Rationale for Teaching Lesson:

Students will learn about the use of headdresses in African cultures, and create a headdress celebrating a ritual or quality of their own

Lesson Objectives:

1. Learn about how headdresses have been used in African cultures

2. Make connections to their own culture through a brainstorm process where they create a headdress to communicate: Friendship ideals, honor someone in their community with a festival, show characteristics of an important person in their community or country, or show the importance of something they do in their daily life.

3. Use paper sculpture techniques

4. Understand how the Elements of Art and Principles of design can be used to communicate specific ideas: Color, Shape, Texture, Line & Pattern

New York State Learning Standards:

Standard 1: Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts and participate in various roles in the arts.

Standard 2: Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.

Standard 3: Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual to other works and to respond to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

Standard 4: Students will develop and understanding of the personal and cultural force that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.

How the Standards are addressed in this lesson:

1. Students will create a headdress which communicates a specific idea using paper sculpture and the Elements and Principles of Art

2. Students will use animals to represent their concepts in a paper sculpture, using references from the Internet and books.

3. Students will look at and discuss headdresses in African culture, brainstorm their ideas in writing, and reflect on their finished work of art in writing through an Artist Statement.

4. Students will create a headdress that explores the African rituals that headdresses are used in, through connections with their own culture.

Lesson Segments:

Materials:

1.  PP presentation and brainstorm (1 class – finish for hw)

1. PP presentation about African Headdresses, Brainstorm sheets

2.  Sketch ideas using color pencils (1-2 classes)

2.  9 x 12 white drawing paper, color pencils

3.  Newspaper hats, demo paper sculpture techniques (1 class)

3. 4 sheets newspaper per student, colored tag board – minimum 3 ½ large sheets per student, white glue, scissors (construction paper may be substituted for tag board)

4.  Paper sculptures (6-8 classes)

4. See above

5. Artist Statement

5. See separate lesson plan

Segment 1: PP presentation and brainstorm (1 class – finish for hw)

Teaching Style:

Guided Practice

1. Use PP to discuss headdresses in African cultures.
2. Use Brainstorm sheets with Artist Choices to think through what the headdress the students create can communicate and how.

Independent Practice

Finish brainstorm sheets for HW.

Assessment Method:

Verbal and through sheets.

Modifications:

Segment 2: Sketch ideas using color pencils (1-2 classes)

Teaching Style:

Guided Practice

1. Discuss use of Elements of Art: how can shapes, color, line, textures, patterns communicate animal characteristics for the headdress?
2. Discuss the use of references available.  If they are looking for something specific, then they can use the computer.

Independent Practice

3. Drawing for headdress

Assessment Method:

Modifications:

Segment 3: Newspaper hats, demo paper sculpture techniques (1 class)

Teaching Style:

Guided Practice

1. Demo beginning – Make a newspaper hat by folding newspaper sheet in half, and folding the corners in, then folding each side up and stapling.
2. Decide which way you want your headdress to face sideways or facing you.  Draw a body shape on a large sheet of colored tag, and cut through two sheets at once.  If they are too thick then cut one, and trace the other.
3. Demo various sculpture techniques: discuss shapes again, accordion folds, using tabs, curling… Demo gluing using clothespins.

Independent Practice

4. Prop newspaper hats on containers and begin sculpture

Assessment Method:

Verbal – Review sculpture techniques and artist choices

Modifications:

Segment 4: Paper sculptures (6-8 classes)

Teaching Style:

Guided Practice

1. Review sculpture techniques and Elements and Principles

Independent Practice

2. Continue sculptures

Assessment Method:

Verbal  

Artists' Statement

Modifications:

Excellent

Good

Adequate

Unsatisfactory

Score

Brainstorm Sheet

Artist answered all questions in very clearly written and legible writing

Artist answered all questions in pretty clearly written and legible writing – but some things maybe hard to read, or could be stated more clearly

Artist answered all questions in somewhat clearly written and legible writing – but several things maybe hard to read, or could be stated much more clearly

Artist did not answer all the questions, or it is too hard to make out, or can’t be read

Assignment

Artist has completed a thoughtful and clearly written story, that fulfills the assignment completely  (15)

Artist has completed a thoughtful story, but it may not be too clear in a spot, and/or could be expanded a bit, but still fulfills the assignment (13)

Artist has completed a story, but it may not be thought out, and/or may not be too clearly written, and could definitely be expanded quite a bit! – so does not quite fulfill the assignment completely (11)

The story is clearly not thought out, and/or many parts are missing

(4)

Writing

Well developed paragraph of at least 7 sentences, interesting vocabulary, lots of details (30)

Well developed paragraph of at least 6 sentences, some interesting vocabulary, some of details (26)

Somewhat developed paragraph of at least 5 sentences,  little interesting vocabulary, little details (23)

Not very developed paragraph of less than 5 sentences,  no interesting vocabulary, very few details (20)

Mechanics

There are absolutely with no spelling/grammar mistakes and  complete sentences (13)

There are 1-2 spelling/grammar mistakes and mostly complete sentences (11)

There are several spelling/grammar mistakes and/or may have 1 or 2 incomplete sentences (13)

There are many spelling/grammar mistakes and/or many incomplete sentences (11)

Format

The story is typed in an easy to read font, 12-14 pts., and double spaced or 1.5 lines (18)

The story is typed, 12-14 pts.and at least 1.5 lines spacing (15)

The story is typed, but the font may not be easy to read, or smaller or larger than 12-14 pts. and at least 1.5 lines spacing (12)

The story is not typed, or the font is difficult to read or very large or very small, and/or single spaced (11)

Do Nows

The Do Nows have been neatly completed every day with correct answers, and no reminders (24)

The Do Nows have been neatly completed every day with almost all correct answers, and almost no reminders (22)

The Do Nows have been neatly completed almost every day with several incorrect answers, and/or a few reminders (19)

The Do Nows have NOT been completed almost every day – but there are a few, and/or mostly incorrect answers, and/or frequent reminders (17)

Grade: