volume 40 issue 1 august 2013 fine arts …archstl.org/files/field-file/fine arts adventure...
TRANSCRIPT
Adventure FINE ARTS
The 2012-13 school year ended on the right foot for several schools! 5th grade students from St. John the Baptist, Christ the King, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Louis the King, Holy Trinity, St. Stephen Pro-tomartyr, St. Cecilia, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Joseph - Imperial, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and Most Holy Trinity learned about ballroom dancing throughout the year and dem-onstrated their skills to each other at the Colors of the Rainbow Team Competition Festivals. Pictured above are students from St. Stephen Protomartyr dancing the tango. St. Margaret of Scotland won the Col-ors of the Rainbow Team Competition. Dancing Classrooms is a 10 week in-school residency program that can still come to your school during the 2013-2014 school year. Contact Ken Lederle for more information.
ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS Catholic Education Center 4445 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108
VOLUME 40 ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2013
Welcome back . . . and welcome to all our new fine arts educators to the Archdiocese of St. Louis! In my first letter of the year, I want to remind everyone (and let the new faces know) that as the di-rector of fine arts, I am here as a resource to you. It is my job to help improve, continue or start building strong art, music, and theater programs in our schools.
Each month I publish the Fine Arts Adventure newsletter for the fine arts teachers of the diocese to inform them of colleagues’ events and to present opportunities for students and teachers. I also send out frequent e-mails as opportunities arise so that everyone has a chance to take advantage of the great resources available in the St. Louis area. Please send information on your school’s programs and events to be included in the newsletter throughout the year.
I also hope that I have helped bring together our fine arts teachers over the past few years so that we have worked together to support each other through advice and resources. If you need something, please let me know and I am happy to send the word out so that we are able to share our resources as a community of teachers. Complete and return the Fine Arts Report as soon as you can. This report will help update my contact lists, and if you request, your name will be included in a directory of all fine arts teachers (that will be sent out only to Catholic School fine arts teachers later this semester).
I love visiting schools and your programs. Please invite me at any time! I am happy to come to your programs or see your classroom and students in action. I can be that fresh set of eyes and ears that can give feedback on your ideas to improve your classroom. Advice from a colleague is always helpful!
Make sure you consider either bringing in professional artist or visiting professional artists this year. You and your schools need to take advantage of them! Look at the Community Resources section of this news letter for ideas of in-school and field trip opportunities. The arts come alive when they are experienced firsthand. If you need more ideas, or do not know who to contact for more information, please contact me. I have personally worked with a large number of organizations in St. Louis and they love to work with our Catholic schools. I can help direct you to an organization that will fit your needs.
Mark your calendars for this year’s Archdiocesan Fine Art events. This newsletter includes an updated calendar of events, including music and art workshops and dates and locations for this year’s Song Festivals featuring 5th and 6th grades.
May God bless all you do! Kenneth Lederle, Director of Fine Arts 314.792.7324 [email protected]
2
LETTER from the Director
Target Grants for Field Trips https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants/field-trip-grants
Applications for Target Field Trip Grants of up to $700 for K-12 schools may be submitted between August 1 and October 1. Grants will be awarded in January 2014. Grant criteria include: description of the field trip and its objectives; the benefits to students and the tie-in to the school curriculum; the number of students who will be impacted; and the proposed use of funds. Funds may be used to cover the cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and resource materials between January - May/June 2014.
Holy Cross Academy, Holy Spirit, Immaculate Conception - Dardenne Prairie, Marian Middle, Most Sacred Heart, Nerinx Hall, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Cecilia, St. John the Baptist,
St. Paul - Fenton, and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne received a Target field trip grant last year. YOUR SCHOOL SHOULD BE LISTED!
If you don’t receive the Fine Arts
Adventure by e-mail, send your
e-mail address to
to get added to the list!
Do you have an event or an accomplishment to tell your colleagues about?
Do you have a great lesson others might want to try?
