Personal Object

Drawings
A series of drawings based on one form, in a variety of media as an exploration of
mood and emotion.

Unit Plan for Grade 8, Art

Prepared by Nicole Lalonde, Nicole Riedmueller, and Brittany Sander

RATIONALE
Engagement
With the intention of encouraging agency and engaging interest, we will ask
students to bring in a object of their choosing for this assignment. The object,
whether is it manmade or from nature should be something that holds some
significance or meaning to the student. This object will become the subject of a
drawing exploration of 2D and 3D materials. Through the exploration, a series
will emerge where the student will further understand how line, color, choice of
art materials and even background considerations such as music can be used to
enhance expression of feelings and emotions. We will emphasize to students that
their choice of object should reflect something specific to them, possibly relating
to personal identity or cultural context. They will be asked to speak to its
significance both as reflected through the drawings and in a verbal or written
format. (journal and artist statement)

Classroom Climate
Our ideas about creating an effective learning environment draws from the view
that learning is social. We will optimize the classroom environment by setting up
work pods of two, three or four students in each. We will select the groups that
students are working in to put into proximity students whom we predict may be
more comfortable with this project with students who may struggle with skills or
attitude towards the lesson with consideration to student input and requests. We
will model a positive work environment by encouraging on task discussions while
working and using music to enhance the creative focus. Students in grade eight
can be fraught with insecurity, especially in front of their peers. Rather than have
the focus on drawing skills and realism, the focus of the lesson shall be on on the
expression of feelings about the object through the use of materials and the

exploration of these materials. The first lesson will open with artist slides
representing work from contemporary artists with the aim to open perceptions
about representation and expression beyond realism. (ideas: Basquiat, Clemente,
Lauren Harris or Emily Carr) Throughout our teaching we will be clear to enforce
and model a classroom tone that is supportive and respectful.

Evaluation
To address evaluation, we would carve out time for some formative assessment
during each lesson. This would involve conversations with each student about
their object selection and the work that they are doing in each class. We can talk
to students about what they discovered in their process, the materials, what they
liked/didnt like and where they felt they were successful. We will create a system
for ourselves so we can track and triangulate our observations of the students
work made by walking around the class and looking through the student journals,
with our conversations with them about their intention and understanding along
with their final artist statements and participations in the final critique. The work
itself in and the journalling will be marked with an incomplete or complete. In
addition we will provide written descriptive feedback on the artist statement to
help bolster the students personal motivation and self direction. This way we are
gathering evidence based on their process and understanding but not judging the
final work for a mark. The gallery walk after all three lessons would be a way to
formally wrap up the unit, while tying together the skills of expression through
drawing, investigation of various mediums and articulating their intention.

SLOs & GLOs:

Art 8
Drawings
Communicate: use expressiveness inter use of elements in the making of images
A. Line can be used freely and rhythmically to add mood or movement to a
two-dimensional image.
B. Points of view can be developed to express certain ideas such as mood or
proximity in two dimensional works.
C. Scale drawings and simple systems can communicate architectural ideas in
drawing form.
Encounters
Sources of Images: Investigate from and structure of natural and manmade
objects as sources of images.
1. Skeletal structure affects the shape and surface of an object, artifact or the
human figure.
2. Mass structure has an affect on the shape and form of an object or artifact.

LESSON OVERVIEW:
1. Prior to the first lesson the students will be told to bring an object from
home that bears some special significance. For those who forget to bring an
object, there will be a Mystery Box, that will contain a number of
interesting/bizarre objects for study. For the first lesson we will be looking
at artworks and creating a series of experiments wherein students practice
how to use line and colour in order to convey emotion.
1. We will begin by showing students artworks from various artists
(e.g. Vincent Van Goghs Starry Night, Jackson Pollock,

Elizabeth Neel,Karel Appel, Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze,

