Lindsay Abramo Photography Lesson Plan TITLE: The Exploration of Self and Identity: Creating visual journals that represent how you see yourself GRADE LEVEL: High School TIMELINE: 6 weeks DESCRIPTION: The students will create their own visual journals that will be used to artistically explore how they see themselves. The students will learn how to construct an accordion style book that will contain all of the artwork they create in class. Each week we will do in class art projects that explore different ways of combining text and imagery. These projects will be compiled within the pages of the student’s visual journals. The students will be given the opportunity to explore their idea of self and identity while reflecting on their experience creating artwork about who they are. Big Idea / Key Concept: Students will explore the complexity of self and identity Essential Questions: • How do you see yourself? • How can you use artwork to communicate parts of yourself to the viewer? • How does your perception of who you are shape the way you see the world? • How can you pair text with photography to represent the complicated relationships between self and identity? OBJECTIVES: • Use text and photography to create a commentary between self and identity • Using mixed media techniques, create artwork that explores how you see yourself • Draw inspiration from the photographic artwork of Dawoud Bey, Duane Michals, Shirin Neshat, and Jeff Wolin STATE GOALS: STATE GOAL 25: Know the language of the arts. B. Understand the similarities, distinctions and connections in and among the arts. 25.B.5 Understand how different art forms combine to create an interdisciplinary work (e.g., musical theatre, opera or cinematography). STATE GOAL 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced. Lindsay Abramo - High School Photography Lesson Plan - The Exploration of Self and Identity
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B. Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts. 26.B.5 Common for all four arts: Create and perform a complex work of art using a variety of techniques, technologies and resources and independent decision making. STATE GOAL 27: Understand the role of the arts in civilizations, past and present. A. Analyze how the arts function in history, society and everyday life. 27.A.4b Analyze how the arts are used to inform and persuade through traditional and contemporary art forms. MOTIVATION / ACTIVITIES: THINK SHEET: Questions • The think sheet will encourage students to start thinking about the how they see themselves by using a long list of questions to prompt their exploration. The ideas and text written on their think sheets will be directly applied to the creation of their visual journal cover collages. • Students will choose three questions (from the first page of the packet) that they find the most interesting and they will answer two of them in detail. • The students also have to list three different images that could be paired with their written responses. These images will help the students brainstorm ideas for their shooting assignment and help them chose relevant images for their collages. Visual Journal - Artwork for Visual Journal Cover • Using the ideas and text written on their think sheets, the students will use collage techniques to create artwork for the cover of their visual journals. Each collage will represent something about who they are. • Students will revisit the ideas they wrote about on their think sheets and choose one concept they believe best represents something about who they are. This concept will be used to represent the theme of their collage artwork. • Students will start their collages by decorating a piece of colored construction paper with a variety of different paper choices. Each collage must include at least three different types of paper (different color, material, or texture). • Students will then layer images and patterns onto their collages to create multiple overlapping layers that fill the page. Each collage must include at least three different images that relate to their theme and three different patterns. • Students will incorporate text of their choice that responds to the theme of their collage artwork. Each collage must include one example of bold or large text and two examples of sentences, quotes, or phrases that respond to their theme. • After the completion of their collage, the students will complete a self evaluation and written reflection of their collage artwork. Visual Journal - Construction of Visual Journals • Constructing visual journals will teach students how accordion books are made and the process of creating their own book will encourage ownership of their visual journals.
Lindsay Abramo - High School Photography Lesson Plan - The Exploration of Self and Identity
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• Using the completed collage artwork, the students will wrap the front cover of their visual journal. They will wrap the back cover with colored construction paper of their choice. • Students will learn how to use a bone folder (book arts tool) to accurately fold the paper that will become the pages of their journals. • Students will learn how to attach the paper to front and back cover of their journals. Visual Journal - Bey Assignment • Students will experiment with the use of text paired next to an image to create a complex commentary or dialogue • Using blender marker image transfers, the students will appropriate images that relate to their text. • Students will draw inspiration for their artwork from Dawoud Bey and Duane Michals • Assessment: • Students will be asked to complete written and verbal reflections about their in class assignments • Engaging in conversations with the students about their ideas and execution of the in class visual journal assignments Visual Journal - Neshat Assignment: • Students will experiment with the use of text on top of or within an image to create a complex commentary or dialogue • Using a variety of different image transfer techniques the students will appropriate images that are meaningful to them • Students will draw inspiration for their artwork from Shirin Neshat and Jeff Wolin • Assessment: • Students will be asked to complete written and verbal reflections about their in class assignments • Engaging in conversations with the students about their ideas and execution of the in class visual journal assignments Visual Journal - Final Assignment: • Using the technique they have learned from the previous assignments, the student will experiment incorporating text with a copy of the photograph they will be using for the final project • Students will be able to try a few different techniques while finalizing how they want to represent their final artwork • Assessment: • Student’s final visual journals will be collected and graded • Students will be asked to complete written and verbal reflections about their in class assignments • Engaging in conversations with the students about their ideas and execution of the in class visual journal assignments
Lindsay Abramo - High School Photography Lesson Plan - The Exploration of Self and Identity
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Name: _________________________!
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Period: _________
The Exploration of Self and Identity Evaluation Portfolio Requirements Portfolio is complete Negatives
______ (20)
______ (10)
Contact Sheet
______ (10)
Content of Print Composition visually describes something about you 20 Outstanding
18 Excellent
16 Good
14 Average
______ (20) 12 Poor
Creative or unique perspective 20 Outstanding
18 Excellent
______ (20) 16 Good
14 Average
12 Poor
Quality of Print Print demonstrates a high level of technique
______ (40)
Sharp focus
______ (10)
Range of tones
______ (10)
Clean print
______ (10)
Even borders
______ (10)
Inclusion of Text Artwork is complete Text is included on photograph
______ (10) ______ (5)
Materials are used appropriately ______ (5)
Text is visually interesting 20 Outstanding
18 Excellent
______ (20) 16 Good
14 Average
12 Poor
Text relates to the photograph 20 Outstanding
18 Excellent
______ (20) 16 Good
14 Average
12 Poor
Artwork Score
______ (150)
Self Reflection Score
______
FINAL Project Score
(50)
______ (200)
Name: _________________________! !
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Period: _________
Final Artwork - Self Reflection 1. Please describe what you chose to photograph of for the final assignment: (What does the viewer see? How did you choose to capture your subject?) (5) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. Why did you choose to capture this photograph and what is the personal significance of the subject you photographed? (Why is this important to you?) (10) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please explain how your chosen text responds or relates to your photograph? (What does the your text say? How did you incorporate the text? Is the placement/font significant?) (10) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 4. What do you want your final artwork (photograph with text) to say about you? (How do you see yourself?) (15) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Are you happy with your final artwork? Why or why not? (5) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 6. What would you change or do differently? (5) __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________
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Period: _________
Final Feedback Please answer the following questions as thoughtfully and throughly as possible. Your answers will help me understand what you took away from the projects and what I could have been done differently. If you need more space, please write on the back, or another sheet of paper. Thank you! 1. What do you believe this project was about? What ideas or concepts did I ask you to explore through your visual journal and final photography assignment? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. Do you feel the visual journal activities enhanced your ability to come up with ideas for your final photography assignment? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 3. What was it like to create artwork centered around your own interpretations of who you are? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 4. Is there anything I, Ms. Abramo, could have done differently to enhance your experience? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Anything else you would like to share? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________