Safety Poster Lesson Plan

Melissa Miller

INTRODUCTION
TEACHING CONTEXT
1. Type of school: High School
2. In what setting: Urban
3. List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom
aide, bilingual, team taught with a special education teacher) that will affect teaching during this
learning segment.
Al Raby is technically a small school, which helps teachers give students more individualized
support. They also have a CTE program for career training. Students need to apply to come to school
at Raby, but they cannot be turned away. The school population is predominately black and low-
income. Most students have had very little experience in the arts, so their prior knowledge is limited
and they need support to be successful.
This class has six students with Autism, and is therefore team-taught with a special education teacher,
who the students work with regularly and who also gives feedback and input as to what students are
able to do and how they can be challenged within their skill set.
4. Describe the physical facilities (e.g., regular classroom, specially equipped art room, portable,
storage space), materials, and equipment (e.g., easels, potters wheel, kiln) available for the
learning segment.
The room map is attached. The room is very large and has a whole wall of windows. Kristin has many
storage cabinets and shelves to store materials and student work. The room has many built-in storage
facilities. They also have a sink in the room, several bulletin board areas, and a chalkboard. Because
Kristin is the department chair for electives teachers, she holds the technology for the department, but
she must share with other teachers. She has access to a laptop, an LCD projector, and an ELMO.
Students are situated at tables, with 3-5 students at each table. Student work often within their groups
and are familiar with classroom routines, as they know where materials are kept and where to get what
they need.

5. Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that might
affect planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific
instructional strategies, or standardized tests.
Kristin is the only art teacher at the school. Students only take art during their ninth grade year, so it is
important that she get through all the material she needs. Ms. Yenior has taught students about
photomontage during the first unit. During their second, which they have just finished at the time of
this lesson, they learned about printmaking, specifically with linoleum plates. They will be using the
time between Thanksgiving and the holiday break for the third unit, which will be life maps with water
color and ink, so I am introducing compositional elements and mixed-media, but I am also incorporating
the cutting and pasting, as well as the printmaking (with stamps) that they have already covered this
year.
CLASS PROFILE
About the Students in the Class
1. Number of students in the class: 27 males: 12 females: 15
2. Levels (based on TESOL) and Number of English language learners: 0
3. Number of students identified as gifted and talented: 0
4. Number of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) : 6 or 504 plans: 0
Autism 6
Collaborate with aid in order to determine what activities are appropriate for students to work
on.
LESSON OVERVIEW
Lesson Subject and Topic: Elemental Design: Developing Composition Through Poster-Making
Grade Level(s): 9th
Brief Description of Lesson: Students will learn elements of design that relate to composition by making
posters. They will learn specifically about shape, balance, and space. They will then use shapes and the
arrangement to create posters that will be entered into the Metra safety contest.
DESIRED RESULTS: STAGE I: IDENTIFY DESIRED RESULTS (IPTS# 1, 2, & 4)
Enduring Understandings & Essential Questions IPTS# 1, 2 & 4
A. Enduring Understandings:
Shape, balance, and space are elements of design that contribute to a successful composition.
Both geometric and organic shapes can be overlapped to create more complex symbols.
Positive and negative space complement each other and create visual stimulation.
Shape, balance and shape can be used to convey an idea.
B. Essential question(s)
How can the arrangement of shapes convey an idea?
How do I successfully create a composition that is captivating to my audience?
How do balance, shape, and space contribute to successful compositions?
C. COMMON CORE STANDARDS
No standards added.
D. NATIONAL CONTENT STANDARDS
IL.25.A STANDARD: Understand the sensory elements, organizational principles and
expressive qualities of the arts.
NAEA.VA.9-
12.2
CONTENT STANDARD: Using knowledge of structures and functions
E. GRADE LEVEL PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS
IL.25.A.4 > Analyze and evaluate the effective use of elements, principles and expressive qualities
in a composition/performance in dance, drama, music and visual arts.
