Unit Summary:
These four lessons are unified by poems in the unit’s core text written for children by Langston Hughes, The Dream Keeper and Other Poems. The teacher will translate the vocabulary and written materials into Spanish and English to be accessible to all students and provide hands-on demonstrations with one-on-one checking for understanding. In addition to creating my own essential questions I also will employ those developed by the National Common Core Standards for Visual Arts in the areas of Creating, Responding, Performing/Presenting/Producing and Connecting.
Lesson Plan I: “I, Too”
In this lesson students will learn about society, culture and history through their poetry analysis and production of art. The title of the first lesson of the unit is “I, Too,” based on the poem of the same title by Langston Hughes from the book The Dream Keeper and other Poems illustrated by the artist Brian Pickney. Other instructional resources include a vocabulary list and a handout of the poem (Hughes, 63). Students will compare the artwork next to the poem in the text with artwork collage by the artist Ashley Bryant for the poem dedication by Langston Hughes at the beginning of the book Sail Away. (Hughes, 24) This four-line poem is an excellent introduction for students to how repetition creates rhyme and is displayed on a collage of a sailing boat which fits the theme of the unit of a quest. Students will read an excerpt from Langston Hughes’s poem “The Young Sailor,” from the Yale Beinecke Rare Book Library, as well. The seminar “Poetry as Sound and Object,” engaged us in discussions about poetry as dramatic speech and about Black music and aesthetics. In this dedication Hughes describes how “words sing” and can last longer than the utterance of them. In the book The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois begins every chapter with a phrase of music. At the end of the book his dedication is an afterthought. Du Bois asks the readers to hear his words so “the ears of the guilty people tingle with truth” (Du Bois, 217). Students will discuss how the poem “I, Too” can be read as dramatic speech and will be encouraged to read it aloud to explore the sound and emotion of the words. The big idea of the lesson is creating an archive. Students can also look at examples of data visualization by Du Bois about Black America as inspiration for their design process (Battle-Baptiste, 34). Eighth grade students will spend four class sessions completing the objectives. Materials include inks, drawing paper, Styrofoam plates, tape, brayers, inking trays, pencils, erasers, mixed media, adhesive, white heavyweight paper. The objective is that students will be making a record of the passage of time through layering mark making using the printing process. After discussion of the essential questions following oral and silent reading of the poem, the class will brainstorm ten unique things about themselves in the first class. In the next class students will create their print design. In the 3rd and 4th classes students will collaborate to make a large format print together. New vocabulary will include: artist, poet, cotton gin, slavery, Harlem Renaissance, poem, print, repetition, ashamed, dare, beautiful, layering and collaborative. Instructional strategies for this lesson include lecture, discussion, demonstration, spaced repetition and a field trip to the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop in Hamden, Connecticut. The Visual Arts Standard for this lesson is Connecting: Va: Cn11.1.8, Process Component: Relate, Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. The essential questions are: What is printing? How does the poet Langston Hughes use repetition in the writing of this poem? What is a motif? What is pattern? How does art help us understand the lives of people of different times, places, and cultures? How is art used to impact the views of society? How does art preserve aspects of life?
Procedures
- 1.The lesson will be introduced by the instructor using a smartboard.
- Group learning will follow with discussion of the poem.
- The instructor will do a demonstration of printmaking using mixed media.
- Students will have independent design practice before the class creates an artwork as a group.
Evaluation
The learning targets are that students participate in class discussion about the poem, create their own print design individually and then collaborate to create an artwork as a class.
Extension
Advanced students can distinguish how art can represent, establish, reinforce or reflect group identity. (Va: Cn11.1.8)
Lesson Plan II: “Color”
The title of the second lesson of the unit is “Color,” based on the poem of the same title from the book The Dream Keeper and other Poems (Hughes, 76). Instructional resources include a vocabulary list and a handout of the poem. Students will read an illustrator’s note on the artwork collages by the artist Ashley Bryant in the book Sail Away that accompany poems by Langston Hughes (Hughes, 4). In this section the illustrator describes his artistic process. Bryant explains how he used color, materials and inspiration from his mother’s sewing to create the artworks for the book (Hughes, 4). Students will also read in the book Schomburg: The Man Who Built A Library by Carole Boston Weatherford about how Arturo Schomburg personalized every book in his library collection with a personal bookplate (Weatherford, 48). Students will be encouraged to personalize their artworks with poetry as artistic statements throughout the unit. Students will additionally read an excerpt of the archival poem “Trumpeter” from the Yale Beinecke Rare Book Library. During the Poetry as Sound and Object seminar was read an article, “The Poet Writing on Prison Underwear,” by Adam Iscoe from May 8, 2023 about an artist who transformed prison t-shirts and underwear into handmade paper. Using a cotton garment as the base of an artwork is opportunity to talk with students about his artistic process and why he chooses to make paper this way. During the Poetry as Sound and Object seminar fellows kept commonplace books. I used a commonplace book with cotton pages. I used the commonplace book for drawings, such as copies of artists like Leonardo Da Vinci or Michaelangelo. One of the texts that I copied out was an excerpt from The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Claire. It described the wealth accumulated in Britain from the processing of cotton during the height of American slavery. The class can begin by having a discussion of favorite items of clothing and whether they have ever had an item of clothing customized with embroidering a name, patch or color on to it. The big idea of the lesson is exploring the expressiveness of color. Eighth-grade students will spend three class sessions completing the objectives. Materials include ink of various colors, rulers, scissors, acrylic paint, cardboard, rolling trays, brayers, white cotton t-shirts, tape, pencils and erasers, drawing paper. The objective is that students will be designing and screen-printing a shirt inspired by the poem. Vocabulary will include: World War I, Harlem Hellfighters, collagraph print, color, design, shroud, banner, soaring, proud. Instructional strategies for this lesson include didactic questioning and concept mapping. Students will practice innovative thinking during their design process. The teacher will check for understanding by doing a word bank quiz the class following discussion of the poem using the new vocabulary in the first and second lesson of the unit. The Visual Arts Standard for this lesson is Creating: Va: Cr1.1, Process Component: Investigate-Plan-Make, Anchor Standard 1: Generate, conceptualize artistic ideas and work. The essential questions are: What is color? How is color described in the poem? How does the title of the poem influence the students’ interpretation of the poem? How can students symbolize color in the design of their shirt?