Submit them to [email protected] to have them included in an edition of Fine Arts Adventure!
3
International Organ Concert Series http://archstl.org/worship/page/international-organ-concert-series
Gereon Krahforst, organist at the Cathedral, will perform on Thursday, August 15 at 8pm. The concert will be held at the Cathedral Basilica, 4431 Lindell Blvd, 63108. The concert is free, but a freewill donation is recom-mended. For more information, call 314.373.8229 or email [email protected]. Dance St. Louis http://www.dancestlouis.org/education.htm
Ballet Memphis will perform the Wizard of Oz on Friday January 24, 2014 at 11am at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. This performance for K-12 audiences is an hour-long version of this full-length ballet, featuring dazzling live dance performances with young audience in mind. For more information, call 314-534-6622. Washington University’s Edison Theatre http://edisontheatre.wustl.edu/education/fieldtrip/
Edison Theatre offers weekday performances at $4/ticket to area schools through their Field Trip Series: The Adventure of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (Friday, October 4 at 10am and 12:30pm for grades 2-8) Che Malambo (Friday, November 22 at 10am for grades 4-12) Black Violin (Friday, April 14 at 10am for grades 5-12) 500 Clown Trapped (Friday, April 14 at 10 am for grades 5-12).
Study guides are available on their website. Bus subsidies are also available. Edison Theatre also offers master-class opportunities, pre- and post-performance discussions, and a recommended reading list Metro Theatre Company http://metrotheatercompany.org/section/audience-segments/educators/
Skilled teaching artists support classroom learning goals in schools throughout the region, designing and conducting residencies in partnership with teachers. Metro Theatre can help develop after-school and community partnership programs, and can provide professional development programs. Contact Karen Weberman, Education Director, at [email protected] or 314-932-7414 x110
This year’s touring educational performance are Say Something, Do Something! (ongoing throughout the year grades 5-2) New Kid (Sept.- Nov 2013 grades K-12), and Unsorted (mid-January 2014 for grades K-12). St. Louis Dancing Classrooms http://stldancingclassrooms.org
St. Louis Dancing Classrooms is an in-school residency that uses ballroom dance to build Social Awareness, Confidence and Self Esteem in children across the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Dancing Classrooms happens during the school day with fifth grade ladies and gentleman. Each residency consists of 20 sessions – classes meet twice each week for ten weeks. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis www.repstl.org/studentmatinees/
The Rep offers special 10:30am student performances of most Mainstage productions for $10 per ticket. The Rep’s Education department offers curriculum connections and additional support programs providing instructors a unique way to integrate the arts into their lessons. Teachers bringing groups to student matinee performances may request a Rep Docent for advance classroom presentations at no additional cost. Prior to attending the theatre, teachers will receive an e-mail Study Guide. M-R Choral Music Discounts www.mrmusicinc.com
M-R Music offers 10% discounts to all choral teachers. Dick Boyd, formerly of Shattinger Music, will handle your choral music orders at M-R Music, 2616 Metro Blvd, Maryland Heights 63043. He may be reached at 314.942.3088 or [email protected].
COMMUNITY resources
5 4
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra http://www.stlsymphony.org/communityeducation/education.aspx
The St. Louis Symphony offers Kiddie Concerts (ages 3-5), Young People’s Concerts, and Young Adult Concerts; Education Partnership Programs (a full morning of exploration making connections between music, math, history and science with the Symphony, Missouri History Museum, Opera Theatre, St. Louis Science Center and Jazz St. Louis); Link Up! (grades 3-5), a comprehensive curriculum teaching basic musical literacy concepts culminat-ing in an interactive recorder performance at Powell Hall; and Symphony in Your School. Craft Alliance http://www.craftalliance.org/outreach/school_tours.htm
Educational gallery tours are available in conjunction with exhibits. Tours encourage seeing and learning about the innovative use of materials, and providing behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of craft. Demos and hands-on studio activities can be arranged. Email Robert Longyear at [email protected].
