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Identity & Self

Title of Unit Getting to Know You: An Grade Level Grade 9

Introduction to Identity & Self
Teacher Hannah Aubie Number of Lessons 5 Lessons 10 Classes
and Classes
Overview of Unit & Rationale
500 words Give a clear and concise description of the Unit. State the learning objectives – what you intend students to
learn/experience. Provide a rationale that connects your unit with your developing art education philosophy. What is the
value of this learning experience for students? How does it support and challenge their knowledge, skills and attitudes?
How does it support your developing philosophy of art education?

This unit will focus on getting to know more about the students and their identity and self. The students will come to
understand what identity and self means to them and how they are able to portray these ideas in their work. The inquiry
question that we will focus on will be “How does identity influence our art practice?” Students will examine this idea
throughout various classes. The first class will cover the art history of artists who have used identity within their work.
We will look at the work of Frida Kahlo, Annie Pootoogook, Cindy Sherman, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. All of
these various artists have tackled the idea of identity in different ways. Once the students have been introduced to some
artists we will have a class discussion about identity. As a class we will define what identity means so that students have
an understanding before they start creating. Students will then have time to brainstorm ideas in relation to their own
identities. In their sketchbook they will write down personality traits, values, interests, and aspirations. At the end of this
class students will do an exit slip where they define the term identity. The next class will focus on some art making. In
this class students will create exquisite corpses as a collaborative project. An exquisite corpse is when a large piece of
paper is folded into three sections. When drawing you can only see one section at a time. The top section is for the head,
the middle is for the stomach, and the bottom is for the legs. Each student will work on a section and then trade. At the
end of the drawing each student will keep one drawing and pursue it further. They will colour and decorate this drawing
to fully make it their own. At this point I want students to be considering their own identity and that of their peers. What
are some differences? Some similarities? What makes this exquisite corpse so wonderful? What section is your favorite?
Why did you use those colours for that person’s personality? How did you make this you own? What section do you
relate to? What section do you not relate to? These drawings will be looked at in the final critique. The next class will
focus on self-portraits. Students will have the opportunity to create any kind of self-portrait they want. A self-portrait
does not always have to be a depiction of your face, it can be focused on your identity. I want students to be creative
with this project and use various materials. Students will be allowed to create a drawing, collage, painting, or sculpture
for this assignment. They can also reference back to their previous brainstorming from their sketchbook. Students will
also be given a sheet to fill out and to write and draw out their ideas. This sheet will be taken to the teacher for formative
feedback. After the feedback student can begin their studio project. The final studio project will be a family tree. This
project will be a vertical family tree made using string. Students will write out each member of their family and different
elements that they think connects to that person, this can be colour, lines, or textures. Once they are finished
brainstorming they can collect various materials to start the project. The materials can be string, yarn, fabric, felt, paper,
etc. Students will attach these materials to the string that will hang from the ceiling as a vertical family tree. Finally, we
will have a final critique where students will show all three of their studio projects. We will do a Feldman’s critique
where students use the terms: describe, analyze, interpret, and judge to talk about their peers works. Throughout this unit
we will be working with art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and art making to better understand identity and art. I want
students to better comprehend the importance of self and identity in their work. I also want them to understand that
various artists use this concept in their art practice. The value of this for students is to have a better understanding of
themselves. I also hope that this unit can help students become more self-regulated. The more they understand about
themselves, the better they can know what they need in their learning. For me one of the most important explorations in
my work was having a better understanding of myself and letting my work be about me. I want students to have this
experience and appreciate all that this subject has to offer. For me art education is about self-expression and to express
yourself you have to know who you are. This unit is about self-discovery and how important this can be in your own art
practice.
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Statement of Inquiry/Unit Question
A question that students take up throughout the unit, through the various activities. At the end of the unit students have
explored and considered this inquiry, and can respond to this question.

How does identity influence our art practice?

Alberta Program of Study
For this unit assignment you are expected to draw on all three GLE’s (Drawing, Composition & Encounters) over the
unit. What SLE’s are you selecting to work with? Don’t over do it, choose carefully. You might fill out this section after
you do your Unit Mapping.

