Unit Explorations of Contrast
Theme Interaction: Contrast
Project Focus Sculpture (Option 2)
Discipline Visual/Kindergarten
Unit Focus
Students study the role of contrast in visual art following a unit on community and the individual. They examine the role that difference plays in society, creating diverse and democratic groups. They then compare this to compositions in the arts, examining how contrast functions to create visual interest (“There is no light without dark“). Students will focus on the way an artist uses the elements of art to create contrast within a work in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of how contrast can change an individual’s perspective of an environment, object, or animal. Students will …show more content…
(may include advanced vocabulary)
Point of View: bird’s eye view, ant’s eye view
Contrast
Relationships (between objects/people)
Perspective / Point of View
Elements of Art Vocabulary
National Standards Addressed VA:Cr1.2.K: Engage collaboratively in creative art-making in response to an artistic problem. VA:Cr2.1.K: Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to art-making.
VA:Cr2.2.K: Identify safe and non-toxic art materials, tools, and equipment. VA:Cn11.1.K: Identify a purpose of an artwork. Thematic Overview/Context Technical/Formal Instruction engagement with the theme/foundations of concept demonstrations of technique/integration of vocabulary and concepts
Engagement Activities: The following activities are tools which can be used by the teacher to peak student interest and investment in the upcoming unit/lesson surrounding emphasized vocabulary.
● Close Study: Examine a complex work of art, such as the sculptures by Claes Oldenburg, whose work focuses on altering the point of view of the viewer by exaggerating the size of everyday objects. View contextual images to support …show more content…
● Visuals: During whole group instruction teachers introduce various pieces of art which show different kinds/levels of contrast. These pieces address contrast vocabulary in relationship to color, size, or space. Artworks could include:
○ Spoonbridge and Cherry, Claes Oldenberg (contrast to an actual spoon and cherry)
○ Maman, Louis Bourgeois(contrast to an actual spider, or normal sized drawing of a spider)
○ Boulder Dam, Ansel Adams (there are multiple images in this series which show various viewpoints of the Dam.)
● Skills/Technique Development: Demonstrating various skills and techniques which students will need to successfully complete a project within this unit is crucial, especially if students will be creating a 3-D form. Modeling can take place as direct instruction/demonstration, or through guided discovery (see below).
● Matching Game aka “Contrast Cards”: Students manipulate and match vocabulary words to a descriptive picture. For example, written vocabulary cards could include; big, small, huge, tiny, near, far, above, below. Visual Cards could include; an ant, a tree, a