NAEA.VA.5-
8.2.1
Students generalize about the effects of visual structures and functions and reflect upon
these effects in their own work
NAEA.VA.5-
8.2.2
Students employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them effective or
not effective in the communication of ideas
NAEA.VA.5-
8.2.3
Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve
communication of their ideas
F. KEY CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Knowledge and Skills IPTS# 1, 2 & 4
Students will know (knowledge):
1. Define: Symmetry, Asymmetry, Balance, Shape, Organic, Geometric, Negative Space, Positive
Space, Composition, mixed media
2. That balance, shape and space are interdependent contribute to successful compositions.
3. Using different forms of symmetry, shape, and balance affects the message in a piece of art.
Students will be able to:
1. Describe a piece of art based on the kinds of balance, shape and space that are used.
2. Design a composition that uses balance, shape and form to create a poster
3. Design a poster that conveys a message about safety on trains.
4. Identify different forms of space, balance and shapes from a work of art.
G. ACADEMIC LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Academic Language Knowledge and Skills (language function, vocabulary, syntax, and discourse for all
students)
Students will know:
1. That symmetry shows a mirrored image and asymmetry, the opposite, does note. They are
both found in nature and in art for different contexts and to create different messages and
moods.
2. That positive space shows where a subject is and that negative space, which complements it,
shows where objects are not.
3. The difference between geometric and organic shapes and that both can be used,
overlapped, and combined
Students will be able to:
1. Explain how shape, space and balance are used in your own piece. If time permits, compare
and contrast two works of art by identifying and explaining aspects of shape, space, and balance
that are the same and different. (Do Now)
2. Analyze- Describe how the balance, shape, and space is used to portray an idea in a given work
of art.
3. Solve Problems - Make a poster with organic and geometric shapes and arrange them in a
composition that conveys a safety message. (Guided and Independent Practice)
III. Assessment Tasks: [Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence] IPTS #8
A. Pre-requisite/Prior knowledge for Both Content and Language
Students have very little experience with art and art skills and concepts, as many of them have either
not had art before, or have had very little. Students have not learned elements and principles formally,
although several of them have been mentioned in class. Students have done projects with composition
in photomontage, and have also worked with symbols in their printmaking project. During their
photomontage project, they cut out shapes in colors of magazines and arranged them to create a
composition that was important to them. They were required to fill the entire poster with magazine
snips so that none of the back paper was visible. In their printmaking project, students created logos or
designs that were meaningful to them and carved them into linoleum blocks and printed them using
some traditional and some experimental procedures. During the preassessment, students were asked
to define symmetry and asymmetry and explain how it might affect a piece of art. They were also asked
to give examples of overlapping, geometric, and organic shapes. Lastly, they were asked to identify
positive and negative space in a famous print. On the previous day, students learned these definitions
and began practicing identifying symmetries and asymmetries, shapes and space, and will be prepared
to work with those today. They have practiced using vocabulary from the previous day as well, and
were given notes to follow along with the presentation, and filled in examples of their own for each
term. They have the guided notes sheet out during the lesson to refer to.

B. Formative Assessment for Both Content and Language
Formative assessments happen throughout the lesson. The bell-ringer activity is to identify each of the
terms in a piece of art, and to compare and contrast the way that the concepts are incorporated into
two art pieces.
During the bell ringer activity, students will also be asked to come up to the board and give examples for
each of the vocabulary listed. If a misunderstanding comes up during that time, I can address it by re-
explaining the concept in a new way, or using some of the art posters displayed in the classroom to
identify examples. To address academic language, students have filled in notes from the previous day,
and will use that as a reference for today's work. I am using a combination of vocabulary strategies. In
Tools for Promoting Active In-Depth Learning, Silver introduces a strategy called "Visualizing
Vocabulary," which is particularly important in an art class. In this activity, students "Find three or four
pictures or make an original drawing that illustrates the word," to help them understand each of the
vocabulary concepts. (p. 88) I combined this with a chart to help students organize their thoughts.
