plays the role of mediator or moderator during the museum visits. To get the discussion rolling, the teacher simply asks, “What’s going on in this painting?” The conversation begins and the teacher acts as mediator, repeating, paraphrasing and asking the students more questions that allow the students to look closer and think more deeply. “What makes you say that?” “What else do you notice?” “Does anyone see anything else?” are all questions that the teacher will ask to keep the conversation on the art going amongst the children. The teacher concludes the session by summarizing the observations made by the students.
Finally students are asked to utilize the “Portrait Monologue” graphic organizer in order to take notes for the monologues that they will create in their journals and share with the class.
When students return to the classroom they are reminded of the portraits that they observed and encouraged to discuss them as a class. Students are to take the notes they created in the museum and write a journal entry in first person format to answer the question, “Who are you and what’s your story?”
Students can write their monologues for homework or in class. They need to stand and share their work with the class. Student Assessment Rubric
Museum Creative Monologues
The creative monologues you write based on paintings viewed in the Yale Center for British Art will be assessed on five points. Each category is worth two points. The total points times ten gives you your score.
1. Student’s monologue displays his/her own interpretation of the work
2. Student’s monologue displays his/her own eye for detail
3. Student relies on sensory detail to frame images in monologue
4. Student shares work with class
5. Student welcomes discussion/interpretation, contributes to discussion
____
Total Points
____
X 10= Score
Sample Lesson From Section 2- Thurber Fables
This lesson is located in section two of the unit. Students are being asked to create both a Thurber fable and a Poe story in section two. This lesson occurs right at the beginning of the section when the class has been introduced to Thurber.
Objectives
-
Students will review fables.
-
Students will be introduced to Thurber fables.
-
Utilizing graphic organizers, students will work in groups to create and present an oral Thurber fable.
-
Students will rewrite a well-known fable in the style of James Thurber.
-
Students will illustrate their fables.
-
Students will share fables with the class.
Initiation
Quick write-students are asked to do a “quick write” on fables. They are given about two minutes to write, then the class shares ideas on what a fable is. One student might come to the board in order to jot down ideas being shared by the class. After we have been reminded what a fable is, the students are asked to recall some fables. Some students might remember a fable that they can share with the class. The teacher should prepare one or two short fables as well.
Procedure
Once the students have recalled the fable, students are split into groups and assigned fables by James Thurber to share with the class. One at a time the groups share their assigned fables. Once all the fables have been shared we discuss as a class what makes a Thurber fable different from others. Students will say things like they are funny, that they have a unexpected ending and things like that. Once we have shared our ideas each group is given the Thurber Fable Organizer. The group is asked to go over their fable and fill in the graphic organizer. After about ten minutes the class shares its findings by group.
Finally, students are asked to think of a fable that they know. If they cannot think of one, the teacher should be prepared to assign one. Once the student knows his/her fable he/she is given the Thurber Fable graphic organizer. Students are told that they will rewrite their fable as if it was a Thuber fable. This project is to be done in their journals and a Thurber type of simple illustration should accompany each fable. When students finish they should share their fables with the class.
Thurber Fable Organizer
Title of Fable:
Characters in Fable:
Basic (two or three sentence) description of plot:
Thurber “Twist”:
Moral of Fable
Thurber Fable
Assessment Rubric
After completing the Thurber fable, which you have been working on with your group, you will be assessed on your individual fable based on the following criteria:
1. Student completed a Thurber fable based on another fable
2. Student participated in-group discussion on the fables
3. Student added a Thurber illustration to his/her work
4. Student shared work with class
5. Student’s work was consistent with style and tone of other Thurber fables
____
Total Points
____
X 10= Score
Sample lesson plan from section three- Self Portraits
This final lesson plan is from the third section of the unit when students are asked to create a self-portrait and an autobiographical essay to go with the artwork. Ideally these lessons are done in an art room with the assistance of an art teacher, but it is not vital that the lessons are developed in that way. If the students are working with an art teacher, the language arts teacher can get the students started on their autobiographical essays.
Objectives
Students will recall what “autobiography” is
Students will recall what a “time line” is
Students will help create a class time line
Students will create their own time lines and use as an organizer for their autobiographical essays
Initiation
I draw a time line on the board and ask students who can identify the line. Eighth graders have been introduced to time lines before so there should be a response from the students. I begin to ask students questions that they will more than likely have the same answers for, i.e. “What year were you born?” “When will you graduate from middle school? High school? College?” At this point we begin to fill in the time line, looking ahead into the future for the students. After a few minutes we will have a “class time line” on the board. This is the example for the students.
Procedure
At this point students are given paper to make their own time lines. They will begin the same as the sample, but will get more creative as they peer into their futures. Allow students to fill in the time lines, reminding them to look way ahead to some of their goal and achievements as a writer/artist. These time lines will serve as graphic organizers for the students short autobiographical essay which will go on the back of their self-portraits. I will tell students the title of their essay will be, “My name is _______ and I am a Writer/Artist.
Once students have finished their time lines, they can share them with the class and then begin their rough drafts at home. I give the students the “Autobiographical Essay Rubric” before they go home so that they know exactly what I expect.
Autobiographical Essay Rubric
The autobiographical essay you write will be pasted on the back of your self-portrait that you are creating in the art class. Your essay will be assessed on five points. Each category is worth two points. The total points times ten gives you your score.
1. Student’s essay begins with designated title
2. Student’s first paragraph covers his/her early life
3. Student’s second paragraph covers his/her academic life
4. Student’s third paragraph covers future achievements
5. Student’s essay is attached to portrait and shared with class
____
Total Points
____
X 10= Score