Well-Structured Lessons
Challenging, measurable objectives and appropriate student engagement strategies, pacing, sequence, activities, materials, resources, technologies, and grouping.
Most of my lessons follow a format similar to this.: http://bpsk12art.weebly.com/lesson-planning.html
At the start of each major project, I typically begin with a presentation and discussion on relevant artists, art periods or styles to introduce artistic problems and approaches. A basic description of the project is followed by a viewing and discussion of student exemplars, then a breakdown of the main stages of the project (when longer-term). Connections are made verbally and visually to previous lessons. Learning objectives are indicated in writing (via website or handout) and communicated verbally to students during discussions, presentations, and critiques. Objectives and criteria are repeated at the beginning of each class. Sometimes progress critiques are conducted to check in on the class as a whole and to share ideas and approaches that peers might choose to adopt. Once studio work has begun, I check on all students, offering individualized instruction and asking students what their ideas and objectives are. Most of my time during this stage is devoted to helping individual students, and when I notice a common problem I interrupt the class’s work to clarify or present the information in another way. Sometimes, when I see that most of the class clearly understands the problem or process, I add to the original assignment, so that they can further push their understanding and the complexity of their work. After tackling previously-presented artistic problems in their own classwork, the students participate in a class evaluation of student work, reinforcing the connection between aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and the students' own art production. Almost always, the class looks forward to final critiques, in which all students are encouraged to identify strengths and weaknesses in the work of their peers and to ask questions. Grading criteria usually follow a common format throughout the year, and are communicated repeatedly throughout projects. Criteria can be broken down into four main categories: Design, Communication, Craft/Presentation, and Work Habits. When we critique, we often concentrate on one of these criteria at a time.
Examples of lesson plans can be found on my website at www.burlingtonhighschoolart.org. Many more examples are below.
Many lessons/assignments have been established with the primary aim of challenging students in their abilities to think creatively. The level of complexity and intellectual challenge increases as the year progresses:
Studio Art Honors I
Course Expectations
Pre-Assessment: My Summer
Homework: “Extreme” Fable
Drawing from Nature
Inktober
Portrait Unit (Overview)
Workshop: Blind Contour and Continuous Contour
Homework: Facial Features
Self Portrait: Facial Features Cube
Homework: 3/4 Angle Self Portrait (Contour)
Rembrandt: Info
Van Gogh (Reading, Writing)
Workshop: All-Value No-Lines Self Portrait
(Color Theory - Color Concepts)
Color Self Portrait with Warm Lights and Cool Shadows
Homework: Character / Caricature
Workshop: Hand(s)
Figure Drawing Series
Homework: Three Figures in Environment
Homework: Full Value Composition of Fairy Tale
Watercolor Exercises
Watercolor Illustration
Gouache on Watercolor Painting
Homework: Art as Statement: Election
Homework: Gratitude Feather Design (Thanksgiving)
Homework: Bell Peppers and Paper Bag
Homework: Cross-Contour Drawing of Bell Peppers
Homework: Line drawing of a sneaker, as seen from a 3/4 angle (top and side, and maybe some of the front) – from observation (December 2020)
Oil Pastel “Painting” of a Shoe
Value Scale
Homework: Tonal Value Transitions
Create a scene with geometric solids
Observational Drawing: Wooden Blocks
Pen & Ink Drawing: Dream Meal
Big Charcoal Drawing: Everyday Object
Homework: Cereal Boxes: Color and Form (Oil Pastel)
Greeting Card Design
Homework: Artwork Created from Unusual Materials
The Gates of… (Collaboration) (December 2019)
Homework: Radial Design (Art Nouveau, Art Deco)
Homework: Stylized Animal Collage
Color Theory / Color Glossary
Expressive Color Narrative
Complementary Color Wheel
Combined Color Value Scale and Intensity Scale
5-Section Painting – Study of Master Painting
Photo-Realistic Painting of Animal in Environment (from National Geographic photograph)
Pictorial Composition -- The Principles of Art (Balance, Variety, Contrast, Movement)
Homework: Watercolor Composition using Principles of Design: Experimentation with Watercolor Techniques
Homework: Gouache Pointillism (Optical Mixing) over Watercolor Composition
Watch Documentary: Black Art: In the Absence of Light and take 2-column notes
Narrative Diptych (or Triptych): Our Pandemic Year
Poster Project (MPY): We Stand Together
Waking Up
Homework: “Paint” Music and Mood
Homework: Illustrate a Poem
Landscape Drawing
Homework: Landscape
Color Landscape
Homework: Creature in Environment
Gouache on Watercolor Paper: Refine Color Landscape
Homework: Home Interior
Gargoyle
Clay Relief of a Myth or Fable
Sculpto-Pictorama (Collaboration)
Album Cover Design (Painting)
Draw a Dragon from Observation: Implied Textures with Pen & Ink
Studio Art Honors II & III
You'll see there is some overlap with the Studio Art Honors I course (above), as the courses run concurrently. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors of different levels are often taught in the same room at the same time.