During the demonstration, I will be asking students questions (listed above) to ensure understanding
and at the end of the demonstration, asking students to repeat the procedure and the requirements for
the poster to check for their understanding. While they begin working, I will walk around and have
conversations with students while observing, asking them what kinds of shapes they are using, how
much of their paper approximately is covered in positive space, and where examples of symmetry and
asymmetry exist. When misunderstandings or incorrect answers come up during that time, I will
address them and re-explain the concept.
C. Summative Assessment
Students will create a poster individually as their summative assessment that will be assessed on the
following points:
Students create a composition with a combination of both geometric and organic shapes and
demonstrate overlapping.
The poster they create will also need to show examples of balance both asymmetrically and
symmetrically.
Students also need to demonstrate that they understand the concept of positive and negative
space, balancing the two.
Lastly, students are expected to convey a message about safety in their poster.
Students will be assessed on their ability to write about their artwork, and identify the concepts
we discussed in class in both their own artwork and the artwork of their peers.
To fully assess their understanding of the concepts, also give students an exit ticket (also attached at the
end of TWS Handout) that asks them to specifically identify each of the terms in their own piece of work,
and explain how they used balance. I will use the combination of the exit ticket (which they will edit on
their final project day) and the poster to assess student understanding of the concepts.
TEACHING AND LEARNING: STAGE 3: PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES
IV. Teaching and Learning Plans [Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences]
A. Time Required for Lesson Segments

SET/HOOK MINUTES 5
TEACHER INPUT MINUTES 12
GUIDED (AND INDEPENDENT) PRACTICE MINUTES 30
CLOSURE MINUTES 5

B. Grouping Arrangements
At least two grouping methodology approaches should be identified, reflected in the lesson, and be
appropriate for instructional delivery. Check all methodology used during the lesson.
WHOLE
CLASS
The hook and demo will both be done during whole class
instruction. The hook is partially done in small groups, but we will go
through examples as a class.
SMALL
GROUPS
Students work during guided practice at their tables, and they will
pause at one point and look at the compositions of their classmates,
and give feedback, identifying different elements.
INDIVIDUAL Students will work on their compositions independently.


C. Materials and Technology
1. Identify any textbook or instructional program you would use primarily for instruction. If a
textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.
Although I am not using any textbook resources, I am using some images and prezis, and have used the
following sites for instruction the day before, which effects this lesson, and I will be referring to:
http://prezi.com/2__796e2dgwc/safety-poster-day-1/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw
2. List other resources (e.g., art posters or slide of artworks, SmartBoard, on-line resources, ELL
supports) you plan to use for instruction during this lesson.
a. Materials
Paper
Paint chips
Scissors
Glue
Rubber Stamps (already made with simple shapes from soap erasers with an Xacto knife)
Ink pads
Poster with steps and materials
Finished example (with each stage)
Ink Pens / Markers

b. Technology
I am using images from the internet to demonstrate what each of the concepts in vocabulary looks like
in art. I will use the computer connected to an LCD projector to show powerpoints the day prior. I will
also use the computer to play music while students work, to encourage them to work independently
and focus.
A timer will be used to keep track of time and make sure that students have a sense of urgency in
class. We have a lot to get through and not much time.
I will also use an ELMO to project the demo so that all students will be able to see what I am doing.

D. Teacher's Preparation
Assemble materials, practice procedures beforehand, identify new vocabulary, organize work stations,
etc.
Prepare posters on materials, steps in the procedure, and vocabulary.
Assemble stages of the process for the demo, similar to a cooking show, to show each stage of
the process without wasting time.
Collect materials and ensure there are enough for each table.
Cut out shapes for students who need the modifications.
Prepare worksheets and reference materials.
Find and print images for students to analyze.
Because I will only be teaching this class once, I have the luxury of being able to pass the
materials out to each table, so I will count everything and make sure it is ready to go.