GLE Drawing:
SLE: Communicate: Students will use expressiveness in their use of elements in the making of images.
A. The subjective perception of the individual student affects the way he/she expresses action and direction.
B. Mood and feeling as perceived by the individual student can be expressed in colour drawings.
C. Exaggeration of mood characteristics in drawings of nature and people can help to emphasize a personal point of
view.
SLE: Articulate and Evaluate: Students will use the techniques of art criticism for analysis and comparison of art works.
Concepts
A. Making comparisons about mood and feeling between one’s own works and works by other students is part of
learning to talk about art.
B. Knowing the terms of design, media and techniques used in one’s own drawings helps in description and analysis of
one’s own and others’ works
GLE: Composition:
SLE: Components 1: Students will create compositions in both two and three dimensions.
Concepts A. Manipulation of colour emphasis can help express mood in two-dimensional compositions.
B. Organic shapes derived from natural objects can be developed into three-dimensional forms
GLE: Encounters:
SLE: Impact of Images: Students will become aware of the importance society places upon various works of art.
Concepts A. The ways people use art changes through time.
Summary of Lessons
Approximately 75-100 words each summary. Clear and Concise; a synopsis of the lesson, connection with POS, the
lesson's purpose in and of itself, and the lessons purpose within the unit. Make clear the scaffolding - meaning how each
lesson supports the next...Indicate what DBAE areas are being covered in the lessons in one or two brief sentences.

Lesson 1: Art History: In this class students will be introduced to the inquiry question for the unit “How does identity
influence our art practice?” We will start by looking at some artists that work with representations of self and identity.
The artists we will look at in this class are: Frida Kahlo, Annie Pootoogook, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, and Cindy
Sherman. Once we look at these artists works we will watch a short video about identity and art. Three artists talked
about are in this video clip. The video introduces how these artists use identity in various ways in their work. Students
will have the opportunity to work in their sketchbooks and brainstorm aspects of their own identity. We will talk about
“What does identity mean to you?” Together as a class we will determine a definition for identity before the students
work in their sketchbooks. In their sketchbook’s students will use a page and create four sections. These four sections
will be: Personality Traits (Do you have a sense of humour? Do you like being organized?), Values (What is important
to you?), Interests/Hobbies (What do you like to do?), and Aspirations (What are your goals?). Students can fill these
sections in with words or with pictures. Before class ends each student will get a sticky note to write down their own
definition of identity. This will be an exit slip for me to do a quick formative assessment to see if students understand
what identity means.

Lesson 2: Exquisite Corpse: This class will use the brainstorming from the previous class. Students will create an
exquisite corpse. An exquisite corpse is when a large piece of paper is folded into three sections. When drawing you can
only see one section at a time. The top section is for the head, the middle is for the stomach, and the bottom is for the
legs. Students will draw an aspect of their identity, they can use one of their ideas from the previous class from their
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brainstorming. Once students draw the head, they will trade. The drawing will end up having three different sections
from three different students. Whichever piece of paper you have last will be your exquisite corpse to keep. Students will
then take these corpses and colour them in. While students are working on this assignment the teacher will be going
around and asking students why they chose different parts of their identity to help students reflect on what they are doing
during the creative process. They can also discuss the other parts of the body and how those traits from other students
make a more interesting image. What do you like about the other sections that aren’t yours? Why are you choosing to
use those colours?

Lesson 3: Self-Portrait: Many artists use self-portrait to portray their identity or self. Before we work on this
assignment we will go through a presentation on various artists, some mentioned before and some new. All of the artists
are working with self or identity in some way. All of the artists talked about in this class will be: Frida Kahlo, Annie
Pootoogook, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, Cindy Sherman, Lauren Brevner, Amy
Sherald, and Frans Smit. For this assignment students will be creating a self-portrait using various mediums that the
students can choose. A self-portrait is a depiction of self, but does not necessarily have to be an image of yourself. It can
be a sculpture, a collection of objects, a drawing of objects, or a work that relates to your identity. This self- portrait is
about- What makes you, you? They will be required to fill out a sheet for brainstorming that I will take in for formative
feedback. Once I have looked over this sheet students will be able to get their materials and begin their self-portrait.
Students will have multiple classes to work on their self-portrait.

Lesson 4: Family Tree: Students final project will be a family tree created from a 10-inch-long rope. They will use this
rope and tie on various materials that represent different people within their families. Various materials can be used such
as: yarn, paper, fabrics, string, felt, and whatever else the students can think of. In their sketchbook’s students will write
out people from their family and associate different attributes with each person. Each person can relate to a colour, line,
or texture. What colour embodies that person? Students will also include themselves within this family tree.
Once students have brainstormed ideas that connect to each family member they can begin collecting materials to work
on the large project. Students will attach these materials to the string that will hang from the ceiling as a vertical family
tree. This project will be displayed vertically. Students will have three classes to complete this project.

