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Middle [6th-8th] Lesson Plan

Leaves 2 Ways

Created on November 23, 2017 by KatieMorris



Students learn about abstract and realistic art and create a leaf painting in each style.


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THE PLAN
7 sessions; 45 minutes per session

1.The students will demonstrate the ability to create an abstract composition from observation of a real leaf.
2.The students will learn about different color schemes and choose one to utilize in their abstract composition.
3.The students will compare and contrast tempera paint and watercolor.
4.The students will exercise care and sensitivity to create a realistic watercolor painting of a leaf.
5.The students will demonstrate the ability to observe and create colors.
6.The students will show growth in the acquisition of watercolor painting skills.
7.The students will “develop craft” by showing care in the development of their compositions, good craftsmanship in handling tools and materials, and putting effort into mastering the use of different materials.
8.The students will reflect in writing on the two leaf projects, what they learned, and their style preference.
9.The students will self-assess their work habits throughout the project.

1.12x18 tagboard
2.Oil pastels
3.Tempera paint & brushes
4.Watercolor paper (5x7-6x9”)
5.Watercolor paint & brushes
6.Leaves

Need these materials? Visit Blick!

Day 1: Introduction to abstraction
-The teacher will show Pablo Picasso’s synthetic Cubist work “Still Life With Chair Caning” and use Visual Thinking Strategies to guide the students in discussing the work. Elements in the work serve multiple purposes. The rope on the edge mimics a decorative edge of a table and a picture frame. The vinyl chair caning represents a chair pulled up to the table. JOU is both the beginning of “journal” (newspaper) and “jouer” (to play) in French. Shapes break up the composition but also serve as lemon wedges and remnants of a meal.
-The students will come to understand that abstraction starts with observation and the meaning can be puzzled out with observation.
2. Introduce assignment part 1
-Create an abstract leaf painting working from observation.
-Before students draw, they need to determine what color scheme they will use. The teacher will show the color scheme slides presentation and discuss the options.
3. Draw
-The teacher will guide the students through the drawing process.
-Locate the center vein and observe the angle and any curves. Use an oil pastel that fits within your chosen color scheme to draw that line stretching from top to bottom of the paper. It can be in the center or more diagonal.
-Find the next level of veins that branch off of the main vein. Draw those from the center vein to the edges of the paper.
-Add any more veins, holes, etc.

Day 2: Painting demo
-The teacher will demonstrate painting within the shapes created in the abstract composition and fading colors either from dark to light or one color to another.
-Point out properties of the paint such as the opacity and the ability to layer when dry.
-The students will begin to add color to their leaves.

Days 3 & 4: The students will finish painting their leaf compositions.

Day 5: Introduce part 2
-The teacher will explain that the next portion of the assignment is to paint a realistic leaf using watercolor.
-The students will choose a leaf and carefully trace it on their watercolor paper with light pressure.
-The teacher will explain the differences between drawing paper and watercolor paper and invite the students to compare and contrast watercolor to tempera.
-Paint the shape of the leaf with water and begin to layer in color, letting it bleed.
-Vary the amount of liquid used for more control or more flow.

Day 6: The students will finish painting their watercolor leaves.

Day 7: The students will reflect in writing on the two leaf projects, what they learned, and their style preference and self-assess their work habits throughout the project.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RcyfvdGmEwO7TWwIWKK6sdpxsZqqhOrg0C2Jwc5b1UE/edit?usp=sharing

Assessment: The students will self-assess with a document they will access through Google Classroom. The teacher will take the self-assessments into consideration while grading.

Self-Assessment
Reflect on the leaves you made two different ways. What did you learn? Which style do you prefer? Which project turned out better and why? Write a good paragraph with complete sentences.



Assess yourself based on the studio habits of mind.
Write a sentence describing how you did with each one.
Engage & Persist
Being focused on your work, on task, and sticking with it even when it’s challenging.


Develop Craft
Working to improve your skills and apply techniques to make your work as good as it can be.


Observe
Taking the time to look closely and pay attention to details.


Understand Community
Being a respectful and responsible member of the classroom community.



Summative Assessment
Category
Point Value
Description
Exceeds Standards- 100
The student can demonstrate learning above and beyond the concepts and learning goals.

Meets Standards- 90
The student can demonstrate growth and mastery of concepts or learning goals.

Approaching Standards- 80
The student’s work shows progress towards the demonstration of mastery but is not there yet.

Below Standards- 65
The student does not demonstrate progress towards mastery of learning goals or concepts.



THE STANDARDS

Visual Arts Standard 1:
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes


[5-8] Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas

Visual Arts Standard 2:
Using knowledge of structures and functions


[5-8] Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of their ideas

Visual Arts Standard 6:
Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines


[5-8] Students compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context

THE FEATURES
Abstract Art, Realism

Color/Value, Proportion/Size, Rhythm/Pattern, Shape, Unity/Harmony

Tempera, Watercolor