Opera St. Louis www.opera-stl.org/education-community/youth-schools/
Journey to a classroom in the year 2413 with this year’s young people opera. The Very Last Green Thing pre-sented at the Touhill Performing Arts Center Monday Oct. 21– Friday oct. 25, 2013. A class is given the opportu-nity to visit the “outside” an a student finds the last green thing on earth and must confront the truth and make important choices as the secrets of the past are uncovered. Call 314-963-4250 or e-mail [email protected]. Kemper Art Museum Exhibits http://www.kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu/kemper-exhibitions/upcoming
Rashid Johnson: Message to Our Folks and American Places will be on view from September 20 - January 6. Using photography, painting, sculpture, and video, Johnson challenges entrenched ways of thinking about the black experience in America and seminal issues of race in today’s society. An education guide is available. American Places: Painting the Landscape in the Nineteenth Century explores the breadth of practices and re-sponses to place in significant 19th Century American landscape painting in the Kemper Art Museum and area collections. The Teaching Gallery will host an exhibition titled Red, presenting a selection of paintings, prints, photographs, books, and sculptures where red varies from a dominant color to an accent color. Kemper Art Museum STEM Workshops http://kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu/node/2934
This fall, the Kemper Art Museum will present its first specialized tour for K-12 audiences teaching STEM con-cepts through visual art. In addition to this exciting new tour, K-12 educators are encouraged to book one of the Museum's five thematic tours featuring works in the Permanent Collection. Stages St. Louis http://www.stagesstlouis.org/Education-and-Outreach/Community-and-Outreach/School-Programs/
STAGES @ School brings STAGES artists into St. Louis region classrooms or after-school programs. Work-shops and multi-week residencies are available on a variety of topics ranging from technical theatre to careers in the arts, as well as instruction in acting, dance or musical theatre. STAGES @ School programs instill in stu-dents a love for the arts and a respect for the craft of the theatre professional. Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Educational Workshops https://www.sfstl.com/in-the-schools/
Shakespeare Festival will present two productions: a 50-minute production of their main stage show and “All the World’s A Stage; Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits,” an introduction for younger children. Contact Patti Walley at 314.531.9800 x108 or [email protected] for more information. Also, customized teacher workshops are avail-able upon request. Perfect for an in-service day or staff retreat, workshops can last just a couple hours, a full day or more. Contact Christopher Limber at 314.531.9800 x109 or [email protected]. Springboard http://www.springboardstl.org/index.htm
Springboard provides in-school arts and cultural integration and enrichment programs. Over 175 distinct programs, taught by knowledgeable teaching artists and content specialists, are available to schools throughout the metropolitan area, and the eastern half of Missouri, Springboard is committed to underserved children.
COMMUNITY resources
Jazz St. Louis http://www.jazzstl.org/education-outreach/youth-concerts/
Jazz St. Louis presents three free multi-media programs this fall: “Stolen Moments: the First 100 Years of Jazz” for grades 6-12 will be presented on October 7 at 9 am. This 70-minute program introduces audiences to jazz music’s rich history and to the names, faces, and music of some of its many masters. “ELLINGTON!” for grades 3-6 will be presented on October 7 at 11 am and October 8 at 9 am. This program illuminates the rich, vital leg-acy of Duke Ellington. “Get Hip” for grades K-4 will be presented on October 8 at 11 am. This introduction to jazz illuminates some of music’s cultural origins, the concept of improvisation, and the function and responsibility of each individual component of the jazz ensemble. For free tickets, to inquire about transportation reimbursement, or receive more information, contact Phil Dunlap at [email protected] or 314-289-4033.
The Emerson Jazz in the Schools program brings visiting Jazz at the Bistro artists to area schools at no cost. The artists participate in a number of different activities, including performances, master classes and clinics. Artists are only available on Thursday or Friday afternoons and are booked on a first come, first-served basis. Contact Phil Dunlap at [email protected] or 314-289-4033.
