Problem Based Learning Opportunities

Take a look at the Unit Plan! Exposing the students to Mexico, Nigeria, and Japan with art projects that focus on UN SDGs of recycling and peace relations!

Fulbright TGC Fellow Unit Plan Template

Prepared by: Tina Banks

School/Location: Eagle Creek Elementary School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Subject: Visual Art Grade: 3

Interdisciplinary Unit Title: Exploring the World – Mexico, Nigeria, Japan

Time Needed: one semester

Unit Summary: The third grade art curriculum focuses on traveling the world. The students spend all year ‘traveling’ to different countries and continents learning of the cultures and art. In each area of the world, the students get their passport stamped and create an artwork/s connected to the culture of study. In this particular unit, the students will explore Mexico, Nigeria, and Japan. They will learn specific qualities of each region, develop similarities and differences, see artistic themes that run throughout the area and develop an understanding of how people live day to day and celebration traditions that differ from their own. Images will be created to make a Travel Quilt with each country that we study. We will use these images for reflection throughout the year.

*Third grade art classes meet for fifty minutes every four days.

*I teach in a Choice-Based format – The students are given an overall idea or theme of the artistic task and they choose the media/s that they will use to create the project.

STAGE 1: Desired Results

ESTABLISHED GOALS:

Indiana State Standards – Visual Art, Grade 3

3.RI.7 use information gained from illustrations (eg.maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text

3.W.1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons

3.1.1. Identify visual clues in works of art and artifacts that reflect characteristics of a given culture and speculate on where, when, and by whom the work was made.

3.1.2. Speculate on the function or purpose of a work of art and make connections to culture.

3.1.3. Identify themes and symbols in works of art from various cultures, ethnicities, and historical periods.

3.3.1. Describe and analyze sensory, formal, technical, and expressive properties in own work and works of artists through discussion and/or writing, developing appropriate vocabulary.

3.5.2. Discuss questions about art and recognize that various cultures have different beliefs about beauty and art.

3.6.2. Create artwork that communicates personal ideas and experiences.

3.6.4. Demonstrate evidence of critique, reflection, and revision in creating artwork.

3.7.1. Apply elements and principles in artwork that effectively communicates ideas.

3.8.1. Identify and compare similar concepts or big ideas found in art and across disciplines.

GLOBAL COMPETENCY:

1. Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment

2. Recognize, understand, and appreciate the perspectives and the world view of others

3. Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences by engaging in open, appropriate, and effective interactions across cultures

TECHNOLOGY USED:

Website: Empatico

Promethan Board

Internet access

Google Maps

Canvas Software (school district)

Padlet

RESOURCES:

Books

Artifacts

Posters/Prints

Transfer

Students will be able to independently use their learning to:

T1. Recognize different styles of artwork – Mexico, Nigeria, Japan

T2. Compare and contrast different styles of artwork

T3. Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment

T4. Connect to the local and global community

T5. Respect and value diversity within cultures

Meaning

UNDERSTANDINGS

Students will understand that:

U1. Culture is art; art is culture

U2. Different areas of the world create different kinds of artworks

U3. There are multiple perspectives and multiple ways of showing the same idea through artworks

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

E1. What are the similarities and differences between Mexican, Nigeria, and Japanese artwork?

E2. Why does learning about other cultures matter to me?

E3. Why might learning of other cultures matter to the world?

E4. Why do artists create in different ways?

E5. What can looking at artworks tell us about the culture?

Acquisition

Students will know: (content)

1. Where to locate Mexico, Nigeria, and Japan on the map

2. Cultural differences and similarities between the three countries/continent

3. Styles of art associated with each area

4. Understand people live and carry out traditions differently around the world

5. Key facts and culture about Mexico, Nigeria, Japan

6. The importance of learning about the art of other cultures and how it can function as a bridge to further understanding and developing empathy and tolerance

Students will be able to: (skills)

1. How to create an artwork related in style to each region studied

2. Identify artwork associated to each region

Stage 2 - Evidence

Assessment

Evaluation Criteria (Learning target or Student Will Be Able To)

1. Understanding of location and culture in Mexico, Nigeria, Japan

2. Understanding of key concepts in global education

3. Investigating the world

4. Recognizing perspectives

5. Gathering evidence from books, artifacts, posters, resources

6. Collaborative listening skills

Assessments FOR Learning:

-KWL Chart

-Exit Tickets

-Class Critiques

-Map coloring (in sketchbook/passport)

-Class Discussions

-Sketches, artistic research created for each area of study

-Reflection Questions

1. Growth on the KWL Chart, Exit Tickets

2. Class Critiques, discussions

3. Researching ideas and drawing sketches in sketchbook

4. Create artworks

5. Writing Artist Statements

6. Reflections

Assessments OF Learning:

-Artist Statements

-Artwork relating to each area of study

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Lesson #1: Mexico

Day One:

- Music from Mexico plays as the students enter the room.