Jean Dufy, Ben Allen, and Frank Stella) and discussing how

these artists use line and colour in order to convey emotion. It is

helpful to ask students how these images make them feel.
2. Following this, we will play three selections of music. For instance:
1. A beautiful and lyrical classical song (e.g. Canon in D Major)
2. An energetic jazz song (e.g. Oh Yeah by Charles MIngus)
3. Heavy metal music (e.g. Reach Out by Cheap Trick)
ii.
First listen to one of the three songs. Ask students how this makes
them feel and what kinds of lines (e.g. sharp/curved, heavy/thin)
and colours (warm, cool, complementary contrasts, etc.) they may
use to depict this emotions
iii.
If students are up to it, or if theyre struggling. Have them stand up
and move their arms to the music while you play the song again.
Then have them attempt to put this to paper using chalk pastels.
Students have the option to
iv.
Repeat steps C-D for the other two songs.
v.
At the end of the lesson, the students will break into groups for a
discussion about their work. The students will be asked to discuss
how the music changed their mood and drawings.
2. The next lesson will be focused on creating various interpretations of a
single object using 2D mediums.
a. Students are asked to examine their object and think about why it
may be significant to them and how it makes them feel.
i.
Students will be asked to journal their thoughts about the
objects- lending to the development of an artist statement.
ii.
Emphasize to students that the goal of the lesson is not to
create a necessarily realistic image, but rather an image that
conveys meaning - much like Vincent Van Goghs Starry
Night from 1889.
b. Now ask them how they might visually represent this using the
knowledge they gained from the last lesson (i.e. through line and
colour), and the different mediums available to them (e.g.chalk
pastels, charcoal, ink, watercolour, conte, acrylic). Discuss the
aesthetic merits of each.
c. At the end of the lesson, students can share their creation with the
other members sitting at their table and discuss the different visual
elements they employed. Students will peer evaluate each other by

providing Two Stars and a Wish for each individual at their table sharing with one another what they thought was successful and
what to consider in the future.
d. Examples to show students could include Andy Warhol (for
examples on series and use of color), Ben Allen, Harold Frank, Paul
Czanne, and Pablo Picasso)
3. The third and final lesson will be much like the last, only students will
interpret their object by drawing a 3D wire sculpture
a. Provide various colours of wire, and remind students about the first
day where they practiced making lines with their bodies and on the
page.
b. Ask them to think about what kinds of lines and colours they could
use when drawing their object using wire. Remind them that
theyre not making a flat image, but rather a 3D sculpture with
volume.
c. Demonstrate different strategies and techniques for making a wire
sculpture
d. Provide students with plenty of time to practice and create.
e. When everyone has completed their sculpture, have them arrange
their found object, as well as their 3D and 2D artworks together.
f. Do a gallery walk where students try to puzzle out the emotion
and/or message that the images are portraying. Discuss:
i.
The choice of line and colour and what emotions these may
allude to
ii.
How the different mediums change the interpretation of the
work
iii.
think about the overall effect of when the found object, the
drawing/painting, and sculpture are positioned close
together.
1. How does this add to the works as a whole?
2. How do the different mediums convey meaning?
b. At the end, the student artist can share with their peers their intent,
their artist statement reflecting intent and reason, and if they so
choose, why the object is special to them or why they found it
interesting.
c. Examples to show the students could include David Oliveira, Ruth
Asawa, Kue King, and Rodger Stevens

POSSIBLE IMAGES SO SHOW STUDENTS: Jean Michel Basquiat, Clemente, Emily

Carr, Jackson Pollock, Elizabeth Neel , and Karel Appel
Examples of emotion through the use of color and line without an emphasis on
realism

Jean Michel Basquiat - untitled, 1982

Emily Carr - Indian War Canoe (Alert Bay), 1912

Francesco Clemente, Seed - 1991

David Oliveria - Tree, 2010

Karen Appel - People, Birds, and Sun, 1954.

Elizabeth Neel - Pagoda the Prairie, 2014.

Jackson Pollock - The Key, 1946