CURRICULUM UNIT PLAN

Unit Theme or Issue: Grade Level: State Fine Art Goals:

Activism & Transformation 9 - 12th Grade

Context: High School Curriculum

Class Periods: 45 minutes
Meeting Times: 5 days/week

Objectives

• Students will reflect on their own perceptions of themselves, political, social and environmental issue all while listening and taking into account their peers’ similarities

and differences.

• Students will gain an in-depth understanding of what activism is and how they can stand up for their beliefs while learning how to compromise with other people’s

differing beliefs within their local, national, and global communities.

• Students should begin, if not continue towards a deeper level of understanding of themselves and others by approaching the three projects in the curriculum through

three concepts designed to facilitate a transformational form of activism.

• Students will learn how to research controversial issues/topics, discern reliable material and information from blatant and seemingly inconspicuous forms of propaganda.

Projects
1 Abstract watercolor paintings with intuitive drawings of personally identified pareidolia.
Transformational Activism Step 1: change on the inside
2 Activist posters conveying a message that addresses issues students are individually concerned or interested with.
Transformational Activism Step 2: change on the outside
3 Art Activism (project form open-ended) students work in groups to research, create and disseminate information or a message about a
controversial issue of their choice.
Transformational Activism Step 3: create meaningful change through collaboration and compromise
 Title of Themes / Key Project / Activity Resources / Artists Essential Art Concepts,
Lesson Vocabulary Concepts & Terms &
Questions Processes

Week Transformation Themes Students will be introduced to the unit Some Notable Activists Introduction to unit Concepts
s al Activism - theme of activism; understand the Jane Addams theme of activism and Abstraction
Identity
1&2 STEP 1 definition of activism, components, Susan B. Anthony process of (amorphousness)
Self-Awareness
examples, and real world Mahatma Gandhi transformational Transparency
Perception
Part 1: applications/implications. Rosa Parks activism. Color mixing
Activism
What is Mr. Luther King Jr. Layers
Activism? Students will engage with watercolors César Estrada Chávez Transformational Multiple Perspective
Transformation Vocabulary using the four designated techniques in John Lennon Activism - Step 1 (Cubism)
al Activism? Activism order to explore aesthetic preferences in a Al Gore creating change on the
Perception? Transformational non-representational way by embracing inside by investigating Painting

Activism the unpredictable characteristics of Examples of Pareidolia: personal biases through Dry Brush
Part 2: watercolor as a medium. Cloud - Michael Jackson? abstract expressionism Wet in Wet
Perception
Influences over Illinois shaped cornflake and the psychological Glaze Wash
Bias
Perceptions Students will fill their page with abstract Dog Belly - Jesus? phenomena of pareidolia. Back Wash
Pareidolia
and how biases and amorphous designs and layers using Potato Chip - Jesus? Splatter
are formed. Intuitive several techniques with watercolors. Cloud - profile of face We need to understand Sponge / Stamp
(rotating images) ourselves and the origins Alcohol
Once dry the students will look at their Cloud – Hand? of our opinions before we Using Gravity and/or
paintings, turning it around in all directions Cloud – Elephant? Duck? can recognize and straws
as necessary until they see something appreciate others. Lifting
within the abstraction. They will draw Rorschach Ink Blot Test Tissue Paper
in/around what they are seeing with black Plates Show examples of
fine point markers using several different Determined personality pareidolia. Drawing
techniques to bring out or mark the image types and specifically How does personal Contour Line
and make it clearly visible. personality disorders. subjectivity play a role in Lost and Found Contour
Students must not speak to each pareidolia … if multiple Cross Contour
other about what they might see in Abstract Expressionism people see the same Stippling
someone else’s painting. Jackson Pollock thing (without prompts Hatching & Cross-
Lee Krasner from another person) Hatching
Critique/Reflections HO Franz Kline
Critique for Students will be asked to reflect on the Willem de Kooning Could you separate
project 1 will be representational images that appeared to yourself from personal
held last day of them and whether they can see patterns in Multiple Perspective bias or preferences when
week 1. those images that may, or may not, give a Pablo Picasso in a debate?
sense of a personal bias the student has Marcel Duchamp
towards such images.
(i.e. anything about their interests,
backgrounds, beliefs, etc. that may have
come up in their visual findings)