E. Differentiated or Individualized Learning (i.e. non-reader, ELL-levels, gifted)
Describe a learner for whom the lesson will need to be adjusted:
There are six students in this class who are autistic. They have a range of intellectual skills and
abilities. These students also have a range of struggles, including motor skills, coordination, social skills,
and completing tasks in the time allotted. Some will need support to be successful in the lesson,
including shapes cut out because of a lack of motor skills. They will also need easy reference to the
vocabulary words and concepts. Some of these students are fully capable of doing work, but do not
have the social skills to interact with students in the class at all times.
Describe the Adjustment or Modification to the lesson you have made for him or her:
I have prepared reference sheets that are filled in guided notes from Friday, explaining and
showing examples of each of the concepts we have discussed. They will be able to reference
these as they are working.
I have shapes and letters already cut out for these students. They are able to modify them, or
use them as is. The shapes will be both geometric and organic in several colors and sizes.
An aide will be available for these students so that they have more one on one attention and
support.
For their reflections, I will have sentence starters available for students that they will be able to
fill in.
F. Set/Hook
Engage and focus students for 2-3 minutes. Specific plans for establishing a hook or set should be
evident; take students' prior experiences and knowledge into account; and require student
participation.
Plans:
Students will finish their posters from Friday. Students were asked to identify shape, space and balance
in an image with their group and explain each of them using their vocabulary on a poster. Because
many students will be here today that were not here on Friday, they will be encouraged to help their
table mates catch up. Some students will also be chosen to come draw examples of each image on the
board while groups are working. This serves as an assessment, as well as a review and an opportunity to
teach absent students. Before sharing out, I will have those students explain vocabulary words to
refresh everyone's memory.
If students finish early, they will look at their image and the image of another neighboring table.
Students will look at the two images at their table and will spend the first five minutes of class
comparing and contrasting the two images using a provided Venn Diagram. They will need to write in
complete sentences using the vocabulary from the previous class, which will be listed on the
board. They will have a worksheet as they come in, which will include everything they will need to
write on and turn in during the class period. Compare and contrast two works of art by identifying and
explaining aspects of shape, space, and balance that are the same and different.
When the bell rings to begin class, I will set a five-minute timer. When the timer goes off, after five
minutes have passed, students will share out at their tables, and also with the class.
Anticipated Time: 5-10 minutes
Pre-requisite/prior Knowledge: Vocabulary from Friday, listed on the board.
Formative Assessment: As students work, I will be circulating the class and assessing their
understanding of the vocabulary and concepts based on what they are writing. I will also be listening
orally to what they are saying in their groups and in the class. I will collect the posters and as students
are working at the end of the class, I will look through them to ensure they understand concepts.
G. DEMONSTRATION/LECTURE: Plans for teacher input in the form of explanations and modeling
Explain your execution of the following procedures: (1) connecting previous and current learning; (2)
teacher modeling (including a logical sequence or chunking of the explanation or modeling); (3) use of
language to develop content understanding and (4) checking for understanding of the procedures,
expected behaviors, and anticipated products.
During the demo, I will be emphasizing the importance of planning, so the sequence of each part is
important. I plan on being as specific and explicit as possible. Delacruz, in her book, Instruction: Design
for Inquiry, says, "Demonstrations are more effective when verbalization accompanies them. Each step
is performed, stressing its context in sequence, so that the skill is seen as a whole rather than a set of
isolated tasks. After skills are demonstrated, point out key points relating to those skills" (p. 27).
I will go through the steps of the lesson with students:
1. Say, I have already decided on my composition so I need to begin cutting out my shapes. I
need to be careful as I think about my size, because my paper is bigger than the sketches. I have
decided on 12 shapes, 6 of them are organic and 6 are geometric. The purpose of today's lesson
does not focus on color, so I am not going to spend much time thinking about color, but instead
focus on my use of space, shape and balance to build my composition. I will start by cutting out
my shapes. THINK ALOUD: In relationship to the whole work, I would say this takes up about a
fourth of the space, so I am going to make sure that this shape takes up about a fourth of this
space." While I am instructing, students are filling in their guided notes and listening carefully
while I demonstrate. Explain that students should start with large shapes and work smaller
because they can always cut more back. Also, remind students that they can use stencils to cut
out shapes if they want.
