Art and Social Justice Lesson

CA common Core Standards W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Gradespecific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 13 above.) Common Core Mathematics Standard Geometry 3. Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios). Objectives CA Common Core English After watching a musical/photography video about foster children and engaging in a class discussion, students will be able to create an artistic postcard and produce clear and coherent writing for their selected child at the foster home. CA Common Core Algebra After receiving materials for the postcard, students will be able to work collaboratively and apply geometric methods to distribute materials equally among all students. EL Standard After students have watched the Animoto video, they will be able to engage in a class discussion regarding the children living in foster homes today. Big Idea Students will be required to consider children who are less fortunate and do not have equal opportunities to achieve their goals. They will express their hopes for the future through art [drawing] and will encourage children to follow their dreams. Students will develop and foster empathy for children who may have never been asked the question, What do you want to be when you grow up?

EL Standards A. Collaborative Bridging 1. Exchanging information/ideas Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, sustaining conversations on a variety of age and grade appropriate academic topics by following turntaking rules, asking and answering relevant, ontopic questions, affirming others, and providing coherent and wellarticulated comments and additional information.

Assessment Formative - Students will create a postcard with artistic images of their selected career, and then write to a foster child providing information about their career and asking the child what they want to be when they grow up.

Essential Questions How can you help inspire the children of our future? How can you help ensure all children have equal opportunities to follow their dreams? With limited resources, how can you divide a single sheet of paper

into equal sized parts for every student in the class?

How can your writing help you connect with your intended audience?

Materials needed: Computer and projector, Animoto video, large single piece of paper, scissors, markers, crayons, colored pencils, stamps. Prediction of Likely Difficulties Students may have difficulties understanding the visual representation of children living in foster homes, if it is a completely new topic to them. I will help the students struggling with understanding the magnitude of the childrens situations by showing the video and engaging in class discussion. Students may also have difficulties with the depiction of their careers, which will be made more clear through the scaffolding of the graphic organizer.

Instructional Strategies Steps Into - 10 mins 1. Show Animoto video about foster children in America 2. Pass out Notice/Wonder graphic organizer and ask students to complete it after the video. Through - 20 mins 3. Guide students in a class led discussion about foster children in America. 4. Ask specific questions, Do you think everyone has equal opportunities to achieve their dreams? How can you help inspire these children? 5. Pass out large single sheet of paper and other Rationale 1. To show students the diversity of living situations and unequal opportunities to achieve dreams. 2. To encourage students to hold their thoughts using metacognition. 3. To help students understand that everyone is different. This discussion will hopefully help students begin to foster empathy. 4. To help students organize their thoughts and decide

Student Activities Steps Into - 10 mins 1. Students watch Animoto video about foster children in America (5 min) 2. Students complete Notice/Wonder graphic organizer. Rationale 1. Students will be engaged in understanding what its like to live in a foster home in America today. 2. Students use metacognition skills to better understand the Animoto.

Through - 20 mins 3. Students will engage in a class discussion. 3. Talking with their peers will help them 4. Students will gain a deeper answer questions understanding about asked by the teacher. diversity and empathy. 5. Students receive materials and evenly 4. Thinking about distribute materials their own impact on among all students. foster children will help create the

materials, and tell students to use their math knowledge to evenly distribute materials among all students so all students have equal parts. 6. Instruct students that they will be creating postcards (model on board) that include an artistic image of their chosen career and a written note. Inform students that their intended audience is a child at the foster home. Beyond - 30 mins 7. Provide time for students to create their postcards, reminding them to artistically depict a positive image of their chosen career and to keep in mind their intended audience when they are writing. 8. Walk around and observe students working, providing individual assistance when necessary. 9. Ask students to put a stamp on their postcard when it is ready to be mailed out.

on one career 5. To encourage students to work collaboratively and make decisions together. 6. To inform students of instructions and expectations. 7. To reinforce the expectations 8. To check for understanding. 9. The stamp will represent that the student is finished with the postcard.

6. Students listen to teacher provide instructions and expectations, and watch the teacher model what the postcard should look like on the board. 7. Students begin working on their postcards, being reminded of the expectations. 8. Students work independently, asking the teacher for assistance when necessary. 9. When students are finished, they put a stamp on their postcard.

postcards later in the lesson. 5. Students practice working cooperatively and collaboratively. 6. The students must be aware of the instructions and expectations for the postcard lesson. Beyond - 30 mins 7. Students can easily get distracted or off task, to reminding students of the task they are to accomplish will keep them focused. 8. Students need to be reminded to stay on task, and can ask for help when necessary with the teacher circulating the room. 9. The student will let the teacher know he/she is done when the stamp is on the postcard.