Big Idea: Stories
Thomas Hart Benton & Diego Rivera Drawing
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, because comics are mini-stories. There is not much text on them, or sometimes there isn't any font on them, but they can convey a lot. This comic, even though it is simple, tells about a controversial issue in the education system--the imbalance between testing and other aspects of education in the classroom. On the left of the balance, there is imagination, curiosity, the arts, questioning, and critical thinking. This side does not carry as much weight as the right side, which includes test prep, sample questions, and testing strategies. The testing side on the right has more weight and relevance.
While this is definitely not the case in every school or classroom, it seems to be a commonality that some districts tend to focus on teaching to the test instead of teaching children to explore and think for themselves. Across the top of this comic is a quote, "If more testing were the answer to the problems in our schools, testing would have solved them a long time ago." This quote summarizes the story that this comic conveys: while the idea of testing was to better our schools, it has not yet made much of a difference. If it was helping schools make progress, we would have seen it by now. It's now time to try another approach.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by integrating this studio with social studies. Students could research political cartoons and see examples of them. They would create their own political cartoons based on issues happening (or that happened) during the time period that the students are studying. This would helps students really learn about current events or significant events of the past. They would share them with their peers so they could learn about other topics.
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, because comics are mini-stories. There is not much text on them, or sometimes there isn't any font on them, but they can convey a lot. This comic, even though it is simple, tells about a controversial issue in the education system--the imbalance between testing and other aspects of education in the classroom. On the left of the balance, there is imagination, curiosity, the arts, questioning, and critical thinking. This side does not carry as much weight as the right side, which includes test prep, sample questions, and testing strategies. The testing side on the right has more weight and relevance.
While this is definitely not the case in every school or classroom, it seems to be a commonality that some districts tend to focus on teaching to the test instead of teaching children to explore and think for themselves. Across the top of this comic is a quote, "If more testing were the answer to the problems in our schools, testing would have solved them a long time ago." This quote summarizes the story that this comic conveys: while the idea of testing was to better our schools, it has not yet made much of a difference. If it was helping schools make progress, we would have seen it by now. It's now time to try another approach.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by integrating this studio with social studies. Students could research political cartoons and see examples of them. They would create their own political cartoons based on issues happening (or that happened) during the time period that the students are studying. This would helps students really learn about current events or significant events of the past. They would share them with their peers so they could learn about other topics.
Faith Ringgold Story Quilts: Watercolor
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, by asking us to think of our favorite book or story from our childhood, and then depict it as a story quilt. I chose a Dr. Seuss book called "Wacky Wednesday". This story tells about a young boy who wakes up one morning to find everything's out of place, but nobody else seems to notice. I chose to focus on the page that has a giraffe popping out of a sewer, a boy walking an alligator, a worm chasing a bird, a fish going fishing, and a tree that walks. I chose this because when I was young I thought that this was so silly and interesting--what if that actually happened?!
In the main picture, I used crayon with water color to resist it, along with water colored pencils. The quilt squares around the border echo the colors from the main scene. I also used water colors and crayons to use the "resist" technique. I could have used more of the "resist" technique, however I am still happy with the final product. I also realized, after completion, that this scene is slightly overwhelming. Instead of depicting every single thing from the page, I could have focused on one aspect. This water color quilt still gets my point across, though.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by integrating it with literacy. Students could make a water color story quilt about a book that we read as a class, or about a book they read individually during reading time. The student would depict their favorite scene. If they cannot come up with a favorite scene, they could represent what happens at the beginning, middle, or end of the story.
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, by asking us to think of our favorite book or story from our childhood, and then depict it as a story quilt. I chose a Dr. Seuss book called "Wacky Wednesday". This story tells about a young boy who wakes up one morning to find everything's out of place, but nobody else seems to notice. I chose to focus on the page that has a giraffe popping out of a sewer, a boy walking an alligator, a worm chasing a bird, a fish going fishing, and a tree that walks. I chose this because when I was young I thought that this was so silly and interesting--what if that actually happened?!
