Blog #2: Big Idea Revised

Big Idea Update - End of the Year

 

 

Big Idea and Theme

The big idea of this unit is: Art is experience.

The subject matter is roller coasters.

Key Concepts

·       Art is the experience of making art

·       Art is the experience of encountering art

·       Art can convey a message.

·       Art can convey a mood.

·       Art can convey symbolism that the viewer interprets.

Essential Questions

·       How do we experience making art?

·       How do we encounter art?

·       How do artists convey messages?

·       How do artists convey moods?

·       How do artists use symbols?

Artmaking Activities

·       Artmaking Activity A: Students will construct a three dimensional rollercoaster out of construction paper strips. Students will use “paper lines,” combine different line types, and produce a continuous rollercoaster. The purpose of the lesson is to enforce that lines can communicate. The emphasis will not be on emotions in the first artmaking activity.

·       Artmaking Activity B: Color and emotions will be introduced in the second art making activity. The students will work two-dimensionally to make a printmaking plate. The students respond the painting, The Giant Dipper, and make the lines of a roller coaster using glue. After the glue dries, students will choose colors that express their feelings about roller coasters. Paint will be applied with rollers, and prints will be made.

·      Artmaking Activity C: Students will discuss as a class and develop schemas for portraying emotions. The class schemas will be documented on a chart using crayons.

·      Armaking Activity D: Students will respond to a writing prompt such as, “Tell of a time when you felt too small. Explain why you felt small, and who helped you.” Student will use a schema and oil pastels to communicate their feeling in a self-portrait.

VTS Images (in sequence)	Title	Artist/Culture	Rationale
	Coney Island, 1945	Weegee (Arthur Fellig), 20th Century, American	Pre-Assessment of emotional language
	The Giant Dipper, 2010	Ati Maier, 21st Century, German	Motivational eye candy, sensory invitation to discuss color and line in an engaging context
3.	Hansel and Gretel, 2009	Corey Godbey, 21st Century, American	Compare/Contrast, identifying feeling of being too small or lost
4.	The Lost Child, 1866	Arthur Hughes, 19th Century, English	Compare/Contrast, identifying feeling of being found and belonging
5.	Coney Island, 1945	Weegee (Arthur Fellig), 20th Century, American	Post-Assessment of emotional language