AN ARGUMENT FOR ART IN THE GENERAL CURRICULUM A Project Presented to the Faculty of Education Brandon University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education by John Eric Lowe March 2012 copyright © John Eric Lowe, 2012. All rights reserved. Abstract The following project fulfills part of the requirements for a Master of Education from Brandon University. The purpose of the project is to enable educators to integrate art into their daily lessons, using Manitoba Education’s 2009 K-12 visual arts curriculum. The hypothesis is that deficiencies would be identified in the K-12 visual arts Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework. The research would then identify strategies to correct these deficiencies. The method chosen was as follows. I analyzed the draft curriculum in relation to art educators’ answers to a survey that was completed as part of the curriculum development procedure. Then, I enhanced the curriculum in response to the educators’ expressed needs: I made recommendations for the curriculum implementation process, and I developed an appendix of supplementary art lessons. Finally, I field tested the art lessons to ensure that they addressed the deficiencies in the draft curriculum. There are four anticipated outcomes for my project. First, teachers in all subject areas will feel confident in using integrating art into their daily lessons and classroom activities. Second, the students will learn to express themselves through art. Third, the students will use art as a visual language for learning, especially for creative problem solving. Fourth, through selected art lessons, I introduce Aboriginal art. Aboriginal approaches and related environmental issues are useful as catalysts for integrating art into all school subjects. i Acknowledgments I thank the following people for assisting me with this project:  Dr. Lynn Whidden, project adviser, for the hours that she devoted to perfecting the project  Dr. Marion Terry, project reader, for the hours that she spent helping me to revise the lessons  Dr. Arnold Novak, Chair of Graduate Studies and Field Research, for convincing me to start the M.Ed. program.  Faculty of Education professors, for encouraging me to complete the project  My past high school and university students, for the producing the visual examples for my lessons  Dr. Donna Michaels, Superintendent of Brandon School Division, for supporting my work as an art educator and coordinator of the ArtsSmarts program  Elaine Rounds, local book artist and educator, for inspiring me and my students by sharing her passion and techniques ii DEDICATION This project is dedicated to the memory of my parents:  My father, Donald Edward Lowe, graduated from Brandon University after spending several years as Tommy Douglas’s sparring partner. He started teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Saskatchewan. He then worked as a school principal before he joined Saskatchewan’s Public Service Commission, under the CCF Government.  My mother, Manon Emma Lowe (later Steer), was also an educator. She started teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Saskatchewan, where some of her students were older than she was. When she moved to a larger school, she met and married my father, the principal.  My stepfather, William Paul Steer, was an educator, too. In fact, he was the principal of the school where I interned as a Bachelor of Education student in Regina. He encouraged me to start teaching in Manitoba. These individuals would be thrilled to know that I have now graduated from Brandon University with a Master of Education degree. I hope they are still watching me, and are as proud of me now as they were when I graduated the first time. iii Table of Contents page Abstract i Acknowledgements ii Dedication iii Table of Contents iv Project Rationale 1 Project Methodology 2 History and Background: Analysis of the Draft Manitoba Curriculum 3 Framework 2007 Curriculum Documentation and Origins 3 The Curriculum Proper 9 The Curriculum in Use, a Critique 13 The Argument for an Aboriginal Art-Integrated Curriculum 16 Project Outcomes 27 1. Providing Teachers With Inventive and Challenging Lessons 30 2. Supplementing the Visual Arts Draft Curriculum 32 3. Structuring the Curriculum Document 35 4. Providing Professional Development and Implementing the Curriculum 36 Teacher Training and Administrative Support 37 Use of Technology for Teaching Art 39 Resources for Teaching Art 40 Assessment of Student Art 41 Curriculum Improvement 42 iv 5. Considering Environmental Issues From an Aboriginal Perspective 44 6. Providing Visual Examples 47 Curriculum Strengths and Weaknesses 50 Conclusion 52 References 53 Introduction to the Appendices 59 Appendix A 64 Elements and Principles of Art 64 Seventeen Lessons on the Elements and Principles of Art 65 Line 65 Continuous Line 65 Creative Doodling 70 Drawing Trees 75 String Printing 79 Clay coils 83 Line Assignment Ideas 87 Shape 88 Organic and Geometric Colour 88 93 Colour Wheel 93 Paste Paper 99 Value 105 Value in Forms 105 v Texture 109 Texture Rubbings 109 Space 114 Positive and Negative Space 114 Stencils 121 Form 126 Forms and the Illusion of the Third Dimension 126 One Point and the Vanishing Point 130 Proportion and Relationships 135 Faces in Proportion 135 Social Studies Collage 138 Appendix B 148 Book-Art 148 Book-Art Projects 148 Pop-Up Book 149 Accordion Fold Book 154 Flag Book 166 Three Lessons on Book-Art Integration 172 Social Studies 172 ICT 181 Creative Writing 188 vi Appendix C 199 Aboriginal Art 199 Three Lessons on Aboriginal Art Integration 202 Drawing Trees 202 Leaf Printing 207 Tree Bark Collage 213 Appendix D 217 Environmental Art 217 Four Lessons on Environmental Art Integration 218 Alternative Energy Sources Collage 218 Recycled Sculpture 222 Papermaking 226 Pollution Posters 231 vii Project Rationale Increasingly, we recognize the value of creativity in our society (Eisner, 2002; Fisher & McDonald, 2004; Fowler, 1991), and hence early, middle, and senior years educators are being challenged to provide creative curricula (Atkinson, 2006; Edwards, 2006; Lindstrom, 2006). Art-integrated lessons infused into the curricula give teachers and students opportunity for creative approaches to everyday problem solving . Moreover, through professional development in visual arts integration, educators gain personal confidence and assurance (Donahue & Stuart, 2008; Edwards, 2006). With opportunities to share innovative ideas and practices, in the techniques of visual arts they develop confidence in their ability to create and implement personalized artintegrated lessons across the general curriculum (Cornett, 2007; Strand, 2006). In addition, an innovative art-based curriculum contributes to making a creative society (Goldberg, 2001; Wilkinson, 2000). Society and its schools need art. Creativity can be developed through participation in the arts. Moreover, achievement in art instills a pride of ownership and a personal sense of accomplishment in students (Cornett, 2007). As educators develop confidence in their ability to create and implement art-integrated lessons, they will use visual art to engage students in problem solving (Eisner, 2002; Catterall & Peppler, 2007), critical awareness (Goldberg, 2001; Parker, 2005), and observation skills (Dickinson, 1997; Wilkinson, 2000). The students learn to collaborate within the social environment of the classroom, fostered by art-integrated curricula (Oesterreich & McNie Flores, 2009). Also, learning about the North American Aboriginal approaches to doing and thinking about art (Siermacheski, 1 2003) renews interest in peoples whose lifestyles were based on living closely with nature. Project Methodology For this project, I chose to examine and enrich the visual arts Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework developed by the Province of Manitoba (Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, [MECY], 2007b; Manitoba Education, 2009). The premises for my examination and subsequent enhancement of the curriculum are as follows:  It will be useable by teachers who may not have prior training in the arts.  It will facilitate art-integration across the subject areas.  It will include Aboriginal perspectives.  It will address environmental concerns. My critical examination includes the curriculum itself and the procedures by which it was conceived and developed. The recommendations that arose from this analysis focus on how the curriculum may best be implemented in Manitoba schools. Central to these recommendations is a set of appendices designed to fill gaps that I found in the current curriculum draft. The appendices offer 28 sample art-integrated lessons, based on the elements and principles of art, book-art, Aboriginal art, and environmental art. 2 History and Background: Analysis of the Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework 2007 The visual arts draft framework by the Province of Manitoba (MECY, 2007b; Manitoba Education, 2009) was developed by observing in the classroom and by asking artists, art educators, and interested art groups and organizations how art is being taught today, and asking for suggestions and directions for a future curriculum. Curriculum Documentation and Origins 1983 is the most recent revision date for the visual arts curriculum for early, middle, and senior years. The consensus in 2003 was to update the curriculum to reflect contemporary practices and needs, especially to respond to the opportunities provided by technological advances. MECY invited education stakeholders to respond to a questionnaire on arts in education. The stakeholders included teachers, administrators, arts specialists, parents, and school trustees. Joe Halas, the new Manitoba Arts Consultant for the Program Development Branch of MECY, was charged with reviewing the questionnaires and reporting on the feedback from over 200 respondents. Halas’s summary report was released in 2003 (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). The responses were overwhelmingly positive in support of the arts, and the results were the K-4 draft curriculum released by MECY in 2007 and the K-8 draft curriculum released by Manitoba Education in 2009. The K-12 curriculum is in the final stages of completion for 2012. 3 Although it may be assumed that efforts were made to include stakeholders with the students’ best interests and needs at heart, no students were included in the stakeholder group that had input into the new visual arts curriculum. This gap is an obvious ”blind spot” of Halas’s team. Also, no effort was made to include minority representation, such as Aboriginal and other perspectives from multicultural groups. This gap is another blind spot, especially considering the changes in the demography that characterizes Manitoba schools in the twenty-first century. The curriculum developers were attempting to address the educational problem of an outdated curriculum. However, they made no effort to represent the art of nonWestern groups, despite the increasing Aboriginal and immigrant populations and the political call from Aboriginal leaders to engage their students so that they can succeed in school. Moreover, the growing disparity in socioeconomic backgrounds among students makes it imperative that curriculum developers consider different students’ financial abilities to access art supplies at home. Unfortunately, the 2007 and 2009 visual arts curriculum drafts do not reflect our changing society in these respects. The planning foci for the new visual arts curriculum are reflected in the following reponses to the questionnaire statements:  ”The introductory statements in The Arts in Education provide a strong rationale for including the arts as part of the school curriculum” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Over 80% of the respondents strongly agreed with the importance of the arts program. Several respondents indicated a desire to have the arts as a core curriulum equal with other academic courses. 4  ”The essential Goals of Arts Education – artistic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural understanding, and aesthetic value – should be reflected in Manitoba’s updated curricula for the arts” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Approximately 75% of respondents agreed very strongly with these goals as a centre point of the curriculum, from which other skills and understandings would flow. One concern of several respondents is reflected in the following quotation: ”Teachers need training, especially to deliver visual art curriculum. Music is viewed as a speciality, but school officials think anyone who has gone to school can teach visual arts” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Thus, to attain the goals required for art education, specialized education is essential for teachers in training, as is continued professional development for educators in the field.  ”The Value of Arts Education articulates the key role of the arts to engage students intellectually and emotionally. These are principles with which I/we agree” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Roughly 80% strongly agreed that the arts are essential for individual growth in healthy communities. The arts are definitely important to help creative and critical thinking and understanding of problems. Students can excel in other areas if given a well-rounded program of studies that includes art education.  Constructivist Learning is a philosophy which allows students to understand new ideas and relate them to one another building on preexisting knowledge enhancing their problem solving solutions. ”This approach to teaching and learning that should be central to Manitoba’s updated curricula for the arts” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Again, over 70% of respondents strongly agreed with 5 the notion of constructivist learning in the arts, whereby the teacher serves as a facilitator, guiding the creative learning process that nurtures individual expression through visual communication and perception skills.  ”Curriculum Organization recognizes the importance of learning in and about the arts (the curricula identify learning outcomes specific to each of the arts) and of learning through the arts (the curricula make connections between the arts disciplines and with other subject areas). This model of organization is one that I/we agree should be addressed in the updated curricula” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). About 60% of the respondents strongly agreed with art integration as an essential approach for teachers to build into the curriculum, in order to help students find the best way to learn. However, these respondents also felt that art should be viewed as a core subject of its own, with its own specific outcomes.  ”Overall, The Arts in Education statement provides a coherent direction to guide the renewal of the arts curricula in Manitoba” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). Over 60% of the respondents agreed, but 5% strongly disagreed with any curriculum revision unless a strong purposeful direction would be provided to assist educators in implementing the renewed curriculum. The stakeholders also expressed concern over program funding to provide professional development and training to enrich and develop classroom strategies to implement the new curricula. Programs such as Artists in the Schools and ArtSmarts are helpful to provide training to utilize contemporary art media and techniques, but the access 6 to these initiatives requires increased funding at a time when most school divisions are diverting funds to technology.  ”Additional Comments: Please include any additional comments and suggestions regarding The Arts in Education statement” (Manitoba Education and Youth, 2003). I selected a few examples that typify stakeholder responses to this question: o ”The arts are not an extra; they are essential to learning of all children.” o ”The arts provide a positive stay-in-school incentive.” o ”We must have a detailed, specific curriculum for each ’arts’ subject.” o ”Make the curriculum a simple document – easy to grasp . . . with techniques provided to aid teachers in a discussion of art.” o ”Please formalize and begin designing curriculum frameworks and courses so teachers can have an improved guide to teach their students.” Manitoba Education and Youth, (2003). These responses were on the final page of this document. No page numbers were given. After reviewing the responses to the questionaire, I wrote to Joe Halas because I personally felt that changes must take place. My letter in response to the document follows on page 14. It summarizes further the rational for this project. 7 November, 29, 2005 Att. Joe Halas Arts Consultant Development Unit Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment Branch Manitoba Education, Citizen and Youth W210-1970 Ness Avenue Winnipeg, MB. R3J-OY9 Dear Sir: Manitoba Arts Education needs a VISUAL CURRICULUM that would serve as a resource and guide for educators and students. In today’s visually oriented society, a web based art curriculum, (a library of artistic examples) would offer alternative approaches, methods, techniques, and concepts, building on the fundamental elements and principles of art. Practical student art examples would allow educators the opportunity to increase student’s perceptual skills, and heighten their awareness of their own class projects. Students could appreciate others’ creative expression and incorporate ideas into their own art-work, gaining a critical understanding and aesthetic appreciation of our social and natural world. The most important revision or update to the Manitoba Arts Education curriculum would be a visual format, to present material that would excite and facilitate learning for a personal creative experience. An infusion of images would present new ideas and new ways of working with the art curriculum in a creative manner, and would assist in the following:       Increase perceptual skills to heighten awareness and appreciation for creative and critical thinking and understanding of our social and natural world. Provide visual examples of art-work, to give practical demonstrations of creative and artistic expressions and solutions of themes or units of study: examples of the best practices of other educators building on classroom experiences. Celebrate the contributions of local Manitoba artists and students of art, showcasing examples of their art-work. Aesthetic appreciation of today’s everchanging world cultures, valuing the important human traits, for the future. Integration is important of contemporary and past issues, for this is what art has always been about. A visual image tells a story, recalling an event a personal expression or comment of an event or situation, like traditional Aboriginal storytelling. Any revision has to provide a purposeful direction to guide art education and educators for today and tomorrow. It should be a living document (a website that continues to grow and develop). The renewed curriculum should be an active teaching tool that is building and developing with contemporary art, not a document that is soon out-dated and discarded. Thank You, Eric Lowe, Art Educator, Brandon School Division Neelin High School 1020 Brandon Ave. Brandon, Manitoba R7A-1K6 8 (MECY, 2009) The Curriculum Proper The marriage of training and education that occurs through the arts is reflected in the butterfly motif aptly chosen to illustrate K-4 visual arts curriculum, and repeated in the K-8 curriculum. (It may be assumed that the same motif will remain on the K-12 curriculum, as well.) The body of the butterfly is defined as the young artist. The left side of the butterfly represents the training components: art language and tools (in the upper left wing), and art in context (in the lower left wing). The right side represents the education components: creative expression (in the upper right wing) and artistic expression (in the lower right wing). The overall goals of the curriculum focus on the body of the butterfly, that is, on developing individual students as artists in society. When the 9 wings work together, education and creativity merge to create a holistic approach to teaching art. General learning outcomes and specific learning outcomes are listed within each of the four sections of the visual arts curriculum: art language and tools, creative expression, art in context, and artistic expression. First, to understand the visual language of art, students need to aquire the tools of art such as the visual elements and the design principles. Students will develop awareness and understanding by honing observational skills. Second, through creative expression students focus on art as a visual language to share and communicate ideas. Third, using art in context focuses students on experiencing and appreciating a variety of art forms and techniques (drawing, painting, and sculpting), and discovering the roles, purposes, and meanings that art plays in society. Fourth, by means of artistic expression students develop selfassessment and critical analysis of art, and an interest and curiosity in experiencing and making art. The specific learning outcomes for each section of the visual arts curriculum extend the general learning outcomes into classroom practices. First, teaching the visual language of art must include a safe and appropriate manner for using art media, techniques, and tools. Second, creative expression focuses on creating one-of-a-kind artworks, both individually and collaboratively, and on appropriate displays of the work. Third, teaching art in context focuses on developing an appreciation of art-works in different styles and traditions. Fourth, valuing artistic expression focuses on analyzing and constructing personal interpretations of individuals’ own and others’ art-works. 10 In the new visual arts curriculum, art is conceived as having a dual nature: discipline and process. The discipline requires learning the elements and principles of art and design as a visual language, as a form of communication that involves the appropriate use of various media and techniques. The process involves experiencing and experimenting with techniques, having fun while developing perceptual skills and expressing oneself through art. However, the curriculum designers made little effort to integrate the visual art discipline and process into the general curriculum, because the focus is on recognizing art as a core subject of its own, with its own set of general and specific learning outcomes. Individual teachers will apply the new curriculum differently in the classroom, depending on how they interpret the curriculum outcomes. For example, a teacher who comes from a western art culture will access this curriculum more easily than teachers who are familiar with other art traditions, such as Aboriginal or Asian cultures. Teachers tend to teach what they know, so the western art teacher will be more likely to present western art, whereas non-western teachers will be more likely to include other art cultures. The revised curriculum manifests the same hegemonic tendencies as did the 1983 version: it privileges mainstream western culture over minority cultures, and also educators with a background in fine arts over educators without recognized institutional training. Upper socioeconomic children are advantaged because of the availability of art supplies in the home, as well as a tendency for their parents to take them to visit art galleries and museums. In my opinion, educators trained in fine arts will be comfortable with the curriculum, because they already understand the elements and principles of art. 11 They will be more willing and able to use the ideas in their lesson plans. In contrast, educators with little training in fine arts will be uncomfortable with the expectations of the curriculum. They will find the curriculum difficult to implement in the classroom, in terms of both the production and comprehension of art-works. Art grows from a culture so is intrinsally biased. I am sure that the curriculum developers did not intend to perpetuate the problem of disadvantaging nonwesterners, but the revised art curriculum has not resolved it. However, the curriculum has many positive aspects. For example, as mentioned earlier, the curriculum is organized along macro-level lines, portrayed in the overall motif of the butterfly, with the student at the centre and the wings working together to develop the students as artists. The overall goals of the curriculum are macro-level goals intended to value individual experiences within the context of hands-on learning that nurtures creativity, constructive criticism, and citizenship. The language of art can be defined as horizontal in nature because the elements and principles are all of equal value in the learning process, but it grows in a vertical direction as students develop their own works of art and start to observe art as a form of communication. The creative process is another example of vertical organization: an experienced art educator builds the artistic experience by constructively giving students the opportunity to express themselves visually. Influences of students’ family history, community, and culture all work in horizontal harmony to influence the creative process. The various art media are organized according to the suitability for the grade level. Some media are appropriate for all grades, such as oil and chalk pastels, pencils, tempera paint/brushes, collage, clay, found objects, and crayons. For grade two and up, 12 various media could be used in combination with a variety of techniques, such as printmaking, sculpture, photography, painting, and hand-building with clay. Grade three and up can have more intricate skills, such as calligraphy with pen and ink, water colours with washes for background painting techniques, digital photography with editing and story boards, and fabric ideas with weaving tecniques. The curriculum is open to a number of combinations of art media and processes, using a variety of tools and techniques. The Curriculum in Use, a Critique The first step in implementing the curriculum is to put the ideas into practice in the classroom. When teachers do not have the knowledge and skills required to implement the curriculum, professional development should be offered so that they can meet the curriculum requirements. In addition, principals must provide the leadership, resources, and organization that are needed to support educators in the implementation process. Facilities must be suitable for the projects that are prescribed in the curriculum, such as sinks for art-work assignments and techknowledgical support when needed. Legal requirements, such as the school board’s permision for field trips, must be expedited. Futhermore, before the curriculum is implemented, inservicing and professional development costs need to be considered by all stakeholders. For example, an approximation of the anticipated enrollment in classes would facilitate the projected cost of the materials and supplies required. In visual arts, the matterial costs for art projects must be calculated in advance. Curriculum consultants are beneficial to help educators implement the new curriculum. 13 Professional development must not only be based on the goals and objectives of the curriculum, but also address the opinions expressed in the initial questionnaire completed by art and other educators. I have noted a lack of consistency between the curriculum and the feedback questionnaire that was supposed to guide it: the educators expressed a desire to have appropriate, easy-to-follow, sample lesson plans, but none are provided in the new curriculum. Educators lacking formal training in the arts may have difficulty implementing the goals of the curriculum. Hence, I have developed appendices that contains a series of lessons. Appendix A focuses on the elements and principles of art, and their roles in visual communication. Appendix B gives easy-to-follow lessons for using book-art projects to facilitate art-integration across the general curriculum. Appendix C contains lessons that follow Aboriginal teachings, which may be integrated into other subjects. Appendix D provides lessons based on environmental themes, which may also be integrated. The curriculum’s primary emphasis is that art is a core subject, and that students should be taught to appreciate and produce art as an integral part of their schooling experience. The visual arts curriculum aims to support and inspire youth in our society to develop their own ideas, perceptual skills, and critical thinking. Hands-on learning activities should also develop their motor skills. The three R’s (re-use, refuse, recycle), reinforced in the Appendix D lesson plans, will prepare students to protect the environment through better use of resources and sustainable living habits. Through art, students develop habits of sensitivity towards the natural environment, and become cognizant of their environmental footprints. 14 A main component of the curriculum is to have the students be more responsible, able to self-evaluate and to accept peer assessment of their art-work. Unfortunately, no assessment rubrics are provided in the curiculum. In my opinion, this deficiency makes it difficult for educators without formal backgrounds in evaluating art portfolios to develop criteria for formative and summative student assessment. ( See Appendix A,B,C,D for guild line in lesson evaluation.) Moreover, the emphasis in assessing the final product should be more on process than on product. In art, the skills acquired and the challenge of the procedure are more important than achieving perfection of the final product. Students really do learn from their mistakes, and that is the whole point of the lessons. In terms of evaluating the curriculum itself, stakeholders’ opinions should be solicited once the curriculum has been in use for a few years. Students’ opinions should also be sought, although they were not included in the original questionnaire that was used as the basis for developing the new curriculum. Of particular concern is the usefulness of an art curriculum that does not specify learning activities, lesson plans, and assessment schemes for novice art teachers. The curriculum’s values and objectives are well stated, but the knowledge and skills base should be an integrated part of the curriculum, in order to have a foundation for measurement. The primary strength of the curriculum is its focus on the holistic development of the young artist by introducing art in context, and by valuing creative expression. Creative and critical thinking are nurtured as essential learning skills for becoming an aware citizen. The curriculum, with the young artist as a focal point, provides essential learning opportunities. 