Archdiocesan Handbell and Children’s Choir Auditions
http://cathedralstl.org/music/archdiocesan-handbell-choir/ & http://cathedralstl.org/music/archdiocesan-childrens-choir/
Audition for the St. Louis Archdiocesan Handbell Choir on August 20 from 7- 9 pm at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Although ringing experience is helpful, anyone who can read music is invited to audition, high school to adults. Contact Nicole Heerlein at 314.533.7662 or [email protected]. Children’s Choir auditions are held throughout the year. Email [email protected] or call 314-533-7662 for more information.
Young Catholic Musicians Auditions http://archstl.org/musicians
The Young Catholic Musicians is open to choir and full orchestra students ages 10-21. There are no fees or dues. Rehearsals are held two times a month at 816 Allen St., across from Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Soulard. To schedule an audition or for more information contact Fr. Bruce Forman, the Director of Music, at 314-231-7464 or [email protected], or Mrs. Mary Smithat 314-962-9260 or [email protected].
Community Music School of Webster University Composition Competition http://www.utexas.edu/courses/wagner/home.html
Composers between the ages of 12 - 21 may enter this contest for a chance to have their works performed by professional musicians in a public concert on March 29, 2014 that is professionally recorded. Each awardee re-ceives a CD of the performance, written critique, and personal conference with Guest Composer Beth Denisch. $20 application fee. Deadline: October 25.
Art and Education Council Martiz Grants http://www.keeparthappening.org/you/apply_maritz_grant/
Grant applications may be submitted for the 2013/2014 Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers. These are $500-$5,000 grants for programs that link art with curriculum to enhance students’ learning. Priority funding will be given to projects that introduce new art mediums to students. Deadline: September 6, 2013. Grant an-nouncements will be made by September 25, 2013. Nominate an “Arts Hero” for a Missouri Arts Award www.artsheroesneeded.com
Nominate arts educators, arts organizations, creative communities, artists, leaders, and philanthropists until Au-gust 26. Nominees must be current Missouri residents or a Missouri-based organization or community.
5 4
CONTESTS and Grants
COMMUNITY resources
6
GIA Choral Reading Music Workshop www.giamusic.com/srs
This free event , sponsored by GIA, features clinician David Anderson. It will be held from 7-9:30pm on August 12 at All Saints Church, 6403 Clemens Avenue, University City 63130. Register online at the link above. MorningStar Summer Workshop/Reading Session
For $6, enjoy the workshop/reading session, BBQ diner and music packet. Featured clinicians are Kelly Dobbs-Mikus and Michael Burkhardt. The workshop will be held on August 19 with early bird browsing at 3:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Baptist Church, 211 Woodlawn Avenue, Kirkwood. RSVP by August 16 to MorningStar Music at 636.305.0100. World Library Publications Choral Reading Session www.surveymonkey.com/s/StLouis2013choralreading
Alan J. Hommerding will guide singers in this “Sing the Seasons” choral reading session on August 29 at 7pm. The event is held at St. Monica Church, 12132 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur 63141. Register by August 19 at the link above or by contacting Alan Hommerdig at [email protected] or 847.233.2856. K-12 Art Faculty Opportunities through STLCC-Meramec www.stlcc.edu/VisitArt
St. Louis Community College at Meramec invites K-12 art faculty to visit its campus on Thursday, September 12, at 3:30pm to learn about programs and opportunities available to students (dual enrollment, scholarships, portfolio assistance); meet STLCC art faculty and learn about opportunities available to staff (classes, certificates, work-shops); and tour the art facilities and visit the Center for Visual Technology. To register, visit www.stlcc.edu/VisitArt. STLCC-Meramec is located at 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood, 63122.
Recruit for the NAEA PARTners Program
http://www.arteducators.org/community/partners-program/members-recruiting-members
NAEEA provides you with resources to help you reach out to colleagues and recruit them as members. You score a chance to win a $50 Blick Art Materials coupon each time a new member credits you as the person who referred them to join NAEA through December 16, 2013.
