A Unit of Instruction by

Debbie Fulkerson

America: History in the Making

GRADE LEVEL AND DURATION
Grade Level 4-5, duration 5- 45 minute class sessions

THEME:
Independence

GENERAL UNIT GOALS OR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is independence?

What advantages are there to being independent or having independence?

What symbols are associated with independence?

GENERAL LESSON OBJECTIVES
This unit of instruction is based upon David Levinthal’s series of photographs called the war series from the collection of Small Wonders: Worlds in a Box. In this unit student will explore the theme "independence" and will

- Identify a cultural, social or historical event, person or situation that signifies independence
- Learn about the life and artwork of the artist David Levinthal.
- Interpret and analysis David Levinthal’s artwork The War Series.
- Engage in critical and aesthetic discussions inspired by the artwork that address independence as the theme.
- Learn vocabulary terms related to the art of photography.
- Demonstrate knowledge about and appropriate application of a variety of materials and their proper use, safety and care.
- Consider the theme independence by exploring diverse sources such as literature, music and popular culture.
- Students will critically compare and access their own artwork and work of others to David Levinthal.

MATERIALS
TEACHER:
- Reproductions of listed photographs. (slides or prints)
- Slide projector (if slides are used)
- Overhead projector (if transparencies are used)
- Discussion Question Sheet (attached to lesson plan)
- Paper
- Digital Camera
- Computer
- Printer
- Variety of Toys
- Extra Shoe Boxes
- Scissors
- Tape
- Markers and Crayons
- Glue
- Mat board

STUDENTS:
- Pencils or pens
- Paper
- Scissors
- Tape
- Markers and Crayons
- Glue
- Toys
- Shoe Box

VOCABULARY
Aesthetic: Appreciation of beauty

Culture: All of the socially conveyable behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human society in a given community.

Independence: 1.Free. 2. Not influenced by of dependent upon others.

Symbolism: Representing objects by using symbols.

Vignette: An unbordered portrait that shades off into the surrounding color at the edges.

Photogravure: The art or process of printing from an intaglio plate, etched according to a photographic image.

SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Upon entering the room, the 4th or 5th grade students will engage in a motivation activity. After the motivational activity, the students will have a discussion about independence and what it means to each one of them and how it relates to their lives and experiences. Students will also discuss what independence meant to people in the past.

2. After the discussion, the students will review David Levinthal, who was discussed in the previous lesson and reproductions of different photographs. After reviewing the artist and his work the teacher will lead a discussion in the proper behavior in a museum. The students will visit the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia to view the David Levinthal exhibit.

3. Each student is expected to answer questions about one of Levinthal’s photographs. The teacher will lead a discussion about the work. Through the student discussion the students will learn about independence and why Levinthal photographed toys in order to get across many different issues of society. The students will create artwork in the concept of how David Levinthal creates his work. The students will critic their own work and the work of others. The students will be evaluated based on their participation in class and their ability to follow directions.

STANDARDS OF LEARNING: FOURTH GRADE
4.1 The student will generate ideas for works of art through discussion.
4.3 The student will create a work of art that uses themes, ideas, and art forms from the past.
4.8 The student will identify positive and negative space in works of art.
4.12 The student will identify the characteristics of cultural diversity in works of contemporary art.
4.16 The student will analyze works of art based on visual properties.
4.17 The student will distinguish among abstract, representational, and non-representational works of art.
4.18 The student will identify and investigate ways that works of art from popular culture reflect the past and how they influence the present.
4.19 The student will support the selection of a work of art using appropriate art vocabulary.
4.21 The student will discuss how personal beliefs influence responses to works of art.
4.22 The student will formulate questions about works of art from past or present cultures.