• Use Google Maps to “travel” to Mexico – showing students live video
• Use Dollar Street to show photos to students of how people live in Mexico https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street/matri

- Some students are given papers with pictures of bones on them and with each bone is written information about Dia De Los Muertos. All students sit in a circle and we take turns laying the paper bones down, reading each clue, until we have put the entire skeleton together. The teacher lays out more posters, pictures, and artifacts relating to Dia De Los Muertos. We discuss how Dia De Los Muertos is often confused with Halloween and what the similarities and differences are (Venn Diagram).

- Artistic Task: Students will create an artwork honoring their family. The student can choose to either create in a “Mexican style” with a skeleton OR come up with their “Own style” of artwork to honor their family.

- Students sketch in sketchbook their ideas for the project

- Students color in the country of Mexico in their sketchbook (map page)

Day Two:

- Students have open studios (choosing media from: painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, fibers/textiles, printing) to work on their art works, using their ideas in sketchbook from Day One

Day Three:

- Students finish artworks and write their Artist Statement describing their creation honoring their family

Day Four:

- Through the site Empatico, my students have a live conversation with classroom from Mexico. We ask them about Dia De Los Muertos and their culture. We show the Mexican classroom our artwork. After the video conversation, students will write “I used to think ____ but, now I think ___” as an exit ticket.

Day Five:

- Artworks will then be hung for the school audience and as a class, we will have our own critique giving one another “Arty Awards” (Using Token Response Cards: each students gets 4 cards – one with a heart representing “I love it”; two with a light bulb representing “great idea” three with hand representing “awesome craftsmanship” and four with a clock representing “took a lot of time”. Class discussion on awards and artwork.

• Reflection Exit Card: Answering the question: Why does learning about Mexico matter to me? Why does it matter to the world?
• I ask the class, What would be our best images to represent Mexico? What would we “post” as images to remind us of our time spent in Mexico? I gather their answers and print off the top 3 to 5 images. The next time the students are in class, I have the images hole punched on the sides and tied together creating the start of the Travel Quilt.

Lesson #2: Nigeria

Day One:

- Students will start with a KWL chart on Nigeria

- Use Google Maps to “travel” to Nigeria – showing students live video

- Use Dollar Street to show photos to students of how people live in Nigeria https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street/matri

- Students will be introduced to the country of Nigeria through an episode of Bino and Fino, a children’s cartoon made in Nigeria. Bino and Fino travel through Africa celebrating the heritage and customs, offering the viewer information and fun facts of Africa.

- Students take a gallery walk around the classroom, observing books, artifacts, artworks, posters relating to Nigeria

- Students fill in the “L” on the KWL chart after viewing Bino and Fino and gallery walk

- From the Gallery Walk - Students sketch in sketchbook ideas for an upcoming art project relating to Nigeria

- Students color in the country of Nigeria in their sketchbook (map page)

Day Two:

- Read aloud: Why the Sky is Far Away – a Nigerian folktale – “The sky was once so close to the Earth that people cut parts of it to eat, but their waste and greed caused the sky to move away.”

- Class discussion on conservation, waste, greed. Show other books relating to conservation: The Lorax, One Plastic Bag, Earth Heroes

- Students add their thoughts and reflections to their sketchbooks from story and books shared

- Taking the knowledge learned from Bino and Fino, Why the Sky is Far Away, and sketches, students will form an idea of their own under the Umbrella Idea of “conservation”- this can be a project to show how conservation benefits our world (for example creating a poster to take action/using artwork to make a social statement and/or change) and/or a project that uses recycled resources to create the work.

Day Three and Four:

- Students have open studios (choosing media from: painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, fibers/textiles, printing) to continue work on Conservation Art Project

Day Five:

- Students will write their Artist Statement describing their Conservation – Nigerian Artwork

- Hang student work in school. Give the opportunity to students who would like to go onto the school morning announcements (televised) to present their poster and make a statement about conservation.

