Flower Power
A lesson on adornment and empowerment!
Laura Mooradian
Student Teaching
Academy of the Americas
Fall 2022
Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: __Flower Power____________________________________________
Targeted grade Level: _8th_____________ Anticipated Time Frame:__12 Days
Lesson Plan
Rationale
1.
Conceptual Structure/Big Idea:
Adornment and Empowerment
Why is this a relevant concept for students to explore? How does it connect to contemporary culture and context?
I have a class of 24 8th grade girls. This time in their lives can be wrought with self-doubt, low self-esteem, negative self-image and whole host of insecurities; I would like to center them as individuals worth crowning to combat the brutal culture we live in. Women, in particular, are held to unrealistic standards of beauty and performance; celebrating and crowning these individuals helps them to build confidence and reframe the context in which they view themselves. This is an exercise in empowerment and building a positive self-image while exploring craft, curation, and technical skill.
2.
Key Concepts (What ideas, facts, and new knowledge will the students acquire? List the key art concepts that will help students to understand the big idea as an artist.)
1. Students will learn about the rituals of adornment and wearable sculpture
2. Students will learn principles of portraiture through photography
3. Students will explore concepts such as composition, 3 dimensional construction, material exploration and manipulation
Why is it important for students to know these concepts?
1. Students will analyze and explore rituals of adornment. Adornment is a valuable concept because it is an expression of culture and heritage, as well as self-expression and communication.
2. Students will learn principles of portraiture through photography; in the digital and social media age, photographs are a cornerstone of visual language and communication. Being visually literate and intentional in one’s representations and communications empowers students to be creative and proactive in their expression.
3. Working 3-dimensionally activates many areas of cognitive activity and creates a depth of experience with the objects they create. They will work with new and fragile materials which they will explore and manipulate (and hopefully master). They will learn properties of organic materials (flowers and plants) which will reinforce science and biology concepts. They will explore composition which will elevate their understanding of visual art while challenging them to creatively apply principles to their artistic visions.
3.
Objectives (what students will DO):
1. Students will develop an artistic vision/intention through a planning process.
Students will execute multiple steps to create their own wearable art.
Students will explore conceptual elements to create a work of art that reflects thoughtful and meaningful expression.
How do the objectives fully support learning and how do they connect to the students’ lives? (What evidence can you provide that makes you say this?)
Incorporating planning steps into this project will help students to organize their thoughts and order the tasks into manageable steps. This step also helps students to be intentional about their work.
Students will learn strategies, process, and techniques to successfully create a wearable sculpture.
3. Students will create a work of art that expresses a personal viewpoint that has an important connection for them. Incorporating meaning while developing an artistic voice will help students to use art making to process thoughts, feelings, and experiences
4.
Essential Questions (BIG overarching questions):
1. How do we curate the representations of ourselves in the world?
2. What about ourselves is worth crowning/adorning?
How are these questions meaningful to the student? How do you know?
As we compose and curate images of ourselves, what is the reality and honesty in these images? Students will come face to face with the reality that photographs and representations can be manufactured to create a façade, this will bring greater analysis and a more discerning eye to images they ingest on social media and in the world.
Many cultures use adornment in a variety of ways and for different purposes, how do we choose to adorn ourselves? Why do we adorn ourselves? What affect does adorning have on us? These are questions I want the students to explore as they take time to feel positive about themselves and build confidence through creative expression and adornment.
5.
Standards:
NVAS:
1. VA:Re.7.1.8a: Explain how a person’s aesthetic choices are influenced by culture and environment and impact the visual image that one conveys to others.
2. VA:Cn10.1.8a: Make art collaboratively to reflect on and reinforce positive aspects of group identity.
Michigan:
1. ART.VA.I.8.5 : Effectively produce and exhibit a final product that demonstrates quality craftsmanship and technique
2. ART .VA .III .8 .2: Effectively interpret artwork, searching for embedded meaning, function, and personal connections .
6.
Connecting and Responding:
Teaching Resources: (art work, videos, books, etc)
Art: (Artists and insert thumbnail photo of examples shared)
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-johannes-vermeer/3QFHLJgXCmQm2Q
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/krishna-and-yashoda/QQGtENCf67LfmQ
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/irissen-in-volle-bloei-kunisada-i-utagawa/eQFVwmP1KOBHkQ
https://photographylife.com/the-three-elements-of-a-good-photo
Explain how the students will explore the concepts of the big idea through artists and their artwork. What opportunities will the students have to RESPOND to art? Choose artists whose work exemplifies an exploration of your big idea and include examples of the artist’s work in your presentation.
