Celeste Tarbox

Penn Alexander School, 5th Grade, Room 219

Lesson Plan: Introduction to the Romare Bearden
Goals/Objectives
SWBAT (1) discuss the work of Romare Bearden; (2) demonstrate the process of
creating a mixed-media collage that expresses a current social concern and conveys a
certain mood; (3) analyze the artistic elements and principals that contribute to the mood
of artistic work; (4)
Standards and Assessment Anchors
CC.1.3.5.B: Cite textual evidence by quoting accurately from the text to explain what the
text says explicitly and make inferences.
CC. 1.5.5B: Summarize the main points written text read aloud or information presented in
diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CC.1.5.5.A: Write with a clear focus, identifying topic, task and, audience.
CC.1.5.5.B: Develop content appropriate for the topic.
Gather, organize, and select the most effective information appropriate for
the topic, task and audience.
Write paragraphs that have a topic sentence and supporting details.
CC.9.1.5.A: Identify uses of expressive symbols that show philosophical meanings in works
in the arts and humanities (e.g., American TV ads versus Asian TV ads).
CC.9.1.5.E: Know and demonstrate how arts can communicate experiences, stories or
emotions through the production of words in the arts.
CC.9.4.5.D: Explain choices made regarding media, technique, form, subject matter and
themes that communicate the artists philosophy within a work in the arts and humanities
(e.g., selection of stage lighting in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story to communicate
mood).
Materials and preparation
Romare Bearden: Collage of Memories by Jan Greenberg
My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Beardens Childhood Journey by Jeanne Walker Harvey
21 copies of NPR article, The Art of Romare Bearden: Collages Fuse Essence of Old
Harlem, American South by Neda Ulaby (Sept. 14, 2003)
Reproduction of The Train, 1974
Learning environment and management
Plan
1. The Hook See/Think/Wonder (5 minutes)
a. Students set up their notebooks with three columns (See/Think/Wonder).
i. Display Romare Beardens The Train.
ii. See. Ask students to observe the painting and to record their
observations in their notebook.

1. Allow silent time for close observation (2 minutes) before

any talk or discussion.
2. Emphasize that they are noting only what they observe.
a. An observation is something you can actually put
your fingers on with the image.
b. Think-Pair-Share to share their I sees with
partner then discuss by sharing those things your
partner noticed that you didnt?
c. Selected pairs can share observations with the larger
group.
iii. Think. Ask students what they think is going on in the image.
1. Based on what we are seeing and noticing, what does it
make us think? What else is going on here?
2. Possible response to students interpretations: What do
you see that makes you say that?
iv. Wonder. Ask students what they are now wondering about based
on what they have seen and have been thinking. Record in
notebooks.
1. Possible response from students: they may find it difficult
to separate thinking from wondering.
a. Wondering is about asking broader questions that
push us beyond our interpretations to look at issues
and ideas raised by the image.
2. The Body of the Lesson
b. Introduction (2 minutes)
i. Introduce Romare Bearden. Give background information.
1. Romare Bearden is described as a descendent of the
Harlem Renaissance because the majority of his work was
created a couple of decades after the movement had ended,
but his paintings and collages celebrate black history, black
music, and black lifestyles.
c. Guided Reading (15 minutes)
i. Lets read to find out more about Romare.
ii. Read NPR article, The Art of Romare Bearden: Collages Fuse
Essence of Old Harlem, American South by Neda Ulaby (Sept. 14,
2003).
1. Find main idea of article.
2. Summarize/paraphrase.
3. Annotate while reading.
d. Group Discussion (2 minutes)
i. Ask students, What are symbols?
ii. Give definition.
1. Symbols are images or objects that represent or
communicate certain ideas. Artists use symbols to
communicate ideas.
e. Quick Write (5 minutes)

i. Students respond in art notebooks.

ii. Based on what you know about trains and the Great Migration
and the Harlem Renaissance, what do you think Bearden intended
by placing a train motif in his work?
f. Share-out (2 minutes)
i. In pairs, students share their responses.
g. Video + excerpt (7 minutes)
i. Watch San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Romare Bearden on
His Imagery and Symbols (3 minutes)
1. Lets watch to see if you were correct in your
speculations!
2. Romare Bearden explains, I use the train because so many
of the lives of black people had to do with the train. These
are the elements of my environment.
ii. Read excerpt (attached) from the Mint Museums Romare Bearde:
Southern Recollection publication about Beardens use of trains as
symbols.
3. Closure
a. Final thought
i. Artists convey ideas and their point of views through particular
artistic details to suggest characters, mood and setting. This
combination creates a visual narrative that explores real or
imagined experiences. As we continue to observe, read, and listen
to art from the Harlem Renaissance, keep this in mind.
b. (If time allows) Read-Aloud: My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Beardens
Childhood Journey by Jeanne Walker Harvey.
Assessment of the Goals/Objectives
I will perform informal observations of my students during the entire lesson, especially
during the share out of responses to the Quick Write. Starting off our session together
with the See-Think-Wonder routine will allow me to see and hear what my students are
thinking. Especially the final step, I will see if students are taking in new information
through careful observation, thinking, synthesizing, and identifying new wonderings.
Their responses to the Quick Write will also give me ample information if they have been
able to identify the meaning of a symbol in a particular artwork.
Anticipating Students Responses and Your Possible Responses
1. Management Issues
a. At the beginning of any lesson, I always reiterate the expectations for
instructional time. Throughout the lesson, I will give students reminders
about the positive and negative consequences of the classroom system
(ClassDojo)
b. This will not be the first time that we have used this Thinking Strategy. I
expect students to be more comfortable with the routine.
2. Response to the content of the lesson

a. I expect my students to show a strong interest in the content as they have

shown me how much they enjoy the arts.
Accommodations
1. Accommodations for students who may find the material too challenging
a. During the Quick Write, if students struggle to identify why Bearden used
the motif of trains, I will recommend that they start by writing what they
know about trains as a jumping off point.
b. I am leading the class through a guided reading of the article in case the
information given/reading level is too challenging.
2. Accommodations for students who may need greater challenge and/or finish early
a. n/a

Excerpt from Romare Bearden: Souther Recollections, The Mint Museum Uptown at
Levine Center for the Arts, Charlotte, NC