Middle School Lesson Plan (Grade 6)

Standard: Students will assess the characteristics of works of art

Indicators of Achievement: Students will analyze different ways that human experience is reflected in contemporary and historic works of art

Standard: Students will choose and evaluate sources of content (subject matter consisting of themes, symbols, and ideas) to create works of art

Indicators of Achievement: Students will:

• use subjects, themes, and symbols to communicate meaning in their own works of art
  
• describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of others

Standard: Students will use the knowledge of elements and principles of design

Indicators of Achievement: Students will apply the knowledge of elements and principles of design and analyze how they are used to communicate ideas

Standard: Students will explore media and techniques to create a work of art

Indicator of Achievement: Students will utilize the unique characteristics of art media and techniques to enhance the communication of ideas and experiences in two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art

Materials:

• silhouettes of student heads (a good time to create them is as students finish another art assignment)
  
• several examples of work by Kandinsky (See Kandinsky: Compositions A Review by Mark Harden at www.glyphs.com/art/kandinsky)
  
• black and white paper the same size as the silhouette paper
  
• glue, painting and drawing tools and materials

Preparation: Prepare the silhouettes

Have the students look at the Kandinsky prints. After they choose one they prefer, have them write a brief description of the work and how it makes them feel. After approximately 10 minutes, have student volunteers read their descriptions. Lead a discussion about how artists use line and color to convey their feelings.

Activity: Give students their silhouettes. Have them create a nonobjective painting within their silhouette shape using lines, shapes, and color to illustrate how they feel about being a sixth grader.

Next lesson, return the work to the students and have them look at a classmate's work and interpret how that student felt when the painting was created.

Then the students carefully cut out their silhouette, leaving the background in a single piece. The positive shape (silhouette) is glued to a piece of black paper and the negative shape (background) is glued to a white piece of paper.

Students then discuss different ways symbols can be used to represent a person's thought or describe how someone feels. Next, students draw symbols inside the negative shape of the silhouette to express how they now think and feel about being a sixth grader.

For the next class display the students' art work and discuss the use of symbol and compare the expression of students' feelings.

Assessment: Forced answer quiz on line, color, symbol. Include the art works and a final self analysis/evaluation of the work in the students' portfolios.