I chose artistic portraits of several women from different times and cultures. I chose to represent a variety of styles, ethnicities, and compositions to show the students the wide range of techniques and compositions available for capturing a successful portrait. I also chose this variety to highlight the variance in adornments and cultural representations. We will discuss elements of the composition that students can recognize, and point out elements that are overlooked. Frida Kahlo is included in this set of portraits as she is the artist who is depicting herself; giving her more control over how she is represented; this is an important distinction to make to students as they will play the role of the model, as well as the artist for this assignment.
Students are very attentive when the lights go out and they can watch a video, so I chose to include a short Youtube video to quickly go over the photo-transfer process.
I am also including a video from the Smithsonian that discusses the relationship between fact and fiction in portraits which I feel succinctly sums up the concept of curation vs. reality, as well as a Smithsonian video about the elements of a portrait.
I am including a link to reference when taking a photograph so students will have material available when they inevitably forget the information we have gone over.
7.
CREATING
Lesson Plan Sequence (This will be lengthy and will be broken down into days if need be) How will the art teacher help students artistically and creatively investigate and express the big idea? Explain how you will facilitate the development of knowledge about CREATING/ARTMAKING that will help students explore subject matter, media, and techniques in their own work. How will you weave opportunities for formative assessment and reflecting into the lesson? Bold content specific art vocabulary
1. I can find examples of adornment and wearable sculpture in famous works of art….
Students will VTS images of different types of cultural adornment. We will have an inclusive group discussion about how we choose to adorn ourselves and why. Students will be instructed to find examples of adornment throughout art history on their laptops and share with the group what they found compelling about their examples.
2. I can construct a 3 dimensional wearable sculpture…
I will demo how to construct a flower crown. Students will use the materials provided to measure, construct and assemble their own flower crown.
3. I can construct a 3 dimensional wearable sculpture…
Students will use this day to work on and finish their flower crowns.
4. I can compose a scene for a portrait…
We will discuss principles to compose a scene for a portrait (photograph). Students will brainstorm and mindmap additional elements to include in their portraits and create a plan for their portrait. Students will wear their crowns in their portrait.
5. I can work cooperatively to take a portrait….
Students will work in pairs to execute their plan. Students will take two photos, one of their partners and one of themselves.
6. I can work cooperatively to take a portrait…
Students will use this day as a workday. Portraits will be due at the end of class.
7. I can print my photo and transfer it…
Students will print their photos onto laserjet transfer paper and use ModPodge to begin transfer onto a block of wood.
8. I can finish transfer & begin painting…
Students will clean transfer paper from their block of wood and use acrylic paint to adorn their portraits.
9. I can paint my portrait….
Students will use this as a work day to paint their portraits.
10. I can paint my portrait…
11. Students will use this as a work day to paint their portraits.
12. I can reflect on my project and process…
Students will reflect in their journals about their project and process. Students will share out loud what they enjoyed or struggled with during this project.
Share rationale for choices in teaching and learning strategies, here is where I should see additional evidence of the readings. How will you scaffold the lesson to maximize learning?
1. Students will be exposed to diverse cultures and respond to artwork. This serves as an informal pre-assessment, as well as gives students the opportunity to digest, react to, and formulate verbal responses to visual art. Students will also use this time to research other examples and share their findings through Jigsaw intervention.
2. Students will have to plan, follow multiple steps, and manipulate materials to create a wearable flower sculpture crown.
3. Students will have an additional day to complete their crowns. These crowns can be difficult, and I want to give students enough time to correct for errors or address any challenges. Working with flowers can be challenging as they can be quite delicate, and the process may be slow.
4. I will brief students on some principles for successful portraiture. They will use this information to layout and consider the elements they want to include in their portraits. Using this time to plan and be proactive about how they will be composing their portraits creates a more intentional product.
5. Students will work together to communicate and execute their plan for their portraits. Working cooperatively during this step means that students will have to articulate their intentions and potentially use one another to elevate and refine their ideas. Group work during this stage in development taps into their proclivity for social interactions. Having a selfie and a picture taken of them juxtaposed will inspire thought and analysis of who is the artist and who is the model.
6. Students will have a workday to complete their portraits. Group work often takes a day or two.
7. Students will print their photos and begin the transfer process. They will be able to physically edit their photos with scissors, so this is another opportunity for intervention.
8. Students will finish their transfer by cleaning the paper from their wood. This step requires some finesse. Students will also spend time painting their wood blocks. Color is another way for students to express themselves creatively in this process. The color is removed during the transfer process so this will give students an opportunity to manipulate their compositions artificially.
9. After careful observation from prior projects, students need a few days to paint.
10. Work day.
11. Work day.
12. Reflection day. Students will journal in response to prompts such as “What did you find challenging about this project? What did you want to communicate through your artwork? How close is your project to your initial plan? Are you satisfied with the final product? Has this changed your perception of adornment? What would you do differently?” I also think it is important for students to share aloud. Talking about art and reflecting on process are important aspects of artmaking, it deepens comprehension and reinforces new information.
