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Shadows of Self Unit Plan

 

Big Idea:  Identity

 

 

Introduction

 

Our identities are a combination of our view of ourselves and the way our multiple community circles view us. This is a relevant discussion during junior high and high school because students are trying out different personas and social circles. Art making is a good way for students to learn about the art world while they explore themselves and their communities.

 

 

Essential Questions

 

Students will be asked the following essential questions throughout the unit, enabling them to focus on the enduring idea through reflecting on their experiences and making personal connections to the enduring idea.

  1. How can someone develop their own identity and awareness of themselves?

  2. How does our social circle affect our self image?

  3. Is identity created or given?

  4. How can we build our social and/or cultural identity?

  5. How have other artists explored these questions?

 
 
Key Concepts

 

The following key concepts will be explained within the unit.

  1. Making art can be a means for exploring identity and self awareness.

  2. Social/cultural identity can be activated through art.

  3. Addressing identity with art can create powerful imagery.

 

 

Rationale

 

High School is a time of searching for identity for many students. Personal identities are molded, morphed, swapped, and cemented during these crucial years in the lives of young adults. Art making can be a valuable tool in the development and exploration of identities for high school students. Students will be asked to explore different avenues of themselves over at least 6 lessons using different media.

 

Unit Objectives

 

The following objectives will be met over the duration of the unit:

  • Overarching: students will practice creation process and problem solving of various visual and personal representations. Students will learn how to use various mediums and techniques to purposely show a representation.

  • Overarching: Students will study how other artists have explored and reflected the concept of identity in their artworks in order to promote creative problem solving.

  • Overarching: Students will explore the idea of identity in a series of artworks which will encourage self-awareness and different senses of self.

  • Lesson 1: Students will practice expressing themselves through a textual design and a self-chosen handle.

  • Lesson 2: Students will gain a sense of how the interactions of different social circles creates a single, multifaceted identity.

  • Lesson 3: Students will connect with a cultural item from their family and practice representational techniques.

  • Lesson 4: Students will practice projecting a created identity.

  • Lesson 5: Students will foster identity, gain self awareness, and develop realistic portrait drawing technique.

  • Lesson 6: Students will explore the difference in communication of selfie images.

 

Assessments

 

  • Teacher’s Rubric (after each project)

  • Journal Reflection (after each project)

  • Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

  • “Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

  • Class Critique (end of unit)

  • “Muddiest Point” (end of unit group discussion) AAE p. 87

  • Behavior & Effort (attendance, engagement in class discussion, effective use of class time, participation, encouraging others)

 

Lesson Plan Overviews

 

Lesson 1: Anonymity in Art

Students study street art examples

Students will create a street name and a tag. Students will use this tag to sign their work for the rest of the unit.

 

Lesson 2 Social Identity Triptych

Study Graciela Iturbide /  Nikki S. Lee

Students will photograph 3 social groups they belong to and document themselves in that setting. They will create a triptych of themselves in three social roles.

 

Lesson 3 Cultural Identity Still Life

Study Paul Cezanne: Still Life with Blue Pot / Still Life with Sunflowers VII by Vincent Van Gogh

Students will bring an object they feel represents their family or background. They will create a still life with the object and render it in the medium of their choice.

 

Lesson 4 Hidden Identity in Art

Students study Slinkachu / Banksy / Dede Bandaid / Daft Punk

Students will create a stencil with card and a mask with card that projects the identity they want to create.

 

Lesson 5 Expressive / Symbolic Self Portrait

Students study Frida Khalo  (the two fridas) / Rembrandt (self portrait with two circles)

Students render a 2D self portrait using a mirror (not a photo) in paint or drawing. Students are encouraged (but not required) to symbolize something about their identity with their approach to the portrait as in example works.

 

Lesson 6 Selfie

Students study I've Got it All (2000) by Tracey Emin / Helene Meldahl “mirrorsme”

Students will participate in a multi-day selfie project which will be united by the theme “repetition with variation” and which will explore an expression of their self-identity.

