Spontaneous Painting Lesson plan

Spontaneous Painting Studio Lesson

I . Introduction

Title of Lesson: Spontaneous Painting Studio (Interdisciplinary Lesson).

Grade Level: 9-10^th grade

Projected Length: 7 days

Big Idea for unit: Self awareness

Enduring Understanding for unit: The process of creating art is valuable because it helps to remove layers and assists the individual to become in touch with his or her core sense of being.

Essential Question for unit: What value is there in the making of art?

II. Instructional Objectives

Understand:

Students will understand that the process of creating art is far more valuable than the end product.

Know:

1. Students will know how to listen to a meditation (or story) and convert the ideas into creative energy in order to create spontaneous paintings.
2. Students will know how to write journal entries based on the spontaneous paintings they have done in class.

Do:

Students will:

1. Listen to meditations or short stories in the beginning of class. (10 minutes.)
2. Set up painting stations with 8”x10” Bristol paper and acrylic paints.
3. Paint for 20 minutes based on ideas from meditation or short story.
4. Clean up painting stations and place paintings on drying racks. (5 Minutes)
5. Write a journal entry based on feelings that came up during meditation and painting time. (10 minutes.)

III. Aim

How does the process of creating art based on a concept add value to your painting?

IV. Procedure

Overview:

1. On day one of this lesson, students will be given a proper introduction to the methodology behind spontaneous painting. Each student will be given a hand out specifying instructions on how to participate in the proceeding studio days. (Please see attached hand out.) Students will have ten minutes to read the hand out and thoroughly process it. After students have read the hand out, the teacher will reiterate the instructions, and allow time for questions and comments. Students will then be given supplies for the project, which they will place in their cubbies. Students will prepare acrylic paints in storage palates, so that they may put large quantities of paint in the palate and use it during the proceeding classes. Students will be given five pieces of 8”x10” Bristol paper for paintings. They will be instructed to write their names on the back of the papers.

2. For the following five days, students will be instructed to set up painting areas at the beginning of class. Once the entire class arrives, the teacher will begin reading the short stories or meditations for the day. (Please see attached meditations and short stories that will be used each day.) Students will listen for approximately ten minutes. Students will begin to paint anything that comes to mind after hearing the meditation or short story of the day. Students will paint on the supplied Bristol paper for twenty minutes. The teacher will inform students when they must begin to clean up. Students will place paintings on drying rack, put their paint away, clean their brushes and work space. Students will then be instructed to simply write a few sentences in their journals about their feelings on the meditation and the outcome of their paintings. This journal entry can come in the form of a poem or just a few sentences to articulate their feelings.

3. On day seven of this lesson, students will come into class and be directed to push pin their spontaneous paintings up on the walls in chronological order. The purpose of placing them in order will be to see changes, similarities and patterns between the works. Students will be critiqued in no particular order. I will allow volunteers to have their work critiqued first. The student being critiqued will be asked to identify constant themes presented throughout the paintings. The student will be asked what changes he or she notices throughout the series. Students will have the opportunity to read a selection from their journals, but the teacher will understand if the student feels this is too personal. The teacher will collect the journals at the end of the lesson on day of the critique. Other students who are not being critiqued at the moment will be encouraged to give positive and constructive feedback regarding the series of paintings.

V Closure

At the end of each class period throughout this lesson, the teacher say a few words about what she thought the meditation or short story was trying to say. At the end of the critique day, the teacher will have students write what they liked and didn’t like about the spontaneous painting lesson. They will write this on an index card. On the critique day, the teacher will collect all journals and index cards. Students will simply receive credit if they have participated in the lesson.

V. Formative Assessment

To determine if the students are ready to move into the final project (assessment) for this unit, the teacher will gather information from the index cards and journals. The teacher will look to see what students have written as journal entries. If the entry in some way or another tackles the emotions felt during the meditation or painting, the teacher will feel as if the students are ready to move on to the final assessment for this unit. The index cards will give the teacher feedback as far as how much the students enjoyed the assignment and the parts that could have been changed. The teacher will determine if this lesson plan should be used in future semesters.