2. Say, "I am next going to arrange my shapes. They do not need to be exactly as they are on my
sketch. I can change a few things. THINK ALOUD: I don't like this shape here, and I think it
could create a more interesting negative space if I situated it this way. While I am arranging my
shapes, I am going to make sure that I have included everything on the list. I am going to check
off each task." Students will continue to work through their notes, filling in the blanks.
3. Say, "Next I will show options for lettering. Letters can be cut out from paint chips to stay
consistent with the shapes used in the rest of the poster. Students can also opt to create their
own letters from ink. Regardless of method, I will talk through adding letters. Because we are
interested in visual appeal, we need to think carefully about the placement of words and
letters. Are words symmetrical or asymmetrical? How do we ensure that they are balanced
within the compositions?" I will show students how to measure out each letter, taking into
consideration that the width of a letter like I is significantly smaller than the width of a letter
likes "m," which means careful measuring is important.
4. After all the arrangements have been made, I will show how I am carefully going to glue down
each piece. I will start on one side and work my way across to ensure I do not skip any
pieces. Students may also transfer from one piece to another piece of paper, which I will also
demonstrate. I will make sure to discuss why they need to be careful of this, and show that if
they do not measure, they will run out of room, or the lettering size will look inconsistent.
5. Inking is an additional step for students, but we have already talked about the term "mixed
media," so adding ink would qualify this piece as a mixed media poster. I will outline my own
piece and add some small details. I will emphasize the fact that students do not need to add
many details as these pieces have a much higher emphasis on shape and space.
6. Lastly, students can also use premade rubber stamps to add in some other details. I have
provided 8 stamps in simple shapes that students can use in their poster. Students will have
options of a few simple shapes to create pattern or detail. I will demonstrate using the stamps
on my own paper and using repetition. I will ask students, Why might I want to use
these? What does it add to my piece?"
7. Tell students that the following day they will be writing artist statement. Tell them I will
demonstrate how to make an artist statement. Students have already created artist statements
in the past, and are familiar with the process. I will ask them questions like, "What does an
artist statement say about the piece? About the artist?" and "Why are artist statements
important?" Explain that students might want to make notes or be thinking about what they
might want to include in their artist statement while they are working.
8. Mention that if students do not have all of their pieces glued down by the end of class today,
that they should make note of where those pieces belong, and put the remaining shapes into a
sandwich bag and make sure their name is also on the bag. Ask students, "Why would it not be
beneficial to my work to just put a dab of glue on the back of everything and then go back and
make sure I cover more than just a spot, so everything stays in place?
Anticipated Time: 10 minutes
Pre-requisite/prior knowledge: Vocabulary and concept from Friday's lesson. Students have also
already written artist statements and have discussed arranging compositions.
COMMENTARY
1. Explain how your plans build on previous learning experiences and have the potential for
helping students to create and/or respond to the content and to make connections between
primary concepts within your content area and so deepen their learning of the content.
Many of these students have not had art ever before this year, so their prior knowledge is
limited. This semester, students have been working on two main projects; one is photomontage, where
students used photos from magazines to create a composition of an important event in their own
lives. Students worked with compositional elements in this project and learned what foreground,
middle ground and background are. In their second project, students learned how to make prints with
linoleum. They had many discussions on symbolism and symbols and made prints of their created
design or logo. Their next project is a mixed media life map, which teaches color and more
on symbols through watercolor. Today's lesson helps students solidify their understanding of
composition and helps them name the concepts of shape, balance and space, which they have already
been talking about. It also encourages students to explore how a simple shape can convey an idea,
which they have begun to develop a skill for in their printmaking unit.
2. What do you know about the students physical development (e.g., students fine motor skills)
or conditions (e.g., attention deficit, processing issues) that will affect instruction for the
central focus?
