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Unit title
MYP Year
Unit 2: Watercolor
Grade 9, Grade 10
Related concept(s)
Identity
Global context
Genre
Statement of inquiry
Intentional choices of color enable artists to express who they are are, where they come from, and their ideas.
Inquiry questions
Factual What color schemes are characteristic of
successful art?
Conceptual
Objectives
Summative assessment
B: Developing skills
i. demonstrate the acquisition and development
of the skills and techniques of the art form studied
ii. demonstrate the application of skills and
techniques to create, perform and/or present art.
C: Thinking creatively
i. develop a feasible, clear, imaginative and
coherent artistic intention
ii. demonstrate a range and depth of creativethinking behaviours
iii. demonstrate the exploration of ideas to
shape artistic intention through to a point of
realization.
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Task
November
19
Wednesday
9:00 AM
Communication
Self-management
I. Communication skills
Exchanging thoughts, messages and information
effectively through interaction
Give and receive meaningful feedback
Reading, writing and using language to gather and
communicate information
Make inferences and draw conclusions
V. Reflection skills
(Re-)considering the process of learning; choosing and
using ATL skills
Identify strengths and weaknesses of personal
learning strategies (self-assessment)
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Thinking
Learning process
Learning Experiences
Writing
Text types and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
Students will see rubrics and examples, as well as demonstrations of each technique and vocabulary we learn.
They will also access knowledge each day by looking at and responding to the selected artists through their bell
ringers. They will practice connecting the concepts we are learning through the reflections at the end of the
period.
Students will start the unit by learning the definitions of basic color theory terms like primary, secondary, tertiary,
complimentary, split complimentary, monochromatic, analogous, neutral, warm, cool, tints, shades, hues,
tones, and triads. They will learn new definitions of element and principle vocabulary words with relation to
color including balance, harmony, value, and contrast. Then, students will find these colors and combinations
of colors through magazines and place them in their DW to create a reference for themselves. They will then
extend their understanding of Notan and the idea of balance as the balance between light and dark color in a
composition, with each kind of value being spread throughout the frame. Students will then work on creating
their own tints, shades, tones, and hues with different media. We will use liquid water color as well as water
soluble crayons. Students will then learn how to make neutral and they will learn watercolor techniques like
wet on wet, wet on dry, mixed media techniques including ink and collage, as well as the use of salt and resists
and wash.
Students will then move on to their still life watercolor, where they will deepen their skills of rendering objects by
not only working on proportion, value and composition as they did in the last unit, but adding the component of
color. They are thinking about hue, but also shade, tint and tone, and the relationships between two colors.
Students will go through a mini critique and reflection at the completion of this project and then move on to their
final project of their personal map. Students will have heard about this in advance, and will start this last project
by brainstorming and drafting several times what their map will look like about a place of thing significant to
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them. Students will be given guidelines listed about the components of their map projects, and several days to
work. At the completion of this project, they will write an artist statement explaining their process and their
ideas, connecting their thoughts to their art. Lastly, they will participate in a class critique where they will
evaluate the work of others, deciding what parts are successful, and asking questions to artists in order to better
understand and give and recieve feedback.
At the beginning of the unit, most students in this class will go to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago,
where they will be lead through the museum to discuss the interpretation of modern art. While we have started
to have conversations concerning greater meanings in art, students have not had discussions with much depth
so this will be a jumping off point for those conversations to begin.
We will continue these discussions through our Bell Ringers each morning at the start of class. As students
come in the classroom each day, they will respond to a question or a piece of art. These questions include,
"What color-word associations do you have and where did they come from?" as well as asking students to
look at a piece of art, identify which color schemes are used, and think about and respond to what message the
artist might be sending. We will look at artists like Georgia OKeefe, Sonia Delaunay, Kandinsky, and Marina
Richterova.
Students also have Developmental Workbook Assignments throughout the unit. The first is the study of
foreground, middle ground and background as they work with overlapping. This helps them visualize as they
will need to more to more abstract art forms as we move to the summative assessment map project. They will
also work with an art image by recreating it with its complimentary colors. This will help students think critically
about the colors that were originally used in the image, and how they are changed with the use of different
colors.
Students will also complete Digital Sketchbook assignments, in which they look up a piece of art, describe and
respond to it, each week. This includes a short interpretation of the artwork, and an educated evaluation of
what the artist intended to communicate through the piece. During this unit they will be working specifically on
color-related drawings and pieces to reinforce our work in the classroom.
