Grades 6-8

Communal Change: The Power of Visualization

Objective: The students will learn about Romare Bearden’s collage work and his ability
to tell a story through his use of collage. Students will then take inspiration from Romare
Bearden’s The Block and create their neighborhood with collage. However, students will
recreate not the actuality of their community/neighborhood but an idealized version.
Taking in consideration of what they would change and why. Prompting the students to
use critical thinking skills.

Rationale: The goal is to have students visualize where they live and the communities
they are a part of. To have them take into consideration of what the good and the bad
parts of the community are, as well as how to make this change an actuality. To have
them critically think about the world around them and what changes they would like/can
make. The lesson is about empowering students via visualization and providing a focus
on critical thinking skills within a real-world and actionable context. Having the students
connect this visual planning with the concept that they can take action with the benefit of
visualization.

Technology: The introduction of this lesson will be run through Nearpod. Allowing for
everyone to interact and engage with the discussion of the lesson.

Hook and introduction/ Instructional Input:

Community definition activity:

What is community to you, why does it matter?

Have students come up with their own personal definition of what a community is
and contrast it with actual definition of community, but contextualize it as being a
personalized thing to each person.

Community is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular

characteristic in common. A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of
sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

Community is personal and has effects on psychological and social development

even in adulthood.

Consider: What effect can a community have on a person’s personal culture?

Example: Montrose
  The area is historically disadvantaged, big space for LGBT+/arts positivity, has
had large effect on Houston culture via the creation of a dedicated space for a
community
 People who live there have inexorably been affected by it--culture affects what
comes to the area (business, people, resources, gentrification, etc.)

How do you think people living in Montrose might have been affected by the origins
of the area?

What are the upsides to being part of the community? What are the downsides?

How does this line of thinking affect your view of your own community?

Do you have one? If so, what would you change?

Visualization before action:

Students will create their “ideal community”.

 They will create a list of descriptors of their neighborhood/community five

to ten words)
 They will translate these descriptions into visual aspects (colors, shapes,
ideas, etc.)
 They will assemble collage akin to Bearden’s The Block.
 They will have a brief discussion of their ideas and actionable ways of
making their ideal communities a reality.

Examples:

My community is a gated one, everyone keeps to themselves.

What I want to change: Make it a friendlier place where people associate.

How can I do that: Give chances for people to associate with one another,
maybe via regular community events.

Visualize: What would one of those events look like?

Example:

Montrose is a cultural hub for the city of Houston.

What would I want to change: I would want to keep Montrose weird, and
preserve the culture from gentrification and influence of advertisement.
 How can I do that: I can push to have certain areas of Montrose be marked
as historical.

Visualize: What would a preserved Montrose look like? What would

embracing a culture look like?

Brief activity:

The Nearpod will allow students to partake in a response activity where they
ROAST NEIGHBORHOODS/COMMUNITIES. This will actively get them into
the mindset of figuring out what can be changed/molded about those communities
for the better.

Performance Task: Students will complete a collage with a depiction of their idealized
neighborhood/community in the style of Romare Bearden. On the back of their
composition the students will attach a brief summary of what change they made and how
they could implement that change.

Guided Practice: Nearpod discussion of community and what that means to the
individual and what can change in their community.

Independent Practice: Using collage materials, students will create their ideal
neighborhoods and then write their brief summary.

Closure: A peer critique will follow the completion of the lesson. The students will
discuss their collages. Explaining what they chose to change in their community and
why. As well as how they would go about to start creating that change.

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on their creativity in the creation of their art
product, as well as their participation in the peer discussion/critique. They will also be
evaluated on their reflection in the free response discussion before the introduction of the
project.

Materials Needed: Magazines, pencils, colored paper, scissors or x-actos, glue or spray
adhesive.

TEKS Correlation:
7.2.A the student is expected to: create artworks based on direct observations,
personal experience, and imagination.

7.2.C The student is expected to produce drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures,

ceramics, fiber art, photographic imagery, and electronic media generated art
using a variety of art materials and tools in traditional and experimental ways.
 7.4.A The student is expected to analyze and compare relationships such as
function and meaning in personal artworks.

Cross-curricular Ideas: English (writing).