Teacher Gavin Wallace Class Gr. 3 Date 8/17/09 Writing genre Report

RATIONALE

Over the past two years I have been dissatisfied with the reports written by my students. Part of the challenge, after exploring WRU, is that I never allowed the students enough time to gain a level of understanding of their content (animals or human body systems depending on the year). As a result their writing suffered. During class it was suggested that I take my desire to have students write more effective reports and link that with our shift to an integrated arts magnet school.

TOPIC / SUBJECT / TEXT

This unit will come towards the end of the year. During the course of the year students will have become familiar with the language of the visual arts: color, line shape, texture, space through a variety of lessons. This report will then serve as an opportunity to strengthen their writing as well as a chance to demonstrate their understanding of the key elements of visual art. Although we will use models of writing as demonstrations, the “texts” in this unit will be the works of visual art that we examine as a class. As a final paper students will select a piece of art from five examples and discuss how the artist used two of the five elements of visual art in their work.

CENTRAL IDEAS
Content: Artists use the elements of color, line, shape, texture, and space to generate an emotional response from viewers.

Reading: Reading about artists’ lives can help students understand the stylistic choices they make. Looking at examples of effectively written paragraphs.

Writing: Writers use evidence from text to support their ideas.

FOCUSING QUESTION

How does the viewer interpret elements of visual art to build their own understanding of the piece? (How does the artists use of various elements allow the viewer to create meaning?)

FOCUS (answer to focusing question)

The viewer creates an understanding of a piece of visual art by interpreting five unique elements (color, line, shape, texture, and space). (The visual artist uses elements in specific ways to elicit an emotional response from the viewer.)

BUILDING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE / UNDERSTANDING OF WRITER’S CRAFT

Vocabulary: Students will understand the meaning of each of the five elements of visual art: color, line, shape, texture and space. Students will be exposed to these terms throughout the year. In art class Angela will explicitly teach each and allow students to explore them through their own work. In this way students will also have an opportunity to explain the choices they made in their own work.

Public Notes: Definitions of five elements and example to accompany them. Included in these notes would be appropriate descriptive words to help convey emotion and meaning.

Prior Experience: Exploration of character traits through the arts. A previous unit on character study that explores how the use of visual art elements can help to define character traits.

Oral Processing: In the week leading up to the writing of the report we will take time to explore each of the five elements individually and discuss the emotions and related vocabulary for each. Each lesson would include a sensory experience (music, drama, etc.) followed by a discussion and then short constructed responses. These discussions will be important to help broaden students understanding and provide more descriptive words for them to use.

Dramatizing: During the week of lessons leading up to the report some of the lessons would include dramatic elements: using a movement activity to explore line, the use of tableau to explore space.

Craft Lessons: The focus during the initial week will be on writing paragraph responses in which students can state what visual art element, explain how the artist used it and describe how it made them feel. As we begin to write the report additional lessons on writing and introduction and conclusion will be included.

STRUCTURES

Teacher Written Models: Initially teacher models will be used during the first week to show how to write an effective paragraph. Later models will be used to show how to write an introduction and conclusion.

Teacher and Student Written Models: As we progress through the initial week we will transition from teacher written model paragraphs to more interactive paragraphs. I may present a topic sentence and ask students to provide evidence to support.

Templates and Frames: During the first week we will work with a paragraph model that allows students to define the artistic element, describe how the artist uses it and then offer a personal connection. For the actual report students will use a painted essay model.

WRITING / REVISING

Initial paragraph writing offers opportunities for group writing as well as independent practice. There is also opportunity for students to practice revising and proofreading on a smaller scale.

Writing a Section at a Time: For the report we will write a section at a time. The introduction will be modeled, returning to our focusing question about how the viewer’s interpretation of artistic elements helps them to create meaning and understanding. Students will have explored writing support paragraphs during the previous week. I will model two body paragraphs to accompany my paper and allow students to write their own. The conclusion will be crafted as a class.

Revising

LESSON SEQUENCE

Initial Week: Each lesson focuses on one of the five elements of visual art providing an opportunity for exploration, vocabulary development and writing.

1. Color: Idea: Colors are used by artists to produce an emotional response from students. Connect feelings to colors through discussion. Look at some color samples and explore feelings. Document students responses as part of public notes. From looking at colors move to exploring two pieces of art and discuss how the artists choice of color affects the viewer. Model paragraph response.

2. Line: Idea: Lines (sharp, wavy, jagged, curvy) also impact viewer. Movement activity: “How would a line move if…”. Students create lines after listening to samples of music. Looking at line samples as a group we discuss and post vocabulary. Group write a response paragraph exploring artist’s use of line.

3. Texture: Idea: Textures (hard, soft, brick, cotton) create a response. Create bags, each containing an example of a different texture (sandpaper, feather, polished rock, rough granite, etc.). Have students explore each bag in small groups. The focus is on describing what they are touching and their emotional response. Small group discussion and large group follow up will help with vocabulary development. As with line, look at a picture and write a group paragraph that explores the artists use of texture.

4. Shape: Have students use modeling clay to create simple shapes (sphere, points, cube, etc.). Using these students created shapes as the focus have students explore: What does this shape remind me of?, How does it make me feel?, Why does this shape make me feel that way? Group discussion and posting of terms. Look at a work of art and provide students with sample topic sentences. Have them select one and find evidence in picture to support. Group share of responses.

5. Space: The relationship of one object to another (a small mouse adrift in a huge sea (Amos & Boris) also affects the viewer. Use tableau activity to explore idea of space. After looking at art sample have students write their own response paragraph. This paragraph can be used as assessment and opportunity to discuss revision.

Report week:

1. Introduce report topic, review painted essay format and explore five pieces students can select from.
2. Model introduction. Have students select piece to explore and the two elements they would like to write about. Opportunity here for group sharing and discussion.
3. Group write introduction creating template students can use. Have students write introduction specific to their piece.
4. Model supporting paragraphs based on a different picture. Have students orally rehearse writing one paragraph (What element are they writing about? How does the artist use that element? How does it make them feel? Can they point to evidence in the picture? Allow time for sharing of support paragraphs.
5. Based on sharing of 1^st support paragraphs explore idea of revising writing, specifically the first support paragraph.
6. Write second supporting paragraph as before.
7. As a group write the conclusion, returning to central idea.
8. Proofread with partner.
9. Final copy.