STANDARDS OF LEARNING: FIFTH GRADE
5.1 The student will synthesize information to produce works of art.
5.3 The student will use the elements of art: line shape, form, color, value, texture, and space to express ideas, images and emotions.
5.5 The student will collaborate with others to produce a work of art that characterizes a historical time period.
5.6 The student will defend a position regarding a historical or contemporary issue through the production of a work of art.
5.7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of symbolic meanings by incorporated symbols in a work of art.
5.9 The student will emphasize special relationships in works of art.
5.10 The student will use art materials experimentally in expressive works of art.
5.11 The student will use a computer to produce a work of art.
5.16 The student will identify the influences of historic events, subject matter, and media in works of art.
5.21 The student will discuss an artist’s point of view based on evidence perceived in works of art.
5.23 The student will discuss how criteria used to value art varies over time within the same culture.
5.24 The student will articulate reasons for establishing preferences among works of art using appropriate art vocabulary.

ADVANCE ORGANIZER
1. Make photocopies of all attached discussion sheets.
2. Plan ahead for a visit to the Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia.
3. Make a permission slip for the students to be signed by their parents two weeks before the field trip, and then have them returned to you one week before the field trip.
4. Make sure that the slide or overhead projector is available and ready for viewing slides. (provided slides or transparencies are used)
5. If slides are not being used, make sure that prints are properly mounted and large enough to be presented to the students.
6. Make sure all supplies are available and placed in areas where the students can reach them.
7. Arrange the desks so students will be situated in small groups.
8. Write the vocabulary words on the board.
9. Hang the reproductions of David Levinthal’s work around the room.
10. Save a few shoeboxes for those students who may need one.
11. If you do not have any toys at home, purchase some for the lesson.
12. Pre cut mat board to 12"x14"

MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY
The students will make a list of at least five historical figures they would have met in the time period from 1607-1877. The students will then create groups of 4-6 people and discuss why they chose certain figures. The teacher will then lead a discussion on which historical figures the students chose were important to independence.

LESSON SEQUENCE

Day 1
1. Have the students sit at their desks and remove everything except a piece of paper and pencil.
2. The teacher will begin the motivational activity.
3. Have each group of students discuss whom they chose and why.
(Remember to give sufficient time to answer the question)
4. After the activity, begin a discussion about independence.

- What is independence?

- What advantages are there to being independent of having independence?

- What symbols are associated with independence?

5. Show the first slide or print.
6. While showing the slides explain to the students about the exhibit.

- Read the quote "My photographs, like these childhood moments, are miniature worlds. They are small worlds that reflect much larger drama-the world of grown-ups,"
- David Levinthal has been creating art for over 25 years.
- His artwork is thematically complicated and could be mistaken for intellectual riddles.
- Levinthal takes toy figures and photographs them in a number of ways, so that we end up looking at something unreal and real, sometimes childish and adult.
- Toys are icons of culture.
- His artwork is very powerful and original but it is also very controversial.

7. Ask the students for individual or groups responses about the reproduction:

- What are the stylistic characteristics of this photogravure?

- What elements do you see in the artwork? (line, shape, form, color, texture)

- What is the content of the work? (idea or feeling expressed)

8. Show the second slide or print
9. Allow the students to answer questions 2 and 3, allowing enough time for the students to answer the questions.
10. Ask the students for individual or groups responses to the questions.

- Ask students the questions in step 7.

11. Show the first slide or print
12. While students view the reproduction, talk to the students about David Levinthal and his photographs.

- His artwork is not about ideas. Those are the second or third stage of his work. The first stage is the feeling of pure shock or confusion.
- As toys they are all on the same side. They challenge us to think and feel things such
as morality, beauty, honor, dishonor, nobility, ethics, and tawdriness.
- Levinthal’s photographs are empowered somewhat by the legacy of our preadolescent inclinations to have our playthings live a melodramatic and dynamic life.
- As children, we use these toys in childish games while creating expectations of our adult lives

13. Show the second slide or print.
14. While students view the reproduction, talk to the students about David Levinthal and
his photographs.
- Through miniature characters, they play much larger and stereotypical grown-up roles.
- Levinthal exploits their magical qualities to create "false realities" which illustrate that photographs and the public are equally prone to manipulation.
- Levinthal uses childish materials to illustrate the visually idiomatic components of familiar genre.