Lesson 5: Critique: Critiques are helpful for students to reflect on their work and to consolidate learning from the unit.
We will come back to the inquiry question “How does identity influence our art practice ?” Once students have finished
all of their studio works we will do a large critique of all of the works. The critique will include the exquisite corpse, the
self-portrait, and the family tree. Before the critique we will complete a K-W-L chart as a class to see what students
already know and what to know about a critique. Once we discuss this I will explain how a Feldman Critique works. We
will go over the components: Describe, Analyze, Interpret, and Judge. Then we will work together as a class to talk
about all of the artworks. At the end students will be able to discuss their own works and tell the class a little bit about
their choices. After this we will complete the ‘L’ in the K-W-L chart as a class. We will discuss what we learned about
critiques. This will be another way to formatively assess the students. At the end of class, we will collectively make a
word cloud answering the question “How does identity influence our art practice?” This way we can consolidate the
learning from the unit and I can better understand what I need to improve in the future.
Unit Mapping

Lesson 1 One Class

Art History: Artists that work with representations of self and identity.

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist that worked in the 1930’s until her death in 1954. She was known for her unique style and her
way of expressing herself through her paintings.
https://www.biography.com/artist/frida-kahlo

Annie Pootoogook was an Inuit artist who was born in Cape Dorset, Nunavut. She worked in the early 2000’s and was born in 1969.
She depicted everyday life through her drawings using coloured pencil.
https://www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/annie-pootoogook/biography

Kara Walker is an artist from New York that focuses on race and gender in relation to her own identity. She uses her history to
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explore and influence her art. She is well known for her paper cut works, but has worked with multiple mediums.
http://www.karawalkerstudio.com/

Glenn Ligon was born in New York in 1960. He worked with multiple mediums to explore identity and culture in his work. Ligon
explores his history and lets that influence his work.
https://art21.org/artist/glenn-ligon/?
gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0u6s5fv27
gIVtz6tBh3iuQotEAAYASAAEgIjdPD_BwE

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer who focuses on self-portraits. She dresses up as other identities and takes photographs
of herself. She was born in 1954 in New Jersey. She uses her own body to explore gender and identity.
http://www.artnet.com/artists/cindy-sherman/

All of these artists and many more throughout history have used identity, self, and their own history to drive their creative process.
These are just a few examples of how you can explore identity in art making.

Instruction: Direct instruction: Students will be taught about all of the artists above and introduced to the inquiry question of the
unit. “How does identity influence our art making?”
Students will have the opportunity to watch a brief video on art and identity-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NICodKeadp0

Whole Class Discussion: After direct instruction students will be asked to work in their sketchbooks on exploring “what does
identity mean to you?” Together as a class we will determine a definition of identity.

Brainstorming: Once students understand this term they will do some brainstorming in their sketchbooks.
Students will take a page in their sketchbook and divide it into four sections. Each section will have a title:
 Personality Traits (Do you have a sense of humour? Do you like being organized?)
 Values (What is important to you?)
 Interests/Hobbies (What do you like to do?)
 Aspirations (What are your goals?)
These four sections can be filled with words or pictures. It is meant to be a place to brainstorm what students’ identity is to them.
Before class ends each student will get a sticky note to write down their own definition of identity. This will be an exit slip for me to
do a quick formative assessment to see if students understand what identity means.

Extra Resources:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/student-resource
/exam-help/changed-identity

Vocabulary:
Identity
Self
Aspirations
Values
Interests
Personality
POS Connection

GLE Encounters

SLE’s
Impact of Images:
Concept A: The ways people use art changes through time.
DBAE Connections
Art History
Art Criticism
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Lesson 2 One Class
Exquisite Corpse: An exquisite corpse is used to collaborate with others.

Instruction: Direct Instruction: Teacher will explain what this exquisite corpse project will look like. They will show examples and
show how to fold the paper for the project.

Demonstration: Students will be folding their paper into three sections. (Teacher will demonstrate) Each section will represent a
different part of a student’s identity. Students can use their brainstorming in their sketchbook from the previous class. Each section
of the drawing will be a different trait from a different student. Students will start with the head, then trade and draw a new trait on a
new section of a different corpse.
For example, my head could represent my organization (personality trait), my middle could represent art (another student’s hobby),
and the legs could represent traveling (another students aspiration). Each student can choose whichever aspects from their
brainstorming. Once they have traded and drawn each section the students will keep which ever corpse they drew on last. The
students will then use pencil crayon to colour each section. This project will be handed in and graded as a summative assessment.

Independent Work Time: While students are working on this assignment the teacher will be going around and asking students why
they chose different parts of their identity to help students reflect on what they are doing during the creative process. They can also
discuss the other parts of the body and how those traits from other students make a more interesting image. What do you like about
the other sections that aren’t yours? Why are you choosing to use those colours?

Resource:
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-explaining-exquisite-corpse-surrealist-drawing-game-die

POS Connection

GLE
Composition

SLE’s Component 1: Concept A: Manipulation of colour emphasis can help express mood in two-dimensional
compositions.

