ED688 Student Teaching Simplified Lesson Design Template

Name Allison Miller Date February 15, 2019

Topic/Name of Lesson Romare Bearden Collage Faces

Alaska Content Standard:

Art Anchor Standard 2: VA:CR2a-1 ; VA:CR2a-3
Materials: Include all materials including types of technology used:
Magazine clippings of faces- at least 5 photos for each student; construction paper; glue; photos of Romare Bearden’s
artwork
Objectives/Learning Targets (Acquisition) Assessments/Acceptable Evidence Of Learning
Knowledge and Skills: Sources of Evidence:
Students will know: Collage is art using previously printed Finished collage face
images cut out and pieced together to create a unique new image
Students will be able to: Experiment with proportions and
placement of elements in art to create original works
Lesson
Overview/Introduction/Main Hook
Students will be introduced to Romare Bearden by viewing some collages by the artist. Teacher will ask students how
they think he created the art. Teacher will explain that Bearden was an African American artist who made his art during
a time in America’s history when the lives of black people were not often shown in paintings or drawings, and black
artists were not well known by most of the people who lived in America. Bearden wanted to share the lives of people
like him living in poor neighborhoods, but he didn’t have money to buy paints and paint brushes or pencils and markers.

1
Process: Product(s): Specific Strategies
Collage: Teacher asks students what they know about collage. Teacher Collage face(s)
explains that collage is a kind of art that uses pictures from newspapers, Students will each choose
magazines, and photographs. The artist cuts pictures or parts of pictures Younger the base of their face
out from different magazines or photos and fits the pieces together in students can according to their age. K-2
unique ways that look like a little real life, but we are also very unreal. create one should choose faces from
When we look at a collage like one of Bearden’s street life scenes, what larger face and the medium to large pile,
do you notice? Some details to make sure that students notice: People’s move on to and grades 3-5 should
figures and faces are not cut out from one single photo in a photograph: creating choose from the small to
they are made up of multiple parts of different pictures. another large medium pile. Explain that
Teacher will model how to create a collage face: one or a this is because older
1) Choose the head of an appropriate size- medium face for K-2 and smaller size if students will be able to cut
smaller faces for grades 3-5. This will be the base of my face. I’ll put they wish. out smaller faces more
eyes, a nose, and a mouth from other pictures on top of it. easily than younger, and
2) On top of this face, I’ll look for two eyes, a nose, and a mouth from Older students we have fewer large faces
other pages to make an interesting collage art face. When you’re will begin by than smaller ones. Then
choosing these features, do you think it would be a good idea to pick a creating a they should cut that face
mouth that is smaller than the mouth of the base face? Look for smaller size, out and glue it on a piece
features that are larger than your base face so that they cover the and can then of construction paper.
features that are already there. Model what would happen if I found create another Then they can choose one
features of smaller size. smaller face or, feature at a time that they
3) I’ll cut out the individual features. Model how students can cut out once all the find interesting and might
certain features without ruining other features so other people can use younger fit together so that when
the other parts of the picture. At first, cut the feature out so that you students have you look at it, you can tell
leave a little space around the lines in the picture. You can always cut create one face, it’s a face, but doesn’t
more off, but can you add the edges back on after you’ve cut it off? It’s the older look like a face you’d see
better to leave some room to trim any parts off after you’ve tried to put students are in real life. Once they cut
the pieces together. Model what might happen if they cut it too close welcome to the feature from the
and it’s not a good fit. Redo it with another feature. create a larger magazine face, they
4) Fit the pieces together to see how you like it before you glue anything face as well. should return the rest of
on. You might want your eyes to switch places or find that you like the the face to the collection.
mouth to be a little crooked.
5) Glue your features onto your base face.
6) Once your face is created, you can add hair, ears, or a hat or whatever
to the head.

Closure: Students will share challenges they encountered during the project and ways they found to overcome them.
Students will be be invited to present their pieces and share what kind of creative risks they took while creating it.

2
3
 Examples of questions for reflection after the lesson:
• How did the lesson go?

The lesson was engaging and a lot of fun for most all of the students. They got pretty silly,
which for some students seemed like they might ramp up to inappropriate behavior. For the
most part, students accomplished lesson objectives and had a good time doing it. There were a
few safety concerns with excitedly silly students moving from one area to another with their
scissors. My host teacher seemed quite concerned that a few students would take the silliness
over the edge, but I was able to keep it fun and light without students getting too off task or
endangering their classmates.
• Did the students meet the objective? How do you know?
Students met the objectives of becoming familiar with collage and experimenting with
magazine clippings to create unusual and creative faces and bodies. Their art work shows that
they were successful in accomplishing these goals.
• Were there any unexpected events? How effectively did you respond?
There weren’t really any events during the lesson that was unexpected. I feel like I
successfully anticipated all struggles and disruptions that would and did occur.
• Comment on one student who did particularly well and one who did not meet your
expectations. Why did this happen? What can you do to follow up with the student who
did not do well?
One student who did much better than I had expected was our student who is believed to
be on the autism spectrum. I thought that he might not be able to be successful in such a
disorderly and strange task, but he excelled and went well beyond my expectations. The one
student who I would single out as not meeting my expectations for this project (who happens
to be my son!!) did not complete his project, was boisterous and off task for much of the lesson.
His silly and somewhat dangerous behavior (moving quickly about the room with scissors)
cost him completion of his piece of art work.
• Are there any changes you would make in this lesson if you could do it again? Why?
As far as the outcomes for this lesson, I was a little disappointed merely in the contrast
between the creative compositions and the plain construction paper backgrounds. I’m not really
sure what I would do to remedy this. I planned a lesson to follow this designed to guide students
to create collage backgrounds, landscapes, and city scenes, but it was not successful. I believe
that I had assumed that students would be able to comprehend perspective before they were
developmentally ready, so those collages were not successful. I may not have been explicit or
repetitive enough in my instruction on layering, or it may just be too abstract a concept to
comprehend in the primary grades.