St. Louis AOSA Orff Workshops www.stlaosa.com
Barb Spieler presents “A Playground of Creativity: Building a Performance from Great Teaching Pieces Can Be as Easy as Child’s Play” on Monday, August 12 from 6-8 (registration begins at 5:30). Barb will share some child-friendly ways to transform great teaching activities into effective program pieces. “Play” with ideas that develop musical skills while singing, moving and playing the Orff way. Many of the materials used were showcased in the Welcoming Ceremony Children’s Performance at the 2012 AOSA National Conference. FREE!
Dan Fee presents the movement-focused workshop “Bounce, Boogie and Book It!” on September 14 from 9am-1pm. Learn from fun movement routines set to classical music using tennis balls, scarves, paper plates and a parachute. Explore best teaching practices for movement lessons. Dan will also share effective use of children’s books in music class using movement. $20/members or $45/non-members
Both workshops will be held at Carman Trails Elementary, 555 S. Weidman Road, Manchester 63021. Laumeier Sculpture Park http://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/education/educators
Educator workshops and teacher resources highlight the permanent collection, special exhibits and the visual arts. Workshops may be conducted at schools to help instructors incorporate the permanent collection in their curricu-lum. Workshops strive to meet the professional development needs of area educators by incorporating apprecia-tion and analysis of artworks with suggested activities and resources. Laumeier also offers 45-minute docent-guided walking tours ($3/person), outreach programs in schools, educator workshops, and access to their Re-source Center. Call 314-615-5267 for more information.
PROFESSIONAL development
7
MUSICactivities
Das Reingold Musical Bingo Grade 5
http://www.laopera.com/DocumentsLAO/education/lessons/The%20Ring%20Musical%20Bingo.pdf Written by Olga Bezrukova for L.A.Opera
Applicable Common Core Standard: W 5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Objective: 1. Allow students to brainstorm on the topic of Language and Function of Music. 2. Allow students to write a story in journals that mirrors the ideas they hear in the music. 3. Introduce students to the opera Das Rheingold. 4. Introduce students to the idea of Leitmotif and Themes in music. 5. Allow students to hear musical examples from the opera. 6. Allow students to visualize the musical ideas further by writing down/drawing ideas into a Bingo Chart. 7. Allow the students to recall and identify the musical ideas heard in a game of Bingo. Materials: Copies of the worksheets from the website Internet connection with speakers to play audio Color pencils Gold coin candy or other prizes Procedure: 1. Guide the students in a class discussion on Worksheet A - Language and Function of Music. 2. The teacher will allow students to listen to musical samples from Das Rheingold and ask the students to
make journal entries and write short stories that they believe represent the music that they are listening to. (Suggested listening: i. Transformation Music, ii. Prelude) 3. The class will have a discussion on how musical themes or ideas in the music influenced students’ stories. 4. The teacher will pass out Worksheet B - Das Rhinegold Synopsis. The class will read the synopsis of
DasRhinegold by Wagner. 5. The teacher will discuss the opera. Wagner’s opera is based on German myths. What is unique to the music composed by Wagner is his use of “leitmotifs.” The teacher will give the definition of leitmotifs and use previous musical example(s) to demonstrate.
A leitmotif (also spelled leitmotiv) is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea. The word has also been used by extension to mean any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person. The German word Motiv is borrowed from the French motif, meaning motive or theme. Prefixing it with Leit- (coming from G. leiten, to lead), produces Leitmotiv (G. pl. Leitmotive), meaning "lead mo-tif". A leitmotif is usually a short melody, although it can also be a chord progression or even a simple rhythm. Leitmotifs can help to bind a work together into a coherent whole, and also enable the com-poser to relate a story without the use of words, or to add an extra level to an already present story. The word is usually used when talking about dramatic works, especially operas, although leitmotifs are also used in other musical genres, such as instrumental pieces or video game music as well. (Definition taken from: http://www.onpedia.com/encyclopedia/Leitmotif )
6. The teacher will guide the students through a Listening Guide of Das Rheingold. 7. The teacher will show and emphasize samples of music that represent characters, objects, and places in the
story. 8. As the teacher is doing the Listening Guide, the class individually will be creating a Bingo Chart using the Worksheet D - Necessary Themes List. They will draw or write ideas that will remind them of the themes that represent each character, object, or place.
