Where Do We Come From? Who
Are We? Where Are We Going? What’s Here? Why Is It Here? And How Do We Fit
In? (apologies to Paul Gaugin)
Designed by J. M. Houlihan, art teacher, to address the topics of nature, our interaction to and interferences with it, land and community development, architecture and ourselves through nature readings, observation, memory and imaginative drawing and painting and poetry writing during art class in the fall and winter terms of S.Y. 2000-2001.
Link To Content Standards:
This course of study will include but not be limited to the following Learning Standards from the Massachusetts Art Curriculum Frameworks: 1.6 Create an artwork that
demonstrates an awareness of the range and purpose of tools, 1.10 Use electronic technology for reference, 1.14 Demonstrate a mastery of tools and techniques in a medium, 2.8 Use and be able to identify various types of line, 2.9 Use and be able to differentiate texture and illusion of texture, 2.10 Use and be able to identify an expanding and increasingly sophisticated array of shapes and forms, 2.11 Create unified 2D and3D compositions that demonstrate an understanding of balance repetition rhythm, scale, proportion, unity, harmony, emphasis, space and volume, 3.4 Create artwork from direct observation in order to develop skills of perception, discrimination, physical coordination and memory of detail, 4.7 Maintain a portfolio of sketches and finished work, 4.8 Create and prepare art work for group or individual public exhibitions and 5.6 Demonstrate the ability to describe the kinds of imagery used to represent subject matter and ideas.
Integrated with studio work and exhibition in the Framework is the connections strand which will be addressed via standard 6 which… Examines the ways in which the content of other disciplines is interrelated with the arts including languages and literacy, scientific principles, mathematical reasoning, and geographical, cultural and historical knowledge and the ways in which concepts from the other core disciplines may be expressed through the arts. There will be a strong effort to concentrate on and connect to Social Studies, science, math and especially to the content standards from the English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks 1.) Reading and Literature Strand- 9.5 Make supportable connections between text and other work:comparative narrative, non-fiction, or poetic treatment of same subject and media strand, and 27.3 Create a media production using effective images…or graphics.
Brief
Summary Of Unit :
Using the area directly abutting the school property, that is, the back fields of Saint John Seminary, Brighton, Chandler’s Pond off Lake Street and Glenmont Road (the street on which our school is located) from Foster Street to Willoughby Street, an area of one “neighborhood” block as our focus area of study, the students of the L.A.B. cluster art class will examine the natural and man made parts of which the area is comprised in order to produce drawings and paintings for journal and other work. The subjects of their works will encompass the skills of nature sketching, architectural rendering, portrait painting, and crafting of hand made paper, linoleum block printing and hand bound book making.
Throughout the entire semester, the students will also examine literature by Henry David Thoreau and other writers . The students will also write daily in their journals. In addition each student will produce a hand bound, calligraphed and illustrated volume of original autobiographical poetry.
The students will also be responsible for producing works for , coordinating (with the teacher’s assistance) and mounting an exhibition to be presented at a parent-teacher open house. During the exhibition the students will serve as guides to show and interpret their exhibit. The students will be required to explain the works on display and the ideas behind those works to visitors. This opportunity for positive social interaction will be considered as integral to the unit.
The real possibility of writing and illustrating for a school literary journal or student newsletter exists as a “mainstreaming” opportunity for these special needs students. Further activities such as this project designer’s hope for a school breakfast and lunchtime recycling effort to be developed and administered by the students of the L.A.B. art class have not yet been planned.
The
Enduring Understandings that this project builds upon are:
Students will understand that their personal identities are both formed by and informative to the public community, they will be aware that ideas and actions are not discrete, that there is not an unfathomable divide between home and school, between their lives and the lives of others or between man and nature and that through their own work they can bridge the artifice of the gaps.
They will come to an understanding of and an appreciation for writings by Thoreau and others as inspiration for thoughtful investigation of our “neighborhood” block and our world.
They will understand better who they are, what they are, where they are , why they each have the ability to express their understanding and how they can express those understandings artistically. And, the students will understand that they are in nature not separate from it.
