Elementary School Lesson Plan (Grade 3)

Standard: Students will understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Materials:

• examples of 2-d and 3-d family portraits. Suggested masters are: Tanner, Homer, Garza, Marisol, Lois Mailou Jones, Picasso, Cassatt, Michelangelo. (The easiest to find on line is Cassatt)
  
• drawing or painting supplies

Preparation: Select 8 examples of art that exemplify the concept of family. Choose selections from various cultures across time, being certain that students can relate to the work. Do include unfamiliar pieces, representational and as well as abstract, depicting life different from their own cultures. Display the art work. Discuss the works. Questions you might ask: How do the families differ? Are there "families" of other objects within the artist's composition? Are all members of families related to each other? How have families changed? Can the mood of the family be interpreted? What clues about the family's culture are given in the images portrayed by the artist? Why did the artist choose to paint the family? Does the artist's work record history? How can the concept of the family be related to ideas learned in other subjects?

Activity: Have students bring a family portrait or snapshot from home. Then have them compare their family to those in the art works displayed. Have the students write a short paragraph or essay describing how their family fits into the larger community concept of the "family of humankind."

In the studio component to the lesson have the students draw or paint their own families. Have them include visual clues to their peer critics who will then interpret the resulting works.

Assessment: Create a rubric with the students to evaluate the essay and to assess the drawing and the "visual clues." Include in the student portfolio.

Adapted from a draft of Delaware's "Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Framework"