15 As I have shown, there remain a number of areas that need improvement. The questionnaire addressed primary goals about the role of art in the general curriculum only; it did not ask stakeholders what specific attitudes, techniques, and art knowledge they wished to have included. This weakness makes the curriculum difficult to implement by teachers who lack art backgrounds. Effective use of the curriculum requires previous art experience and expertise. Another inherent danger in the curriculum is that it is too broad: it lacks the specific skills and experiences that students need to obtain the outcomes. Teachers who lack formal training may just ignore the portions that make them uncomfortable. Furthermore, because an art-integrated curriculum is open to interpretation by individual teachers, students may be disadvantaged if their teachers do not understand how to prepare for lessons in art. Thus, there could be a lack of consistency in how the curriculum is implemented from teacher to teacher. It is therefore difficult to evaluate the curriculum objectively and understand whether or not it is working. Because the curriculum is web based, it would be easy to create links to practical lesson examples. In this way, educators may choose lesson ideas that conform to their comfort levels, as well as lessons that introduce them to areas in which they lack experience or knowledge. The curriculum refers to observing and discussing visual art in a variety of art media. These discussions could take place online, and the internet could be a resource of unlimited examples of art-works that creatively incorporate the art elements and principles in a variety of experimental techniques. Finally, the arts curriculum would benefit from the inclusion of Aboriginal art practice and performance. 16 The Argument for an Aboriginal Art-Integrated Curriculum Ideally a democratic society should give individuals equal opportunity for artistic expression. In Canada freedom of speech and expression are a part of an individual rights. In my opinion minority groups (such as Aboriginal peoples) in our society, are marginalization artistically as well as socially. Art education can raise the consciousness of the disempowered class, and can enable them to strive to attain more sustainable life strategies. Thus, I look to post-modernism for educational theory that supports incorporating Aboriginal perspectives in the K-12 visual arts curriculum. In the following discussion, I focus on the liberation pedagogy of Gutek (2004a) and by Regnier (1995). Gutek (2004a) viewed postmodernism as a constructive and rational approach to problem solving, much the same as the creative process of making art. For example, in The Artist Inside program, the students learned to utilize “their strengths and competencies to understand how they can be applied to their lives to affect change and growth” (Oesterreich & McNie Flores, p. 147). Oesterreich and McNie Flores concluded that art education creates a bridge from educational philosophies to a practical everyday life, because “the arts engage the hand, eye and brain, expressing the identity of the whole person” (p. 147). Art activities like postmodern education, aim to engage the students, and offer them a multitude of benefits, such as building selfawareness and emotional growth. Postmodernists challenge established methods, much the same as artists. Regnier (1995) showed that analysis of the western European curricula reveals the philosophies that are imbedded or hidden in the curricula. He offered an approach 17 that is similar to traditional Aboriginal philosophies. “Critical understanding” (Freire, 1993, p. 10) needs to happen in order to uncover the truth and reality of the Aboriginal art history in North America, so as to bring an awareness and appreciation for the worth and value of Aboriginal traditions. Art is a good way to bring a balance between knowledge and teaching of Aboriginal education. The study of art heightens an individual’s awareness and enables them to make critical judgments and resolve problem areas. Oesterreich and McNie Flores (2009) found that visual art education engaged the students in an appreciation of their own talents and potential. For example, The Artist Inside program gave students the opportunity to focus on personal goals and learn problem-solving techniques. This curriculum supplement addresses the critical issue of how to deliver an enhanced curriculum for Aboriginal students, which enables them to gain personal ownership of their education process and develop awareness of the benefits of gaining knowledge. Resolving Aboriginal problems in education today must be a creative process fueled by an acute awareness of current events and situations. Nicholas (2001) emphasized “developing critical thinking skills to enable students to look beyond the Canadian smokescreen and disguises that have hidden the truth in history and current realities” (p. 25). Studying their own art can empower Aboriginal people. Traditional Aboriginal teachers, such as traditional storytellers, engage Aboriginal students. For too long, western-European art and cultural values have dominated the education system. Aboriginal teaching methods such as story-telling, which have lasted thousands of years and are common to many of today’s immigrant students should be viewed as necessary 18 as print-based methods. Moreover, an understanding of how to live in harmony with nature, as existed in traditional Aboriginal hunting-and-gathering societies, may be of value for a sustainable lifestyle. Sharing artistic perspectives can enlighten students and provide an open channel for discussion of these issues with them. Postmodernists deconstruct the core ideas of art. “Deconstruction is a method of getting inside the texts to explore different shades of meaning in addition to those designated as an official sanction canon” (Gutek, 2004b, p. 126). The different contexts for the questionable claims of truth generate critical inquiry and also demonstrate how complex and diverse history can be. In similar fashion, art enriches deconstruction of ideas by offering creative possibilities for understanding diverse human cultures. Art requires recorded historical images of the past that show political, social, and even economic events. These images demonstrate the rationale for the foundations of past societies. Studying art history from a postmodernist perspective can be extremely helpful in developing a contemporary philosophy that incorporates historical images in Aboriginal and rural education. Art is an avenue for understanding the variety of opinions of the multicultural perspective in today’s classroom. Aboriginal art history and artifacts are rich in culture and heritage. What we need is the opposite of an “ideological hegemony” (Gramsci, 1971, as cited in Binda, 2001, p. 37, and Paupanekis & Westfall, 2001, p. 99). Our Aboriginal students need to unlearn the “learned helplessness” (Giroux, 1983, as cited in Binda, p. 38) that has pervaded the hegemonic schooling to which they have been subjected. The curriculum should be one of a true democracy that celebrates the role that Aboriginal people have played, and continue to play in our society, instead of the 19 racist hegemonic curriculum that has traditionally skewed political and cultural “facts” taught in school, that has served as “the chief mechanism for maintaining the status quo – keeping the rich, rich, and the poor, poor” (Nicholas, 2001, p. 20). This approach can contribute to the resolution of lifestyles that are unsustainable. We need to change the Western concept of schools as the place of learning primarily through print or technology. “Aboriginal people are speaking out and sharing their worldview, and holistic notions are rising around the world” (Smith, 2001, p. 78). Art incorporates hands-on learning through real-life learning experiences. Curricula and instructional methods may need to embrace a more holistic approach to learning, which can take place through art education. Curricula must reflect the culture being taught, in order for students to understand and apply the knowledge. Smith concluded, “Aboriginal students require curricula that incorporate the holistic perspective; this holistic postmodern perspective endeavors to harmonize Eurocentric views with Aboriginal views” (p. 86). Contemporary Aboriginal art does just that. It raises questions and gives contemporary Aboriginal artists, such as the ones Ryan (1999) critiques, the opportunity to express their ideas about the colonial influences on traditional Aboriginal art. Liberation pedagogy is defined by Gutek (2004a) as the “education that frees a person from domination and oppression” (p. 236). The oppression that is referred to is cultural, social, economic, and political oppression of minorities in a society. The Artist Inside program showed how visual art education can liberate students from an oppressive social environment characterized by gang affiliations and crime, and how it can foster individuals who recognize the potential within themselves (Oesterreich & McNie Flores’ 2009). Freire understood that education can be a tool of positive change 20 for people who have been oppressed. When teachers see the potential of a student developing a positive self-identity, curriculum will be enhanced and give direction for change. Oesterreich and McNie Flores showed that visual art is an ideal base for a liberating educational curriculum. Modern education should focus on local issues and reflect the needs of minorities striving to obtain equality with the majority. A liberated education that includes art would engage Aboriginal students in relevant, hands-on educational activities. Art education can be vital and sustainable, and offer opportunity to the once-outsiders. The study by Oesterreich and McNie Flores (2009) “demonstrates how visual arts education as a strength-based practice in juvenile correctional facilities offers youth the opportunity for change and growth to occur when their strengths, past successes, present behaviors and possible futures emerge” (p. 146). If a visual art program is such a powerful change agent within the confines of a correctional facility full of rival gangs, then one can speculate that the visual arts would be a powerful means to create community in public schools. Today, Aboriginal educators have access to their history as contained in oral narratives and cultural artifacts. Awareness of their Aboriginal identity helps them to develop a framework to build and become a partner in their community, creating a “shift from theory to practice of strength-based approaches” (Oesterreich & McNie Flores, 2009, p. 148). Cultural pride is present in contemporary Aboriginal art. Traditional art forms can empower students by giving them the opportunity to appreciate their family and ancestral history. “While self-determination is essential to liberation, it must come on terms designed by and acceptable to First Nations People” (Nicholas, 2001, p. 27). 21 Renewed financial support is critical for First Nations schools, especially if culturally based programming is to be implemented. “The goal of liberation pedagogy,” described by Gutek (2004a), “is the creation of a new social order” (p. 240). The educational system needs to incorporate the local social and cultural environment. Aboriginal students deserve an opportunity to question the important topics that concern their lives, enabling them to attain a higher level of consciousness. Educators must thus develop “critical thinking skills to enable students to look beyond the colonial smokescreens and disguises that have hidden the truth in history and current realities” (Nicholas, p. 25). Freire’s (1993) conception of a teacher is an open-minded individual with personal opinions and holding real positions on issues – not a neutral lecturer of facts and carefully worded impartial statements on social, political, or economic concerns. For a teacher to engage students, mutual respect and consideration for each other’s opinions must be present. An artistic humanistic approach opens a channel of dialogue, and real learning has an opportunity to take place. I have found in my years of teaching Aboriginal students that once a mutual respect has been developed, a common ground for communication takes place and reciprocal learning occurs. The teacher-student relationship is one of sharing knowledge and experiences, of real problem solving, and of finding solutions that work in everyday life. The process of making art can provide students with an opportunity to express their beliefs (Smith, 2001; Young, 2001). We need to incorporate Freire’s focus on educational practices that reflect real-life situations that are familiar and easily related to (Gutek, 2004b). Teachers should give students a voice. They have an equal right to be heard and argued. Art education allows students to express their personal opinions and beliefs. It 22 is the teacher’s responsibility to help students express and challenge existing values, and art is an ideal medium because it is, at the same time, both comfortable and challenging. Freire (1993) understood that education is a tool of positive change for people who have been oppressed. Nicholas (2001) explained, “A liberating curriculum for Aboriginal People means more than putting Native language in education, but rather, putting education in the language. This necessity derives from the realization that there can be no liberation in the language of the colonizer” (p. 26). When they understand the potential of regaining positive self-identity, curriculum can be enhanced with art, giving a new direction for this creative change. The teacher-student relationship is a critical component in this process. According to Freire, rather than simply dictating the “facts” to students, teachers should pose questions and problems for the learner to engage with and analyse in creative and innovative ways (Thomas, 2009). A new curriculum must be designed that incorporates art, because it gives a new approach to a teacher-student relationship. Art opens the door to creative problem solving; it allows students open expression of their feeling and emotions. When students develop the skills for critical analysis, communication channels open between teachers and students. Freire (1993) wanted to encourage and empower oppressed people, to place them in a position where they could be decision-makers. The well-being of all individuals in a democracy is important to the political, economic, and social consciousness of the society. Gutek (2004a) explained that “Freire recognized that ignorance and poverty were not simply conditions that victimized the illiterate and unschooled, but were caused by interrelated contexts of economic, social, and political 23 dominance” (p. 236). Freire’s perspective of education was based on a clear understanding that it reflects economic, social, and political realities, but he also saw potential for change in giving education back to the oppressed people as a tool of enlightenment and empowerment. Art education is a medium that is well equipped to provide the opportunity for individuals to express their opinions freely and have others react to them. Like the Manitoba social studies curriculum (Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth, n.d.), an art curriculum would be an example of active education, which encourages student participation in real-life experiences. The social studies curriculum sees instruction as “both visionary and practical: visionary because we need to go beyond narrow educational goals and look toward our collective future with hope; practical because the work of reshaping educational practice and countering negative social forces and conditions requires daily effort” (Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth, n.d., p. 1). Humanizing the educational experience through art is both visionary and practical because it gives freedom of expression. Practical hands-on knowledge that can be incorporated into real-life experiences is self-fulfilling. It provides hope for marginalized individuals to be creative and successful. Art-works incorporate real thoughts with real feelings that stimulate active discussions and debates, which is a necessary process in the liberation of the oppressed (Freire, 1993; Gutek, 2004a). An art curriculum with a focus on a multicultural society leads teachers and students to develop respect and concern for other people, and hence contributes to social justice. The dialogue is created by observing art-works that comment on reality, both emotionally and physically. However, “creating inclusive and critical classroom is 24 not easy. It is a complex and demanding work that requires vision, support and resources. Sharing experiences with other educators, establishing support networks, and amassing diverse resources are critical components of inclusive classrooms” (Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth, n.d., p. 19). This perspective builds effective teacher-student relationships, opens channels of communication, and develops avenues of actively engaging educational experiences. An ideal liberation pedagogy gives everyone an equal opportunity to participate in social democracy (Gutek, 2004a). In the Canadian mosaic, Aboriginal perspectives are incorporated into the social studies curriculum (Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth, n.d.), in order to “enable all students to understand and respect themselves” (Smith, 2001, p. 79). Incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into the curriculum requires holistic curricula and an inclusion of language as an integral part of culture (Paupanekis & Westfall, 2001). The focus is on “seeking to regain control of their destiny and give direction to their goals, to strengthen their own culture,” in order to “maintain themselves with as much self-reliance and selfsufficiency as possible” (Smith, 2001, p. 82). In like fashion, an art-integrated curriculum offers educators a greater opportunity to succeed in giving students a real and responsible educational experience. For example, the Sacred Circle is an aesthetic symbol that represents traditional Aboriginal philosophy of balance within all of nature (Regnier, 1995). Regnier also wrote of the Sacred Circle as an integral part of a balanced educational program for Aboriginal youth. Similarly, The Artist Inside program revealed the strengths of art education for youth who are trying to express themselves and develop their own potential (Oesterreich & McNie Flores, 2009). The Artist Inside program cultivated a positive 25 classroom community and developed a harmony that was reinforced in the student artwork. The social interaction within this program developed effective communication skills to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Art educators in Manitoba schools should consider using the Sacred Circle as an educational approach to the visual arts. Native elders and spiritual leaders have shown the interconnectedness of all brings, and have appealed for understanding of traditional Aboriginal teachings (Regnier, 1995). The teachings of the medicine wheel may be used to shape and stimulate curriculum development for both Native and non-Native students. Helping to facilitate a greater understanding and awareness of paths for a sustainable lifestyle. Human beings need to develop an understanding of the interconnectedness of all creatures and of the relationships required to sustain all life forms with harmony. Art education has the potential to allow all students the opportunity of aligning themselves with the ideals of creating a sustainable lifestyle. In turn, the Aboriginal perspective fulfills the vision of the balance of the medicine wheel, which enriches society and nurtures the maximum potential of all its citizens. Canada as a nation will have citizens who are globally responsible and sensitive, and supportive of all the inhabitants of this planet. Throughout my years of teaching Aboriginal students, I admired the ability that they have with visual communication and hands-on learning. Art engages Aboriginal students and actively involves them in their own education. Art education that incorporates traditional teachings such as the medicine wheel will allow students to become a part of their education. This process encourages them to become aware of knowledge and how the information learned is part of their life. Awareness of this 26 interconnectedness helps them to develop their self-identity, showing them their place in the wheel of life. The image of “the great white bird” (Nicholas, 2001) can be visualized in art as numerous pictures that reminded traditional storytellers of the events of the past so that they could recall the stories as they were told. Students participate in the making of art, involving all their senses and life experiences with their quest to communicate personal feelings and emotions. Any Aboriginal action plan should work on the students’ strengths. Art is a channel that harmonizes traditional values and modern beliefs. It builds learning with hands-on activities, while developing a bridge that can be crossed to connect new avenues of learning and understanding. Art can develop a new consciousness and respect for a holistic view of education, and art education should be adapted in order to facilitate Aboriginal education. The focus is on learning how knowledge of the past can form the stepping stone for the future, so that individuals do not have to learn by falling into the river of life and drowning because they have not learned to swim. Project Outcomes The Manitoba Department of Education is developing an online art-integrated curriculum for early and middle year students in Manitoba (Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, MECY, 2007b). Beryl Peters, of the Department is also encouraging universities to develop a methods course for art-integration for university education students (G. Richards, Chair of Teacher Education, Brandon University, personal communication, November, 2009). 27 My art-integration project meets the former demand in several ways. First, it instructs teachers to set outcomes that provide challenging lessons for students. Second, the appendices herein contain 24 lesson plans developed for integrating art, and these are designed to supplement the visual arts Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework (MECY, 2007b). They give teachers ideas and practical guidelines for infusing art into their lessons. Third, my project will inspire teachers to share best artintegrated teaching practices while personalizing their own educational programs. For example, art educators who have a passion for a particular subject area can share their ideas and hopefully pass along some of that passion. This exchange is already taking place with such programs as Artists in the Schools (Manitoba Arts Council, 2008) and ArtsSmarts (ArtsSmarts, 2004). These government-assisted programs, which were formed to integrate more art into the curriculum, have provided a rich fund of ideas and information. Fourth, my project shows how new ideas can be shared in professional development activities, such as the workshops delivered by Brandon bookmaker and artist Elaine Rounds. This sharing of innovative ideas and best practices ensures that all educators have access to art-integrated lesson ideas that cultivate creative and critical thinking in students. Fifth, my art-integrated curriculum puts Aboriginal values and beliefs into the general K-12 curriculum. Sixth, it raises awareness of the changing environment caused by global warming and environmental pollution. Seventh, my infusion of images presents new ideas and new ways of working in a creative manner. A picture can tell a story or recall an event, much like traditional Aboriginal storytelling. 28 These outcomes will be achieved first by instructing teachers to provide inventive and challenging lessons for students. Following are some goals that I have identified for teachers:  to stimulate the students’ curiosity (so they can experience a creative process)  to develop students’ skills in observation  to engage the students in practical experiences that provide individual ownership of their education  to develop creative thinking by developing unique one-of-a-kind art-works  to develop critical analysis and self-assessment skills in art  to understand a variety of new instructional methods in art, including those that rely on technology  to evaluate and understand traditional cottage industry crafts and techniques, for example, how hand-made products can be produced and appreciated  to develop lifelong learning and procedural skills in artistic creation Second, the lessons in Appendixes A-D of this project are art-integrated lesson plans, designed to supplement the visual arts Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework (MECY, 2007b). They give teachers an outline, and show teachers ideas and guidelines for infusing art into their lessons. Third, the project fulfills the need for a structured curriculum document, and demonstrates how to personalize an education program. Art educators and local artists who have a passion for a particular subject area can share their lesson ideas and passion for a subject. 29 Fourth, the project shows how new ideas can be shared in professional development workshops for educators, such as the aforementioned workshops delivered by bookmaker and artist Elaine Rounds. This sharing of innovative ideas and best practices ensures that all educators have access to art-integrated lesson ideas that cultivate creative and critical thinking in students. Fifth, the purpose of this art-integrated curriculum is to infuse both old and new Aboriginal values into the general K-12 curriculum. Sixth, the project raises awareness of the changing environmental concerns on our planet. Environmental issues can be addressed by means of the Aboriginal perspective of harmony and a sustainable lifestyle. Seventh, an infusion of images presents visual ideas and demonstrates new ways of working. These will assist educators, giving them the confidence required to integrate art across the curriculum in a creative manner. Eighth, assessment, students should demonstrate confidence in the skills and techniques required to complete each assignment. They will gain an individual pride and visual awareness of their own one-of-a-kind art-work. The art-works are reflections of the students’ own personalities and personal life experiences. These art projects will be displayed and critiqued for their individual nature and character. The ultimate goal is to facilitate an enjoyable learning experience, with students actively engaged in the process of making art. 30 1. Providing Teachers With Inventive and Challenging Lessons Much visual information in society today is delivered by mass media and technology, such as television, movies, and computers. The audience participation is mostly passive rather than active. With art activities the artist is the initiator, constantly making new decisions through trial and error. This process can be intimidating for young minds unfamiliar with the process of creating in a visual form. Teachers need to motivate and stimulate students so that they gain confidence in this hands-on approach. The general consensus of public opinion and research today is that “What is very clear . . . is that people across the country want a much more engaging and broader education for students” (Deasy, as cited in Buchanan, 2008, p. 36). Art can engage young minds in an active creative process that engenders pride in personal accomplishments. In art, critical analysis of a problem can take place, and an all-encompassing solution may be achieved. Citing Eisner (2005), Catterall and Peppler (2007) explained, The arts teach children “to make judgments in the absence of rules . . . [that] problems can have more than one solution . . . [and that] the goal one starts with can be changed midway in the process as unexpected opportunities arrive.” And straight to the heart of this study, “that the forms of thinking the arts develop and refine are precisely the forms of thinking that our ever-changing world, riddled as it is with its ambiguities and uncertainties, requires in order to cope.” (p. 550) Art is a multidimensional way of looking at the world. It gives students a discipline of learning and thinking, whereby the positive and negative may be viewed together. 31 2. Supplementing the Visual Arts Draft Curriculum The project’s appendices of art-integrated lesson plans were designed to supplement the visual arts Draft Manitoba Curriculum Framework (MECY, 2007b), giving teacher’s ideas and practical guidelines for infusing art into their lessons. Artintegrated hands-on classroom activities provide a unique learning process. In my teaching career, I have observed students become excited in a simple bookmaking activity, because they are physically and mentally involved in a deep-rooted educational experience. Developing art-integrated lessons across the general curriculum addresses many of the needs and goals that students and society have today, which heightens the students’ appreciation of the society and the environment in which they live. Eisner (2002) wrote of enriching individuals through aesthetics, something that is emphasized in effective art education. Art-integration can build understanding through hands-on learning in many subject areas across the curriculum. Often, art teachers are concerned that an art-integrated curriculum will pose a threat to art as a subject in its own right. Jacobs (1989) countered that “experiences in purposeful curriculum integration can serve to increase the power of our creative teaching, increase job satisfaction and interaction with our teaching peers, and increase direct student interest and active involvement in learning linked within the school environment” (as cited in Fisher & McDonald, 2004, p. 246). Many examples exist of students experiencing activities and wishing to become more involved in training in a particular subject area. As Jacobs explained, “Finally, with the idea of improving and enhancing quality arts instruction for every child, we have nothing to lose as we include others in our collaborative teaching efforts” (as cited in Fisher & McDonald, p. 246). An 32 art-integrated curriculum enhances and strengthens art as a means to deliver and understand information from a new perspective. Professional educators proclaim the power of art. For example, the four steps of Long’s (2008) “Full Circling Process” engage students in creative thinking and observation. This method is deeply rooted in an individual’s social development and sparks interest in exploring and expanding new possibilities. Parker (2005) added, “Creative intelligence is relevant to all aspects of the school curriculum” (p. 188). Teachers in all subject areas should strive to develop innovative approaches, rather than “ordinary thinking” (Parker, p. 187). Individuals strive to reach their maximum potential when they are engaged in the learning process. Strand’s (2006) conclusions also support the value of art-integration in the schools: the interrelationships among various themes support curriculum development into an art-infused general curriculum in all subject areas. Burton, Horowitz and Abeles (1999) found that “pupils in artsintensive settings were also strong in their abilities to express thoughts and ideas, exercise their imaginations, and take risks in learning. In addition, these students’ teachers seem to be more cooperative and willing to display their learning” (p. 45). Eisner (2002) described the arts as inherently variable, which opens up new considerations and possibilities for creative expression. Educators who have a passion for their work and are able to be creative and think outside the box can use artintegrated lessons to add joy to all of their classes. Clearly, learning and teaching through the arts require a distinct approach for integration of new knowledge and skills. Both the learner and educator experience a process of practical problem solving and evaluation. The arts foster critical reflection 33 and observation, and this creates an interactive classroom environment. Visual art is a medium that has infinite possibilities for integration across the curriculum. For example, since bookmaking was introduced to Brandon educators in 2004, this technique could be integrated into any subject area and has been taught to hundreds of Brandon School Division students with positive feedback from students, teachers, school administrators, and parents. Students begin their class by examining sample books provided, and then they are given instructions in simple folding techniques for making a pop-up, accordion, or flag book. Once the book is folded, students create book covers from a number of possible resources, such as magazines, old calendars, newspapers, wallpaper, handmade paper, and cloth ties or scarves. Once a book is completed with the covers, an endless number of possibilities exist as to what can be put into the book. For example, these books may be used for personal journals in language arts, or sciences containing writings, poems, photographs, or research information. The student becomes engaged and takes ownership of the book. Now the subject matter is important, because it is part of a personal book. The student researches the subject with passion and conviction, wishing to find the best possible visual examples and pertinent information available for the topic selected. Envelopes are glued onto the back cover of the book to hold extra materials that could be found at a later date. Elaine Rounds told me the following story that a teacher passed on to her: “I know you throw away some of my art-work,” the student told his mother, “but never ever throw away any of my art-work from Ms Rounds.” (Personal communication, on November 5, 2008) These little books are captivating, and the students have pride in what they have accomplished, with the making of a treasure. 