VTS Unit Planning Guide

VTS UNIT PLANNING GUIDE

Compiled by Mary Franco

LTC 8900-60  Visual Thinking Strategies II

Teachers Name  Jooyoung Ahn

Course Title Understanding Fear through Art

Age/Grade Level of Students 3^rd to 5^th grade

DEFINE THE BIG IDEA at the center of the Instructional Unit.

Throughout time and across cultures artists express and embody their fear in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger into their artworks.

STATE THE RATIONALE for addressing this BIG IDEA  (Why is it appropriate for your students?)

Every life has evolved based on fear. Fear is not good feeling but it ironically keeps us safe from various potential dangers. This is the way we have lived and going to live. From the evolutionary point of view the more dependant and weaker lives are, the more fear they feel. This is because they are not strong enough to keep themselves safe. In terms of that, young children can easily feel more fear than adults feel. Through the lesson with the BIG IDEA, I would like to encourage students to understand fear as an object or a victim and overcome the fear by communicating with inside themselves.

DEFINE KEY CONCEPTS to be addressed.

    Fear is a basic human emotion. 

    All people have an instinctual response to potential danger.

    Fear is an essential survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus such as    pain or the threat of danger.

   Fear can become a controlling factor in a person’s life.

   Artists have frequently reflected their fear in the works of art to show and express the fear. 

·         One’s Fear is layered, composed of:

      Personal experiences and memories

      Personal, national, cultural circumstances 

      Personal characteristics and beliefs

      Cultural characteristics and beliefs  

      Religious beliefs

DEFINE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS to be explored.

What makes you afraid or scared?

What kinds of beliefs and experiences affect the fear?

How did artists embody their fear in their works of art?

What are the emotional differences between an object of fear and a victim of fear?

How did artists express an object of fear or a victim of fear?

LIST OBJECTIVES that will guide unit instruction.

After this experience the students are able to:

. Have a better understanding about fear as a basic human emotion.

. Use empathy to understand artists’ fear or subjects’ fear in artworks.

. Understand various visual culture art forms such as photograph, movie posters.  

. Compare and contrast visual culture images.

. Know the relation and differences between an object of fear and a victim of fear.

. Develop an ability to reflect belief, philosophy and thoughts into their own arts. 

. Utilize own imagination and creativity as a creator of a work of art.

LIST ALL OTHER CURRICULUM GOALS &/OR OBJECTIVES to be addressed.

Students will understand their own fear and explore how to deal with it through meaning making process.

CROSS-CURRICULUAR CONNECTIONS

Popular culture images will be dealt throughout this unit. Students will also have an opportunity to write about their experiences and beliefs about fear.   

LIST VTS IMAGES w/ PHOTOS that you will use in this unit chronologically in the table below.

Under “RATIONALE,” briefly note why you selected the image, how it will be used, and how it relates to the other images in the sequence (such as increasing complexity, elaboration of a theme, scaffolding of more complex concepts, transition to a key concept, etc.)

IMAGE                        TITLE of the work              ARTIST / CULTURE           RATIONALE

VTS #1

The Haunted Cellar (Who is afraid)  Joseph Seymour Guy     

Rationale: This image was appropriate for my students’ age, stage and interests for image selection. The picture shows a mysterious place which seems dark and unknown. Two figures are in the place and other two figures are out of it, watching inside. These settings make this image intriguing and open to interpretation. Since this image realistically expressed figures, objects and background, this image satisfies realism. It also allowed students make up various stories so this image includes interesting narratives. This work of art satisfactorily introduced the big idea, FEAR and concepts.

VTS #2

 Don't be scared my child,      Paradosh Paul

Rationale: this image has more ambiguity than the image #1. It is realistic but fantastic or surrealistic at the same time. This image also contains strong visual metaphor which could be difficult to be understood. However, I expected that this image was able to inspire students to keep actively participating in the discussion and they might enjoy as if they play a treasure-hunt game. They might have a desire to know the hidden meaning caused by ambiguous objects and situations. Especially, since the main subject’s facial expression was understood as a language, the students could pay attention to the feeling, fear the object expresses.