The general education students have developed fine motor skills, for the most part. Because they have
never learned art skills, they are intimidated and haven't developed motor skills directly related to the
arts, specifically drawing. They have, however, had practice and been successful with their
photomontage project, which required them to cut out small pieces of magazines and arrange and glue
them into a composition. Students are in the formal operational stage developmentally, which means
they are developing their abstract thinking, deductive reasoning, and ability to logically plan. Kristin
encourages the use of sketchbooks to foster these skills, and fosters their development of symbolism in
abstract thinking.
The students in this class with special needs have varying degrees of autism, and some lack motor
skills. Some struggle with holding a pencil and scissors, so I have cut out shapes for them, and some are
fully capable of doing the project as other students. Additionally, these students have social
difficulties. They sit at a table with other students with special needs and their aides, who has an in-
depth understanding of their development and their needs.
3. What do you know about your students ability in one or more of the following areas: to
persist in the application of content concepts, to create and respond, to problem solve, to
think critically, and to believe in their ability to learn the content?
Because students have little exposure to art, some of them become frustrated before starting and lack
confidence. Kristin does a great job of breaking objectives down into smaller objectives and teaching
student explicitly to set them up for success. She does not focus on content as much as she focuses on
critical thinking skills. When teaching problem solving skills, she says, "It needs to be taught." Now,
because students are well into their third unit, they know what is expected. Kristin spends a lot of time
in class practicing and reiterating procedures for problem solving in the art class. She makes sure to
frequently tell students that it is alright to make mistakes and it is important to try. Many activities and
much of the group work are centered on looking and participating in art in which there is no right or
wrong answer.
Helping students gain confidence in their ability to learn takes time in the beginning. Students come into
her class nervous because they think art is only drawing. When they feel that they cannot draw, they
think they are going to fail. Once they see the way of teaching, figure something out, and experience
brainstorming, they have much more confidence. Kristin finds it much more important to teach life
skills that have to do with art, and give them the confidence. She tries in each project to find a topic they
can relate to.
By this point in the year, many students are used to the way the class runs and how Kristin teaches to
develop these skills and students have gained more confidence in their ability to work with art media
and problem solve in their pieces.

4. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments will provide direct evidence of
students abilities to create and respond to content concepts throughout the learning
segment.
In the pre-assessment, I learned the lack of student familiarity with vocabulary words that relate to this
lesson. Overall, they did not have a solid understanding of what symmetry and asymmetry looked like in
a piece of art, almost nobody could correctly identify positive and negative space, and their
understanding of organic and geometric shapes was problematic, although some students had plenty of
examples for geometric. For the most part, students had an understanding of what overlapping meant,
so I spent less time on that during the lesson. The rubric breaks down student understanding of each of
the three concepts.
In another assessment, after learning the vocabulary and the concepts, students work with their group
to identify and discuss the three concepts in the piece of art at their table. This shows scaffolding
appropriately as they start with basic identification skills and work to more difficult levels of Blooms. As
an informal check for understanding, I asked several students to come to the board while students
worked on the bell ringer, and draw out examples for all of the vocabulary words listed on the poster. I
assessed their understanding of the concepts through their examples. Also informally, I asked two
students to repeat directions during the demonstration to ensure that they understood the sequence
and expectations correctly. Another informal assessment I took was through my observations and
conversations while walking around the room during work time.
Formally, in their own work and on their first exit ticket, students identify and explain how they have
used each of the three concepts. Finally, students are assessed on their ability to correctly identify and
explain how they incorporated the three into their own piece. This way, I know student understanding
at several levels of Blooms. I understand whether or not they know the vocabulary terms and can
correctly identify them in a piece, but furthermore, I know whether or not they understand why those
concepts are important, and how they are incorporated.
References:
Delacruz, E. M. (1997). Instruction: Design for inquiry. (pp. 25-69). Reston, VA: National Art Education
Association.
Silver, H. F (2001). Tools for Promoting Active, In-Depth Learning. (p. 88). Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ: The Thoughtful
Education Press.