Procedures
- In the first class after reading the poem together and discussion as a class. Students will reflect on how to represent color using design of a printed shirt.
- Students will analyze the artwork accompanying the poem by the artist Brian Pickney using the elements and principles of design to describe what they observe.
- They will do a preliminary drawing of their design in the first class.
- In the 2nd class students will print the first layer of the shirt.
- In the final class students will add another layer of color to their shirt and take their work home.
Evaluation
The learning target is that the students learn how color can be represented symbolically and expressively in design. Students can create an artwork with personal meaning based on their interpretation of the poem. Students will receive two in-class participation scores for the class discussion and contribution to the collaborative artwork comprising of multiple layers.
Extension Advanced students can document the progression of their creative process. (Va: Cr1.1.8)
Lesson Plan III: “Stars”
The title of the third lesson of the unit is “Stars,” based on the poem of the same title from the book The Dream Keeper and other Poems (Hughes, 75). Instructional resources include a vocabulary list and a handout of the poem. The big idea of the lesson is creating a symbolic motif. Students will compare the print artwork next to the poem in the text with artwork collage by the artist Ashley Bryant for the poem “Fulfillment,” in the book Sail Away. (Hughes, 24) The poem fulfillment contains a stanza that describes the qualities of “a bright ball of light,” that can be used to help students visualize stars for this lesson. The lesson will also include a reading of an excerpt of the poem “World War II Night Edition” from the Yale Beinecke Rare Book Library. Students can explore ways in which visual art motifs can be representative of words and ideas. Eighth grade students will spend four class sessions completing the objectives. Materials include inks, tape, pencils, erasers, heavyweight white paper, drawing paper, brayers, rulers, rolling trays. The objective is that students will be designing and printing posters inspired by the poem. Vocabulary will also include: World War II, Tuskegee Airmen, reduction print, stars, dreaming, oblivion, dark, Harlem, song, lullaby, typography and poster. The Visual Arts Standard for this lesson is Responding: Va: Re7.1.8, Process Component: Perceive, Anchor Standard 1: Perceive and analyze artistic work. The essential questions are: What do stars symbolize and where do you find stars? Where is Harlem? Is there action happening in this poem? How do life experiences influence the way you relate to art? How does learning about art impact how we perceive the world? What can we learn from our responses to art? What conditions, attitudes, and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking? What factors prevent or encourage people to take creative risks? How does collaboration expand the creative process?
Procedures
- Students will analyze the artwork accompanying the poem by the artist Brian Pickney using the elements and principles of design to describe what they observe.
- After discussion of the poem in the 1st class students can look at examples of stars in space and art in order to create prints in the following classes.
- Students will be able to answer aesthetic questions about their design using the elements of art such as color, form, and space, and principles of art such as repetition, harmony and unity.
Evaluation
The learning target is that students learn how to create visually impactful signs that have a symbolic message. Instructional strategies for this lesson include reading for meaning and think-pair-share. The teacher will check for understanding by using a self-assessment rubric to measure the learning target of the third lesson.
Extension
Advanced students can explain how aesthetic choices are shaped by culture and environment and impact visual images conveyed to others. (Va: Re7.1.8)
Lesson Plan IV: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
In this lesson students can learn how artists and museums protect artworks for display. The title of the fourth lesson of the unit is “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” based on the poem of the same title from the book The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (Hughes, 62). Students will compare the print artwork next to the poem in the text with artwork collage by the artist Ashley Bryant for the same poem “Negro Speaks of Rivers,” in the book Sail Away (Hughes, 39). Instructional resources include a vocabulary list and a handout of the poem. Students will also read an excerpt of the poem “Youth” from the Yale Beinecke Rare Book Library. The big idea of this lesson is going on a quest. Eighth grade students will spend four class sessions completing the objectives. Materials include adhesive, black matting paper, acrylic paint, rulers, pencils, inks, brayers, rolling trays, tape, erasers, scissors, and white heavyweight paper. Vocabulary will include: matting, analyze, presentation and curation. Instructional strategies for this lesson include storytelling, research and a field trip to The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York City, New York. The Visual Arts Standard for this lesson is Presenting: Va: Pr5.1.8, Process Component: Analyze, Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation. The essential questions are: What does the author compare the rivers he describes to? Where are the rivers that are mentioned in the poem located in the world and what direction do they flow in? Does the author describe the past? What images can students use to make a print inspired by the poem? What methods and processes are considered when preparing artwork for presentation or preservation? How does refining artwork affect its meaning to the viewer? What criteria are considered when selecting work for presentation, a portfolio, or a collection?
Procedures
- Students will analyze the artwork accompanying the poem by the artist Brian Pickney using the elements and principles of design to describe what they observe.
- The objective is that students will be printing images of rivers and the final works will be matted for display.
- After creating their final print each student will mat their final artwork for display in the district art show.
Evaluation
The learning target is that students learn workmanship and it will be assessed by a formal rubric by the instructor. The teacher will assess understanding by the completion of a final project as a capstone of the unit. Each artwork will have a written reflection with a title in prose or poetry.
Extension
Advanced students can collaboratively assist in the curation of the artwork for the final exhibition. (Va: Pr5.1.8)