Teaching strategies
Students will receive feedback from me regularly as they turn in their weekly Developmental Workbook
assignments. They will also receive feedback from their peers formally and informally. They will be given rubrics
and will practice grading themselves and justifying the grades they gave themselves. I also return all other tasks
mentioned with feedback on them.
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Task
November
6
Thursday
9:00 AM
Task
November
12
Wednesday
9:00 AM
Task
November
14
Vocabulary Quiz
Vocabulary working with water color and color schemes. Students will write out color
schemes or answer questions to demonstrate understanding.
Friday
9:00 AM
Task
November
24
Monday
9:00 AM
Artist Critique
Artist Critique
Students will do an in-class critique of each other's work. They will give several students
feedback using "plusses" and "deltas." We will then have a conversation about a few select
pieces to practice. Students will be practicing giving genuine and meaningful feedback about
the work of others. The "plusses" let other students know what is working well, what is
intriguing, what is interesting about looking at the piece, and the "deltas" are suggested
changes. These are explained as not necessarily being improvements or negative aspects of
the image, but suggestions to grow.
Students will have a mid unit critique on the 24th, so that students can make some of the
changes suggested, and a final critique on the 2nd of December, after students have finished
their pieces and written their artist statements.
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Paper
December
1
Monday
9:00 AM
Artist Statement
Students will complete an artist statement that answers the following questions:
1. Describe your artwork. Be specific. If I wasn't looking at your artwork, and you were to tell
me what it looks like, what would you say?
2. What was your process in creating this work of art? What materials did you use? What
steps did you take? How did your project evolve from your initial idea?
3.. What is your map a map of? What inspired it? What artists are you thinking of? Why are
you attracted to their styles? What is important about this place to you? Why did you choose
a map of this particular place?
4. What color schemes did you use in this piece? Why did you use those color combinations?
How does the intentional use of color make your piece more successful?
6. What do you think is successful about your work? What do you like about it? What did you
find frustrating? If you could do it again, what would you change?
7. Use the criteria at your table to grade yourself on this project. Look at the rubric carefully
and justify why you deserve each of the grades you give yourself.
Describe how you will differentiate teaching & learning for this unit?
There is a significant amount of student choice in this unit, which will allow for natural forms of differentiation, as
students can choose to work to the level they are at. Students will be able to choose many of their colors within
a scheme and content that they are interested in.
In addition, many of the assignments lend to opportunities to push students further if they need it, or give
additional support as students develop those skills. For example, in the exercises on color schemes, students
may not have as many colors to put into a color scheme. However, if they need to be pushed, I will encourage
them to use various kinds of colors and try to match colors they see with colors they can make and include
neutrals through those colors. Another opportunity for this is when students learn about neutral colors. Most
students will be completing a three by three grid which they will create the neural of two complimentary colors.
For students who are ready to be pushed further, they will also create a color that has equal contrast with the
original color and the neutral (ie, a neutral yellow) and will have more in depth conversations about the contrast
between colors. Students with special needs will also be given additional time, preferential seating, and I will
check in with them frequently throughout the class for one-on-one instruction when needed.
For their artist statements and critiques, students with special needs will be given support and an outline and a
reduction in paper size if appropriate. They will also be given graphic organizers for many assignments as well.
For students who meet with a resource teacher, I will be in contact with their resource teacher so that they are
making use of their time in resource class to benefit their understanding of color and paint in art. I will work
closely to ensure that if they need additional time, they have access to that.
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I am also available for students to come in during lunch, as well as before and after school, so if they need
additional time they have access to it then as well. This will go for all students, and I encourage them to come in
if I feel like they can benefit from that time.
Lastly, I have one student with anxiety, and for all students, I know they are less prone to anxiety if they know
what we are doing each day in class, so I will provide a calendar that has major assignments and quizzes to
ensure they know ahead of time what is going on and are not taken by surprise.
Learner Profile
Inquirers: Students will constantly ask themselves, "Why did this artist choose this color scheme?"
Risk takers: Students will be using themselves as the subjects of their piece, which requires them to take risks to communicate more personal ideas and thoughts.
Resources
Journal:
http://frangipanni.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Watercolor-landscape-techniques-and-tips
http://www.artistsnetwork.com/the-artists-magazine/oconnor-blank-color-mixing-charts
http://drawgabbydraw.tumblr.com/post/39910504834/sorry-for-the-double-post-this-looks-better-as-a
http://www.pinterest.com/melmiller7/unit-2/
http://createartwithme.com/2013/11/01/dry-pastel-techniques-worksheet/
http://prezi.com/_cdygl2d9ugp/color-scheme/
Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry
Prior to teaching the unit
During teaching
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