Title:
Vision Appreciation
Level:
5th Grade
Description:
The past two lessons of the unit have been about appreciating places and
colors. But what would happen if your vision was failing? Would you still be
able to appreciate the world around you, and still be able to create artwork?
This lesson will show students a new appreciation for their vision and the fact
that they can clearly see the world around them.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to discuss the visual impact of the world around them
- Students will be able to gain a new appreciation for their vision and its
impact.
- Students will be able to create a piece of work while visually impaired
- Students will be able to discuss the work of van Gogh in combination with the
discussion on eyesight
Materials:
Sequence:
Day
one: Students
will be able to reflect on past experiences
- Short discussion about past 2 projects and how they related to a special place
or event
- Students will be asked what would happen if they could no longer see these
places or happenings like they used to… would they still appreciate them as
much?
Day two:
Students will be able to thoughtfully analyze a piece of artwork by van Gogh
- Discussion about van Gogh… brief biography and slides of his works
- What are some key elements in his work? What do his brushstrokes look like?
- Demonstration of stippling brush effects
- Students will complete a practice piece using the new painting technique
Day
three: Students
will be able to treat others with respect and caring during a trust activity
- Students will complete a short trust activity to see what it is like to be
blind. (trust walk)
- Goggles will be handed out, and students will be asked to discuss what it is
like having their vision impaired… what does their world look like?
- Students will be asked to start painting the still life that is set up with
the goggles on
Day
four: Students
will be able to continue working on a piece with little prompting
- Students will continue working on their pieces wearing their goggles
Day
five: Students
will be able to relate to others with disabilities
- Students will complete their paintings
- Discussion about what it was like to have their vision impaired, how did their
paintings turn out because of that? Do the students think that van Gogh’s work
reflects the fact that his vision was impaired?
Standards:
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes:
- Students select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them
effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the
effectiveness of their choices
- Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of
art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their
experiences and ideas
Using knowledge of structures and functions:
- Students generalize about the effects of visual structures and functions and
reflect upon these effects in their own work
- Students employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them
effective or not effective in the communication of ideas
- Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to
improve communication of their ideas
Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas:
- Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of
contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks
Understanding the visual arts in
relation to history and cultures:
- Students know and compare the
characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures
- Students analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place
(such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual
characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art
Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work
and the work of others:
- Students compare multiple purposes for creating works of art
- Students analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks
through cultural and aesthetic inquiry
- Students describe and compare a variety of individual responses to their own
artworks and to artworks from various eras and cultures
Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines:
- Students compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms
that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context
- Students describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other
disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts
Assessment:
- Self Assessment questionnaire based on vision experience and resulting artwork