Curriculum

Below is a sample curriculum overview

Curriculum Unit Overview

Unit Title: Seeing Between (and Around) The Lines

Grade Level: 4th-5th grade

Lessons and Time Frame:

History and Culture Lesson 1-50 minute class period

Visual Literacy Lesson 2-50 minute class period

Art Production-Skills Building Lesson1 1-50 minute class period

Art Production Lesson2 2-50 minute class period

Art Criticism Lesson 3-4- 50 minute class periods

Unit Rationale:

This curriculum unit introduces students to nature inspired themed art, using artwork by Japanese artist Kano Sansetsu ‘The Old Plum’.

Students will learn how to utilize elements of art and principles of design to create landscape collagraph prints. The history, culture, and visual literacy lessons guide students to use and understand positive and negative space, and balance and contrast in the production of their ﬁnal artwork.

At the end of the unit, students will learn the Feldman Model of Art Criticism to give an oral presentation of their work and to express constructive criticism to their peers.

Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards:

4. VA:Cr2.1 Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches

4. VA:Cr2.2 When making works of art, utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a manner that prevents danger to oneself and others.

4. VA:Re7.2 analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages

subject matter, visual elements, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed

4. VA:Re8 interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing relevant subject matter

4. VA:Cn10 Create works of art that reflect community cultural traditions

4. VA:Cn11 through observation, infer information about time, place and culture in which a work of art was created

5. VA:Cr2.1 Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice

5.VA:Cr2.2 Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of materials, tools, and

equipment

5. VA:Pr5Develop a logical argument for safe and eﬀective use of materials and techniques for

preparing and presenting artwork.

5. VA:Re7.2 identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery characteristics of form and use of media

5. VA:Re8 Interpret art by analyzing characteristics of form and structure, contextual information.

5. VA:Cn10 Apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art-making

5.VA:Cn11 identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society.

Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

Discuss the importance of nature in Japanese art.
Identify how light and dark create contrast.
Compare/contrast Focus artwork to contemporary artwork.
Express connection to nature.
Identify positive and negative space and balance in artwork.
Create collaborative artwork that uses pos/neg space, balance, and contrast.
Use color for contrast in artwork.
Construct a collagraph to make a print that shows positive/negative space.
Practice printmaking techniques using tempera paints.
Create contrast with color on prints.
Apply graphite transfer technique to simplify a landscape (without details) using contrast of dark and light.
Create a landscape focused on po/neg space, balance and contrast using printmaking process.
Demonstrate printmaking techniques with tempera paint on collagraph to produce clear prints
Communicate the intention and meaning of their own artwork to others by presenting
orally with an artist statement.
Describe artwork using art vocabulary, like the elements in a composition and principles of design.
Analyze how the artist used the elements of art and principles of design.
Interpret the meaning or message of a work of art.
Make a judgement about the art based on the intention and meaning and why they think so.

Focus Artwork:

Title and date: Old Plum 1646

Artist name and lifespan: Kano Sansetsu 1590-1651

Medium: 4 sliding door panels mixed media

Teacher Made Examples:

Skill Building Mini Collagraphs Landscape Collagraph Prints Collagraph Printing Plate

Materials and Resources:
Materials:

Sketchbooks Pencils Pencil grips

Paper-mixed media 9”x12” and 4”x6” Colored construction paper

Tan construction paper 12”x18” Black construction paper Cardboard

Foamboard sheets

Self-adhesive foamboard sheets Scissors

Loop scissors Glue

Tempera paints Paintsticks Tape

Brayers Paper plates Rags

Resources:

Laptop Whiteboard Worksheets Projector Focus artwork

Slideshow presentation Example artwork

Nature Silhouette handout

Vocabulary:

Washi paper- traditional, handmade Japanese paper. It is known to be lightweight and strong
Contrast- the arrangement of opposite elements. Ex. Light and dark, small and big, complementary colors
Nature- the physical world and everything in it that is not made by humans Ex. Animals, trees, oceans, weather, etc.
Landscape- artwork that has natural scenery as the primary subject Ex. mountains, forests, rivers, valleys and skies
Composition- the arrangement of art elements in a picture (students know the 7 art elements
from previous lessons)
Silhouette- the image of a person, animal, object, or scene shown as a solid, one-color shape, usually dark. Silhouettes are shown on a light background.
Positive space- the subject of an artwork.
Negative space- the area around the subject (like the ‘air’).
Balance- the distribution of visual weight in a composition. Ex. Symmetrical like a butterfly, Asymmetrical like a tree, and Radial like the sun
Meaning- what the artwork represents, or the message behind symbols in the artwork.
Interpret- to explain what something means or to figure out a hidden message.
Collage- artwork made by cutting and gluing various flat materials (like paper, fabric, and nature items) onto a background surface.
Print- the transferred image on the paper or fabric
Collagraph- printmaking technique where materials are glued onto a sturdy base (like cardboard or wood called a printing plate).
Artist Statement- written description of artwork. It includes creative process, themes, and helps viewer understand the context and meaning behind the artwork.
Printmaking- an art process where an image is created on a surface (like foam, cardboard, or stamp) and transferred onto paper or fabric, using paint or ink.
Graphite Transfer- art technique used to copy an original drawing or image onto a new working
surface (like paper, canvas, or wood).
Printing plate- a flat surface that holds the design for printing (cardboard base in this case)
Brayer- is a hand roller used to spread ink or paint on a surface.
Art Critique- a close look at a work of art and discussing what you see, how it makes you feel, and what you think about it. It is a commentary of a work of art.
Artist statement- A written explanation of a work of art by the artist, It includes: what I made, how
I made it, and why I made it.
Feldman Model- is a 4 step process used to critique artwork.
Description- listing visuals seen in artwork, like title, subject without opinion.
Analysis- stating how the work is organized using elements of art to describe them
Interpretation- describing what the art makes you feel or think and why.
Judgement/Evaluation- stating what you think is successful or not successful in the artwork and why.
Edition-group of prints made from the same plate.
Craftmanship- care and skill used in creating a work of art.
Composition- the arrangement of art elements in a picture (students know the 7 art elements from previous lessons)