8
Recommended Readings about Opera PreK - High School
http://www.operaamerica.org/content/education/learningCenter/resources.aspx
Opera is a very important form of music to which all students should be exposed. Below is a list of books that could be read during class or as independent reading highlighting the exciting world of opera Applicable Common Core Standard: RF 4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Infant & Pre-K
Weaver, Tess and Andrea Wesson. Opera Cat. Clarion Books, 2002.
West, Jim and Marshall Izen. The Dog Who Sang Opera. Harry N. Abrams, 2004
Grades K-3
Auch, Mary Jane. The Bantam of the Opera. Holiday House, Inc., 1997.
Clement, Gary. The Great Poochini. Groundwood Books, 1999.
Elliott, Donald and Clinton Arrowood. Lambs' Tales From Great Operas. Harvard Common Press, 1991.
Thee, Christian and Robert Levine. Behind the Curtain: Hansel and Gretel: Your Own Backstage Tour in
Look-Through and Pull-Up Panels. Workman Publishing Company, 1994.
Grades 4-8
Bennett, Roy. Opera. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Ganeri, Anita and Nicola Barber. The Young Person's Guide to the Opera: With Music from the Great
Operas on CD. Harcourt: London, England, 2001.
Husain, Shahrukh. The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera. Barefoot Books, 1999.
Neidorf, Mary and Daniel Stevens. Operantics with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sunstone Press, 1999.
Siberell, Anne. Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the Scenes With Composers, Cast and Crew.
Frederica von Stade (Introduction) Oxford University Press Children's Books, 2001.
The Random House Book of Opera Stories (Random House Story Collections). Random House, 1998.
Grades 9-12
Davis, Peter G., ed. The American Opera Singer. Anchor, 1999.
Dobkin, Matt. Getting Opera: A Guide for the Cultured but Confused. Pocket, 2000.
Plotkin, Fred. Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera. Hyperion, 1994.
Sadie, Stanley, ed. The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera. Billboard Books, 2004.
MUSICactivities
9
Mindful Murals Elementary Grades
http://www.csuchico.edu/~cguenter/FourArts/VA/VAmmur.htm Applicable Common Core Standard: RI 3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text. Objectives:
Students will identify with the elements of art in objects in nature, the environment, and Ringgold's mural. Students will depict the illusion of depth in an artwork, using overlapping shapes, relative size and placement of fabric on the mural. Students will discuss how the artist, Faith Ringgold uses her work to share experience or communicate ideas. Students will verbally compare ideas expressed through his or her own artwork with ideas expressed in the piece created by Faith Ringgold.
Materials:
5"x5" pre-cut fabric pieces with various designs and colors Standard poster board Glue Colored pencils One copy of the book Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Procedure: 1. Introduce students to Faith Ringgold by discussing her background:
where she grew up, her hobbies, her family history, why she became involved with creating art and writing children books.
2. Read to the class Ringgold's book Tar Beach. 3. Display and share pieces of her work and discuss the different medi-
ums with which Ringgold likes to work. 4. Explain to the students that as a class they will be creating art both on their own and together. Explain that
each student will get a small square of fabric and a piece of paper. The fabric will be the base of the mural that the students will design, practicing overlapping.
5. Before class, outline the poster board with square spaces so the students have specific places to glue on their fabric square.
6. One at a time, students should come up to the poster board and glue their fabric squares on to the board. 7. While students are gluing their fabric squares on to the poster board, the rest of the students will create by
drawing a favorite memory that they have with their families, their dog, their friends on the paper square using colored pencils. Students could also draw a wish or dream for the future that they might have.