Course Expectations
Resources
Studio Art Supplies
Pre-Assessment: Visual Diary/Memoir
Homework: “ Altered Book” Sketchbook Cover
Homework: Nature Studies
Drawing of a Flowering Plant or Branch with Overlapping Leaves
BHS Landscape Drawing
Homework: Landscape
Homework: Landscape Drawing from Back/Front Yard
Homework: Landscape Drawing with Full Tonal Value
Homework: Revise Your Drawings: Value
Homework: Geometric Solids Landscape
Homework: Fantasy Landscape
Watercolor Landscape Painting
Homework: Inktober
Dream Meal (Pen & Ink)
Homework: Pumpkin “Sculpting”
Homework: Illustration: Memoir
Homework: Gratitude Feather Design
Homework: Scholastic Art Portfolio Preparation and Statement
Homework: Greeting Card Design
Homework: Lemons (or Bell Peppers) and Paper Bag
Homework: Cross Contour Drawing of Bell Pepper
Homework: Value Scale and Geometric Solids Value Drawing
Observational Drawing: Wooden Blocks Still Life
Homework: Value Drawing: Peppers
Three-Point Perspective Drawing
Homework: Value Drawing: Still Life
Interior: Perspective Drawing (in school)
Homework: Home Interior
Big Charcoal Drawing: Everyday Object
Homework: Apple Collage
Homework: Color Still Life: Squash or Gourds on Table
Homework: Cereal Boxes “Painting” (November 2020)
Still Life Painting: Cereal Boxes (January 2018)
Pictorial Composition -- The Principles of Art
Still Life Painting
Color and Expression (Slideshow)
Homework: Expressive Color
Homework: Narrative Illustration with Depth
Homework: Passion/Rage
People Creating Art To Remember George Floyd (CNN)
Homework: Gingerbread Sculpture
Homework: Unusual Materials
The Gates of … (Collaboration)
Homework: Radial Design
Homework: Extreme Nursery Rhyme
Homework: Full Value Composition of Fairy Tale
Color Glossary
Color and Expression (Slideshow)
Watercolor Exercises: Color Theory
Watercolor Illustration
Gouache on Watercolor Painting
Homework: Stylized Animal Collage
Unit Overview: Self Portraits
Blind Contour and Continuous Contour Drawings
Homework: Facial Features
Homework: Full Value Self Portrait
All-Value-No-Lines Self Portrait
Homework: Self Portrait in the Style of Rembrandt
Hands
Homework: Hands and Feet
Homework: Graphite Drawing: Hair
and Value Scale Review
Homework: Art as Statement: Election
Homework: Portrait in the Style of Chuck Close (Optical Blending)
Homework: Portrait of a Friend, Family Member, or Pet
Classwork: Figure Drawing Series
Figure Drawing Overview
Single Graphite Drawing of Two Hands in Gestural Poses
Homework: Hands and Feet
Homework: Figure Drawing of Family Member (Long Pose)
Homework: Figure Drawing of Friend of Family Member
Homework: Self Portrait in the Style of Vermeer’s Genre Paintings (Full Figure in Environment - Oil Pastel “Genre” Painting)
Review: Color Theory / Glossary
Exercises
Composition: Principles of Art (Slideshow Presentation)
Elements and Principles of Art (doc)
Watercolor Composition: Variety of Techniques
Georges Seurat (Google Arts & Culture)
Georges Seurat (Kahn Academy video)
Paul Signac (Google Arts & Culture)
Gouache Pointillism on Watercolor Composition
Self Portrait Painting with a Reduced Palette
Self Portrait with Hand and Landscape
Large Self Portrait with Environment
Large Self Portrait Painting (Figure/Ground)
Self Portrait Criteria
Laying Out Your Palette
An artwork as a political or social statement. Refer to the newspaper for ideas. What do you believe? What do you feel strongly about? Before you begin the art, write your statement out in detail to develop your ideas, and draw thumbnail sketches to compose your image (Turn in the thumbnails with your written work.). People Creating Art To Remember George Floyd (CNN)
Homework: Interpret a Poem
Black Art: In the Absence of Light (HBO): Documentary Film
Worksheet: 2-Column Notes
As a follow up to the documentary Black Art: In the Absence of Light (which you need to watch and take notes on before Wednesday), here are 5 Black Portrait Artists You Should Know, from Google Arts & Culture.