VTS #3                                                                         Execution   JaneGrey

Rationale: This image contains much more complexity. It certainly requires higher level observation because the figures and objects are more and complex and narrative would be more difficult to be understood. This image shows a victim of fear and an object of fear at the same time. This provides an opportunity for my students to understand the relation between an object of fear and a victim of fear. This image also has enough ambiguity to be open to multi interpretations because the period, place, situation and figures of this image are much more unfamiliar to my students. I expected that my students could expand meanings for making two types of artworks as the victim of fear and the object of fear.

VTS #4

Migrant Mother   Dorthea Lange

Rationale: This is the first photograph in my VTS lesson. This image helps students understand fear in our real life rather than the fantasy or dream world caused by disasters, accidents or various obstacles. Based on the main subject’s facial expression, students might notice her feelings and hardships or fear that she and her family face. This image would be somewhat difficult for my students to interpret because it contains much ambiguity and fewer narratives but they might enjoy dealing with new art form and finding meanings based on symbols the image show.    

 VTS #5 Compare & Contrast

(Left) Movie poster of Evil Twin/ Korea (Right) Movie poster of Scream/ America

Rationale: These are the first popular culture images. Since my big idea is fear and my unit includes two types of art making process to express themselves as an object of fear and a victim of fear, this compare/contrast VTS discussion with two opposite images would be very beneficial to students. I chose one which represents an object of fear and the other one which expresses a victim of fear. I also intentionally chose different cultural images (Korea- America) in order to maximize compare and contrast strategy’s effect.

VTS #6 Peer Critique

Rationale: Since my class is composed of only 5 students and they all are familiar with VTS for almost a year, this VTS application for a peer critique could make my students ease and lessen their tension and fear about the evaluation process. Besides, because VTS discussion focuses primarily on observing, understanding and interpreting rather than critically assessing a work of art, this approach enables my students to actively participate in the discussion for a peer critique.

VTS #7                                              

 The bullies   Jungmi Park

Rationale: This image describes the situation that a kid gets bullied by a group of kids. Some of them actively participate in bullying and a few of them seem to be onlookers. Like in America, in Korea, bullying has been considered one of the most serious problems in school. Most bullying assailants hardly know and understand how much fearful a victim is. I would encourage students to understand the fact that fear wouldn’t be vague but it could be certainly created by ourselves. This image might enable students to share their own experiences.   

I expect students have a better understanding about an emotion, fear through dealing with this image. They might be aware that fear could be created by themselves and others in their daily life. If time permits, I would provide an opportunity for students to understand each stance or position of the figures in this image in order to make them reflect their own experiences. This process helps students understand not only big idea but also essential questions and key concepts.

VTS IMAGE RATIONALE  (How do these images enhance student understanding of the BIG IDEA?

Dealing with various art forms, understanding various artists’ expressions, looking for meanings, students will have a better understanding about not only the big idea, fear but also how artists embody their emotion, experience and beliefs.  

STUDIO / ARTMAKING activity or activities (List/Describe in order. Explain how this media exploration enhances student understanding of the BIG IDEA. )

Create Magazine Collage

Starting the unit plan with VTS, I would show various artists artworks expressing fear as a concept. Through these processes, I help students have a better understanding about “FEAR” and look for their own fear. Having students think where their fear came from, I would encourage them to share their personal experiences and believes. Themes for the artmaking might be Sickness, Death, Divorce, School, Ghost, War, Animals, Weather, Fire, Water, Vehicle, etc. The artmaking would include two types of artmaking about fear as not only a victim of fear but also an object of fear. I would show how to create collage by using magazines images. Discussing rhythm and pattern, unity, contrast, harmony, and texture, I would also demonstrates various painting techniques such as wet -in-wet, dry brush, stamp printing, spatter painting, textured brayers, and crayon resist rubbings.

LESSON SEQUENCE (Outline each lesson in the order that it will be taught to provide a scaffolded structure where learning unfolds. Describe how VTS will be infused into various aspects of the lesson)

Attach fully-developed lesson plans that will comprise this unit.

Lesson 1 Introduction & Presentation

. Presentation- Introduce the big idea, FEAR with various artworks.

