Millet The First Steps
Source: Google Images
My focus class is a kindergarten class of fifteen students. There are two reasons I have chosen this image as a good VTS choice for these students.
Reason #1: My school district has adopted the common core curriculum, and spent all last year building lessons for grades K-2. The current kindergarten unit states:
“After looking closely at three art pieces with the same name, “First Steps,” choose one of the paintings and imagine it shows the end of a story. Pair students to make up the beginning and middle of the story to share with the class. Prompt: Choose one of the paintings and write (or dictate) a sentence telling why you chose that painting as your favorite. Be sure to begin your sentence with a capital letter and put a period at the end. (W.K.1, W.K.3)”
“ART TEACHER WILL TEACH THIS:
- RL.K.9 To introduce “versions” of a story to your class, use Millet’s First Steps as the original idea. Allow the class to study the painting, giving plenty of time to notice details and create a possible story surrounding the painting. Then pull out Van Gogh’s First Steps, after Millet and have the class note how the “original characters are still in the story” but also that it all looks different. (Millet: People are prominent. Van Gogh: People are no longer the focus; everything appears equal in weight—the gate, the wheelbarrow, the tree in the background. The baby doesn’t even have a face anymore.) Picasso’s First Steps will amaze the class with the same idea but in a completely different setting, choice of color, and style. “
Disclaimer: I am only showing the Millet and Van Gogh. I am VTSing both with the students each image on different days, to see what the students will say. I am staying away from the abstract image because Yenawine suggested beginning viewers stay away from abstract images during VTS. I am also uneasy with the activities suggested by the Common Core Curriculum at times. The language and activities at time seem developmentally inappropriate for what I am currently doing with my students – it is a national curriculum that has not been researched tested and was developed by testing companies.
Reason #2: I think this is an image my students would find accessible I think it fits the guidelines for image selection for beginning viewers listed by Yenawine for the following reasons –
· The students can recognize the subject matter
· The painting lends itself to multiple interpretations
· It contains stopped action that lends to story telling
· It is diverse in time
· It is form of realism (genre)
· Its theme (family and children) fits in with the Kindergarten VTS images
· It is a painting that doesn’t lose much through photographic reproduction
· It allows the students to discuss in terms of concrete observations
Great selection! I know Yenawine would agree! I'll be anxious to hear how VTSing these two similar images a week apart will go. With the stopped action essentially the same, will they go beyond their original narrative(s) with the second image, or will they note other things in the van Gogh work? You may have to repeat the first question more than once to prod them past the previous discussion. Will they stay engaged as long with the second image, or will they feel that they've already figured it out? Very interesting inquiry!
ReplyDeleteI"m curious, too, about this Common Core Curriculum and the appropriateness for target age groups. Is there a website where I could take a look at these? I wonder if Missouri has jumped on this bandwagon. Sheesh! One year out of the classroom and I'm behind with the "flavor of the month!"
Can't wait to hear how it goes!
I'll be your kindergarteners enjoy VTSing this piece. Many of them have younger siblings, so they will definitely be able to identify with the subject matter and the activity. I think that kinders will definitely come up with some multiple interpretations....oh to be a fly on the wall during kindergarten VTS.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if my third graders would be as challenged by this image, I don't know if they would come up other than the most obvious interpretation. I picture myself saying,"What more can we find?" and lots of silence.
@Mary, K-1 in my district wrote core common curriculum last year, but there's no art teacher component....written as such. Beth, did you get to participate in the curriculum writing experience?
Yes I did! I was on the second grade literacy team last year. The group used the common core unit maps as a framework for the curriculum they wrote for the district. I am adding an attachment of a copy of the front page to a kindergarten unit. The units are not supposed to affect what is being taught in art class. However, there are lots of teachers who freak out when asked to talk about art, so we are being asked to discuss their images briefly in art. In theory, I am ok with it. In practice, it is disruptive to my curriculum unless I want to develop a totally integrated curriculum with what the classroom teachers are doing. I am mostly doing that with my K-2 students this year, though. The Arkansas fine art standards are pretty vague for those grades, and I feel I can mesh the art curriculum with most of the common core. I have decided not to integrate as closely with grades 3-5. Hopefully, as an added bonus to using VTS in the art room, if I integrate VTS in my all art classes next year, I will eventually develop a body of students who can analyze an image independently by grade 3 and the teachers won't need the hand holding.
ReplyDeleteCommon Core Unit Maps
http://commoncore.org/maps/about/map_description
Common Core Standards
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards
This looks like the perfect image for kindergarten. Id love to hear their comments and am eager to read your next blog entry! Its a great selection for all the reasons you stated above. I am finding it more challenging in the middle grades to find something that will connect with all of them yet not be too simple for my more advances students, or too complicated for my stage I viewers. Off to searching! Great job!
ReplyDelete