34 See Appendix B for bookmaking lessons and visual examples. What better way to educate for lifelong learning! Art-integration should serve as a fundamental catalyst in the transformation of individuals, increasing creative expression while working towards developing the whole person in a process that validates the importance of all subject areas across the curriculum, including art. In my opinion, our society will be enriched with imaginative individuals eager to confront the challenges of the future. Individuals capable of being creative thinkers will solve the unique problems that our planet is facing. 3. Structuring the Curriculum Document How can educators integrate art into the general curriculum without any formal training or an instructional background in art? Art is a language that requires an understanding of the fundamental elements and principles that are used in visual arts language. Many believe that educators require training in the basic foundation skills so that they become familiar with the fundamentals of art. But I suggest that, with very little training educators can be encouraged to develop a personalized art-integrated curriculum and their own art assignments. It is only through a hands-on approach that an understanding of the potential and limitations of any medium can be realized. Teachers and students can draw, paint, and paste their way into an appreciation of what certain materials can do. Completed art-works can be studied for the elements of art, and suggested improvements or alternative approaches can be critiqued, thus enhancing the students’ observation skills. This process also incorporates the elements of design and art. Heightened observation skills and increased understanding of the 35 visual arts as a language give educators and their students a chance to explore the creative process with positive final results. My art-integrated curriculum offers lots of structure for those teachers who need it. The nature of the discipline invites teachers to explore and enrich the curriculum content by adding new ideas to achieve the same learning goals. The beauty of teaching art is that it has infinite possibilities. However, none of these possibilities can be realized unless the teachers have a strong knowledge and experience base from which to work. The hope is that all teachers will find enough structure in the curriculum itself to feel comfortable implementing it and personally expanding it to achieve success. The teachers who will be using the art-integrated curriculum will not necessarily be trained art educators. Thus, they need detailed instructions (given in the form of sample lesson plans) to apply the curriculum concepts to meet specific curriculum objectives and goals. 4. Providing Professional Development and Implementing the Curriculum Educators require the personal confidence to successfully introduce and deliver an art-integration curriculum. To this end, educators need easy-to-follow lesson examples that engage students as active participants in their learning experiences. When I was Arts Coordinator for the Brandon School Division from 2003 to 2007, educators repeatedly gave the similar feedback requests at professional development and in-service sessions, LIFT workshops, and ArtsSmarts artist workshops. 36 Student assessment is dependent upon meeting the curriculum’s anticipated outcomes. With portfolio assessment, teachers and students collect a variety of projects to assess the students’ progress (Goldberg, 2001). Some students would have evidence of “outstanding progress” (Goldberg, p. 198), which would be a collection of excellent drawings, paintings, collages, and three-dimensional work that exceeded the teacher’s expectations. Other students would have “a lot of progress” (Goldberg, p. 198), with portfolios that met the teacher’s expectations. Portfolios that approached the teacher’s expectations would exhibit “some progress” (Goldberg, p. 198), and those that failed to meet the instructor’s expectations would evince “minimal progress” (Goldberg, p. 198). The portfolios assessed as “ungradable” (Goldberg, p. 198) would contain little evidence of learning. These assessment designations are in keeping with the grading divisions ascribed by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. The strengths of the curriculum are its focus on problem solving, flexible delivery, cooperative learning. Its weaknesses are its reliance on classroom teachers who are not trained artists, the potential reluctance of trained art educators to relinquish their control over art instruction, and the stigma that art is a “fun” elective rather than a serious subject on its own.  Teacher Training and Administrative Support Curriculum implementation includes planning to ensure the most effective instructional training. Marsh and Willis (2007) stated that teachers are “passive recipients of the wisdom of the curriculum developers; teachers must be thoroughly 37 trained to use the new curriculum” (p. 223). Teachers need to take an active part in the implementation of new curricula. I envision that extensive professional development workshops would be required to facilitate the implementation of an art-integrated curriculum. In order to teach visual art, educators need to have an understanding of the basic foundations of visual communication. For example, Appendix A deals with the elements and principles of art, and novice art educators may not have the background knowledge and experience to teach this set of lessons without some professional development. If the administrators and the curriculum developers have gone though the framework steps of Sergiovanni (2007), they would have developed a process of shared decision making and developed a set of standards for assessing the implementation process. Marsh and Willis (2007) also stated that standards could be developed from “positive experiences that shaped their identities as teachers and helped them interpret how the curriculum could be implemented” (p. 223). Feedback from the professional development sessions will be used to inform the facilitators of the direction that future sessions should take. This will ensure that all teachers feel comfortable with the integration of art into their respective subject areas. Change requires strong and loyal staff members dedicated to art and who are willing to devote the time and energy that will be required for the implementation process. A leader needs to have a flexible plan with sensitivity to local to political issues limits the conflicts that may arise during the implementation of the curriculum. Professional development of the staff can aid the participants to “buy into” the new idea, and take ownership of the plan. Professional development sessions also boost morale, give direction, and show an open learning process that is achievable. 38 Understanding the above issues and developing realistic outcomes helps teachers achieve success. The professional development implementation process requires recognition and respect for all individuals involved within the curricular landscape. As I’ve argued earlier, professional development and administrative support are essential. Resources need to be in place, such as financial support for professional development, release time, support materials, and curriculum guides (see Appendices, A, B, C, D.) The framework of this curriculum requires professional development and adequate time for implementation. The following main elements are commonly accepted: understanding the staff’s values and attitudes; observing and becoming aware of organizational issues, and decision making while trying to adopt a range of acceptable management techniques with which everyone feels comfortable. The leaders of the implementation should be approachable and sensitive to cultural issues. Effective leaders listen to advice and collaborate, and have the capacity to incorporate new information in the decision making process. The message that parents and students receive from school personnel must convince them that art is an essential enrichment of course content.  Use of Technology for Teaching Art Relevant topics learned on line hold students’ attention, adding meaning to the learning process, and improves the students’ awareness of the world. Educators who introduce new information by means technology can facilitate the opportunity for students to see themselves in a global context. This leads them to put local concerns into a global context. For example, the curricular goal could be to develop a more 39 critical thinking process that will lead to more environmentally friendly and sustainable life practices. This helps teach students to reduce their ecological footprint. Standards for common goals and outcomes are necessary, but these need to be defined. Implementation must comply with the standards set out in the curriculum document. Nevertheless, adaptation of standards is the only way to keep pace in this fast-paced world, as changes are taking place every day. Modifications must also take place to readjust curriculum. A flexible approach that is adaptable to cultural, technical, and political situations is necessary for today’s teachers. Technology is leading the way, and we want students are to keep pace with new innovations and resources available. I strongly feel that all curricula, including the art-integration curriculum, should be online, with a web master to update and change the curriculum to reflect current world issues. If we truly wish to engage all students in real educational opportunities, curricula must reflect current situations. In addition an online artintegration curriculum will be available for northern and rural communities that do not have access to art training for educators.  Resources for Teaching Art In addition to instructor training and access to the internet, the successful implementation of an integrated-art curriculum requires funding for art materials sometimes beyond the usual paints, brushes, paper, etc., that would be purchased for any other art program. Educators can be creative and personally innovative in finding and using recycled materials that would otherwise be discarded. 40 The physical environment is always important for the learning process. Ideally, a comfortable room with living plants gives a touch of the natural environment. The classroom should facilitate hands-on art activities with a natural view, large worktables, floor space, and sinks. Ideally out-of-school experiences are weekly and constructively organized so that students use their time productively.  Assessment of Student Art The learning process in art is individually evaluated. The following means are suggested for assessing individual students’ attainment of the curriculum objectives/outcomes:  Most important is the students’ ability to self-assess and be self-motivated, striving to do their best work in completing the art projects.  Standards of expectations can be set by displaying examples of art projects that have a variety of creative directions for developing individual ideas.  Skill standards for the completed final projects and mastery of skills will include the following: o critical observation of finished work by instructor includes: a measurement of the number of art techniques incorporated, and the degree of difficulty the students has also demonstrated the use of the art elements and principles in their drawing, painting, sculpting, paper folding, collage, mixed media etc. o display and organization of information o self-assessment and peer evaluation in group activities 41 For the sustainability portions of the curriculum, the following skill standards may be used:  displayed in a poster or book project the measurement of each student’s environmental footprint. For example, what means of transportation did you take to school today? – walking, bicycle, motorcycle, car, bus, etc.  appropriate methods used to organize and display environmental information to be shared with others, including critical selection of the environmental subject chosen, examples of videos and podcasts (see cover of Science America Nature ect. Works of Art!)  self-assessment and peer evaluation As stated earlier, the art-integrated curriculum involves an individual approach to assessment. Individual growth may be difficult to assess, but they are indications, that the student has progressed and gained new knowledge. For example, a student’s personal portfolio of art, wherein skill level and difficulty of techniques incorporated, and trial-and-error problem-solving techniques demonstrated.  Curriculum Improvement The most important stakeholder in the curriculum is the learner. Goldberg (2001) stated, The arts serve to ground many students as well as allow them to experience accomplishment. By participating in artistic activities, students engage in transformative thinking. By studying works of art, students are introduced to a 42 fundamental aspect of humanity and the history of humankind. The arts can set the stage for learning. They remind us that we are whole beings who can “experience” through multiple perspectives and lenses. (p. 173) For example, the art-integrated curriculum is not only mentally stimulating and psychologically healthy, but also accommodates visual, oral, and tactile learners. Our lives are rich with visual communication, whether or not we recognize the subconscious influence of the media. Goldberg (2001) explained, “We cannot escape the arts in our daily lives,” because “they intersect with our lives every day, from music on the radio . . . to literature we read . . . to movies we watch on weekends, to murals we pass” (p.174). Our students are inundated with visual communication by the media, and it is the teachers’ responsibility to enable students to interpret this visual communication and create their own means of expression through the arts. Educators are invited to explore the curriculum content by adding new ideas to personalize it. Teachers develop a comfort zone when their abilities align with their goals. Planning should be a cooperative effort by the local stakeholders, capitalizing on the teachers’ strengths while taking into account the fact that they may lack academic training in the visual arts. Lack of prior training may make educators uncomfortable with including art in their lessons. A cooperative teaching plan may include a professional artist who would assist implementation of this curriculum. In addition, regional lifestyles present unique problems for educators. The social and political climate must always be considered and accommodated. When teachers embrace the art-integrated curriculum, it forms a conduit for information to the 43 community. A student’s family may provide learning and living skills that will support and guide other students in their lifestyle choices and experiences. In the case of Aboriginal students, elders are keepers of the knowledge, which is passed on by telling stories that usually have a moral or lesson. The knowledge passed from Aboriginal elders helps individuals understand their culture. I have worked with Native elders, and my experience with them was both rewarding and uplifting. They have insight that is truly “down to earth” and in touch with reality. Art tells a visual story; historical paintings recall events. Educators should count on these elders for their advice and guidance, and encourage them to affect the direction that is taken with the curriculum subject matter. Education has to be grounded in skills that students can take with them beyond the borders of the classroom. Art-integration is a natural way to develop these skills as we evolve into a more technologically advanced society. 5. Considering Environmental Issues The proposed curriculum, based on an Aboriginal perspective of the environment, attempts to raise awareness of environmental concerns. Issues for curriculum development include concerns over the positioning of art as a core subject, environmental concerns, Aboriginal values and beliefs, and retention of students. Heightening observation skills through art gives individuals an increased awareness and understanding of their environment. As Shermacheski (2003) asserted, “Creativity is an essential part of First Nations holistic living and should therefore be included in the curriculum of First Nations Studies” (p. 6). First Nations art instruction 44 “equates to a well rounded and interesting program of study which could result in a higher level of student retention” (Siermacheski, p. 7). The focus is on environmental sustainability within a curriculum that is responsive to the Aboriginal perspective. The intent is keep student interested and to avoid early withdrawals from school. (See Appendices C and D for Aboriginal and environmental art-integrated lessons and visual examples.) Long and short-term curricular plans in art education must include developing fundamental skills for attaining a lifestyle that is environmentally sustainable. Today’s schools need to be concerned with teaching students basic communication skills, but “literacy should not – must not – be limited to the written word” (Fowler, 1991). Today’s students need to understand visual communication and how it is used commercially to market products and lifestyles to teenagers. Dickinson (1997) explained, “Children today are growing up in a highly visual world, surrounded by images of television, videos, advertising displays, and other media. The human brain has a visual cortex that is five times larger than the auditory cortex” (p. 9). She agreed that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is why visual communication is the most effective form of communication. One underlying vision of the curriculum is based upon traditional Aboriginal relationships with the environment, wherein we are all part of Mother Earth. Our place within a circle of life relies on the health of all interdependent human and animal life forms. The curricular vision is to integrate art lessons with environmental topics, such as traditional hunting, trapping, gathering, and farming, and the knowledge related to these skills. This learning may stimulate student discussion of current issues and 45 solutions to local environmental problems. Such discussion can be reinforced by practical art lessons that use hands-on activities. These approaches integrate traditional teachings, natural science, and contemporary knowledge, in order to involve students in local problems and environmental concerns. Following are my goals for art in school with lessons for implementation:  Integrate esthetic values across the general K-12 curriculum through a series of visual art-integrated projects. (See Appendix A for art-integrated lessons and visual examples.)  Engage students in the learning process by means of traditional and contemporary art-integrated lesson activities. (See Appendices A, B, and C for art-integrated lessons and visual examples.)  Develop an improved understanding and acceptance of traditional Aboriginal values. (See Appendix C for Aboriginal art-integrated lessons and visual examples.)  Enrich and energize the general K-12 curriculum, by bringing awareness and an appreciation for contemporary environmental issues that can empower learners through knowledge. (See Appendix D for environmental art-integrated lessons and visual examples.) Through art these can be woven together into a teaching tapestry that raises awareness and sensitivity towards changing environmental concerns and contemporary issues of global warming and environmental pollution. 46 6. Providing Visual Examples A picture tells a story: it records an event using visual language; it is an expression of an event or situation. A picture fixes an image, as does an Aboriginal storyteller recalling the past. ”Humans have depicted their lives through art – from the walls of the caves to objects in graves – in two and three dimensions” (Davis, 2008). From observation of preschool classes to the human connection created in art classes, Davis concluded that all children have a innate desire to comunicate through images. As mentioned earlier, an important consideration for art integration is that it may devalue art as a core subject. The fear is that administrators, teachers, and students may perceive art as an “add-on” rather than a discipline in itself. Wilkinson (2001) asserted, “The positive outcomes of arts-related involvement may reflect the way the arts value and nurture knowledge and skills that are often ignored in traditional schooling” (p. 13). The study of art enhances an individual’s awareness and perceptual skills. Art-integration should serve this function as well as cultivate a deeper understanding of the interweaving of subject matters in a holistic approach to education that recognizes all disciplines as equally important and interconnected. Wilkinson (2001) also stated that “youth involved in arts programs also achieve in other areas: they appear more likely to be significantly involved in community service activities, more likely to want to continue formal education” (p. 13). Problem solving and accountability for personal mistakes will help individuals to help themselves so they, in turn, may help others to resolve in their life. Another main issue addressed by this curriculum is the need to incorporate environmental concerns into school curricula. I have endeavored to draw attention to 47 environmental concerns of which students should be aware in order to preserve the natural habitat while sustaining an economy. Infusing a series of art lessons with environmental topics will interest and motivate the learners. These unique individual experiences give students an active part in the discussion of current issues and potential solutions to environmental problems. Practical art lessons use hands-on activities that integrate traditional history and teachings, nature science, and local knowledge. This knowledge is especially relevant to northern students and raises their awareness of harmful environmental habits such as littering of roadways and waterways and the use of snow machines and all-terrain vehicles that harm the fragile undergrowth in fields and forests. Another issue is recognition of North American Aboriginal values. The visual language of art began with traditional Aboriginal images carved, drawn, or painted on stone, bone, hide, or wood. These traditional images served as symbols to recall events of the past. The elders, keepers of the knowledge, know the teaching, history and wisdom of the group. These individuals may not have any formal education, but they can recall the stories, which often have a life lesson, such as those in the trickster stories. These portrayals of moral values serve as a guide for listeners to make good life choices. An understanding of this visual language is important because it gives Native individuals an opportunity to express themselves confidently. This artintegrated curriculum respects Aboriginal students’ needs to reclaim traditional values and beliefs by infusing them into a curriculum. In addition, it builds upon values as the basis for learning about, and protecting, the environment. 48 Because the curriculum includes Aboriginal philosophies without dictating the use of traditional materials such as sharing circles or stories, non-Aboriginal teachers will use this curriculum without offending Aboriginal students or elders. Aboriginal students and elders have told me that they resent “white” teachers who copy Aboriginal customs. For them, imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery, but an insult to their ancestors. Traditional Aboriginal teaching methods naturally blend into hands-on learning; the art-integrated curriculum focuses on the relationships between people and the natural environment without necessarily labeling the instruction as “First Nation.” A final issue is prevention of early withdrawals by students. In my opinion, school administrators will view the art-integrated curriculum as an important encouragement for students to stay in school and participate in the educational process for their own good. High school retention is a primary issue for teachers and other educational stakeholders in the senior administration of most school divisions. An art-integrated curriculum addresses this issue by offering real-life topics that hold students’ attention, add relevancy to the learning process, and improve the students’ lives outside the classroom – all within the context of art-based lessons that appeal to students’ needs for hands-on learning. The curriculum also satisfies the current focus on helping students to see themselves in a global context. (The environmental lessons are an example from Appendix D.) 49 Curriculum Strengths and Weaknesses Art-integrated lessons present activities that challenge individuals to observe and perhaps see nature in context. The Aboriginal art lessons in Appendix C will give students this opportunity. In my opinion, the focus on practical problem solving is the curriculum’s primary strength. Art-integrated lessons develop individuals’ learning skills; these are stepping-stones to acquire problem-solving skills for life. Acquiring new ideas and knowledge requires individuals to take ownership of their education and their personal learning process. Hands-on art activities not only are traditional means of self-expression but also provide opportunity to gain personal satisfaction and to boost self-esteem. A second strength is the curriculum’s flexibility. The center is knowledge provided with the general K-12 curriculum, and it incorporates the traditional values and accepted teachings of the Native elders. The curriculum decisions are primarily accountable to learners, with the goal of having them become engaged in the learning process. The curriculum guidelines are user friendly for teachers who wish to challenge the students and involve them in creative problem solving, and have them sincerely develop strong, lasting learning habits. A third strength is the use of cooperative learning techniques. The learning activities require cooperation. Sharing experiences with others offers an opportunity for students to learn and help each other to achieve success. Effective education includes empowering the students by having them teach each other. From my observation, shared experience is deep rooted and long lasting. 50 A fourth strength is the curriculum’s recognition of the valuable role that elders can play in the education of Aboriginal students. Elders could be invited to contribute to the classroom learning process. Moreover, community members then know that the school is responding to the needs of Aboriginal learners. A weakness of the curriculum is its reliance on the willingness of general subject-area teachers to integrate art into their lessons. Teachers who are not trained in art may be reluctant to explore unfamiliar media and techniques for facilitating student learning. For years, art has been assumed to be the domain of artists only; non-artists felt neither welcome nor able to participate, especially in the middle and senior years. The art-integrated curriculum removes this barrier, but only if the teachers are willing to put aside their misgivings about including art activities into their lessons. A weakness for parents and students is the general perception by non-artists that art is not a serious subject, but merely a “fun” elective to entertain students. There is still a stigma that art amuses students without teaching them anything academic. Another weakness is that art teachers may be unwilling to relinquish their own control over art as a core subject. These trained art teachers may not wish to have art integrated into other subject areas, for fear of watering down the course content and minimizing the status of art as a specialized field of study. This fear is especially problematic in the senior years, when art teachers are preparing students for postsecondary studies in the fine arts. 51 Conclusion Educators gain confidence when they successfully teach new concepts and ideas. An art-integrated curriculum fosters meaningful and memorable learning experiences for students and educators. Goldberg (2001) stated, “The arts provide a natural structure through which students can engage in representation and metaphoric thinking. The arts not only encourage this kind of thinking, they demand it” (p 33). Goldberg described the arts and art activities as a natural process, providing “a lens through which students can look at and examine their world as well as expressing it” (p. 33). Art-integration may serve as a fundamental catalyst in the transformation of individuals, increasing creative expression while working towards developing the “whole person” in a process that validates the importance of all subject areas across the curriculum, including art. Art-integration can be the perfect medium to accomplish “hands-on” learning by means of creative techniques, and (pride of ownership). Our society will be enriched with imaginative individuals who are able to confront the challenges of the future who are creative thinkers; who will solve the unique problems that all citizens of our planet are facing. Improving and heightening observation skills and knowledge of art as a visual language give individuals an increased awareness level and respectful understanding of their environment. Most importantly, in my opinion, the arts develop a sensitivity that is a vital component of personal social and environmental health and well-being. 52 References American Forest Foundation. (1997). Project learning tree: Environmental education pre K-8 activity guide (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. The Accounting Review, LIV(1), 133-146. Anuik, J. (2008). The pedagogy of the professionals and practitioners in the natural and applied sciences: The case of the Aboriginal professional class. First Nations Perspectives, 1(1), 121-138. 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Research and Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 5 (2), 175-197. 58 Introduction to the Appendices Entry Characteristics The expectation is that incoming learners will be familiar with visual art as a source of entertainment and knowledge. Many will already enjoy working with art media in their life experiences in some form, even at the early years. There are minimal prerequisites for the curriculum, depending on individual motor skills that have been developed and the knowledge base that has been previously acquired at various ages and grade levels. Visual art is extremely flexible in permitting high achievers to excel at a faster rate, and challenging them to perform beyond the fundamental stated outcomes. It also provides opportunity for lower achievers to attain success while developing their skills at an individualized rate. Lesson Description These lessons are designed as an introduction for a beginner with a creative interest in learning the visual language of art. The basic elements are studied through practical application with assigned projects. The primary aim of these lessons is to increase the students’ awareness and heighten individual observation skills. These lesson activities are selected for the students to extend what they know and what they will learn. Instruction Instruction in the visual arts usually requires formal training, consisting of extensive knowledge and skills. The first visual art assignments were designed to require minimal formal training, and involve simple, easy-to-follow procedures that should not intimidate either the instructor or the students. Curriculum objectives/outcomes can be incorporated in the basic design. Visual art is challenging and interesting, with a variety of directions that accommodate different learning styles and interests. Students who have been observed in workshops appear eager to work cooperatively and help others to make their own one-of-a-kind art-works. Student projects will be displayed and critiqued as individual art-works. 59 General Learning Outcomes  Students will understand and become aware of the elements and principles of art, their use and application.  Students will learn to appreciate art through exploring a variety of techniques and media.  Students will be able, and personally feel more confident, in expressing their own ideas and feelings through visual expression.  Students will understand the importance of creating and expressing their own original ideas, challenging their skill level.  Student workmanship and craftsmanship will improve and be critically enhanced in terms of observation and perception abilities, whereby the students are not afraid to do different things.  These are creative individual projects for students to gain visual awareness and personal confidence in developing drawing skills and techniques without requiring specific drawing skills.  Remember that students do not have to know how to “draw” in order to be creative and be successful in these assignments, and to gain an appreciation of their environment and nature.  Students who are sensitized, through art, are often more aware of their personal environment and will support and maintain a more sustainable healthy environment and the survival of life on this planet Earth. Individual Differences Students have the ability to be self-motivating and self-driven when they are involved in visual arts. Visual art is extremely adaptable, with provisions for individual and group learning, and for multicultural students. The lessons can also respond to different learning styles and abilities. The success that special needs students achieve cultivates pride in accomplishing art-work that is valued by others, as well. Highly motivated and skilled learners can excel without alienating themselves from other students. Students will become aware that we all have different pasts and unique approaches to problem solving, and they are all valid. Students will develop an individual pride and awareness of their own one-of-a-kind art-work. Visual art is an internationally accepted form of communication that is understood around the world. 60 Resources The convenience of visual art is the ready availability of materials such as paper, pencils, ink, paint, glue, and any combination of recycled cardboard, paper, cloth, ribbons, newspapers, scrap paper, and other “found objects” that can be incorporated into an art form. Tools are commonly found items such as rulers, scissors, matt knives, glue sticks, and needle and thread. Any classroom with tables, and preferably a sink, is a sufficient facility for creating art projects. Instructors should be able to demonstrate art-making techniques after attending several professional development training events. Visual artists and parents may be extremely helpful in the classroom. The best part for educators worried about the bottom line is that, over and above collecting recycled materials, there is no cost other than paint, pencils, inks, glue sticks, paper, scissors, rulers, and paper. For students in the higher grades, a computer with graphics capability in designing information in visual art forms can enrich the learning experience and develop occupationally relevant skills (such as graphics design used for advertising). Field Testing The lessons in these appendices have been piloted in various forms through such means as ArtsSmarts workshops and classes, professional development in-services, and Bachelor of Education arts methods courses. The educators who participated in these sessions were interested in experimenting with visual art integration methods across the curriculum. Examples included a variety of art and craft ideas such as sketch books, daily journals, art portfolios, student individual art projects, and collections of found objects in creative forms such as sculpture, collage, and book-art. The students in the demonstration classes were eager and excited about the hands-on visual art activities. In addition, the art lessons have been shared online with art educators throughout North America through such websites as Artsonia and Art Educators 2.0, with very positive feedback. The visual art activities have the potential to achieve a lifelong learning legacy. The best evidence is the happy and excited learning environment that an art class creates, and the personal satisfaction that comes from a completed project. Student pride in owning their art-works is the true test of success in learning art. Professional Development for Educators Visual artists seem to be always full of new ideas and techniques. They will often take the time and go out of their way to inspire others. Most artists love to share their creative talents, encouraging others to take part. Curriculum projects 61 that include local artists working with educators and students, helping to integrate other core subject areas, are usually very successful. Professional development with a visual artist gives educators the confidence that they require to include artistic ideas into their curriculum assignments, and engages students in a lifelong learning experience. Elaine Rounds is a local artist, a book-artist and collage-artist. Elaine is an easygoing character, always full of new ideas and techniques. She will always take the time and go out of her way to help and inspire others. Her book-making classes are a delightful inspiration to all that take part. She is what is so good about people helping people. When the Brandon School Division applied for an ArtsSmarts Project to have local artists work with educators and students, integrating art into other core subject areas, I was the project coordinator. Elaine Rounds was a natural choice to be the book-artist; someone respected by educators and loved by children. In the ArtsSmarts project 2004-2005, I was the project coordinator and I invited Elaine to be the guest artist. She was teamed with two teachers, one in grade one and the other in grade two. A collage approximately six feet in diameter was the result; it was truly amazing. The project also included professional development the Elaine as the facilitator. Thirty educators were inspired by her demonstrations of how to incorporate book-making techniques using paper and found objects that require little expense. In the ArtsSmarts project 2005-2006, Senior 1 Social Studies at Neelin High School in Brandon, I was the coordinator and also the educator and I asked Elaine to be the guest artist again. Even though I’ve known Elaine Rounds for over twenty years, I had lots to learn about art and also teaching. I entered Elaine’s world of book-making, trading cards, and mail art. Students completed a project on multiculturalism. Elaine performed her magic, and again art appeared. Elaine gives freely of her heart and soul; her knowledge and skills seem to be infinite and so are her patience and dedication. Elaine has always been above and beyond, and so is my respect for this wonderful person. Elaine continues to teach book-art to students of the Brandon School Division, and educators that she has inspired continue to integrate book-art into the curriculum. Student Evaluation Students should demonstrate confidence in the skills and techniques required to complete each assignment. They will gain an individual pride and visual awareness of their own one-of-a-kind art-work. The art-works are reflections of the students’ own personalities and personal life experiences. The projects will be displayed and critiqued for their individual nature and character. The ultimate goal is to facilitate an enjoyable learning experience, with students actively engaged in the process of making art. 62 Art projects may be assessed in terms of the extent to which they provide evidence of the following:     Correctness – adherence to objectives and assignment parameters Completeness – degree to which an idea is pushed and carried to completion Neatness – clarity with which communication is achieved (overall presentation of idea) Originality – extent to which ideas are understood and expressed (creativity) Students do not have to know how to draw in order to be creative. Art-works are a reflection of the students’ individual personalities and life experiences. When visual art is integrated across the curriculum, assessment should occur in conjunction with the subject area in which visual art is being utilized as another medium for learning. 63 Appendix A Elements and Principles of Art The curriculum includes a focus on the elements and principles of art, and on the roles that these play in developing visual communication. For example, the art in the caves of Lascaux shows that the Paleolithic humans revered animals. History has been documented in visual form, then in written form. First were the first cave drawings and paintings on stone, then the scrolls on paper, and finally European in masterpieces depicting upper class society. Whatever we know of our society’s politics, economics, and geography is manifested in art. The primary focus for this section of the curriculum is to develop awareness and understanding of art as a visual language. Art can be linked or added to enrich the curriculum in all courses, and infused into different subject areas for all ages and grade levels. Seventeen Lessons on the Elements and Principles of Art Line Shape Colour Value Texture Space Form Proportion and Relationships 64 SEVENTEEN LESSONS ON THE ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ART LINE ART LESSON: LINE GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Continuous Line Assignment – Geometric and Organic Lines INTRODUCTION TO LINE: This lesson introduces line as an element of art that occurs naturally in the students’ environment. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of a variety of lines within their environments. – They will learn the definitions of continuous lines, and the difference between geometric and organic line designs. – They will produce continuous line drawings that are either geometric or organic. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of line in our environment – Previous students’ line art-work – Other examples of line designs in the environment – Search Internet sites for line examples and videos of continuous line drawings and handouts on drawing techniques – Figures #1 and #2 are examples of geometric and organic continuous line drawings. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – Ink and feathers, brushes, or sticks (optional) 65 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students, “How many of you can draw?” Drawing is commonly thought of as the skill whereby one depicts a reasonable representation of a form such as an animal, person, or structure. Reassure students that they do not need to know how to “draw” in order to produce successful art assignments. – Use your visual resources to introduce the concepts of geometric and organic lines. Geometric lines can be straight or circular. They have hard angles and create geometric formations. Geometric lines occur in man-made objects. Organic lines are fluid. They appear to grow and develop. Organic lines occur in nature. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show the lesson figures to students what a continuous line drawing looks like. It resembles a maze. There is no break in the line, and the line never touches or crosses itself. You can follow the line from beginning to end with your finger, no matter how complicated the design is. In a continuous line drawing, the various lengths and widths of the line are no more than a centimeter apart. – Demonstrate the rules for continuous line in the examples. Are there any breaks in the line? Does the line touch or cross itself anywhere? Do the line sections maintain a consistent distance of about a centimeter? Discuss how violations of the rules enhance or detract from the visual appeal of each design. – Help the students to identify the continuous line figures as geometric or organic. Figure 1 is a geometric design. Figure 2 is an organic design. – Examine other variations in the lines within the figures. Are they thick or thin, hard or soft, consistent, or a mixture? Discuss the quality of the lines and the visual impact that these variations produce. For example, Figure 1 has thicker sections for some angles and curves. In Figure 2, the lines appear to recede, because the lines are progressively lighter, creating the illusion of depth. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students start drawing their own continuous lines in pencil. – They may start their lines at any location on the page, so long as they fill the entire page. Tell them just to draw, with no preconceived image or design idea. They are to draw a variety of patterns, not objects or images. – Remind students to follow the rules: there is only one line, the line does not touch or cross itself, and the line sections are no more than a centimeter apart. For this exercise, the students also need to choose between geometric and organic lines – they may not combine both in their single continuous line drawings. 66 – Encourage students to be imaginative in their drawings, and to vary the darkness and thickness of their lines by using different pencil leads and drawing techniques. In addition to using softer pencils, they may use the side of the pencil lead to create softer, thicker lines. Harder leads produce darker, thinner lines. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have students reflect on trips that they have taken. When they trace their travels in a continuous line on a map’s roads and rivers, what design does the line make? Brainstorm a variety of ways to get from point A to point B. What other routes might they take another time and why? – Make photocopies of a local map, and have the students experiment with creating different continuous route lines to travel between common points of interest. – To apply this activity across the curriculum, use topical maps for geography, and blood vessel charts for health. – Students may also enjoy experimenting with other ways to make a line, such as ink with feathers, brushes, or sticks. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their drawings: – there are no breaks in the line – there should be patterns only, no real objects or images – the entire page should be filled – there are no line crossovers – the line sections are no more than approximately one centimeter apart – the line is geometric or organic, not a mixture – The art projects should demonstrate that the students understand geometric versus organic shapes. – Students’ art-work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of line combinations, incorporating various drawing techniques and seeing what else a pencil can do. – Drawing skills start with experimentation, seeing what the medium can do, and then incorporating techniques as required in future drawings. 67 Figure 1 Geometric Continuous Line 68 Figure 2 Organic Continuous Line 69 ART LESSON: CREATIVE DOODLING GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Creative Line Assignment – Creative Doodling CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Students will develop creative line ideas and designs from the continuous line assignment, using geometric or organic line patterns or designs. This is the beginning of working with shapes, as the lines start to define shapes and combinations of shapes seem to find balance within the design. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Doodling develops an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of patterns and designs in the everyday environment. – A drawing is created through creative repetition of lines and multiple patterns in simple visually pleasing forms. – Students will appreciate how combinations of designs and patterns evolve into coherent visual designs. – They will produce a composition that consists of a group of line drawings or doodling. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of our natural and social environment, including Aboriginal designs and patterns – Previous students’ doodling examples and artist examples from Internet sites – Examples of patterns in clothing and fabric materials – Wire, string, sculptures – Search Internet sites for doodling patterns, and videos and handouts on doodling techniques and designs – Figures #3 and #4 are examples of doodling, using geometric and organic lines in a composition. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – White eraser and/or kneaded eraser 70 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Creative doodling is a common pastime, when people are talking on the phone or relaxing. They may take a pencil or pen and start drawing on scrap paper or in the margins of books. This activity keeps their motor senses occupied. – Students could think of occasions when they start doodling drawing and about their favourite doodling or patterns. – Students could question their peers and parents about their favourite doodling or patterns. – Students should observe the variety of line designs and patterns that they created in their continuous line drawings. This will extend the line concepts from the continuous line assignment. – Visual resources will give students a wider perspective of line that an element of art. – Consider student and artist examples used traditionally and commercially. – Complimentary patterns and designs are created in a similar manner, generating the original art-works in designing logos and other commercial art-works. – These examples will demonstrate how lines start to form shapes and patterns, giving students a visual direction while stimulating ideas of shapes. AQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Have students select a creative (or their favorite) area from their own continuous line drawing. Try pattern examples and sketch some ideas. Remember to keep it simple. – Students can experiment with a variety of drawing methods used to create designs, learning more about the qualities and properties of line. – Show how Figure #3 is an example of geometric line doodling, using geometric lines, – straight lines, circles, hard angles, geometric forms, as in “man-made objects.” – Show how Figure #4 is an example of organic line doodling, using lines of nature. The lines grow and develop; they are not geometric. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students start drawing by sketching creative lines or doodles and then putting their ideas together in a visually pleasing design or pattern. In addition to softer pencil leads, the side of the pencil lead may be used to create softer lines. – Students may have a planned pattern or design in mind before they start. – Students may share ideas and revise their creative designs. – They may integrate geometric and/or organic shapes into their doodling designs. 71 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have students try contrasting ideas and techniques, for example, dark and light. – Students may create geometric patterns, using organic line to enhance pattern areas. – Brainstorm building-design ideas and pattern combinations. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given for their drawings: – there are ideas or images in a design or pattern – the entire page is filled – the lines give a sense of surface pattern – Students’ art projects should demonstrate that they understand the contrasting of geometric line (man-made objects) = straight lines, circles, hard angles, geometric forms) and organic line (lines of nature – growing, developing, not geometric). – Students’ art-work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of line combinations, using different lines and seeing what else a pencil can do – incorporating various drawing techniques. 72 Figure 3 Geometric Shapes 73 Figure 4 Organic Shapes 74 ART LESSON: DRAWING TREES GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Drawing Assignment – Drawing Trees in the Seasons CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: With the last two lessons, the students have gained some drawing skills and they have learned a variety of techniques for working with pencils. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity and awareness of trees in our environment. Trees serve an important function in our environment and they have many benefits for our quality of life and our society. – Students who creatively study trees through the seasons in drawings will take note of the large variety of functions that they perform. – Students will produce a series of tree line drawings, using organic line combinations. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of trees in the seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall) – Previous students’ drawing examples of trees and artist examples of tree drawings – Other examples of various tree shapes and designs, and their unique functions in different climates – Search Internet sites for tree images and videos on trees and handouts on drawings of trees. – Figure #5 is a photo example of a tree in the fall. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – 11” x 17” student sketch book – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – Variety of smudgers and kneaded erasers 75 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm about the wide range of benefits of forests and trees, from producing the oxygen we breathe to supplying the materials to build our homes. – Trees have natural functions to provide wind shelter or habitat for animals, birds, and insects. – Their industrial uses include fruit and nut trees, lumber and pulp-and-paper trees, and sap such as in maple trees. – Visual examples of trees will help students to recognize and understand the importance of trees in their lives. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show a variety of photographs of trees from magazines will start students talking about the individual characteristics of trees and their functions. – Have the students select one individual tree (or portion of a tree) that they like at home or on their way to school. – The tree should be one that they see on a regular basis, so they can observe the changes the tree takes as the seasons change. – Show how the tree in Figure #5, noticing the general graduation of size of the branches from the truck of the tree, and how the quality of line changes as well. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have the students go out and draw parts of their trees, slowly becoming familiar and comfortable with drawing parts of a natural organic form. – The trees could be first drawn early in the fall before the leaves change colour, then redrawn as the leaves change colour (values change), and perhaps when the leaves have partially fallen off. – Then, once the leaves are all gone, the students will draw the skeleton of each tree: the trunk, branches, and twigs. After the long winter, they will draw the same tree from the same perspective as the leaves come into bud. – This series of student drawings represents the seasons of the tree, a year in the life of a tree. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Have students trace their family history – the family tree. Ask them to draw this tree, thinking of individual family members and what types of branches depict their characters and lives. – Discuss forestry methods, such as clear-cutting and burning of rain forests, to emphasis the need to protect trees – Talk about students’ favourite trees and stories of trees. Consider places where the students go to rest – do they include a tree or trees? 76 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given for their tree drawings: – they demonstrate a variety of ideas or designs or patterns – the entire page is filled – the lines give a sense of tree surface bark patterns – Student work should demonstrate a variety of lines, shapes, textures, and combinations of these elements, creating interesting designs and patterns that contrast the organic nature of the trees that have been selected as subject material. – Students’ art projects should demonstrate that they have an understanding the organic line lines of nature, growing and developing, to visually communicate the story of the tree. Trees are not geometric – there are no straight lines in nature. – Drawing projects will be displayed and talked about. Students should exhibit knowledge of some varieties of trees and notice the special shapes and designs that are as unique as their own individual art-works. 77 Figure 5 Photo of a Tree in the Fall 78 ART LESSON: STRING PRINTING GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Continuous Line Assignment – with String and Printing CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: This lesson uses string as a three-dimensional continuous line form, instead of pencil or ink, which were used to represent the lines of a tree in the previous lesson. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of line in our environment. – Line is an important element of art. Students will learn through creative line how the simple three-dimensional forms are defined and designs are created. – Students will create a three-dimensional continuous line design, using string and glue and then printing the continuous string design, thereby increasing the possibilities and directions of line assignments. VISUAL RESOURSES: – Magazine photo examples of lines that create patterns and shapes in our environment – Previous students’ string printing examples – Other examples of line designs in the environment – Search Internet sites for artist printing examples and handouts on printing techniques. – Figure #6 is a printed example of a continuous string design. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 8 ½ “x 11” card stock paper – Some old newspapers or scrap paper – White construction glue and string (glue may be diluted with water) – Small plastic lids for glue 79 – Block ink and rollers – 18” x 24” coloured construction paper (optional) – Other colours of block ink (optional) ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Define and demonstrate continuous line with string, using the guideline rules. There are a variety of ways to connect two points rather than a straight line. Students should have fun, explore, and try new ideas. Variety is important in all designs. – Repeat the rules for continuous lines: the line does not cross or touch itself, and the line segments should be no more than about one centimeter apart. – For this assignment, students may choose to have a combination of organic and geometric line examples. – To stimulate the students’ interest, show examples and demonstrate. AQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm with the students selecting creative themes for their own continuous string designs. They should create patterns, sketching some ideas. Remember to keep it simple. – Students can experiment with a variety of methods, using the string to help fashion the design, learning more about the qualities and properties of line while using an actual string as the line. – This assignment helps students to build awareness of line as a three-dimensional form. At the same time, the printing returns the line to a two-dimensional line. – Show how Figure #6 is a student example that uses organic line – a line of nature (growing, developing) APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students start the string line as a continuous line, which can include geometric and/or organic line. – Remembering the rules. Students should not draw anything (no objects), any preconceived ideas or images. Start the string at any point. Fill the entire page. Do not cross the string line at any time. Do not have any string sections more than about one centimeter apart. – Students should explore, trying different lines, and seeing what else a string can do – varying techniques with the string. – Allow approximately 12 hours for the glue and string to dry. 80 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – The printing of the continuous string design increases the possibilities and directions of this line assignment. – Try simple printing techniques with block ink and a roller. After the glue and string are dry, students use a roller to apply ink to the string, being careful not to touch the paper. They then place a piece of paper over the inked string design and roll over top of it. – Experiment with different colours of paper and ink. – Have the students try printing their string designs in different directions on an 18” x 24” sheet of paper. Students use four prints of the string design on the same piece of paper. String designs may also be printed and overlapped, using different coloured inks. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given for their string art: – they are not objects or images – there are no preconceived ideas or images – the entire page is filled – no lines cross – the line segments are no more than approximately one centimeter apart. – Student work should demonstrate a variety of lines and line combinations that create interesting designs and patterns, contrasting geometric and organic shapes. 81 Figure 6 Continuous String Print 82 ART LESSON: CLAY COILS GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Three-dimensional Line Assignment – Sculpting With Clay Coils CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: This lesson is a three-dimensional line construction that develops a three-dimensional form, rather than a two-dimensional print as in the string printing lesson. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Sculpting with clay develops an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the natural elements of our environment. – Students will enjoy this creative individual project; clay is a plastic medium that is very forgivable and easy to work with. – Clay is an important medium in art. Through creating and working with clay and shaping with their hands, students create the first simple forms of art. – Students will produce a three-dimensional coil pot or sculpture. VISUAL RESOURSES: – Magazine photo examples of coil pots and sculptures – Previous students’ clay coil pot and vase examples – Examples of other coil shapes and forms such as grass baskets and bowls, and Hopi pottery – Search Internet sites for videos on coil construction techniques and handouts on clay building techniques. – Figures #7 and #8 are photographs of student coil pots. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – Boxes of premixed clay – Canvas-covered boards to work on – Used guitar strings to cut the clay – Old kitchen knives and forks 83 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – A short history of basket making and pottery gives students an appreciation of the past and a feeling for the development of very simple everyday items. – Talk about how baskets were formed by using coils of grasses and reeds. – Clay was first used to line the baskets so they would be more functional and not so porous. One story is that a basket lined with clay was left too close to the fire one day and the grasses burned, leaving a clay pot that kept the coil indentation of the basket that originally formed the clay. From then on, baskets were made from clay coils and then fired to make them less porous so they could hold water. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm with the students and sketching patterns and design examples for their coil pots. Remember to keep it simple. – Students can experiment with a variety of coil building methods to create designs, learning more about the qualities and properties of line and the possibilities and limitations of the medium of clay. – Students could view examples of a variety of pottery styles to develop an awareness and appreciation of traditional pottery in a historical context (such as simple basket and pottery techniques). – Show examples of coil pottery such as the Hopi pottery in the United States. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Students work with clay to construct a three-dimensional object. – The clay needs to be wedged to work out the air bubbles and give the clay body more plasticity. – Students roll coils of clay, and then build layers of coils. – They need to scratch and apply a little water to glue the coils together (which is called slip). An old tooth brush is the best tool to do the scratching. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Students may choose other ideas rather than functional pottery examples: bowls, plates, glasses, mugs, candle, stick holders, etc. – Nonfunctional coil sculptures may also be constructed on a theme design, with a minimum height requirement. – Students could incorporate combinations of slab construction techniques and coil techniques. – Coil construction techniques could also be used for any circular form. 84 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given, and have applied design ideas and concepts from previous line lessons: – there are creative line ideas in the coil design or pattern – the entire pot is constructed of coils – the lines created by the coils give a sense of surface line pattern – Students’ clay projects should demonstrate that they have an understanding of how to construct a form using clay coils. – Student work should demonstrate a variety of coil shapes and combinations of line that create an interesting designs and patterns, perhaps contrasting organic and geometric shapes. – The students’ clay forms should be self-supporting and aesthetically pleasing. – Clay sculptures should have a plastic quality to them, not solid in construction. 85 Figure 7 Coil Pot Figure 8 86 Coil Pot LINE ASSIGNMENT IDEAS WITH PENCIL, BRUSH, PEN, STICKS, PIPE-CLEANERS, STRING, WIRE, ETC. CONTOUR LINE SECONDARY CONTOUR LINE BLIND CONTOUR LINE CONTINEOUS LINE JESTURE LINE EMOTIONAL LINE CREATIVE DOODALING CREATIVE SCRIBLING LINE TO MUSIC LINE TO DANCE LINE TO RHYTHM GEOMETRIC LINE GEOMETRIC FORMS ORGANIC LINE ORGANIC FORMS COMBINATIONS (GEOMETRIC ORGANIC) TREE STUDIES GRASS STUDIES STILL LIFE STUDIES LETTERS NUMBERS STICK PEOPLE CALIGRAPHY NATIVE ART POWER LINES PARALLEL LINES FLOWING LINES OPTICAL ILLUSIONS 87 Shape ART LESSON: SHAPE GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Shape Assignment – Geometric and Organic CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Shape is the second element of art. Students will develop creative line ideas and designs into shapes, similar to the clay coil assignment but using two-dimensional geometric or organic line patterns or designs. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of shapes in their natural and social environment. Shape is an important element of art. – Students will develop an awareness of patterns and designs that shapes create in our natural environment. –Through creative shapes and combinations of shapes, students create simple visual designs. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of a variety of shapes in our environment – Previous students’ shape designs – Shapes and designs in toys and books – Real-life geometric and organic form examples – Search Internet sites for artist examples and videos on shapes in designs and handouts on drawing shapes. – Figures #9 and #10 are examples of shape compositions. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Discuss geometric and organic shapes – where do you find them and why? Geometric shapes are man-made. They are found in buildings, classrooms, furniture, cars, trucks, etc. Organic shapes are found in nature: fruits, vegetables, flowers, leaves, animals, etc. – Provide real-life examples for students to observe a variety of geometric and organic shapes. – Then provide visual image designs that will give students a visual understanding and direction for creating their own designs of patterns and shapes. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show shape is an element of art. Lines define shapes and decorate shapes. – Show shape is an area defined by a line known as contour line. – Show shapes express a variety of emotional qualities and feelings, which are accentuated by the quality of line used. – Demonstrate that all shapes have two dimensions (height and width). – Demonstrate using visual resources to help students develop an awareness of line quality and how it works in developing both geometric and organic shapes. – Explain to students a variety of methods to create and use overlapping shapes in designs. – Show how Figure #9 uses geometric lines. The shapes have straight lines, circles, hard angles, and geometric lines. – Show how Figure #10 uses organic lines. The shapes have natural lines that are growing and developing (i.e., not geometric). APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students sketch simple shapes, remembering the importance of the quality of line that is defining each shape. – Tell students to fill the page. The shapes should overlap. – They need a variety of shape ideas, but they should try not to mix geometric and organic shapes. – Line quality is important. Encourage students to experiment with hard and soft lines to create different visual and emotional effects. RELECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Contrasting ideas and techniques create interesting shapes. In compositions, the artists often contrast geometric and organic shapes and lines. Have the students examine a variety of visual images, to see how geometric and organic shapes and lines are used to complement and contrast each other (e.g., Figure #10). – If the student has drawn geometric shapes, then fill the shapes with organic lines. – If the student has chosen organic shapes, then fill the shapes with geometric lines. 89 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their drawings: – the composition consists of geometric or organic shapes, not a mixture – there is a variety of overlapping sizes and shapes – the shapes should have a sense of unity within the patterns – the page is filled and has a common theme – the designs and patterns should be aesthetically interesting and pleasing – The art projects should demonstrate that the students understand geometric versus organic shapes. – Student’s art-work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of shape combinations, using different lines and forms, and incorporating various design techniques. 90 Figure 9 Geometric Shapes 91 Figure 10 Organic Shapes and Design 92 Colour ART LESSON: COLOUR GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Introduction to Colour – Colour Wheel CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Colour is the next element of art. Most objects in our world have colour. The use of colour will bring life and excitement to an art composition. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of colour in our environment. – Colour is an important element of art. – Introducing colour with creative shapes and forms designs can bring life into an art-work. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of colours in our environment – Previous students’ colour art-work – Posters of colours being used to communicate different themes and moods. – Sample colour graduation chips from paint stores – A commercially made colour wheel – Search Internet sites for artist examples, and colour examples used commercially in toy designs, advertisements and books and handouts on colour and painting techniques. – Variety of shape examples in toys and children’s books – Figures #9, #10, and #12 are examples of colours in a design. – Figure #11 is an example of the colour wheel with primary, secondary, complementary and analogous colours. – Figure #13 is an example of taking colours from magazine and creating a colour collage. 93 OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: –12” x 18” white paper and 18” x 18” vanilla paper (for colour wheels) – 6” x 18” strips of vanilla paper (for value charts) – Tempera paint (primary colours only: red, yellow and blue) – Paint brushes (three per student) – Newspaper or plastic to cover tables – Search Internet sites for videos on colour wheels. ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students what their world would be like without colour. – Colour also develops character and moods that bring drama and excitement to any art composition that is created. – How are colours used in the natural world – what role do they play? – Ask students: “What is your favourite colour and why?” – Talk about rainbows and why the colours appear. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Display a commercial example of the colour wheel, with the combinations of colours created by mixing colours. – Discuss the primary colours first, and how they are mixed together to produce the secondary colours (red + blue = purple, red + yellow = orange, blue + yellow = green). – Describe how analogous colours are closely related colours on the colour wheel, such as the different values of blue. – Brainstorm how complementary colours are opposite colours on the colour wheel (red + green, blue + orange, yellow + purple). Discuss why people who are considered “colour-blind” have difficulty distinguishing between complementary colours. People who are red-green colour blind can distinguish between red and green traffic lights, because the green lights are really made of peacock blue glass, which the “normal” eye sees as green. – Brainstorm how colours are used and why they are selected for that particular reason. For example, hospitals use green in the operating room as a complementary colour for red (blood), in order to lessen eye fatigue in surgical staff. Discuss as an illustration, try turning the lights off in the classroom, and then ask the students how turning the lights on abruptly strains their eyes. If surgical staff wore white, the contrast between white and red (blood) would have a similar effect. – Demonstrate to students the fun of mixing paint colours, and while painting makes them aware of the line of the brush strokes and the values when mixing paint. – Show how Figure #11 is a student example of a colour wheel. – Show how Figures #9, #10, and #12 are student examples of colours in a design. – Show how Figure #13 is a collage example of the close relationships among analogous colours. 94 APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students mix the three primary colours in separate containers (red, yellow, and blue). – Give each student a container of water, at least three brushes, and a square sheet of vanilla paper (about 18” x 18”). – Tell the students to visually divide the paper into three equal pie sections. – They will make a small pie shape of each primary colour, in the middle of the larger pie sections. – Then they will start to mix the colours on the paper, being careful not to contaminate the primary colour in their paint containers. Tell them to work from the center of the page out, mixing the primary colours to create the secondary colours in their analogous family. – Their final products should look like the colour wheel in Figure #11. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Students will self-reflect on their colour wheels and the colour wheels of the other students, exchanging experiences and knowledge learned. – Students should be eager to apply colour to their other designs from the previous lesson on shape. – Tell them to try expressing mood themes with colour. – Create value charts with analogous colours, mixing the two primary colours but never having either colour in the value chart. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their colour wheels: – the primary colours have been used to create a variety of colours – the colours give a sense of unity – the page is filled with the colour wheel colours – the colour wheel should be aesthetically interesting and pleasing – the radial composition should be proportionate – The other student art-work that has been enhanced with colour should include a variety of colours, contrasting dark and light colours in the geometric and organic shapes. – Students should show an awareness of the primary colours, (red, yellow, and blue), and also understand how mixing the primary colours together produces the secondary colours (orange, purple, and green). – Students should demonstrate evidence that they have gained knowledge of colour mixing and application skills. 95 Figure 11 Colour Wheel 96 Figure 12 Colour and Shapes 97 Figure 13 Analogous Colour Collage 98 ART LESSON: PASTE PAPER GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Colour Assignment – Paste Paper CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Making paste paper involves using colour combinations and mixing paint with primary colours. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: –Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of colour and colour combinations used in our environment. Colour is an important element of art. Without it, our world would be black and white. –Through creative mixing and application techniques, students will create simple and colourful forms of art and designs. – The paste paper that the students produce is very functional because it may be used for many purposes. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Examples of paste paper designs – Previous students’ paste paper examples – Search Internet sites for artist examples of paste paper and videos on colour mixing and handouts on colour mixing techniques. – Figures # 14, #15, and #16 are student examples of paste paper. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” construction paper in a variety of colours – Recycled plastic containers for the paint-and-paste mixtures – Acrylic paint – primary colours: red, blue, yellow – Acrylic paint – other colours optional for special effects (e.g., black and white) – Variety of application tools: brushes, forks, spoons, combs, sticks, steel wool, sand paper, sponges, etc. – Plastic covers for the tables. – Paper towels for cleaning up 99 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Mix separate samples of red, blue, and yellow acrylic paint with wall-paper paste (approximately 50/50 mixture). – Demonstrate different colour combinations, and how to mix and blend colours on coloured construction paper. – Have students brainstorm how various tools can be used to mix and apply the paint, such as old combs, hair brushes, kitchen tools, and sticks. Ask students, “What patterns would these tools create?” – Discuss how different colours may be used for particular reasons. Ask students: “What is your favourite colour combination and why?” ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show students paste paper examples: Figures: #14, #15, and #16. – Explain how to mix primary colours to get the secondary colours. – Analogous colours are closely related colours on the colour wheel, such as the different values of blue. – Demonstrate how complementary colours are opposite colours on the colour wheel. – Discuss how analogous and complementary colours are used to create special effects. – Show students the fun of mixing colours, and while painting make them aware of the line of the brush, combs, forks, and any scraping tool strokes. Show them the values that are created by manipulating different paint colours. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Cover the tables with plastic to simplify the clean-up process and to reduce the fear that may inhibit students from just having fun with this idea. – Make more 50/50 primary colour mixtures of acrylic paint and wallpaper paste. – Let students choose from a variety of construction paper colours, to complement their intended colour schemes. – Students may use paint brushes, old combs, forks, spoons, and kitchen utensils, cardboard – anything with some sort of texture is possible for manipulating the paint on the construction paper. – Paste paper designs may be worked until students are happy with the colours, patterns and designs. If other colours of paint are available, students can use them to create special effects. – Set the paste paper aside and let it dry overnight. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Collage: cut pieces of paste paper into shapes and design a collage pattern – Book covers: glue paste paper to matt boards for mini-book covers – Envelopes and cards: fold the paste paper into unique envelopes and cards for personal greetings – Paper bags: fold the paste paper into paper bags for unique gift wrapping 100 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given for their paste paper assignment: – there are creative colour combinations – there are creative ideas in a design or pattern – the entire page is filled with colour (the page needs to be filled not only for aesthetic appeal, but because the wallpaper paste gives the paper its strength) – the lines used give the composition a sense of pattern – The most interesting designs will have contrasting geometric and organic shapes. – Students should show an awareness of the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue), also demonstrate an understanding of mixing the primary colours together to produce the secondary colours (orange, purple, and green). – Students should demonstrate that they have gained knowledge of colour mixing and application skills, using a variety of methods to mix colours. – Student should show evidence that they have gained an understanding of how to control the process of colour combinations and achieving the patterns that they desired. 101 Figure 14 Paste Paper 102 Figure 15 Paste Paper 103 Figure 16 Paste Paper 104 Value ART LESSON: VALUE GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Value Assignment – Values in Forms INTRODUCTION TO VALUE: Value is the degree of light cast on an object. It is the third element of art. Values in a composition give forms a sense of volume and dimension, and separate the subject from the background. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of values and light in our environment and art-works. Value is an important element of art. – Students will learn to use shading and values to make simple forms become more believable for the viewer. – They will produce drawings with values, giving a “life-like” feeling of the third dimension to their art-works. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of values in our environment – Previous student examples of values – Search Internet sites for value studies done by artists, and videos and handouts on shading techniques. – Figures #17 and #18 are examples of a variety of values. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – White eraser and/or kneaded eraser – Charcoal and chalk and coloured paper – Smudgers and paper towels or tissues for blending – Drapery with spotlights (optional) 105 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask the students, “What would you see if there wasn’t any light?” “Why can’t you see the forms?” – Tell the students to observe an object that casts a shadow in the room. Ask, “Which direction is the light coming from?” – Set up real geometric forms in a still life, with a spotlight providing direct highlights and casting shadows. The students should look for white lines as well as darker lines. – A simple box still life with soccer balls and other geometric forms also works well. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm forms and values: the light that is reflected (highlights) or not reflected (shadows) defines the form. – Discuss the values that are illustrated in Figures #17 and #18, and the other visual resources. – Explain how dark shadows have the least amount of reflected light, which makes them the darkest areas in a drawing. – Highlighted areas have the most reflected light, so they have the least amount of value. – Demonstrate how sharp contrasting of values gives visual weight to objects. Darker pictures are more dramatic than lighter pictures. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students do a value chart, working from light to dark. – Then have students add values to a geometric form handout. They will then draw a still life made up of geometric forms with values depicting the highlights and cast shadows. – Blending can be done with smudgers, tissues, or rolled up paper towels bound with tape. RELECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Demonstrate contrasting values by shining a spotlight on drapery or a paper bag still life. – Try different forms of adding values: shading, crosshatching, and pointillism. – Students may also enjoy drawing values outside in daylight, using the sun as a light source. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their value assignments: – the value chart illustrates the gradation of values from light to dark – the values added to the geometric handout and still life create a life-like sense of the third dimension, with a variety of contrasts in highlights and shadows – the still life page is filled and has a common theme – the composition is aesthetically interesting and pleasing 106 – Students should demonstrate that they understand light and how it creates shadows and highlights of forms. Figure 17 Value Study With Bags 107 Figure 18 Value Study Drawing 108 Texture ART LESSON: TEXTURE GRADE LEVEL: Early and Middle Years LESSON TOPIC: Texture Assignment – Texture Rubbings INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURE: This is an introduction to texture as another element of visual art. The lesson also introduces real and simulated texture ideas for sculptural projects in the future. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of textures in our environment. – Texture is an important element of art. People appreciate real textures more than simulated textures. – By creating simulated textures, students will learn how surface quality is defined in simple art forms. – They will produce a set of simulated textures through rubbings. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of textures in our environment – Previous students’ texture rubbings, as examples of simulated textures – Examples of real objects with a variety of surface textures for rubbings – Search Internet sites for videos of real sculpture, artist examples of simulated textures, and handouts on texture techniques. – Figures #19 and #20 are photographs of real textures. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – use the side of the pencil lead for rubbings – Charcoal and pastels (optional) for rubbings 109 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students to shut their eyes and reach out and touch the surfaces around them. Tell them to think of a person who is blind. Blind people live in a tactile world. Their sense of touch is very acute, to compensate for the lack of sight. – Without opening their eyes, have students describe the surfaces that they are touching. What words could they use to explain the textures to a blind person? – Bring in a variety of different textures, and hide them in a bag. Ask students to take turns reaching into the bag and touching different textures. What emotions do the various textures arouse? ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show students the visual resources. Discuss the different textures that are represented. – Brainstorm how visual definitions of surfaces give the viewer more understanding and this will open a fuller dialogue of appreciation of the subjects and situations presented by the artist. – Demonstrate the rubbing technique for students, showing combinations of media and the different qualities achieved. – Explain how western society has a rich past in rubbings. Examine the history of rubbings in Western Europe from grave stones and sculptural reliefs on doors, etc. – Show how Figures #19 and #20 are photographs of real textures suitable for rubbings. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students experiment with the rubbing technique on scrap paper. What differences are created when the pencil (or charcoal, etc.) pressure is harder or lighter? – Give each student a paper divided into squares, and give the rest of the class time to explore and select a good variety of textures for rubbings. – The rubbings with the most visual appeal have a sharp contrast of darks and lights. – The entire sheet of paper should be filled with different texture rubbings. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Tell students to share their texture ideas and find the best texture for this purpose. – Have students work in cooperation to create texture boxes filled with a variety of textures. These give students a real sense of the tactile word of the blind and heighten their own sense of touch. 110 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their texture drawings: – the composition consists of a variety of texture rubbings – various textures define the objects (smooth, coarse) – the page is filled with pencil rubbings – the composition is aesthetically interesting and pleasing – The student drawings will use textures to define the surface areas. – Student work should demonstrate a variety of shapes and combinations of shapes that create interesting and pleasing designs and patterns. – Students’ projects should show evidence of creativity and that their visual art skills are developing. 111 Figure 19 Real Texture Example 112 Figure 20 Real Texture Example 113 Space ART LESSON: SPACE GRADE LEVEL: Early and Middle Years LESSON TOPIC: Space Assignment – Positive and Negative Space CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Space is the next important element of art, because textures are seen and created with space. Forms and subjects of a visual composition need space to exist in foreground, mid-ground, and background. The students’ visual environment surrounds the forms and subject matter in an art composition. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of space in art compositions and in our environment. – Space is an important element of art. The illusion of space surrounding the shapes, forms, and subjects of a composition makes the illusion believable and the viewer’s interest is piqued. – Students will learn how positive and negative space work together in a composition. – They will produce positive and negative space compositions. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of positive and negative spaces in our environment – Commercial advertisements that include positive and negative space (e.g., silhouettes) – Previous students’ positive and negative space compositions – Search Internet sites for artists’ examples of silhouettes, and videos and handouts on creating positive and negative space in art. – Figures #21, #22, #23, and #24 are examples of designs based on positive and negative space. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – 12” x 18” coloured construction paper (could also be scraps) 114 – HD pencils (for tracing the designs) – Glue sticks and scissors – Light table or windows (for tracing the designs) – Black ink and brush and pens ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – The concept of positive and negative space is difficult for many students, so you will need lots of visual examples. – Start with the photo examples that you have already selected because of their clarity of positive and negative space – e.g., the silhouettes. In a silhouette, the black shape is positive, and the white background is negative. – Discuss real-life examples of positive forms – wheels, chairs, or any object that would create a 50/50 balance of positive and negative space in a photograph or drawing. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Explain to the students that positive forms are the objects that comprise the subject matter of most paintings and drawings. The negative space is the background that the objects are located in: sky, fields, water, etc. Thus, negative space is defined by the positive forms in a composition. – Show students Figures #21 and #23. Help them to determine which portions of each design are positive and negative. – Then show students Figures #22 and #24. These are the negative space designs created by the coloured paper designs in Figures #21 and #23. – Then ask students which designs they prefer: positive (Figures #21 and #23) or negative (Figures #22 and #24). The negative space designs are often more aesthetically pleasing, although the negative space is not usually considered part of the composition. – Discuss the 50/50 balance in these coloured-paper positive space designs and black-ink negative space designs. Then show students examples of designs that are not balanced in terms of positive and negative space. Which do they prefer? – Show students the other visual resources. Ask them to identify the geometric and organic forms. Explain that a combination of geometric and organic forms is more aesthetically pleasing, such as in an architect’s drawing of a house (geometric) surrounded by trees and shrubs (organic). APPLYING STRATEGIES: – This lesson’s project is most effective when a 50/50 balance is achieved between positive and negative space, such as in Figures #21-22, and #23-24. 