 

Lesson Planning Form for Lesson 2 Social Identity Triptych

 

 

Subject/ Topic/ Theme: Social Identity Triptych

 

I. Objectives

What is the main focus of this lesson? Creating a triptych of works which will show a mutli-faceted view of the student’s social circles.

 

How does this lesson tie in to a unit plan? This lesson helps students realize how their differing social circles affect them and tie into their overall identity as parts of a whole.

 

What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.)  Indicate connections to applicable national or state standards.  If an objective applies to only certain students write the name(s) of the student(s) to whom it applies.

1)ART.VA.IV.HS.4 Use knowledge of art and design history to inform personal artwork.

2)ART.VA.III.HS.5 Recognize and understand the relationships between personal experiences and the development of artwork.

3)ART.VA.II.HS.4 Apply knowledge and skill to symbolize the essence of an idea.

 

 

 

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills.


 

Study Graciela Iturbide /  Nikki S. Lee

Basic Composition

Matting / Framing

Assessment

(formative and summative)

 

  • Teacher’s Rubric (after each project)

  • Journal Reflection (after each project)

  • Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

  • “Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

  • Behavior & Effort (attendance, engagement in class discussion, effective use of class time, participation, encouraging others)

Identify those students (individuals or groups) in your class who will need special attention and describe the level of support you plan on giving them.  Refer back to the survey you did of your class.

 

Materials-what materials (books, handouts, etc) do you need for this lesson and do you have them?

 

ppt or prezi for introducing the artists

computer lab time for photoshop tweaks of final works

Photo printing paper and mattes and frames as needed

Do you need to set up your classroom in any special way for this lesson?  If so, describe it: No Special Set-up.

 

 

III. The Plan

 

Motivation

(Opening/ Introduction/ Engagement)

Class Discussion:

Have you ever felt like a different person in different social groups? Why?

What effect did that have on you?

Which one is the real you? Are any of them? All of them?

(Introduce artists with presentation)


 

 

Development

Students will be assigned to photograph 3 social groups they belong to

and document themselves in that setting.

 

The final product will be a triptych of themselves in three social roles.

 

The nature of this assignment means that, in most cases, students will not be

able to do the photography work in class. The initial study of our inspiration artists and our class discussion should occur on a friday, the next monday we will begin the next lesson in the unit and students will have a week to complete the photography portion of this lesson.

 

The week after, in-class work will be limited to guiding the students in the use

of photoshop and/or formatting and framing of the final products.
 

 

Closure

 

Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

“Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

 

My reflection on the lesson including ideas for improvement for next time:

 

 

 

Lesson Planning Form for Lesson 5 Self Portrait  

 

I. Objectives

What is the main focus of this lesson? Creating an expressive Self-Portrait without photo reference

 

How does this lesson tie in to a unit plan? This is the first time the students will create a “traditional” self portrait. How does our representation of ourselves relate to our actual self? What is easy or difficult about rendering an image of yourself?

 

What are your objectives for this lesson?  Indicate connections to applicable national or state standards.  If an objective applies to only certain students write the name(s) of the student(s) to whom it applies.

1)ART.VA.I.HS.1 Apply acquired knowledge and skills to the creative problem solving process.

2)ART.VA.I.HS.2 Intentionally use art materials and tools when applying techniques and skills to communicate ideas.

3)ART.VA.II.HS.4 Apply knowledge and skill to symbolize the essence of an idea.

 

 

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills:

drawing / painting from life

symbolism?

 

Assessments

(formative and summative)

 

  • Teacher’s Rubric (after each project)

  • Journal Reflection (after each project)

  • Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

  • “Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

  • Behavior & Effort (attendance, engagement in class discussion, effective use of class time, participation, encouraging others)

Identify those students (individuals or groups) in your class who will need special attention and describe the level of support you plan on giving them:

 

 

Materials-

 

PPT or Prezi for Artist background and discussion

drawing and painting supplies

mattes as needed

Do you need to set up your classroom in any special way for this lesson?  If so, describe it. No Special Set-up

 

 

 

III. The Plan

Time

Parts

The description of  (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and student activities

 

Motivation

(Opening/

Introduction/

Engagement)

Class Discussion: What are different ways to SHOW something about your identity even though you are doing a representative portrait? Are there better or worse ways to do so? Why?