DBAE Connections
Art Making
Aesthetics
Lesson 3 Three Classes
Self Portrait: A self-portrait is a depiction of self, but does not necessarily have to be an image of yourself. It can be a sculpture, a
collection of objects, a drawing of objects, or a work that relates to your identity. This self- portrait is about- What makes you, you?

Instruction:
Direct Instruction:
I will go through a PowerPoint that goes over artists talked about previously and new artists that focus on self-portrait.
The artists are: Frida Kahlo, Annie Pootoogook, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, Cindy Sherman,
Lauren Brevner, Amy Sherald, and Frans Smit. Students will be able to create a self-portrait that focuses on self and their identity.
They can use their previous brainstorming ideas and also brainstorm some new ideas.

Independent Work: Students will be given a performance task sheet that they can use for brainstorming. This sheet will be handed in
for formative feedback before the student starts their main project. They will discuss with the teacher their idea and the materials
they will need. Once students have done this they can use the next class periods to work on their self-portraits.

**Performance Task will be shown below.

POS Connection

GLE
Drawing
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SLE’s
Communicate:
A. The subjective perception of the individual student affects the way he/she expresses action and direction.
B. Mood and feeling as perceived by the individual student can be expressed in colour drawings.
C. Exaggeration of mood characteristics in drawings of nature and people can help to emphasize a personal point of view.

DBAE Connections
Art Making
Aesthetics
Art History Art Criticism

Lesson 4 Three Classes

Family Tree: The last project of this unit will be a vertical family tree. Students will be given a long thick rope that is around 10
inches. With this they will use various materials to create a family tree.

Instruction: Direct Instruction: I will explain what the family tree will look like and provide an example for students to see. This
family tree will be vertical and require a 10-inch long rope. On this rope students will attach various materials: yarn, paper, fabrics,
string, felt, etc. The idea is that each student will be able to represent their identity through this family tree. Before students start this
project, they will use their sketchbook to brainstorm.

Independent Sketchbook Work: In sketchbooks students will write out people from their family in a chart and associate different
attributes with each person. Each person can relate to a colour, line, or texture. What colour embodies that person? Students will also
include themselves within this family tree.
Once students have brainstormed ideas that connect to each family member then they can begin collecting materials to work on the
large project. Students will attach these materials to the string that will hang from the ceiling as a vertical family tree. This project
will be completed over three classes and will be for summative marks.

Resource:
Vieth, K. (1999). From ordinary to extraordinary. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications Inc.

Vocabulary:
Line
Colour
Contrast
Texture
Value
Shape
Form
Space
POS Connection

GLE Composition

SLE’S Component 1: Concept B: Organic shapes derived from natural objects can be developed into three-dimensional forms

DBAE Connections
Art Making
Aesthetics

Lesson 5 Two Class Critique:

Critiques are helpful for students to reflect on their work and to consolidate learning from the unit. We will come back to the inquiry
question “How does identity influence our art practice?”

Instruction:
Direct Instruction: Whole class discussion on “What is a critique?” Together as a class we will fill out a K-W-L chart on what we
know about critiques, what we want to know, and after the critique we will fill out what we learned. (Formatively assessing their
understanding of a critique.)
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Critique: For this project we will be doing a Feldman Critique. Students will
 Describe (What they see)
 Analyze (The elements of art used)
 Interpret (What the artist means)
 Judge (Was the work successful?)
At the end the artist will get to talk about their work.

At the end of class, we will collectively make a word cloud answering the question “How does identity influence our art practice?”
This way we can consolidate the learning from the unit and I can better understand what I need to improve in the future.

Vocabulary:
Identity
Self
Aspirations
Values
Interests
Personality
Line
Colour
Contrast
Texture
Value
Shape
Form
Space
POS Connection

GLE
Drawing

SLE’s
Articulate & Evaluate: Concepts A. Making comparisons about mood and feeling between one’s own works and works by other
students is part of learning to talk about art.
B. Knowing the terms of design, media and techniques used in one’s own drawings helps in description and analysis of one’s own
and others’ works

DBAE Connections
Art Criticism
Aesthetics

Assessment for the Unit:

Lesson One: Formative Assessment: Exit Slip at the end of class answering the question “What is the definition of
identity?”
Lesson Two: Summative Assessment: Exquisite Corpse to be taken in for marks.
Lesson Three: Formative Assessment: Performance Task sheet for brainstorming to be taken in for formative feedback.
Summative Assessment: Self-Portrait to be taken in for marks.
Lesson Four: Summative Assessment: Family tree to be taken in for marks.
Formative Assessment: Sketchbook Family Tree chart.
Lesson Five: Formative Assessment: K-W-L chart as a class & word cloud that answers the inquiry question “How does
identity influence your art practice?”
Sketchbooks will also be taken in at the end of the unit for formative assessment on planning from the unit.