115 – First, the students use coloured construction paper to produce a positive space composition on white background. – Ask the students to cut a variety of thin shapes out of coloured construction paper. Tell them to use a combination of geometric and organic shapes, in light and dark colours. – Then have the students arrange the strips in interesting designs on white paper – aim for a 50/50 balance. – These creative shapes are simple positive forms, and the white background is negative space. – Check each student’s design before the student glues the coloured construction forms in place. – After the project is glued, a quick-and-easy check to see if the design has good 50/50 balance is to hold it up to the light and check the shadowed areas on the back. – Second, the students will use their coloured compositions as the basis for creating negative space compositions. – Tell them to take another piece of white paper and trace the design out on a light table, or tape the design to a window in order to trace it. – When the design has been traced, have the students use ink to blacken the areas of negative space. – This changes the negative space to positive, and students can see the importance that negative space plays in an art composition. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – The background of any composition is just as important as the positive subject matter. – The balance between positive and negative space, and their relationship, hold the viewer’s interest and excitement. – Help the students to identify their composition shapes as geometric or organic – or a mixture. The use of contrasting organic and geometric shapes will enhance the viewer’s interest in the composition. – Students could try the same idea but starting with a negative space drawing, as long as the 50/50 balance is present and the forms do not have a lot of volume. – Create a negative space still-life from a variety of shapes, to show the negative space that is defined by real-life forms. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their compositions: – a variety of values (light and dark) define the objects in the composition – there is a combination of geometric and organic shapes – the page is filled and has a common pattern – the composition is a 50/50 design – the composition of positive and negative space is aesthetically interesting and pleasing – Students should show that they understand and appreciate the relationship between positive and negative space. – Students should show an understanding that the 50/50 relationship between positive and negative space is important. 116 Figure 21 50/50 Negative Space Design 117 Figure 22 Negative Space Design in Ink 118 Figure 23 50/50 Positive and Negative Space Design 119 Figure 24 50/50 Positive and Negative Space in Ink 120 ART LESSON: STENCILS GRADE LEVEL: Early and Middle Years LESSON TOPIC: Space Assignment – Introduction to Stencil Techniques CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: This is another project experimenting with positive and negative space and colour combinations. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop a greater appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of positive and negative shapes in our environment. – Students will learn to see objects in a different perspective. – Through creative positive and negative shapes, students will use stencils as an art medium. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of objects and other positive and negative shapes in our environment – Previous students’ examples of stencils, and prints made from stencils – Search Internet sites for artist examples of stencils used in art-works, and for videos and handouts on creating and using stencils. – Figure #25 is an example of a stencil. Figure #26 is a print made from that stencil. Figure #27 is a composition that uses pastels and two different stencils. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – Used file folders or light cardboard paper for stencil material – Sponges and paint brushes – Tempera or acrylic paint – Variety of positive and negative shape examples 121 – Scissors and exacto-knives – Examples of stencils – Examples of stencil printing – T-shirt designs, advertising logos, posters, etc. – Air brushes (optional) ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Show students some of the visual resources that use stencils. Ask them, “How do you think the artists created these designs?” Most students will have experience in using stencils of some kind. – Show students some actual stencils. Discuss the durability of these items, based on the materials that they are made of. – A visit to a local screen-printing business would be an exciting field trip. – Stencils are used commercially with an air brush. – Technology has made several advances in light-sensitive materials for doing complicated images. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm and review positive and negative space, and 50/50 balance. – Show how Figure #25 is a stencil example of a stylized bear. Figure #26 is a print of the bear stencil using a sponge technique. – Demonstrate some very basic stencil ideas. Cut simple patterns out of file folders. Then make prints by dabbing paint with sponges or brushes. – Show how drawn images that can be photocopied can be easily transferred onto screens for stencil printing. – Demonstrate the technique using oil pastels and two stencils, Figure #27 is a basic example of this technique. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Students will cut out stencils in a variety of shapes out of old file folders. – Then, by using sponges dipped in paint, the students will dab the paint onto another piece of paper through the stencil. – The stencil may be moved around, and other colours may also be used. – The aim for 50/50 balance is desirable, but not necessary. – Other more complicated stencil ideas may be introduced if students show interest. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Combinations of coloured backgrounds can give another colour dimension to printing. – By using the positive cut-out forms, students may print negative images as well. – Sharing stencils can develop new combinations for students to work with. 122 – Lots of possibilities exist for creating more designs, such as using multiple stencils in the same design. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given to make personalized stencils and designs: – the prints will demonstrate a variety of ideas in designs or patterns – the entire page is filled – stencil shapes give a sense of unity within the patterns – Student’s art-work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of shape combinations using different lines and forms, and incorporating various positive and negative space designs. 123 Figure 25 Stencil Figure 26 124 Print Figure 27 Stencil Design with Pastels 125 Forms and the Illusion of the Third Dimension ART LESSON: FORMS GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Form Assignment – Drawing the Third Dimension CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Shapes become forms by using values and perspectives to create the illusion of the third dimension. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the illusion of the third dimension in drawing and art-work. – Form is an important element of art. Through creative forms and the illusion of space within a drawing, students will learn how to make the drawing more believable and real for the viewer. – Students will learn about values and perspective in creating drawings of forms that appear three-dimensional. – Students will produce a drawing of geometric forms that appear three-dimensional. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of form and perspective in our environment – Previous students’ examples of one-point and two-point perspective – Examples of the one- and two-point perspective, and the vanishing points in the horizon line – Search Internet sites for artist examples of perspective, and videos and handouts on one-point and two-point perspective. – Figure #28 is an example of a composition that uses basic geometric forms that appear three-dimensional. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – use the side of the pencil lead for shading – Variety of shape examples in toys and children’s books 126 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – A drawing or painting is not real. It is only the artist’s suggestion of reality. – Explain to students that a drawing is a story and, if you wish the viewer to believe the story, then the images should also be believable and recognizable. – Show students some visual examples. Discuss the illusion of the third dimension to make two-dimensional forms look real. This illusion of the third dimension is called “space.” ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Discuss how perspective is not an easy lesson to teach, because understanding how reality is portrayed on a twodimensional surface is an art in itself. – Show how a picture is not really three-dimensional. It is a two-dimensional image with height and width. – Show how the depth (the suggestion of the third dimension) is an illusion of space – the better the illusion, the more real the form appears. – Demonstrate how artist’s uses values and perspective to create this illusion. – Brainstorm how Figure #28 is a still life of basic geometric forms that appear to have three-dimensional perspective because of the graduating values (light to dark) created by the light coming from the right hand side. – Brainstorm how in Figure #28, the cone is an example of one-point perspective to the vanishing point. The cube is an example of two-point perspective to two vanishing points. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate by drawing a simple cube, including the vanishing point. The vanishing point does not have to be on the paper. Try using strings to discover where the vanishing points connect. – Test some photo examples with the strings, as well. – Have the students practice drawing cubes and other geometric forms. Tell them not to have their lines running horizontally for the cube – they should be about 30 degrees off the horizon line. – When the students can draw the forms successfully, they will create a composition that incorporates these forms, using value and perspective to create the illusion of the third dimension. Remind them to have the light coming from the top right hand corner, so the shadows will be cast down and to the left REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – After the students have mastered drawing cubes, try turning them into houses or fill the box forms with other forms. An example would be a box filled with toys. Help the students to maintain the illusion of depth by means of value and perspective. 127 – Introduce optical illusions to show students how artists use perspective and the illusion of space to trick the eye of the viewer. – Optical illusions play with perspective ideas to create three-dimensional riddles or illusions of space, puzzling the viewer’s eye to believe something that is not actually seen or observed. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions given to make geometric forms in a composition: – the composition includes a variety of geometric forms – the forms have the illusion of space because they appear three-dimensional – an appropriate graduation of values is evident in the shading – the perspective is consistent – the entire page is filled – there is a sense of unity within the overall design – A suggestion of depth within the drawing should create an interesting perspective of real-life forms with a foreground, mid-ground, and background. – Students should be developing personal drawing skills with simple forms, and also show evidence that they are gaining the perceptual skills required for this assignment. 128 Figure 28 Study of Geometric Forms 129 ART LESSON: ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE AND THE VANISHING POINT GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Assignment on One-Point Perspective – One-Point Perspective and the Vanishing Point CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Developing techniques to create the illusion of space is important in portraying realistic subjects. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the techniques to create the illusion of the third dimension in space. – The students will learn the basic techniques that artists use to create the illusion of space: one-point perspective and the vanishing point, graduation of sizes to the horizon line, graduation of values (dark to light), overlapping forms, and partial forms to suggest continuation. – They will produce a one-point perspective drawing that creates the illusion of the third dimension in space. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of perspective in the environment – Previous students’ examples of perspective drawings and art-work – Search Internet sites for artist examples, and videos and handouts on using one-point perspective, the vanishing point, graduation of sizes, graduation of values, overlapping forms, and partial forms. – Examples of optical illusions and videos on how to create them (optional) – Figures #29 and #30 are drawings that create a strong illusion of space. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 18” x 18” white paper – Variety of pencils (ranging from HD to soft) – Paint and brushes, and/or ink and pens (optional) 130 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students how the illusion of space is created in a drawing or painting. Objects seem to disappear as they reach the horizon line. For example, as a ship sails away it becomes increasingly more difficult to see in detail. The ship appears to become progressively smaller. When objects are set in front of other objects, we see only part of the objects that are in behind. These techniques create the illusion of space in a drawing. – The two figures at the end of this lesson incorporate these techniques. – Figure #29 is a one-point perspective drawing that creates the illusion of space with geometric forms falling. – Figure #30 is a one-point perspective drawing that creates the illusion of space with abstract organic forms. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show how other visual resources from magazines demonstrate how the illusion of the third dimension is achieved in a two-dimensional drawing or photograph. – Show how to use rulers to follow the perspective lines to the horizon. Show the students the examples of one-point perspective drawings: how all of the lines converge at the center, and how the objects are graduated in size. A good illusion is believable and creates the illusion of space. – Brainstorm and examine other variations in the space illusion drawings: how the forms overlap, and how some forms seem to be continuing because only the partial forms are shown. For example, in Figures #29 and #30, the forms in the foreground are only partially shown. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – The students has to first need to create a one-point perspective grid on a square piece of paper, preferably 18” x 18.” - Have them find the center of the page by intersecting lines from each corner, and then divide each side of the page into an odd number of sections (5-7 works well). - Then measure from the center out to all four corners, increasing the measurement each time. This graduates the sizes from small to large. – When the one-point perspective grid is finished, the students will use the following rules to draw forms that create the illusion of the third dimension in space. - The forms will be graduated in size: large to smaller from the outside (foreground) in to the centre. - The forms will overlap. - Some of the forms in the foreground will be partially cut off. – Encourage students to be imaginative with their forms, creating a unique illusion. – Have the students complete the illusion by adding values and textures. Remind them that the objects in the foreground should have the most detail. The details fade as the objects get closer to the vanishing point. 131 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have students reflect on how the illusion of space is created in the drawings. How can this technique be used in a landscape study? – Brainstorm with the students about optical illusions and how they may play with these visual tricks. – Demonstrate some optical illusions for the students. Suggest new ideas and techniques. Optical illusions incorporate a combination of technical drawing tricks to engage the viewer. – To apply this activity across the curriculum, the objects illustrated in the one-point perspective drawing may be in any subject area. – Students may also enjoy experimenting with black ink for the background. – View some videos on optical illusions (e.g., M. C. Escher) ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their space illusion: – the one-point perspective drawing is clean and sharp – the entire page is filled – the forms are graduated in size – the forms overlap – there are partial forms in the foreground (outside) – there is a graduation of values and textures (dark to light) – Students’ art-work will demonstrate that they have explored all of these techniques to create the illusion of the third dimension in space. – The suggestion of depth within the drawing should create an interesting perspective of real-life forms with a foreground, mid-ground, and background. – In this space illusion drawing, students start to experiment with the one-point perspective in creating the illusion of space. They see what the techniques can do, and learn to incorporate drawing tricks to achieve a believable suggestion of the third-dimension in art-works. 132 Figure 29 Geometric Space Illusion 133 Figure 30 Organic Space Illusion 134 Proportion and Relationships ART LESSON: PROPORTION AND RELATIONSHIPS GRADE LEVEL: Early and Middle Years LESSON TOPIC: Proportion and Relationships Assignment – Faces in Proportion CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Proportion and relationships of forms in a design are also important in any perspective drawing, so that the balance will make the drawing believable. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the human face and the balance of proportion and relationships in our natural environment. – They will learn that realistic proportion and relationships are important for the viewer to believe the artist’s statement. – They will use proportion and relationships to produce face drawings. In symmetrical balance, both sides of the face are the same. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of human faces – life size is best. – Previous students’ examples of self-portrait faces – Other examples of self-portraits from art books – Search Internet sites for artist examples of face drawings, and videos and handouts on human face proportion. – Figure #31 is an example of a collage face in proportion. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 9” x 12” white paper – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines) – for softer lines, use the side of the pencil lead, too 135 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Measuring an actual human face, to find the common proportions in all human beings. – The eyes are in the center of the face, separated by the width of one eye. The face is 5 eyes wide. The eye is the same width as the nose, and the mouth is the width of two eyes. The top of each ear starts at the height of the eyebrow, and extends down to the bottom of the nose. – The width of one eye gives the student a proportion to use in drawing the other facial features. – These rules for balance in the human face are common to almost everyone. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show examples of magazine photographs of faces. These are often actual face size, so they provide real-life examples to work with when estimating proportions. – Demonstrate how face proportions are based on common relationships among the facial features in an individual. – Show how the face collage in Figure #31 is based on a face drawing. It exhibits these proportions within the context of careful colour selection to produce a pleasing design. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have the students partner up, then take turns drawing each other’s facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, and ears) on scrap paper. – Then have the students divide sheets of paper into four quadrants. They will start by drawing the eyes in the middle of the face. Remind them of the eye proportion: the human face is five eyes wide, with an eye width in the center of the head, approximately 31/2 cm wide. – The nose is also the same width as an eye, the mouth is 2 eyes wide.) – Then use the drawing as the layout for your collage, try to match colour and moods to match the person depicted. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING: – Faces may be enlarged and then painted with a variety of colour methods, (primary, secondary, analogous, values, and black and white colour combinations). – Faces may be collage using skin tones selected from magazines or newspapers – Life size faces may be taken from magazine or posters copied or cut in half and redraw the other half or think of some character with a split personality. – Life size faces may be drawn and feature could be cut from magazines and glue in again the concept of people with split personalities could be focused on. 136 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their face drawing: – the face drawing should be clean and sharp and in proportion – the entire page should be filled with the face – the face features should be accurate in size – the graduation of values and textures should be (dark to light) – Students’ art-work will demonstrate faces in proportion understanding the common relationships of the facial features and combinations of shapes and values used to create an interesting and pleasing drawing of a human face. – Collage is a great medium to gain success in this assignment and a good method of finishing this project. – Students should gain an awareness of their face proportion in their own work one-of-a-kind art-work and appreciation of the human face and other students’ ideas in their art-work. Figure 31 Collage Face 137 ART LESSON: SOCIAL STUDIES COLLAGE GRADE LEVEL: Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Assignment Integrating Art – Social Studies Collage CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: The previous lesson introduced students to collage. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity and awareness of collage as visual expression. – The students will learn proportion and relationships in collage. This lesson uses collage as the medium for a social studies lesson on the Canadian provinces and territories: their unique qualities in terms of landscape, natural resources, industries, and lifestyles. – The students will collectively produce a large circular collage. Figures #33 and #38 are examples of a Canadian social studies collage. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of significant industries and customs of each province and territory – Previous students’ collages and mixed media art-work – “Real-life” photographs of the different provincial landscapes and local environments – Search Internet sites for images of each province and territory, and videos on provincial cultures and regional histories. – Figures #34 to #37 are envelopes filled with brochures collected from each province and territory. These resources are available at no charge from the Department of Tourism in each province and territory. – Figures #33 and #38 are students’ examples of completed collages. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12”x 24” sheets of matt paper cut into 12 equal pie shapes with a 30-degree angle at the point (because 12 x 30 = 360 degrees, to make a circle) – Variety of coloured pencils – Glue sticks and brushes, ink, paint 138 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students what they have learned about their own cultures. What influences shaped their lives and their families’ lifestyles? How did these influences depend on where they were living at the time (geography, urban versus rural, etc.) – Use visual resources to show students the differences of the provinces from coast to coast. If you ordered the tourist information that is included in Figures #34 to #37, you may divide the class into 12 groups. Give each group an envelope and have the group determine that province or territory’s distinguishing features (natural resources, industries, attractions, lifestyles, etc.). One group will have two envelopes: Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Each group will present its findings to the rest of the class. – Have students describe the provinces that they have visited or perhaps lived in. These personal stories may start forming a visual picture. Brainstorm with students about what they know about the regions of Canada. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show students the collages in Figures #33 and #38. Each “pie” depicts a different province or territory. If you have the capacity to copy these images – or to enlarge them for display on a screen – you may ask students to guess which pies belong to which provinces and territories, and then explain their reasoning. – Explain how the collages in Figures #33 and #38 represent the different features of each province and territory. Discuss the use of collage to create an overall image within each pie section, and then the overall effect when the pies are put together in a circle. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – If you have not already done so, divide the students into 12 groups and assign a different province or territory to each group. One group will have two territories in one: Northwest Territories and Nunavut (unless you can figure out a way to cut 13 pie shapes to make a circle). – Help the students find visual images that depict their group’s province or territory. The tourist information packages include lots of information. The other visual resources in the materials list will also help. If you have colour photocopying capacity, you may wish to have students bring photographs from home to use in their collages, as well. – The selection process should be visually pleasing and also portray the most important resources, industries, and other visually recognizable parts of each province or territory. – Tell students to lay out their collage sections carefully, and agree with the composition as a group before they glue the pieces down. Encourage students to be imaginative and creative. The collages should be “eye-catching” as well as informative. – When each group has completed its collage section, put all of the pies together in a circle, with the provinces and territories in order (provinces first, from west to east, then territories). 139 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate new collage ideas and techniques, and collage mixed media combinations to engage students. – This activity may be applied across the curriculum in science. – Examine other variations of collage techniques in visual resources. Students may also enjoy experimenting with crosscultural experiences in collage. – Use the other visual resources to reinforce the concepts of customs and social life styles. – Help the students to classify the visual examples collected from magazines and brochures. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their collage: – the images chosen are clean and sharp – provincial landscapes are evident – local industries are shown – regional customs and traditions are included – each pie shape is filled with collaged images – Students’ completed art-work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of collage techniques. – The students and educator will cooperatively assess the art-work by discussing the visual message expressed by the information that they included about each province and territory. – Students’ art-work will demonstrate that they have explored and understand their assigned provinces and territories. – Students start with experimentation, seeing what the medium can do and incorporating mixed media techniques to contribute collectively to the “whole” and the importance of each part. 140 Figure 32 Circle Collage Layout of Canadian Provinces 141 Figures 33 Circle Collage of Canadian Provinces 142 Figures 34 Collage Resource Materials of Canadian Provinces in Envelopes 143 Figures 35 Collage Resource Materials of Canadian Provinces in Envelopes 144 Figures 36 Collage Resource Materials of Canadian Provinces in Envelopes 145 Figures 37 Collage Resource Materials of Canadian Provinces in Envelopes 146 Figure 38 Circle Collage of Canadian Provinces 147 Appendix B Book-Art An art-integrated curriculum should include a focus on the history of book-making and on the roles that books have played in recording history. What we know of our social, political, economic, and geographical human history is whatever has been documented in written form, first on stone, then on scrolls, and finally in book form. These lessons are designed as an introduction for a beginner with a creative interest in learning the visual language of art through book-art. The expectation is that incoming learners will be familiar with books as sources of entertainment and knowledge; many will already have recorded their life experiences in book form, even at the early years. The primary focus for this section of the curriculum is the integration of book-art into different subject areas at all age and grade levels. Book-art can be linked or added to enrich the curriculum in all courses. The basic elements and principles of art are studied through practical application with book-art assigned projects. Instructors should be able to demonstrate book-making techniques after attending just one professional development-training event. Book-artists or parents involved with book-art may be extremely helpful in the classrooms. Book-Art Projects Pop-Up Book Accordion Fold Book Flag Book Three Lessons on Book-Art Integration Social Studies ICT Creative Writing 148 Pop-Up Book “Pop-Up” is a general term that includes various forms of movable books, either in part or the whole book pops up. Usually, a center section has a pop-up motion created by turning a page, pulling a tab, or turning a wheel. Some pop-ups rely on cuts made in the center of the page. The pop-up attachment usually has cut-out shapes, often with the tabs slipped into the parts that are attached to the center page (the base paper page is where the pop-up is attached). It’s a paper folding trick that children love. It is like a magic trick, and they want to know how it is done. The element of surprise is a unique and fun way to attract their attention. Materials • Paper for the pop-up book: 18” x 24” • Paper for the exploding shapes: 2 of the small, pop-up shapes. 