15. Discuss proper behavior for a museum.
16. Students will return to their class.

DAY 2
17. Trip to the museum.
18. All students get on the bus.
19. Arrive at the Museum. As the students get off the bus, give each on the hand out for the exhibit. (copy in packet)
20. Check in with admissions.
21. Have students walk around and observe the different artworks in the David Levinthal exhibit. Each student needs to choose one and include the title of the work along with answering the questions on the worksheet.
22. Students return to the bus ( the teacher needs to insure all students are on the bus before leaving the museum)
23. Remind students to bring in a shoebox and some toys for art production.
24. All students will return to their class.

DAY 3 & 4
25. Students will come into the class and remove all of their things from the table with the exception of shoebox and toys. (The teacher will furnish extra toys)
26. The students will be allowed to choose a theme for their own artwork.
27. Each student needs to color in the background so that it resembles Levinthal’s work.
28. Each student will arrange up to 4 toys in order to create the scene. Paying attention to lighting and composition.
29. The teacher will explain and show the students how to use a digital camera.
30. As the students complete their scene, they will take a photograph of their work.
31. The teacher will then download them into the computer.
32. The teacher will show the students how to resize their image to 8"x10" and print their work out on the printer.
33. The students will mount their final project on a piece of 12"x14" mat board and include their name along with the theme or title of the work, along with a short paragraph about why their theme was chosen and why they chose certain toys or did not chose certain toys.
34. Students will return to class after all materials are put away.

You may need to allow an extra day for taking pictures and printing out images.

DAY 5
35. Once the students are seated, have each table retrieve their work and hang it on the board so that it can be view by everyone.
36. After all work is hung (completed or not), let the students get up and look at all of the work on the board.
37. Hand out the critique questions worksheet. (copy attached)
38. Ask the students which artwork they would like to begin with. Everyone but the artist should be involved in the discussion. Make sure that no one student dominates the discussion.
39. Have all students return their work to the folder and return to class.

CLOSURE
The teacher will ask the students to critique their work. The teacher will ask the students to discuss the photographs using the same discussion questions the used for the photographs. (Questions 2 and 3 and ensure that the students try to give a positive criticism.)

TRANSITION
The teacher will inform the students that the next course of study which will cover painting and the theme of obsession.

EVALUATION
STUDENT: Use a scale of one (1) to five (5), one being needs improvement and five being excellent.

- Did the student participate in class discussions?

- Did the student follow all of the criteria for the art production project?

- Did the student have a theme or title for the artwork?

- Did the student follow directions and observe the class rules in the lesson guides?

TEACHER:
Was the classroom setup effectively? If not, what needs to be changed?

Did the students understand the lesson objectives and activities? It not, what change in the lesson needs to take place?

MOTIFICATIONS
If a digital camera is not available or accessible several disposable 35mm camera can be used to complete to image taking process. Then have them developed at a one-hour photo shop so that they will be ready for the students the next day.

REFERENCES
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1998/0406/017164a_print.html

http://www.landfallpress.com/levinthal.htm

http://www.eyestorm.com

Board of Education, Commonwealth of Virginia. Visual Arts Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. May 2000.

Small Wonders: Worlds in a Box ( American Scene( Washington, D.C.). By David Levinthal. Editor : David Corey. National Museum of American Art .1999

CRITIQUE WORKSHEET
1. What is your concept of independence?


2. What do you see?


3. What does it mean?


4. How do you know?


5. How does it make you feel?


6. What do you think the artwork is about?


7. What elements do you see in the artwork? (line, shape, form, color, texture)


8. What is the content of the work? (idea or feeling expressed)

NAME:
BELL:
TITLE OF WORK:


What are the stylistic characteristics of this photogravure?


What elements do you see in the artwork? (line, shape, form, color, texture)


What is the content of the work? (idea or feeling expressed)


How does it make you feel?


What do you think the artwork is about?

Craftsmanship: Has there been an effort to produce the final work? Was it treated with care and respect?

Stylistic and Thematic Qualities: Does the work explore and maintain the essence of the theme conveyed through the examples?

Artistic & Creative Achievements: Does the work " go beyond" and " challenge the limits" of the assignment? (this includes visual and conceptual achievements of the work)