8. As students start to finish their drawing, students come up to the poster board and glue their square on to the fabric mural where they desire.
9. Once the mural is complete,. Lead a discussion about the mural and how it was created. Ask the following questions: How do you think Ringgold felt when she created her mural? What was Ringgold thinking about when she created this scene (concentrate on a specific section of the mural)? What were you thinking about when you were creating your piece? How does it make you feel to share your created mural? When you were drawing your scene, what emotions were you feeling? What do you want your audience to see when they look at your mural?
Assessment: While students are placing their fabric squares on poster board, the teacher will be looking to see that each stu-dent is using the skill of overlapping. Assessment will also occur while the students are drawing their families and wishes as they share their drawings with their neighbors. During discussion, the teacher will lead a conversation about the mural, how it was created and what the students felt during the process of creation and after.
ARTactivities
10
A Bird’s Eye View
Grades 6-8 http://www.csuchico.edu/~cguenter/FourArts/VA/VAbeye.html
Applicable Common Core Standard: RI 6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
Objectives: Students will describe how objects change in appearance when viewed from a higher point, define and iden-tify the horizon line on selected artwork, draw a scene using a high horizon line to accurately depict a bird’s-eye view of the scene, and share their drawing with classmates using the terms perspective and horizon line.
Materials: Black 12x18” drawing paper cropped 1" on each side White 12x18” construction paper for matting White chalk Optional: flashlights, building blocks, fixative Bird’s eye view artwork examples Artwork that does not show a bird’s eye view
Procedure: 1. The teacher conducts a whole-class discussion through inquiry, using questions like: "Did you ever go to the
top of a tall building and look down?" "Imagine that you are a hot air balloon or helicopter, hovering over a huge city, trees in a park, or your own back yard. What might you see?" "How is that view different from the ground level view?"
2. The teacher reviews the process for creating three-dimensional cubes and asks students how those tech-niques can help them to depict a perspective from a high point.
3. Students are divided into groups of four. Each group analyzes a different example of artwork using a bird’s-eye view and examines and discovers the techniques the artists used to create the perspective.
4. A member of each group writes their findings on the board. The teacher uses the information to introduce the new vocabulary: perspective, three-dimensional, horizon line, and eye level.
5. The teacher directs students’ attention to the location of the horizon line in works of art which were shown in the introduction and studied by the groups. The teacher checks for understanding by showing a few new ex-amples and non-examples of bird’s eye view.
6. The teacher draws an example of a bird’s-eye view of a city scene on the chalkboard. A horizon line is drawn then the scene is drawn below it. Student understanding is checked by asking students to identify lines or details that need to be drawn to make the perspective accurate and complete.
7. Students use their imagination and decide on a bird’s-eye view that they would like to draw. It can be of a city, countryside, landscape, or even another planet. Students may choose to use building blocks to create a scene. Students who choose to do so, design their model on their desk or the floor to give them a bird’s-eye view.
8. Students sketch a rough draft of their idea on scratch paper. Students visualize a horizon line in the upper half of their paper and drawing most of their scene below it. They draw details by adding windows, people, animals, plants, clouds, stars, and shading or sunlight effects.
9. After students critique their rough drafts, they draw a final version on the black paper with chalk.
10. Students sign and mat their artwork on white paper.
11. Students share their finished drawings with a partner. Students choose something in particular they like about their classmate’s artwork and share their views with the class. In a whole-class discussion, key concepts are reviewed. Drawings are displayed on a wall.
ARTactivities
Bird’s Eye View Artwork Examples:
Edward Hopper, El Palacio, 1946. (compare to his Sunday Morning and Night Hawks) Edward Hopper, Night Shadows, 1921. Oskar Kokoschka, Courmayeur et les Dents des Geants, 1927. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889 Rene’ Magritte, The Empire of Light II. Edward Hicks, The Residence of David Twining, 1787.