90-lb. paper is best. Optional—if you use a contrasting color under the pop-up shape, you will need paper for 2 of the large shapes. • Two pieces of heavy cardstock or matt board, 6¼” x 9¼” • Pencils, markers, colored pencils &/or gel pens • Scrap paper (for gluing) Tools • Glue sticks, rulers, scissors, and a utility knife Procedure 1. Fold the 18” x 24” sheet parallel to the short edge: in half, then in half again on one side, and then in half again on the other side. You should end up with one mountain peak and two valleys (W as a side view). 2. Now fold the paper in half the other way (parallel to the long edge). 3. When you cut along the centre of the middle inside fold, you will have a eight-page pop-up book (see Figure #39). Examples  Figures #40, #41, and #42 are examples of pop-up books. Figure 39 Simple Pop-up Book 150 Figure 40 Pop-up Book 151 Figure 41 Pop-up Book 152 Figure 42 Pop-up Book 153 Accordion Fold Book The accordion book originated in Asia. It was first used to replace scrolls that had become unmanageable, taking up too much space because of their size and length. The pages of an accordion folding book are very similar to the folds of an accordion. In an accordion fold book, both sides are folded together. When the book is opened, the two sides fold out like an accordion. The accordion book is made of a continuous folded sheet of paper and is often enclosed between two covers. It can either be expanded outward or kept flat. Paper used for the inside sheets can be of the weight of drawing paper, heavy wrapping paper, or colored construction paper. Heavier materials may also be used, such as matt board or thin Bristol board. This book format is suitable for a variety of continuous images, because the pages can be pulled out in one seamless extension. If used as a scrapbook, the accordion bock will hold as much mounted material as desired without bulging at the open edge. The inside paper, which is folded into sheets, may be the same size as the card stock cover or slightly smaller. If the book is to stand, stiff paper the same size of the cover will work best. Accordion books work well for displays because you can stand them up and view both sides, and open them to show all pages. The finished size of the accordion book will vary, depending on the size of the paper and the number of pages that the student wishes for his or her project. Materials • 18” x 24” paper cut in half, to create strips 9” x 24” (the length should be greater than the width). • 6¼” x 9¼” cardstock for covers, two per student • Have the students select images from magazines. 154 Tools • Bone folder or wooden craft stick • Scissors, rulers, matt knives, and glue sticks Procedure 1. Fold the paper in half and crease the edge, using a bone folder, tongue depressor or ruler. 2. Fold one end to meet the center fold, creasing the edge of the paper. 3. Now reverse the direction of this fold. 4. Depending on the pages required, a hinge piece may be added to create a continuous accordion. 5. Then attach the covers to either end of the accordion. Examples  Figures #43 and #44 are examples of basic accordion books.  Figure #45 is an accordion book combination with a ribbon closure.  Figures #46 to #50 are accordion book combinations.  Figure #51 is an accordion book with windows.  Figure #52 is an accordion book, combination cross-over. 155 Figure 43 Accordion Book 156 Figure 44 Accordion Book 157 Figure 45 Accordion Combination 158 Figure 46 Accordion Book 159 Figure 47 Accordion Book Combination 160 Figure 48 Accordion Book Combination 161 Figure 49 Accordion Book Combination 162 Figure 50 Accordion Book ABC with Envelopes 163 Figure 51 Accordion Book with Windows 164 Figure 52 Accordion Book Combination Cross-over 165 Flag Book The spine of this book is an accordion. Pieces of paper called flags are glued onto the spine, as are the covers. The idea behind this book is that an accordion fold has two sides, each going a different direction. If the flag is pasted to one side of the fold, it will go one direction; if pasted to the other side, the flag will lie pointing in the opposite direction. The flags could have images on one side and words on the other, images and images, words and words, or the two sides may be used to tell two sides of a story. The finished size of the book is 6¼” x 9¼”. Materials • 18” x 24” cardstock paper or drawing paper for the accordion spine, one per student • 6¼” x 9¼” cardstock paper for the covers, two per student • Cloth material for covers or paste paper, old calendar pages, photocopies of designs, etc. • Writing paper, envelopes, or CD covers for flags (flag size approximately 6” x 9”) • Scrap paper for gluing Tools • Bone folder or wooden craft stick • Scissors • Rulers • Matt knives • Glue sticks 166 Procedure 1. To make the spine, fold the 18” x 24” paper widthwise. (Refer to the folding directions for the accordion fold book.) 2. To attach the covers, apply glue to the underneath side of the last tab, and glue to the inside of the back cover. Repeat for the front cover. 3. When the front cover is attached, apply glue under this last tab. Do the same for the back cover. Examples   Figures #53 and #54 are flag books. Figures #55 and #56 are flag book combinations using CD envelopes for pages. 167 Figure 53 Flag Book of Old Music Paper 168 Figure 54 Flag Book 169 Figure 55 Flag Book Using CD Envelopes 170 Figure 56 Flag Book Using CD Envelopes 171 THREE LESSONS ON BOOK-ART INTEGRATION BOOK-ART LESSON: SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE LEVEL: Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Book-Art – Social Studies Multiculturalism INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-ART: Book-art is an effective medium to present personal information and ideas. This lesson raises students’ awareness of multiculturalism in our society, in a project that integrates visual art with social studies. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – The students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of multiple cultures by learning about their own and each other’s family heritage. – Through this cross-curriculum activity, the participants will prepare written information and pictorial representations of their own cultural background, with country of origin and cultural traditions, customs, and language. – Students will also experience traditional bookmaking and collage techniques, while designing and making their own books (personal visual family heritage books). VISUAL RESOURCES: – Posters and magazine photo examples of book-art and multi-cultural heritages. – National Geographic has articles and photos of traditional customs and cultural lifestyles. – Previous students’ examples of book projects based on cultural themes – Search Internet sites for book-art examples, and videos and handouts on book-art techniques. – Search Internet sites for stories of individual family histories, told in pictures and words. 172 OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 18” x 24” white paper or coloured construction paper – Variety of scrap matt board pieces – Scissors and/or matt knives, rulers, pencils, and glue sticks ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – A student’s heritage affects his or her environment and daily habits in many ways. Ask students about their families’ heritage, some current and past cultural events in the students’ lives, and how these events affected their own cultural identity (traditions related to food, clothing, games, language, etc.). – Have students think of what they already know and what they could learn from talking to their parents or grandparents about how and where they were brought up. – Help students to prepare questions for their parents and grandparents, in order to discover their own family history. – Tell the students to collect the information as a homework assignment; then have them share their findings with the rest of the class. Our multicultural society may be visible in the make-up of the class. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate the instructions given previously to teach students how to make pop-up, accordion, and flag books. – Show the students examples of completed books. Figure #57 is a layout example of this type of pop-up book. Figures #58 and #59 are photographs of a completed pop-up book of Canada. Figure #60 is a student example of a completed pop-up book. Show how Figures #61 and #62 are student examples of accordion books. – Discuss the use of collage in Figure #61. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have individual students choose which type of book they wish to make: pop-up, accordion, or flag. – Explain how the visual resources (such as magazine photos) may be used to create cultural collages in the students’ own books. – Some photographs the students require may be difficult to find in commercial publications. Colour photocopying is an excellent solution to copy images of family importance. – Students may also wish to search Internet sites for images of their own cultures and family histories. – Students will choose words and pictures that represent their cultural stories. The information should be placed in a visually appealing order within their books. 173 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Discuss the variety of cultures represented in the students’ books, and what the books teach about these cultures. – Teach other book-making and collage techniques. – Explore co-operative projects involving students, parents, invited quests, and other educators in cross-cultural learning. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their book project: – the book covers and pages are clean and sharp – the entire book is filled with relevant information – the student’s cultural history is represented in word and photo collage – the collage images relate to the written words – the combinations of words and images are aesthetically appealing – Have the students take their books home and discuss the correctness of the visual images and written information. What message is conveyed about the family’s heritage? Include the student’s written response in the evaluation for this project. 174 Figure 57 Pop-up Book Assignment Example 175 Figure 58 Pop-up Book Student Example 176 Figure 59 Pop-up Book Student Example Opened 177 Figure 60 Pop-up Book Student Example 178 Figure 61 Accordion Book Student Example 179 Figure 62 Accordion Book Student Example 180 ICT BOOK-ART LESSON: ICT GRADE LEVEL: Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Book-art Lesson – ICT INTRODUCTION: This lesson introduces book-art integrated with technology. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of how technology enhances book-art. – Student will learn various book-making strategies to create collage designs that communicate their individual ideas. – They will produce a personally designed booklet that reflects their own personalities and personal life experiences. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of themes that may be personally relevant to students, with computer-generated images – Previous students’ booklet examples – Find examples of written script ideas in books and advertising. Children’s books have clear scripts with illustrations. Commercial advertising also combines words with images to create special effects with computer-generated collage. – Search Internet sites for artist examples of booklets, and videos and handouts on paper-folding combinations for booklets. –Figures #63 to #66 are examples of commercial promotions that use book-art. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 8½” x 11” white paper – Cardstock paper in a variety of colours (optional, to make covers for the booklets) – Drawing pencils, coloured pencils, and white erasers – Rulers, scissors, matt knives, glue sticks 181 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Show and discuss visual examples of commercially used promotional booklets that are computer generated. – Have students brainstorm and tell stories of products or ideas that they have used or wish to promote. These personal stories may start forming a visual picture for a booklet. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate the visual resources to illustrate the tactics used in advertising and promotion. How do the visual images draw the viewer’s attention? How do the words express the message? How do the combinations of images and words evoke the viewer’s emotion? – Examine collage techniques in visual resources such as Figures #63 to #66. – Teach the students how to find visual images on the Internet, and how to cut-and-paste images into print documents. Teach the students how to scan hard-copy images onto print documents, as well. – Brainstorm with the students experiment with various combinations of print and imagery (overlay, foreground and background, text boxes, hidden borders, etc.). APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students determine the ideas that they wish to use for their booklets. Then have the students choose relevant visual images from magazines, brochures, and the Internet. – Show the students how to fold their sheets of paper into 8 sections: use the pop-up book instructions for the “mountain peak and two valleys” sections, then open out the paper and fold it in half lengthwise. – Have the students create a basic layout and script to fill the 8 sections (one side of the sheet of paper). – Preplanning is extremely important for this project, because it uses a different format than students are accustomed to. The paper folds create reversals that are challenging. – Encourage students to use both scanning and cutting-and-pasting, and to choose their print fonts (and inset styles) carefully. The lay-out of print and imagery is critical to the visual and emotional effect of the final product. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have the students recreate their booklets, using different layout patterns and/or different images and words for the same message. Display the booklet pairs, and have the rest of the class discuss the advantages and disadvantages in each. Which layout, images, and words are more effective – why? – Have the students create new booklets with different subject matters, using the comments from their classmates as guidelines for improvement. – Have the students critique visually based commercial advertising as a homework assignment. 182 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their booklet: – the chosen images are clean and sharp – the booklet is a functioning book form that opens – the pages are all readable and in the correct direction – the entire booklet is filled with appropriate information – The aesthetics should stimulate the viewer’s attention. The page layout and style of print should be consistent with the message in each section of the booklet. 183 Figure 63 Pop-up Book Example 184 Figure 64 Accordion Book Example 185 Figure 65 A Hidden Page Book 186 Figure 66 Hidden Page Book Open 187 Creative Writing BOOK-ART LESSON: CREATIVE WRITING GRADE LEVEL: Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Book-art Lesson – Creative Writing INTRODUCTION: The lesson introduces book-art in language arts. Presenting work in book form motivates students to maximize their writing potential, in an authentic learning activity. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of book-art as a vehicle to showcase their creative writing abilities. They will be excited about using a new final format to present their creative writing. The students will want to make their work visually appealing and accurate, as well as intellectually stimulating. – Students will learn to adapt their creative writing ideas to a book format. – Students will produce personal books that communicate their ideas as a visually complete product. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of book-art – Previous students’ examples of book-art, including complementary images and poetry – Examples of children’s books and book-artists’ works – Search Internet sites for artist examples of book-art, and videos and handouts on paper-folding ideas for books. – Figures #67 to #74 are examples of book-art. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – Matt board scraps – 18” x 24” white paper – Scissors, glue sticks, and inks 188 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students what types of books they have read (novels, comic books, poetry, biographies, song books, etc.) – Discuss what makes them want to read some books more than others (the picture on the cover, the subject matter, the type of book, illustrations or photographs, etc.) – Show the students examples of children’s books. Which ones do they think a child would be more interested in – why? – Explain that these elements can be added to any piece of writing, to make it more appealing to the reader. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show the students Figures #67 to #74, and ask them what elements the book-artists added to make their writing come alive for the reader. – Discuss how the book format makes the writing more attractive than just printing the story out on plain sheets of paper. – Brainstorm how the various types of student writing that can be put into book format: personal stories, poems, fictional passages, etc. – Demonstrate how the instructions given for pop-up, accordion, and flag books to teach students how to create different book formats. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have the students select an example of their own creative writing. Ask them choose a book-art technique (pop-up, accordion, or flag) to complement the personal expression in their writing. – Tell the students to think carefully about how they wish to present their writing. Which words will they include on each page? Will the words be hand-written or typed – and in what font and size? What images (if any) will they choose to accompany the words? – The students should consider a common theme or mood they wish to create. – As the students create their books, check to make sure that each books is functional – that it opens properly and the content is readable (in the right direction). Help students to make their books visually appealing by selecting complementary images and by choosing print that is easy to read. – Have students be creative, try new ideas – see what their classmates are doing and apply new techniques. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have students recreate their books in different formats (pop-up, accordion, and flag). Do they still like their original choice best? – Have students create totally new books in different formats. – Students may also experiment with other book formatting ideas that they find on Internet. 189 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their book: – the chosen images chosen are clean and sharp – the images complement the words, and the print is easy to read – the project is a functioning book form that opens – the pages are readable and in the correct direction – the entire book is filled with appropriate information – The students’ projects will demonstrate individual expression in the book-art project. 190 Figure: 67 Pop-up book student example 191 Figure 68 Accordion Book of Poems 192 Figure 69 Accordion Book Story 193 Figure 70 Accordion Book 194 Figure 71 Accordion Book 195 Figure 72 Book Examples 196 Figure 73 Pop-up Books 197 Figure 74 Accordion Scroll Book 198 Appendix C Aboriginal Art Hands-on art activities reflect a traditional way of learning for Aboriginal people. In the past, Aboriginal children learned by doing and by listening to the stories of their elders. Visual art recalled historical events and legends, recreated on such surfaces as rock walls and tipis. The modern classroom is an ideal place to renew interest in Aboriginal art themes, and to integrate visual art in other subject areas as well (see Figure #75). Aboriginal art projects provide an opportunity to invite elders to share their own stories and the stories that have been told through the generations, which will extend the horizon of the classroom beyond the students’ immediate experiences. The following lessons introduce an art-integrated curriculum that infuses traditional Aboriginal teachings and values along with contemporary environmental issues and concerns. The lessons use trees as a symbol of the life cycle from birth, through growth, to maturity, death, and fertilization of new growth (see Figure #76). Each lesson is a metaphor of the following 3 R’s of the circle of life: recycling to restore a sustainable lifestyle, rejuvenating Aboriginal youth to honour their past, and replenishing Aboriginal values and beliefs. Three Lessons on Aboriginal Art Integration Drawing Trees Leaf Printing Tree Bark Collage 199 Figure 75 Stylized Geese in Flight 200 Figure 76 Photo of Trees 201 THREE LESSONS ON ABORIGINAL ART INTEGRATION Drawing Trees ABORIGINAL ART LESSON: DRAWING TREES GRADE LEVEL: Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Aboriginal Art – Drawing Trees in the Seasons INTRODUCTION: This lesson introduces tree drawing as a means to raise students’ awareness of their environment. The trees’ cycle of life serves as a metaphor of the natural life cycle and the seasons as time passes. In order to use real trees as the subject matter, the lesson should be stretched over the year, in order to accommodate the seasons. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of trees in the environment. – Students will learn how to reproduce a three-dimensional tree on a two-dimensional surface, using a variety of sketching techniques that incorporate the elements of line, perspective, proportion and relationship, etc. – Students will produce drawings of trees throughout the seasons. – As they study trees through the seasons in drawings, students will learn the essential functions they perform. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of trees in our environment – Previous students’ and professional artists’ examples of tree drawings – Other visual examples of the variety of shapes and designs of trees, and their unique functions in different climates – Posters and magazine photo examples of trees visual examples and photo examples of tree species – Search Internet sites for visual examples and handouts of various species of trees – Figure #77 is a photograph of trees in winter. Figure #78 is a drawing of a tree in spring. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white drawing paper – Student sketch book, 11” x 17” – Variety of pencils (HD – soft) – Variety of pencils (HD for hard lines and soft leads for softer lines – for soft lines, use side of lead too) – Variety of smudgers and kneaded erasers ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Discuss the different ways that people use trees. For example, industrial uses include fruit and nut trees, lumber or pulp-and-paper trees, or the sap from maple trees. Landscaping uses include strategically planting trees and using trees for wood to make fences that are aesthetically pleasing. – Explore the nature of trees in different climates around the world. Where do the nuts that we eat come from? Where do the woods that we use for buildings, furniture, and carvings come from? ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm with the students, “How are trees are important for a sustainable healthy environment and the survival of life on our planet?” (e.g., parks, shelter belts, air cleaners, oxygen producers, etc.). These require living trees, not harvesting them for wood and wood by-products. – Show how the symbolic role that trees play in Aboriginal cultures (as a metaphor for the cycle of life and family). – Show how photographs (such as Figures #76 and #77) to demonstrate the beauty of living trees, and the miracle of the seasons that we experience in our climate. Have students talk about the individual characteristics of the trees. “What other life forms are hidden from sight in the trees’ branches and trunks? Where would you like to see these trees growing in your environment?” – Demonstrate how tree drawings (such as Figure #78) to discuss how the artists recreated each tree’s lines and contours. – Show students how different drawing techniques may be incorporated to suggest different lines, shapes, values, and textures. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have each student select one individual tree that he/she likes the most at home, or in a park, or on the way to school. – The tree should be one that the student sees on a regular basis so that he/she can observe the changes that the tree takes as the seasons change. 203 – Have the students go out at the beginning of the school year and draw parts of their trees at first, to become familiar with drawing natural organic forms. They should experiment with various drawing techniques to reproduce the details of their trees. Then have them draw the whole tree. – The students will draw their trees in early fall before the leaves change colour, then when the leaves change colour, and gain when the leaves have partially fallen off. – In winter, when the leaves are all gone, the students will draw the skeleton of the trees: the trunks, branches and twigs. – in spring, they will draw the same trees from the same perspective as the leaves come into bud, and then again as the leaves begin to form. – Encourage the students to use different drawing techniques in order to reproduce details in different parts of the tree. – Each series of student drawings represents a year in the life of a tree, though the seasons. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATAGIES: – Discuss present forestry methods, such as clear-cutting and burning of rain forests, in order to emphasize the need to protect trees. – Have the students look for trees in the visual images created by Aboriginal artists. Invite an Aboriginal elder to describe the roles that trees play in the traditional lifestyles of Aboriginal peoples. – Ask students to talk about their favourite trees and stories of trees, places where people go to rest – do they include a tree or trees? – Have students redraw their trees in a landscape situation, using different drawing techniques. – Show students the video “Man That Planted Trees” by the National Film Board of Canada. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their tree drawings: – the composition is lifelike (trunk, braches, etc., in proportion) – the entire page is filled with the tree drawing – the drawings incorporate a variety of lines, shapes, values, and textures – The drawing techniques should reveal the organic nature of the trees selected as subject material. – Students should show an increased understanding of the natural life cycle and the cycles of nature. 204 Figure 77 Trees in Winter 205 Figure: 78 Tree Study 206 Leaf Printing ABORIGINAL ART LESSON: LEAF PRINTING ART LESSON: LEAF PRINTING GRADE LEVEL: Early, Middle, and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Aboriginal Art – Leaf Printing CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Trees and their leaves serve an important function in our environment, and they have many benefits for our quality of life and our society. The focus on leaves is an extension of the previous lesson’s focus on trees as an important part of traditional Aboriginal lifestyles. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of leaves as a very important part of trees and their survival in various climates. Their life cycles reflect the seasons in the life of a tree, from bud to full leaf to dead leaves that return to help fertilize for the next year. – Students will learn the design function of leaves, which enables the tree to survive and oxygen to be produced, an important part of nature and an interesting look at the function of design. – They will produce single leaf prints and a composition made up of a variety of species of trees. The shapes and individual designs of leaves will focus on a natural composition. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of a variety of different species of trees in the environment – Previous students’ leaf prints and leaves in a printed design art-work – Other examples of leaf prints in a variety of colour combinations and collage designs – Search Internet sites for examples and handouts on leaf printing. – Figure #79 is an example of printed leaves in a composition. Figure #80 is a book-art method of showcasing individual leaf prints. 207 OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 8½” x 11” and 12” x 18” white and coloured construction paper (variety of colours) – Variety of colours of block printing inks – Variety of ink rollers and pallets – Scrap paper or old telephone books – Blank mini-books for leaf prints – A variety of real leaves, or even good artificial leaves, so that students can see the unique qualities of leaves. ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Start by going for a walk outside to find a good variety of leaves from trees. A variety of sizes would be helpful to add interest to the final composition. – Ask students about what they know about trees and the valuable function they perform. Discuss the functions that leaves play while alive on the trees and in death while decaying on the ground. Photosynthesis has a by-product of producing oxygen and consuming carbon dioxide, by simply absorbing sun and water to keep alive. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate how to make a simple leaf print. Choose a leaf (from the field trip) that has visible veins. Put the leaf on a sheet of scrap paper. Apply ink to a roller and roll the ink over the leaf. Move the inked leaf to a clean sheet of paper (inked side up), and then put another sheet of paper (white or coloured) on top. Using a roller without ink on it, carefully press the paper onto the leaf. This process transfers the ink onto the final printing paper. Remove the paper and your print should be there. Set the print aside to air dry, print-side up. – Show how Figures #79 and #80 are examples of student leaf prints. Figure #79 illustrates how leaves may be overlaid to produce a printed pattern. Figure #80 illustrates how single leaf prints may be used to create book-art. – Show how other visual resources to show how different printing techniques produce different visual effects (combinations of overlays, different colours, papers, etc.). – Brainstorm with the students helping them to classify the leaves that were used to print the examples. Examine the pattern variations that different leaves make. Discuss how these variations serve the trees in different climates of the world (hot, cold, dry, humid, etc.) 208 APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students select the leaves they wish to print. – Help them to practice printing some leaves, comparing their prints to the visual example leaf prints as a way to determine whether to use more or less ink, etc., to create the desired effect. (Most students err in using too much ink, which reduces the level of detail in the print.) – Old telephone books make excellent scrap paper for absorbing “run-off” roller ink. – Tell students to be careful not to have excess ink on the paper under the leaf, and to use a new piece of scrap paper (or telephone book page) for each print. – The printing process can be very slow. The prints may take several hours to dry, and each print needs to dry thoroughly before another can be overlaid. – Encourage students to be imaginative with the leaf design composition. They should experiment with different types of leaves and different ink pressures and colours before creating the final product. – The final product will be a print collage. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have the students experiment with other ways to use leaf prints. For example, they may wish to cut out individual prints and arrange them for a collage. Cards may also be made by using coloured paper folded in half with a leaf print on the cover. They may also wish to make a book of individual prints, similar to Figure #80. – Students may also enjoy experimenting with other plant leaves and natural textures. – Have students reflect on the printing process, questioning what other objects could be printed. Perhaps they have experimented with printing in the past. – Brainstorm the natural surfaces that would be possible to print. – Demonstrate new ideas and techniques. Try wood bark or wood grain, and various combinations of materials to engage students. – To apply this activity across the curriculum, the history of printing and traditional printing methods will add to the lesson and deepen the students’ knowledge base. View videos or Internet sites on the history of printing and printing techniques. 209 ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their printing project: – there is a life-like composition of patterns that reveal the organic forms – several species of leaves are incorporated – the leaf prints are sharp (veins, leaf edges, etc.) – the pattern does not consist of randomly separated prints, but is a collage that has a visual focus for the design – the entire page is filled with leaf prints – the leaf prints exhibit a variety of colour combinations – Students’ final work will demonstrate that they have explored a variety of organic line combinations using different leaves, and seeing what a variety of combinations can do – incorporating various printing techniques. 210 Figure 79 Leaf Printing Collage 211 Figure 80 Leaf Printing in Accordion CD Envelope Book 212 Tree Bark Collage ART LESSON: TREE BARK COLLAGE GRADE LEVEL: Early, Middle, and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Aboriginal Art – Tree Bark Collage CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: The students will have a more detailed study of the varieties of trees and their personal characteristics. Like leaves, bark fulfills a special function that is vital to the life cycle of trees. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the bark on trees in their natural environment. – They will learn that tree bark is very unique to the tree, and the texture and shape are an important part of the tree. – They will produce a creative collage composition. Using the natural bark of trees, students will create a collection of images to remind them of the amazing qualities of trees. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of trees and tree bark found in the local environment (close-up shots are best) – Previous students’ tree bark collages and other similar art-work – Artists’ examples (especially Aboriginal artists) that use tree bark as a medium. – Search Internet sites for natural material collage examples and handouts of textural collages. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white or coloured paper – 12” x 18” cardboard for support – Variety of Bondfast glue or hot glue guns – Real examples of a variety of tree bark – Tools to cut the bark: scissors, matt knives, etc. 213 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Go outside and examine various species of trees and the type of bark each has. Ask students, “How do the different types of bark protect the trees?” – Tell students that Aboriginal birch bark collectors are taught never to remove a whole ring of bark, because the tree needs a continuous vertical strip of bark to survive. – Examine trees that have been gnawed on by animals: does the damage go all the way around the tree? In their natural habitat, deer and rabbits rarely kill trees. Beavers, on the other hand, are the original clear-cutters of the forest. They indiscriminately chew down more trees than they need to build dams that change the natural landscape through flooding. – Gather samples of tree bark from deadfall. Make sure that the students do not rip the bark from live tree trunks. You are teaching students to respect the environment while they use its products to create art-work. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Use the visual resources to show students the complex nature of the material they will be working with, and the multiple possibilities for aesthetically pleasing designs. – Show how Figure # 81 is an excellent example of the real textures in a tree bark collage. – Brainstorm how every collage needs visual balance, a tree bark collage also needs a balanced composition. Texture collages give a third dimensional possibility to a work of art, which adds a more realistic quality to it. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – The students will first select the size and shape of the background of their work. An irregular background may add character to the composition. – Have them choose pieces of tree bark and then begin to organize the bark in their collages. – Tell students to complete the collage layout before gluing, so the design may be altered before final assembly. – Encourage them to experiment with various arrangements before they settle on a design. – Help the students to look at the balance of their composition in terms of different shapes and value tones. – Remind students that artists are conscious of the principles of balance, and they should try to incorporate these in their compositions. – Encourage students to be imaginative. Patterns and rhythms of multiple images in a radial design may be symbolic of the tree ring of growth. 214 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Inexpensive frames will enhance the final collage works. Used frames may be picked up at local thrift shops. – Three-dimensional forms could also be collages, like tree monsters made of paper mache. (tree bark skin). – Have students reflect on their past experiences with trees and tree bark. “How else have you seen bark used?” For example, Aboriginal peoples traditionally used birch bark for canoes, vessels, and birch bark bitings. We often use bark as decorative elements on the walls of our homes. Bulletin boards used to be exclusively made of cork. – View some videos or Internet sites on trees and tree bark. – Demonstrate some new ideas and techniques for a balanced collage design, combinations of different balance ideas to engage students. – Brainstorm what types of other natural textures could be used to create collages in the same manner. – Students may also enjoy experimenting with other natural materials for collage, such as flowers, seeds, grasses, sand and various colours of soil. – Bring in a video on the making of Rose Bowl Parade floats to illustrate how natural materials are used to decorate sculptural forms. – Science and social studies are easy choices for integrating this activity across the curriculum. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their collage: – the tree bark pieces are clean and sharp – the collage is aesthetically pleasing: it is balanced and uses a variety of shapes, colours, and collage techniques – the project uses bark from a variety of tree species – the bark is well glued – pieces should not be falling off – the entire page is filled with tree bark – Students’ projects should show evidence that their technical and design skills are developing. 215 Figure 81 Tree Bark Collage 216 Appendix D ENVIRONMENTAL ART In these lessons, the basic elements and principles of art are studied through practical application with environmental art-integrated assigned projects. Students are expected to develop an understanding of environmental problems and the importance of creating solutions with their own original ideas. The focus is on the 3 R’s (recycling, recovering, and reusing) within the context of producing environmentally friendly art. The knowledge that the students acquire will inspire them to help with the positive and sustainable use of natural resources. Four Lessons on Environmental Art Integration Alternative Energy Sources Collage Recycled Sculpture Papermaking Environmental Posters 217 FOUR LESSONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ART INTEGRATION Alternative Energy Sources Collage ART LESSON: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES COLLAGE GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Environmental Art Lesson – Alternative Energy Sources Collage CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: There are other creative ways to combat pollution by recycling and reusing materials, such as by making paper and using alternative energy sources in our society. This lesson is an opportunity to invite guest speakers on alternative energy sources. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of the energy that they consume over a 24-hour period. – They will learn to consider the energy required to sustain their lifestyle. – They will produce a poster that tells a visual story by the collage method. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of alternative energy sources in the environment – Previous students’ posters of alternative energy sources – Commercial art-work and advertisements – Search Internet sites for visual examples of environmentally friendly energy sources, statistics comparing grid electrical energy to solar or wind turbine energy, and videos and handouts on alternative and renewal energy sources (solar, wind, and geothermal). – Figure #82 is a student’s mixed media collage based on solar energy. 218 OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – 12” x 18” white or coloured paper – Pencils – Paint brushes and acrylic paint in various colours ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Ask students what type of energy is currently used to heat their homes, cook their food, and perform other household functions (hot water, laundry machines, etc.). – Discuss these energy sources in terms of their economy and environmental friendliness. You may live in a community where natural gas is cheaper than hydro electricity. Does your hydro electricity come from water power or a coal plant? This is an opportunity for students to research the cost and environmental impact of the energy sources commonly used in their community. – Discuss practical examples of alternative ways to produce energy, which are suitable for the local conditions. Is solar, wind, or geothermal energy available in your community at reasonable cost? ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Show how the visual resources to reinforce the energy-saving concepts that students can incorporate into their lifestyles. – Explore new environmentally friendly directions to apply what they have learned about solar, wind, and geothermal energy. If alternative energy sources are not available in the community, how could students help to introduce these sources in their lifetime? – Show how the students should research for information on the Internet and in the school library. Tell the students to use this evidence to gauge the best and most efficient method of heating and maintaining an average household. – Brainstorm with the students to suggest the most practical ways they may conserve energy, and share the information that they found. – Brainstorm comparing ideas presented from other students, in order to determine the energy savings of various power sources. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Have students select the alternative energy sources that would be appropriate for their personal situations. – Tell them to plan a college that will use cut pieces of coloured or painted paper to depict their chosen energy source. Show Figure # 82 as an example of a solar energy mixed media collage by a student. 219 – Encourage students to be imaginative and creative. Remind them to balance the visual components in their designs. They should have approximately 50/50 proportion between positive and negative space. – Check the students’ drawings before they start to cut and glue the collage pieces. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm other environmental sources of potential energy. If you were a mad scientist, how could you produce energy from these sources? Would the energy have fewer negative consequences than our current sources? Why? – This lesson applies across the curriculum in science, math, and social studies. Written activities may easily be added for language arts (such as writing letters or producing formal reports). – View videos on alternative energy sources. Students may also enjoy experimenting with other ways of storing energy (such as batteries). – Have students reflect on other environmental issues that they have heard about or that their family is interested in. – The collage technique may be repeated by individual students for other energy sources and for other environmental concerns. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their environmental collage projects and the information that is displayed and discussed. – there is balance in the design and in the colours chosen – the collage clearly depicts an alternative energy source: solar, wind, or geothermal – the entire page is filled – the proportion of positive and negative space is about 50/50 – Student collage projects should illustrate a message about alternative energy sources that can be used to minimize the amount of energy used in a single day. – Students gain an awareness of their own and others’ environmental footprints, so they will make environmentally relevant decisions with confidence. 220 Figure 82 Solar Power 221 Recycled Sculpture ART LESSON: RECYCLED SCULPTURE GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Environmental Art Lesson – Recycled Sculpture CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: This lesson recycles and reuses materials in a creative alternative manner, in an effort to combat pollution. Creative recycled environmental gives students personal confidence in art techniques and respect for their own environment. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of recycled materials and alternative uses for them. – They will learn a variety of new inventive applications for recycled materials. – Students will incorporate materials into recycled forms that can improve their choices to change life patterns for a more sustainable lifestyle. – The students will produce creative and artistic sculptures that demonstrate imaginative ideas. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of recycled materials and recycled products in our environment – Previous students’ recycled art-work with environment themes – Other examples of recycled products in local craft people’s art-work – Search Internet sites for visual examples of recycling and reusing materials, and for videos and handouts on environmental art and recycled art. – Figure #83 is a student example of recycled cardboard. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – A quantity of recycled materials (paper, cardboard, cans, string, plastics) – Glues and “mistint” paint and brushes – Wire and wire cutters, pliers, scissors, cutting knives, etc. 222 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Discuss the 3 R’s: refuse, reuse, recycle. – Discuss the meaning of the term “refuse.” What environmentally costly items could students refuse in their everyday lives? (plastic water bottles, Styrofoam plates and cups, disposable sandwich bags, etc.) – Ask students whether they recycle glass, plastics, and paper in their own homes. How much space would these items take up in a day’s worth of trash from a single home? Imagine the amount of unnecessary trash that would be generated by a single home in just one year. – Discuss various measures that your local community is taking toward developing recycling habits. Do you have a recycling depot? a “refit” store that sells salvaged construction materials? regular garbage pick-up for recyclables? – Students may appreciate videos on recycling and recycled products, or a field trip to the recycling dept or refit store. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm with the students to think creatively about alternative uses for common materials generally discarded. What other ways could we reduce the landfill waste generated by discarded paper, glass, and plastic products? – Show them Figure #83 as an example of student art-work created from cardboard: a horse sculpture with a little colour added for the details. – Examine the other visual resources to generate new ideas for creating art-work from recycled products. Help the students to classify the materials in the examples shown. What are they made of, and how are they held together? – Show the students and have them try out a variety of materials. They should experiment with cutting, shaping, and fastening (gluing or wiring) paper, plastics, cardboard, wood – whatever materials you have brought to class. – Encourage students to bring their own recycling materials for their art projects. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – Ask the students to determine the subject matter for their own sculptures. What materials will they use? How will they cut, shape, and fasten the materials to develop the sculptural form that they envision? – The rules, methods, and techniques are dictated by the construction designed and the materials used. The students will probably need more experimentation, and they may end up changing the subject matter and/or the materials chosen. – Students are limited only by their imaginations and the materials on hand. Encourage them to think of imaginative uses for the materials and the images they want to portray. – The students will want to make their work visually appealing and exciting, as well as intellectually stimulating. – Remind students to follow the procedures: Draw or plan out the sculpture, using contrasting geometric and organic shapes. Decide whether to make it self-supporting or hanging like a mobile. Choose glue, string, or wire to hold the materials together. 223 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Have students reflect on the many number of ways that products could be reused for a variety of useful and creative products in our society. – Brainstorm other ideas using recycled and recyclable materials such as: - flowers and funky vases - wall hangings and relief collages - glass blowing and bottle bending - natural collages and mobiles - plastic bottle constructions (e.g., imaginative creatures) - inventive envelopes and book covers - vegetable baskets and decorate boxes - furniture accessories and decorating - jewelry and clothing – Demonstrate some of these new ideas, techniques, and combinations to engage students. – This activity may be applied across the curriculum in social studies, science, etc. – Students may also enjoy experimenting with mixed media, creating mosaics and murals for display around the school. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their sculptures: – the choice of materials complements the design – the composition is balanced, with both geometric and organic shapes – the shape created may be practical in nature as well as aesthetically pleasing to the viewer’s eye. – the sculpture should be viewer friendly and safe to handle (no sharp edges) – The recycled sculpture will demonstrate individual expression and the generation of new ideas in visual art – Students may decide to change their living habits that are not environmentally sustainable. 224 Figure 83 Found Paper and Cardboard Collage 225 PAPERMAKING ART LESSON: PAPERMAKING GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Environmental Art Lesson – Papermaking INTRODUCTION: This lesson demonstrates the procedure that has been used for hundreds of years to make paper from wood pulp. Paper is a natural product that humans have created from the life cycle of trees. LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of paper and the processes used in the production of paper. – They will learn to appreciate handmade paper and the simple process that is used to make paper. – They will learn how natural fibers can bind together and form a large sheet of paper. – They will produce handmade paper and experiment with incorporating natural fibers within the paper. – They will try combinations of fibers and colorants, and create attractive paper art and designs. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of the production of paper in our society – Previous students’ handmade paper examples and paper art-work – Search Internet sites for visual examples, and videos and handouts on traditional handmade paper in Japan and China. – Other examples of the use of handmade paper products in our society. Real examples of handmade papers may be picked up at craft stores or other local specialty stores. – Figures #84 and #85 demonstrate the use of handmade paper to create landscapes. 226 OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: – Recycled paper (white and coloured) torn into pieces – A five-gallon pail two-thirds full of water – and a power mixer if possible – A large washtub to screen the pulp – A hard-surfaced table is required to set the paper out to dry. – A variety of paper screens that will catch the paper fibers floating on the water in the washtub – Paper molds may also be used to form the paper fiber into cards or envelopes. – Variety of natural fibers: flax, hemp, grasses, leaves, and grain straws – Variety of natural colorants, such as flowers, seeds, and plant roots ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – We all know what paper is, but how many students know how it is made? – Papermaking started in China about 100 A.D. Students should be exposed to this history, as an introduction to appreciating papermaking as art. – Use visual examples to show students the creative potential of paper making. – Examples of handmade papers made from a variety of fibers will spark interest, especially when students discover that they can personalize their own paper, too. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm with the students reflecting on the different types of paper they use every day. Brainstorm about the methods used to create these varieties of papers. – Teach students the history of paper and its various uses for thousands of years. – Teach students how cellulose provides rigid support and binds the pulp particles together, be they wood chips or sawdust. In industry, the cellulose product is cooked until it becomes a pulp mixture that is then washed and the impurities are removed. Then the pulp is formed into large sheets and dried. – Show visual resources to reinforce the concepts of how paper is made from wood pulp and the commercial production of paper. Help the students to understand that paper is made up of pulp and then dried. – Examine other variations of making paper and the traditional methods compared to the commercial methods used today. – Show how Figures #84 and #85 are examples of artistic papermaking to create visual landscapes. 227 APPLYING STRATEGIES: – The procedure to make handmade paper is much easier and much less complex than commercial processes. In art classes, we use recycled paper and dryer lint to give fiber to the students’ papers. – Have the students rip recycled paper into smaller pieces, and put the pieces into a 5 gallon-pail two-thirds full of water. – If available, use a power mixer to break the paper pieces down into pulp. – After the pulp is broken down into a thick milky liquid, poured it into a tub ready to be screened. – Demonstrate how to catch the paper fibers on the screens. – The students will use paper screens to form the pulp into their own sheets of paper. – Set the sheets of paper on a hard flat non-porous surface to dry. The drying process will take several hours (longer if the paper is very thick or very wet). – When the sheets of paper are dry, they can be used for any purpose that commercially made paper could be used. – Encourage students to be imaginative with their papermaking and explore new ideas. For example, they may wish to add seeds or flower petals, or experiment with natural pigments. REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Show students other ways to make paper and paper products, using different straw fibres such as flax, wheat, or rice. Discuss the strengths that these fibers add to the final paper product. – This activity may be applied across the curriculum, such as in science or by writing a poem or short story on the paper in language arts. – View videos on paper making and paper production. – Special paper screens can be used to make envelopes for notes or cards. – Handmade paper can be also used for collages, using different colours and textures to produce a landscape collage (such as in Figures #85 and #86). ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for making their paper: – the paper is consistent in thickness – students have pressed the paper flat – the paper product is strong and not easily torn – a variety of natural fibers and colourants are incorporated into the paper product – Papermaking is an opportunity for students to experiment with paper pulp, by incorporating various natural fibers and colourants. 228 Figure 84 Recycled Paper Landscape Art 229 Figure 85 Recycled Paper Landscape Art 230 POLLUTION POSTERS ART LESSON: POLLUTION POSTERS GRADE LEVEL: Middle and Senior Years LESSON TOPIC: Environmental Art Lesson – Pollution Posters CONNECTION TO LAST LESSON: Posters are a logical extension of papermaking and the other lessons on environmental awareness. The posters will celebrate Earth Day and focus on the essential role of trees in our natural environment LEARNING OUTCOMES / OBJECTIVES: – Students will develop an appreciation, sensitivity, and awareness of our natural environment. – They will learn that pollution is a major problem today and it is getting worse. Students must be educated to live a more sustainable lifestyle, which means they must learn the “3 R’s”: refuse, recycle, and reuse. – Students will produce a poster that makes a statement about pollution as an environmental problem today. VISUAL RESOURCES: – Magazine photo examples of pollution in the environment – Previous students’ environmental art-work posters – Other visual examples that expose topics of pollution in our environment – Advertisement examples from a variety of subjects can be used to demonstrate how to sell a topic to a viewer. – Search Internet sites for visual examples and handouts on environmental pollution. – Figures #86 and #87 are posters with a pollution theme. OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS: –12” x 18” white or coloured paper, and/or bristle board paper – Variety of pencils (ranging from HD to soft), erasers for drawing and layout – Variety of colours of acrylic paints – Poster brushes, letter stencils, ruler, and scissors. 231 ACTIVATING STRATEGIES: – Discuss Earth Day and what it means to the students and, more importantly, what it means to the Earth. Earth Day is a celebration of our home. We should not be polluting our front room. – Pollution encompasses the soil, water, and air. We need all three elements to survive. – Ask students to give examples of soil, water, and air pollution. How did these problems begin? Can the students think of ways to stop them from continuing? – Use Internet sites to explore places where the effects of pollution are being reversed. – Help the students to understand the concerns people that are rising around the world and give some examples, like David Suzuki and Al Gore. ACQUIRING STRATEGIES: – Brainstorm and discuss how the visual resources expose pollution in our environment. What is the message of each? How is that message conveyed? How could the same message be conveyed differently? – Show how visual media such as posters can be used to educate the public to be more aware of what they are doing and the consequences of their lifestyle and the impact it is making on the natural environment. – Explain how the message of Figure #86 is that the world is in our hands. What will we do? – Show how Figure #87 shows a landscape without litter. Can you picture this area as a land fill? – Demonstrate how pollution posters should tell a story and show the viewer why, when, and where the problem is, and what to do about it. APPLYING STRATEGIES: – The students’ posters will draw attention to a local environmental concern related to pollution. They will be designed to attract and hold the viewer’s attention, while informing and educating the viewer about the topic and explaining the message or concern of the artist. – Tell students to think carefully about what they want to say in their posters, and what images or words can be directly connected to present their ideas. They need to focus on a specific problem related to pollution. – Have them begin with a rough layout, and then try colour combinations best suited to the subject matter and opinions that they are expressing. – Then they will lay out their messages and select the images best suited to promote the cause. They need to think of the style and sizes of the lettering best suited to attract the viewer’s attention and convey each message. – Encourage students to be imaginative, to think of real solutions. They may wish to explore Internet sites for ideas. – Pollution posters may include real objects, as well, in order to convince the viewers to correct their polluting habits. 232 REFLECTING / RE-FOCUSING STRATEGIES: – Demonstrate new ideas and techniques that students could use in their posters, with mixed media combinations to engage students and their viewers. – This activity may be applied across the curriculum, in the sciences and health studies. – Brainstorm about other global problems and some solutions that have been tried. – Have students reflect on various verbal messages about environmental issues. What visual images would have the most impact to convey these messages? – Students may also enjoy experimenting with multimedia presentations. – View some videos on pollution or visit web sites on other environmental themes. ASSESSMENT / ANALYSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: – Students will show evidence that they have followed the instructions for their pollution posters: – there is a clear visual message about a specific pollution problem – there is creative use of images, and the images are clearly visible – the entire page should be filled and the composition should be balanced – Students’ posters will demonstrate that they have explored an environmental theme and understand the problem. – Students may also change their personal lifestyles or their families’ lifestyles and help the environment in this way, too. 233 Figure 86 Pollution Poster – Our World 234 Figure 87 Pollution Poster on Littering 235