Reading & writing are important skills to include in our practice
Literacy is a critical skill in school and applies to all content areas. Funding for our schools can sometimes depend on how well our students score on literacy assessments. That financial loss often impacts art departments that are materials-dependent. If funding is tight, art is often the first to go. (More on that HERE.) There are reasons to include literacy skills in art though, here are a few:
How do you incorporate literacy in your art classes? I have shared how I do HERE. We will dive a bit deeper into a few here.
Art Quote:
- Writing helps with project planning
- Planning leads to less material waste
- Planning leads to more focused work
- Written mid-project reflections help refocus
- Written critiques help solidify knowledge gained
How do you incorporate literacy in your art classes? I have shared how I do HERE. We will dive a bit deeper into a few here.
Art Quote:
Let's reflect on 2 quotes as examples:
“I am an artist who, for forty years—Has stood at the lake edge—Throwing stones in the lake—Sometimes, very faintly—I hear a splash.” ~Maxwell Bates
“A critic at my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings! Never! They are my letters, my secrets.” ~Paul Gauguin
Flowchart:
Using a resource to reflect.
“I am an artist who, for forty years—Has stood at the lake edge—Throwing stones in the lake—Sometimes, very faintly—I hear a splash.” ~Maxwell Bates
“A critic at my house sees some paintings. Greatly perturbed, he asks for my drawings. My drawings! Never! They are my letters, my secrets.” ~Paul Gauguin
- What is the artists trying to teach?
- What wisdom they are trying to impart?
- How might this apply to me or my experiences?
Flowchart:
Using a resource to reflect.
| Western Art Flowchart JPG |
Using the flowchart, try to identify the major art movement these three artworks belong to. Write your reasoning behind your decision based on the flowchart.
Primary Resource:
Using a primary resource to gather facts
Using a primary resource to gather facts
Using the video above, gather 5 facts about the artist.
Demonstrating Knowledge:
Using a secondary resource for research
Using a secondary resource for research
While watching this video about Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World, write about 3 things you knew already and 3 things that were new to you.
Why Is This Funny?
Nothing kills a joke more than explaining it... but what makes these images "funny." What more might be learned from each? More HERE.
Nothing kills a joke more than explaining it... but what makes these images "funny." What more might be learned from each? More HERE.
In the last cartoon, you can see that students could illustrate an art concept, like contrapposto to deepen understanding and have fun.
Processing Directions:
Students find a technique they find interesting and create a step-by-step direction hand-out in Google Docs that can be illustrated and printed for others to use at work stations.
Students find a technique they find interesting and create a step-by-step direction hand-out in Google Docs that can be illustrated and printed for others to use at work stations.
Compare & Contrast:
List 3 similarities & 3 differences
List 3 similarities & 3 differences
Critique:
Picasso-Style Polar Bears for the cover of an art history children's book.
Picasso-Style Polar Bears for the cover of an art history children's book.
- Describe (Describe what you see and where you see it in the artwork)
- Analyze (Focus on the work’s composition and elements of design)
- Interpret (What is the message, idea, or feeling expressed)
- Judge (Is this a successful work of art and why?)
Story Time:
String these 3 artworks together to tell a story. You may reorder them.
(Imagine they are illustrations for some story.)
String these 3 artworks together to tell a story. You may reorder them.
(Imagine they are illustrations for some story.)
Dada Composition:
Write a justification for a nearby object being a masterwork.
Write a justification for a nearby object being a masterwork.
Describe & Draw:
Give each student a postcard with a different famous work of art on it. Students describe a famous work of art in detail, then print this description and pass it to a peer (or give descriptions from one class to another class) to draw based on the description. Display descriptions and postcards side-by side.
Give each student a postcard with a different famous work of art on it. Students describe a famous work of art in detail, then print this description and pass it to a peer (or give descriptions from one class to another class) to draw based on the description. Display descriptions and postcards side-by side.
More free literacy connections can be found HERE.
Click the image below to be linked to the book on Amazon.
Click the image below to be linked to the book on Amazon.
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