Introduce artists with presentation


 

 

Development

Students study Frida Khalo  (the two fridas) / Rembrandt (self portrait with two circles)

Students render a 2D self portrait using a mirror (not a photo) in paint or drawing.

After class discussion of artists who will inspire us, students will choose to work in drawing or painting for the rest of this assignment.

Students go to the work stations prepared for drawing or painting as the choose.

Students will be encouraged to play with composition, framing, and props over the next few class periods.

They will be required to turn in a minimum of 5 studies showing the exploration process of creating studies of variations before their final work.

Students will have up to 6 class periods as needed to complete the final work.



 

 

Closure

 

Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

“Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

Your reflection on the lesson including ideas for improvement for next time:

 

Lesson Planning Form for Lesson 6 Selfie — Calvin College Education Program

 

Teacher Breland

Subject/ Topic/ Theme Selfies as a form of communication

 

I. Objectives

What is the main focus of this lesson?

 

How is a Selfie different from / similar to a “traditional” portrait?

 

How does this lesson tie in to a unit plan? (If applicable.) As a further way to explore identity, they tie in with students’ everyday life and integrate art topics with technology

 

What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.)  Indicate connections to applicable national or state standards.  If an objective applies to only certain students write the name(s) of the student(s) to whom it applies.

1)ART.VA.IV.HS.4 Use knowledge of art and design history to inform personal artwork.

2)ART.VA.V.HS.7 Analyze the impact of visual culture on society.

3)ART.VA.II.HS.6 Use emergent technologies and materials to create artistic products that demonstrate knowledge of context, values, and aesthetics.

 

 

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills.

Background on selfie artists, selfies as a cultural phenomenon

Assessment

(formative and summative)

 

  • Teacher’s Rubric (after each project)

  • Journal Reflection (after each project)

  • Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

  • “Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

  • Behavior & Effort (attendance, engagement in class discussion, effective use of class time, participation, encouraging others)

  • Essay describing student’s view on how selfies effect the larger culture around us.

 

Students who need special support for this lesson:

 

Materials-what materials (books, handouts, etc) do you need for this lesson and do you have them?

  • phone or phone to borrow

  • computer lab time

  • photo printing paper

  • mattes

 

No Special Set-up

 

 

III. The Plan

 

The description of  (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and student activities:

 

Motivation

(Opening/Introduction/Engagement)

Discussion centering on "What are the differences between a selfie and a portrait?"

Artists discussion I've Got it All (2000) by Tracey Emin / Helene Meldahl “mirrorsme”

 

Development

  • Students will participate in a multi-day selfie project which will be united by the theme “repetition with variation” and which will explore an expression of their self-identity.

  • Teacher will ask students to bring phones or cameras to class for this lesson.

  • After discussion: students will look for opportunities around the school for creating interesting selfies.

  • Next day: teacher will ask students to show their favorite 3 selfies from yesterday's work.

  • Students will be asked to build a series of selfies which will be developed from or as a reaction to the one, two or three of the selfies they tool around the school.

  • Classroom time for the next few days will be for photoshop and matting.

 

 

 

Closure

 

Essay describing student’s view on how selfies effect the larger culture around us.

Self Assessment Rubric (after each lesson)

“Annotated Artworks” (after each lesson) AAE p. 74

Your reflection on the lesson including ideas for improvement for next time:

 

Conclusion

 

 

The students will embark upon a long journey in this unit. If they engage with the artist examples and the assignments, they will receive many insights that will help them connect with each other and excel in the social infrastructure of their world. They will be able to engage in discussions, show respect for peers, and practice empathy.

 

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