Narrative Diptych (or Triptych): Our Pandemic Year
Homework: MPY Poster Project: We Stand Together
Homework: Campaign Poster
Homework: Morning
Homework: Waking Up
Homework: Choice-Based Artwork
AP Studio Art Exam: Scoring
Sustained Investigation Ideas
Sustained Investigation Try-Outs
Sustained Investigation Overview
Preparation for Sustained Investigation
Sustained Investigation Proposal and One Completed Sustained Investigation Piece
Sustained Investigation Pieces #1 - 7
Final Work for Portfolio Exhibition
Homework: “Map”
Animal Mask
Encaustic Paintings
Review: Elements and Principles of Design
Homework: Color Design: Art Principles
Homework: Independence Day Flyer
Mural (Mural slideshow originally made for the Tenacity Challenge. It includes masterworks, student examples, and tips to get started.)
Final Exam (Juniors): Interpret a Poem in the Medium of Your Choice (June 2015)
AP Summer Work
AP Studio Art
Course Expectations
AP Studio Art Online Resources
AP Studio Art Summer Work
Studio Art Supplies
AP Homework: Pre-Assessment: My Future
AP Homework: Concentration Try-Outs
Large Self Portrait Painting in Environment
Homework: Figure Drawing of Family Member
Homework: Self Portrait Genre “Painting” (Oil Pastel) in Style of Vermeer
Homework: Landscape Created with Unusual Materials
Glass Still Life
AP Semester 2 Timeline 20-21
Sustained Investigation and AP Exam Timeline 20-21
Sustained Investigation - Final Weeks
Studio Habits of Mind Rubric
Computer Graphics I
Course Expectations
Curriculum Map
Myth or Fable (Photocollage)
Fantasy Portrait (Photocollage)
Animation (Short Loop)
Morph (Grotesque)
Photo Restoration
Title Art: Band or Video Game Graphic
Expressive Self Portrait (Digital Painting)
Artificial Beauty (Digital Makeover)
Pop Art Series
Graphic Design:
Course Expectations
Curriculum Map
Folder Design: Name and Quote / Phrase/ Slogan
Process: Thumbnail to Final
Drawing with the Shape Tools
Homework: Road Signs
Creativity Challenge: Negative Space
Homework: Circle Square Triangle
Pictogram Movie Poster
Silhouette: Tell a Story
Drawing with a Pen tool: Autumn
Multi-Layered Drawing: Face
Heroes and Villains
Comic Book Cover Using Self Portraiture
Marine Life: Using Illustrator and Photoshop Together
Type: Letters as Shapes
Symmetrical Pattern Using Type
Color Theory: Glossary and Slideshow
Typographic Designs
Typography: Type As Illustration
Letterforms
Typography Terms
Selecting Appropriate Typefaces: Businesses
Selecting Appropriate Typefaces: Name
Type as Illustration: Book Jacket Cover
School Signage
Program of Studies Cover
Senior Class Logo
Risks and Rewards: Poster Design
Seasonal Display on Town Common / Burlington Sculpture Park
Seasonal Display for Town Common: The Village
Typeset a Poem or a Recipe
Expressive Self Portrait (Digital Painting)
Extreme! Exaggerating Your Message
Magazine Advertisement
InDesign Cheat Sheet
Layout Terms
Typefaces for Layout
Magazine Spreads / Book Layout
Football Helmet Designs
Logo Design
Corporate Identity (Branding)
CD Jacket Design
Movie Poster
Music Festival / Concert Poster
Package Design
Board Game Development and Design
Rotoscope Animation