In the main picture, I used crayon with water color to resist it, along with water colored pencils. The quilt squares around the border echo the colors from the main scene. I also used water colors and crayons to use the "resist" technique. I could have used more of the "resist" technique, however I am still happy with the final product. I also realized, after completion, that this scene is slightly overwhelming. Instead of depicting every single thing from the page, I could have focused on one aspect. This water color quilt still gets my point across, though.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by integrating it with literacy. Students could make a water color story quilt about a book that we read as a class, or about a book they read individually during reading time. The student would depict their favorite scene. If they cannot come up with a favorite scene, they could represent what happens at the beginning, middle, or end of the story.
Jean Shin: Mini Sculptures From Found Objects
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, by asking us to find everyday, commonplace items that have been discarded or no longer have use. We thought about the story behind those objects--what each object was originally used for or what each object "lived" through. Once we've determined that, we discussed other possible uses with our peers. We were allowed to collaborate for this studio, and combine all of our found objects to create a larger, more comprehensive piece.
I worked with Sarah Moore, Kathleen Kavanaugh, Jessica Johnson, and Katie Cooney. Together, our pieces were: a mini Bible, lipstick tubes, earrings, and a hair tie. After thinking about our possible options, we decided to do the theme of "Inner Beauty". So, we found a Bible verse ("You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." Song of Solomon, 4:7) and wrote it on the background of pages of the Bible. We were comfortable using pages from our mini Bible because we were not defacing it, instead we were celebrating its word. We wrote the quote in lipstick--which we feel contrasts the "inner beauty" theme. The lipstick writing, lipstick tubes, and earrings are all things to enhance our outer beauty. These things have been utilized to represent out inner beauty.
By combining each of our found objects--a mini Bible, lipstick tubes, earrings, and a hair tie--each of which had a story, background, and use of its own--we created an object that has a different, more comprehensive story of inner beauty and its importance. We wanted to depict that every single woman beautiful, and that there are no "flaws", just differences.
We chose to take the picture in a bathroom mirror because that is the environment in which women would most need a reminder that they are not flawed, but beautiful. When looking in a mirror, women are likely to pick out things that are "imperfect" about themselves. So seeing a reminder that they are beautiful could really help them.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by asking my students to each bring something in from home that they can alter--something they no longer need, no longer use, or something that is about to be thrown away. The students can then collaborate and create something new. This could be integrated with literacy or history--student's works can represent a part of a story we read or a part of history we learned about.
How did the studio lesson relate to the given Big Idea - Stories?
This studio lesson relates to the Big Idea, Stories, by asking us to find everyday, commonplace items that have been discarded or no longer have use. We thought about the story behind those objects--what each object was originally used for or what each object "lived" through. Once we've determined that, we discussed other possible uses with our peers. We were allowed to collaborate for this studio, and combine all of our found objects to create a larger, more comprehensive piece.
I worked with Sarah Moore, Kathleen Kavanaugh, Jessica Johnson, and Katie Cooney. Together, our pieces were: a mini Bible, lipstick tubes, earrings, and a hair tie. After thinking about our possible options, we decided to do the theme of "Inner Beauty". So, we found a Bible verse ("You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." Song of Solomon, 4:7) and wrote it on the background of pages of the Bible. We were comfortable using pages from our mini Bible because we were not defacing it, instead we were celebrating its word. We wrote the quote in lipstick--which we feel contrasts the "inner beauty" theme. The lipstick writing, lipstick tubes, and earrings are all things to enhance our outer beauty. These things have been utilized to represent out inner beauty.
By combining each of our found objects--a mini Bible, lipstick tubes, earrings, and a hair tie--each of which had a story, background, and use of its own--we created an object that has a different, more comprehensive story of inner beauty and its importance. We wanted to depict that every single woman beautiful, and that there are no "flaws", just differences.
We chose to take the picture in a bathroom mirror because that is the environment in which women would most need a reminder that they are not flawed, but beautiful. When looking in a mirror, women are likely to pick out things that are "imperfect" about themselves. So seeing a reminder that they are beautiful could really help them.
How might you employ visual art integration utilizing the studio lesson in your own classroom?
I could employ visual art integration utilizing this studio lesson in my own classroom by asking my students to each bring something in from home that they can alter--something they no longer need, no longer use, or something that is about to be thrown away. The students can then collaborate and create something new. This could be integrated with literacy or history--student's works can represent a part of a story we read or a part of history we learned about.