Day Six:

- Students are introduced to the Nigerian craft, Adire Cloth. We will first watch Imagine Creating: Making Adire Cloth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nELccoG-PcA and The Ancient art of the Adire Cloth makes a comeback in south-west Nigeria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY3QIhTtKq8

- Students will observe a variety of Adire Cloth patterns on Google Images

- Students will create geometric patterns and/or items from nature in their sketchbook for beginning ideas of their own Adire Cloth

Day Seven:

- We will use cotton fabric, mixed paste, and blue dye to create our own indigo-dyed cloth

Day Eight:

• Artworks will then be hung for the school audience and as a class, we will have our own critique giving one another “Arty Awards” (each students gets 4 cards – one with a heart representing “I love it”; two with a light bulb representing “great idea” three with hand representing “awesome craftsmanship” and four with a clock representing “took a lot of time”. Class discussion and critique of artwork.
• Share our Adire Cloth in the gallery of Canvas - our online school communication system.
• Share our Adire Cloth in Padlet. Students add comments to peer’s work. Look for other classrooms across the globe to share posts with.
• Student Reflection in sketchbook: Draw a Venn Diagram in your sketchbook, fill in with how artists are the same/different in Mexico and Nigeria. Use the Travel Quilt images for students to refer to.
• I ask the class, What would be our best images to represent Nigeria? What would we “post” as images to remind us of our time spent in Nigeria? I gather their answers and print off the top 3 to 5 images. The next time the students are in class, I have the images hole punched on the sides and tied together, adding to the Travel Quilt.

Lesson #3: Japan

Day One:

- Students are greeted at the door with teacher dressed in a kimono and socks. Teacher bows to the students and says “Kon’nichiwa”. She tells them that in a Japanese school, students would take their shoes off at the door and wear socks inside. Students can participate in this tradition by leaving their shoes at the door.

- Students come into the classroom with Japanese music playing.

- Use Google Maps to “travel” to Japan – showing students live video

- Use Dollar Street to show photos to students of how people live in Japan https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street/matri

- The classroom is divided into Japanese stations: 1 – chop sticks with fake food: Students will learn how are use chopsticks and the different kinds of foods that are traditional Japanese; 2 – books: Students experience opening a book from the opposite direction and observe the characters and writings starting from the left, going down; 3 – Kimonos: Students practice putting a kimono on one another. 4 – Pictures, posters, of Japan and Japanese artwork: Students look at the landscapes and culture through photos and artwork; 5 – ink, copies of Japanese characters, and bamboo brushes: Students will experiment trying to hold a bamboo brush correctly, with correct posture, and write characters

- Students are divided into groups and will travel to the different Japanese stations (stations are timed)

- Students sketch and write in their sketchbook: 3,2,1: 3 things I learned; 2 questions I have and 1 thing I enjoyed

- Students color in the country of Japan in their sketchbook (map page)

Day Two:

- Students read different Japanese Haiku

- Class discussion on the makings of a Haiku and how nature is found in most Japanese Haiku

- Artistic Task: Students will create an artwork and Haiku. Overall theme or umbrella idea: Nature

- Students work in sketchbook to form ideas

Day Three:

- Students have open studios (choosing media from: painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, fibers/textiles, printing) to continue work on their Nature/Haiku

- Students written Haiku takes the place of an Artist Statement

Day Four:

- Students are given another student’s artwork when they come in. They write a note to that artist telling them two things that they love about the artwork and one wish that they would have liked to see. Artworks will then be hung for the school audience and as a class, we will have our own critique.

• Student Reflection: Class discussion on: What can looking at artwork tell us about cultures? Use the Travel Quilt for students to refer to.
• Students will take their haiku to music class and add music to their writing. (this could be incorporated into their school musical performance)
• I ask the class, What would be our best images to represent Nigeria? What would we “post” as images to remind us of our time spent in Nigeria? I gather their answers and print off the top 3 to 5 images. The next time the students are in class, I have the images hole punched on the sides and tied together, adding to the Travel Quilt.
• Share student artwork on Canvas and Padlet. Find students in Japan to add their haiku to Padlet.

Summative Semester Review:

Using the Travel Quilt as reference, have a class discussion on the Essential Questions relating to this unit. Have the students pick one Essential Question to use as an exit ticket, writing their own response, after discussion.

The Travel Quilt: The Travel Quilt will be added to throughout the year with every country that we study. By the end of the year it will reflect all of our key images from the places we traveled. This will be used to go back and reflect, compare/contrast, and to keep circling back to answering the Essential Questions.