. VTS with introductory image.

. Writing about students’ own fear.

Lesson 2 Concept Foundation

. Share students’ writing.

. VTS with the second image.

. Group discussion with the essential questions.

Lesson 3 Teacher Demonstration

. VTS with the third image.

. Teacher demonstration for artmaking.

. Brainstorming and artmaking.

Lesson 4 Artmaking

. VTS with the forth image.

. Artmaking

Lesson 5 Artmaking

. VTS with the fifth image

. Completion of Artmaking

Lesson 6 Peer Critique

. Completion of Artmaking

. VTS as a Peer Critique

Lesson 7 Closure

. VTS with the summative image.

. Writing about their artworks.

. Self evaluation

FORMATIVE & SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES with Evaluation Criteria

 

A (Excellent) 90% or higher	B (Good) 80% or higher	C (Fair) 70% or higher	D-F (Poor) Below 60
THE BIG IDEA The student is able to demonstrate excellent knowledge and understanding of the big idea in relation to social or cultural or historical or personal contexts.	The student is able to demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the big idea in relation to social or cultural or historical or personal contexts.	The student is able to demonstrate somewhat satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the big idea in relation to social or cultural or historical or personal contexts.	The student is able to demonstrate limited knowledge and understanding of the big idea in relation to social or cultural or historical or personal contexts.
THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION The student is able to communicate a well developed critical understanding of the essential questions in terms of social and cultural contexts.	The student is able to communicate a good level of critical understanding of the essential questions in terms of social and cultural contexts.	The student is able to communicate somewhat satisfactory level of critical understanding of the essential questions in terms of social and cultural contexts.	The student is able to communicate limited level of critical understanding of the essential questions in terms of social and cultural contexts.
THE ARTISTIC CONCEPTS AND DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE BASE The student is able to elaborate an idea, a theme or a personal interpretation to a point of realization. There is evidence of purposeful expression and effective communication of artistic intention.	The student is able to elaborate an idea, an idea, a theme or a personal interpretation to a point of realization. There is evidence of good expression and communication of artistic intention.	There is limited expression and communication of artistic intentions in the works which has reached a point or partial point of realization.	There is very limited expression and communication of artistic intentions in the works which may not have reached a point of realization.
ART PRODUCTION/PROCESS Skills and techniques are applied at a high level of proficiency. The student shows an excellent ability to apply the artistic processes involved in creating art.	Skills and techniques are applied at a good level of proficiency. The student shows a good ability to apply the artistic processes involved in creating art.	Skills and techniques are applied at a satisfactory level of proficiency. The student shows a satisfactory ability to apply the artistic processes involved in creating art. .	Skills and techniques are applied at a limited level of proficiency. The student attempts to apply the artistic processes.
REFLECTING AND CONNECTING The student connects and reflects critically and in depth on his or her artistic development and processes at different stages of his or her work.	The student connects and reflects critically on his or her artistic development and processes at different stages of his or her work.	The student connects and reflects on his or her artistic development and processes.	The student records his or her artistic development and processes with little reflection and connection.

UNIT EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT

·         Successes

Dealing with various art forms in this unit, students seemed to reinforce the big idea, fear based on their unique perspectives. Students certainly showed their deep thinking and actively participated in meaning making process. I have been impressed by the way the students make connections with their experiences or background information in order to understand not only artworks but also the world. Compared to the last semester, students’ interpretations are much more profound and deeper.

·         Disappointments

I was rarely disappointed by the whole VTS lessons. However, the artmaking process and students’ artworks made me somewhat frustrated. First, my students seemed very anxious and unconfident during the artmaking because some students asked dozens of questions. Also some students tried to imitate the examples shown by me in the presentation rather than creating their own artworks. Most students had a hard time utilizing their creativity.

In the peer critique, I found that students’ artworks were too ambiguous for the beginning viewers unlike the images carefully chosen by me throughout this unit. Because of that, students’ engagement and participation were not as good as the previous VTS lessons.

·         Revisions

I would like to revise the artmaking activity because I consider it was less successful. In order to make students artworks appropriate for VTS, I would encourage students to reflect their own experiences and stories in their artworks.