8.
Differentiation/Accommodations/Modifications (For differently abled on both ends of the spectrum)
Students who struggle with fine motor skills will still design their flower arrangements and layout. I will tape the crowns together for them. Students who struggle with cognitive impairments will be encouraged to create a bouquet they can incorporate into their portraits.
Share rationale for each
Students who do not have the physical ability to tape their crowns are still able to design, arrange and layout their crowns as they are constructed while in linear form. Students who struggle cognitively will still benefit from arranging a bouquet and the material exploration of plants. Depending on the severity of the impairment, most students should be able to layout a crown and will only need assistance with the tape; however, I recognize some students have sensitivities physical stimuli and would not like to wear something restricting on their head, so the bouquet option is a more controlled interaction.
9.
Assessment Strategies: (Connecting and Responding) What evidence from performances and products demonstrate deep understanding and generalizable new knowledge?) What evidence of pre-thinking, in process ideation and development will be required?
Students will be assessed informally at the beginning of the lesson. From there, students will be formatively assessed throughout the process evident by their mind maps, planning and execution of the prompts. The reflection will serve as an assessment as well, as they will be self-assessing. I will check for language, concepts, and project quality.
Share rationale for formative and summative assessment, HOW will this reveal knowledge acquired and how they will use it?
How will you know what your students have learned about:
• the big idea that they investigated
• the artistic concepts and depth of knowledgebase
• art creating and production/process
• reflecting on their own work and connecting and responding to other art work
•How will the students’ voices be represented in the assessment and presentation of their work?
Students will research and present examples of adorned people in artistic portraits. Their presentation in front of the class will be assessed for understanding and terminology. This is an example of connecting and responding to other art. Students will be assessed formatively throughout this process; checking for technical skills and application. Mindmaps are effective for helping me to see their logic behind the choices they make and get a glimpse at their planning process. The reflection will also be an assessment as they are able to express their experiences and opinions about the process and final product in relation to the assignment.
10
Insert photo of teacher created exemplar here:
Rationale here should discuss the significance of what was created and address prior knowledge (ideas, context etc) students will need to understand the lesson content.
I created a flower crown with a gift bouquet of flowers and curated a portrait using the rule of thirds and incorporating texture. I created the crown after a brief tutorial from a friend and experimented with the layout and overall design. Next, I found a backdrop that would compliment and frame the crown with a texture and color palette that would work to accentuate the flowers. I created a crown that made me feel like mother nature incarnate; I want these 8th graders to feel empowered and creative and regal. I did not transfer this image as the wood blocks have been difficult and expensive to source and my money has been invested in the supply side of this project. Students will need to curate a photograph that captures the spirit of their creative energy and boosts their self-image and value.
11.
Materials/Tools/Art supplies needed
Flowers
Floral Tape
Floral Stem Wire
Ribbon
ModPodge
Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic Setting Spray
Laserjet Printer
Laserjet Transfer Paper
Wood Blocks
CellPhones
Journal/Sketchbook
What prior knowledge students will need to effectively use materials to express their ideas? (you may complete this AFTER making your teacher exemplar)
Students will need to understand how to take a photo. Students will need to understand how to mix paint colors, how to wrap and secure objects with tape, how to arrange objects in a 3 dimensional space.
This project focuses on technical skill and creative problem solving so the materials are very basic (flowers, tape, paper, glue); however, using floral tape is more nuanced than conventional tape and will take some effort to utilize effectively. Flowers are readily available (natural Detroit flora) but students will have to be gentle in their handling.
The transfer is a very straightforward process but students will need to exercise care not to remove the image when cleaning.
12.
Materials Distribution/Clean Up
Students will be assigned supplies to their tables.
Names will be taped on a flag affixed to the ribbon.
Students will store their projects on a sheet of paper with their name in the office.
Students will clean paint palettes and brushes in buckets of water.
Describe possible systems and management strategies
There are 6 tables in the classroom; each table will have a set of supplies to share and work cooperatively to clean and manage.
We do not have running water in the classroom, we have two portable sinks that we can fill with water; however, the best management for cleaning acrylic paint is in buckets that we can empty into the toilet so as not to clog the sinks.
Flowers need to be stored in a cool environment so I will bring the flowers to and from school and keep in the cooler at home.
13.
PRESENTING How will your students’ work be PRESENTED and curated?
Students will hang their crowns to dry and the dried wreath will frame the wood block portrait on the wall.
Who is the audience? What kind of feedback will the artists receive?
Students will receive feedback from their peers. Students will most likely share their photos on social media and receive feedback from a broader peer base. The wood blocks will be displayed in the art room for the other classes to see, and potentially entered into the district wide art show at the DIA.