The
Essential Questions that guide this project and focus the teaching and learning
are:
How deeply must you see? What must you look at that you have never seen or only passing noticed? How much can you learn from what there is to observe? How can you verbally and visually translate what you perceive and what you think about? How are you a part of what exists in nature? How can you maintain the dignity of your individuality? (i.e. How can you live deliberately?)
The Key Knowledge and Skills that students will acquire as a result of this project are:
· Focus Questions : Does the student understand blind contour, contour, gesture and memory drawing? Can the student mix colors and choose brush size in water coloring? Does the student understand wet brush, dry brush and other water color techniques? Can the student choose which art tools and materials are appropriate to each task? Is the student able to share his knowledge through exhibition, bulletin board and poster production? Can the student read and explain a literary selection in small group (reciprocal teaching) exercises and in the larger class size frameworks of reporting and testing? Does the student know how to use books, computers and other sources in order to inform his own work? Can the students recognize literary styles and even some examples of a particular author’s work? –and- Can the student work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers both inside and outside the classroom ?
· Acceptable Evidence ( or assessment ) : In order to demonstrate their knowledge and mastery of art skills, students must produce both practical excercises during classroom practice time and in preliminary sketching, planning and layout. Additionally, completed nature journals, water color street scapes, and portraits will be required of each student.
Written products ranging from journal notes to interpretive evaluations of weekly readings to composition of poems for the final bookmaking project will be completed during the semester also.
In order to measure student achievement, a rubric will be developed for each task (preferably through teacher student collaboration) which will be used as a scoring tool defining levels of performance. Task evaluation will focus on how students have solved artistic problems. The rubric for each task will provide the student with a written record of accomplishment and development. Portfolios ( which are of course routinely used in art classes ) will be used not only for artistic works but also for student writing thus providing visual and written documentation of a student’s emerging ideas and literacy and art skills.
Reflection during formal “Crit.” Sessions and through informal conversations between students and with the art teacher will also be used wherein students should be able to describe what they know and what they can do, and should be able to offer suggestions for improvement.
Task Responsibility:
Overall Project Schedule: J.M.Houlihan, art teacher and Donnette Wilson, Assistant Principal and class schedule coordinator.
Parent Contact :
J.M.Houlihan for field trip permission forms , Pauline Young , L.A.B.
Cluster psychological
social worker for classroom visits, chaperones etc.
Community Resource Contact : Maryanne Marchione, School Librarian ( and wife of
Wm. Marchione Ph.D. , president, Brighton Historical Society).
Public Relations-open
house etc.:Expressive Academic
Cluster , J.M.Houlihan, cluster leader and L.A.B. Cluster art students.
Overview of project:
Formal lesson plans
including materials lists, expected outcomes, and classroom handouts, as well
as related materials such as course bibliographies can be obtained after the beginning of S.Y. 2000-2001 by
contacting J.M. Houlihan at Thomas A. Edison M.S. 60 Glenmont Road Brighton,
Ma. 02135 tel. 617-635-8436 or e-mail:
j houlihan @ mass ed. net .
The following is a rough
draft of the project sans specific
dates :
Weekly Throughout-Discuss
quotations from nature writings supplied by teacher.
First Week of School- Teach observation drawing
skills , including contouring,( using materials gathered by teacher ) inside
classroom.
September- Beginning Nature
walks on school grounds, and Seminary , gather materials to bring back to
classroom for observation drawings, writing in journals.
September through November-
Further walks farther afield to Chandler’s Pond (possible contact with “The
Friends of Chandler’s Pond”- ecology group).
Late November through
January- Introduction to Architecture, “architecture walks” for journal
drawings and watercolor streetscapes (may lead to interaction with Brighton
Historical Society), that will result
in a collaborative display by entire class of their architectural renderings.
(At this point there might be contact with local, TAB Newspaper for publicity
article re. Project).
January into February-
Introduction to Portraiture (good opportunities here to discuss social
interactions and health issues).
January through February-
Making hand bound books.
February- Introduction to
poetry, writing poems. Choosing content of hand made books and laying out text
and illustrations for them.
February Open House-Organization (including sending
invitations and designing programs for it) and presentation of art exhibition.
A detailed calendar of
events and deadlines will be provided to students as part of this project.