Learning Unit : Aesthetic Assessment Design

Author: Maurene Streeter
School District: Ilion Central Schools: Ilion Junior-Senior High School
Grade Level: 9-12 all students
Subject Area: used in Studio Art, Drawing and Painting and other art courses
Core Standards: Art # 1 creating; #2 resource/research; #3 analysis; # 4 culture (self and society)

See also NYS ATA Portfolio Project design statements
Other standards are found in application of ELA, SS, Science/Math, and technology

Time Duration: Within Block Schedule : 4 weeks AC/BD day: 80 minutes per session

Essential Questions for Portfolio: Self-Portrait

What is aesthetically pleasing to me?

How does this sense of aesthetics or beauty differ from individual to individual (and why)?

How does this sense of aesthetic or beauty differ from social group to social group (and why)?

Will my sense of aesthetic change over time (and why)?

Initiating Activity: Warm-up: Materials: magazines for each student, grab bag for group; scissors, markers, glue.

1 Reflect on the above questions in your journals: there are several kept for the project including one that is a commentary on the art seen (breakdown document); terminology journal which includes vocabulary and research; self/peer/teacher journal of comments on work. There is also discussion and speaking done on these questions. Depending on class make-up, experience and maturity, one question at a time is used or the entire set.

2. Aesthetic "GRAB BAG": This is a bag filled with objects/icons form various time periods, countries, culture and media. Two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional objects are in the collection. Students construct an "individual taste" collage depicting their ideas, beliefs and values from the components, as well as items they draw/cut/paste/letter.

From each source using information though about and/or discussed student creates beginning of self-portrait.

Learning Experiences/Evaluation and Assessment: on-going

Students keep a journal/notebook to use as self-evaluation and as repository of their work (research, sketches, thinking, etc.) They write on various topics: definitions; focal point; elements of design (line, shape, color, form, value, texture, space); subject matter (figure, landscape, still life, genre, and abstract). These are topics generic to all art courses and used in each activity. They research definitions and then create their own definitions. They do reflective writing. They gather pictorial examples for visual definitions (sketching, magazines, and reproductions, art from books, from Internet). They search and use "word" sources (books, computers; CD- Rom, interviews and Internet). They write summaries: application of the research to their thinking, creation and culminating activity.

Total Journal entries: 4 outlines; one for each quarter of the year.

Students keep a sketchbook: drawn: collage examples of each subject matter, reflecting different aspects of student’s aesthetic; drawn/collage examples of each element of design, reflecting different aspects of the student’s aesthetic.

Total Sketchbook entries: 12 (collage and/or drawn design)

Types of Learning Being Addressed:

Goal oriented learning aligned to behavioral objectives and learning outcomes)

Student motivation (individual as well as social/cultural awareness)

Multiple intelligence focus on learning styles: visual, verbal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, fine motor

Performance Indicators:

#1 self and society

# 2 assessment

#3 image building

#5 elements and principles

Declarative Knowledge: information on aesthetics, focal point, elements of design, subject matter; assessment; art history, iconography

Procedural: concepts and skills of drawing, sketching, collage, design; creating images based on following concepts: aesthetic, focal point; elements of design, subject matter; how to assess their own work and that of others in following formats: written, oral, through interviews; group collaboration and summary

Integrated Areas: ELA 1,3,4; Technology 2,5; SS 2

E.L.A.

-Read ,write, listen and speak for information and understanding

-Read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

-Read, write, listen and speak for social interaction.

TECHNOLOGY

-Access, generate,process and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

-Apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.

SOCIAL STUDIES

-Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history form a variety of perspectives.

Culminating Experience

Description: Each student will create a work of art which does the following: Create a drawing or collage which reflects what you visually like, your aesthetic, and is your self-portrait. You will need to explain your work to the teacher, a peer and the class.

The work created should:

Be organized with space creating focal points and should be composed in a unified way.

Be illustrative of six of the seven elements of design.

The final work is based on at least one subject matter.

The compositional structure of your work reflects your aesthetic.

Supplies/Materials:

Declarative: Literature; art works in reproduction from various sources

Internet/CD-Rom resources

Procedural: art materials- various for two/three dimensional work

Assessment: (The documents referred to in this section are available.)

Instructional: The instructor will give the student individual feedback in the following areas; the student will use the same assessments for self evaluation.

Written, oral, one-on-one interviews with instructor; group collaborations; through the following tools:

Unit effort grade sheets: one during research stage of project; the other after culminating work submitted (verbal/visual orientation)

Critical Analytical Writing Sheets: one during research phase and one after culminating work is submitted: these writings are based on observation and response to a peer’s work over time.

Break Down Sheets: these are used to evaluate a student’s work on his/her final, culminating piece : assessing the visual, the verbal components, in a numeric score.

Reflective Writing: Students write one paragraph, at various times during the unit, reflecting on what was discovered in the unit; what was learned from peer/self/teacher review; and how it might be implemented in the student’s future independent work. The student is to compare his/her work with other occurrences of creative learning outside the self, which transpired during the unit.

Students: the student will reflect on and monitor his/her work and thinking in the

• written, oral, one-on-one interviews with instructor; group collaborations using the following tools:

Unite Effort Grade Sheets (one during research process and

other after culminating work is completed)

Critical Analysis Writing Sheets (one during research process and

other after culminating work is completed)

This is based on observation of a peer’s work.

Breakdown Sheets (used to evaluate the student’s work at the

end of the culminating performance in visual, verbal, and

numeric way.

Reflective Writing: Students are to write one paragraph reflecting on what was discovered in the unit and how they will use

ideas to implement future work. The student is to compare

his/her work with other occurrences of creative learning

outside of the self which transpired during the learning unit.

Reflection

The learning unit can be replicated in each and every art course with different culminating experiences. The process builds a common core vocabulary which students can use across courses and instructors for evaluation in art, as well as in other disciplines. The links to other standards can be emphasized in various ways depending on class make-up, grade levels, interdisciplinary opportunities.

This assessment unit would be enhanced with the inclusion of portfolio work from past art experiences and would document the broadening knowledge of the student in the discipline and study of the visual arts, as well as a longitudinal view of their own creations from elementary and junior-high school.

This structure builds the ground for a college portfolio, an AP course portfolio, a selection to use in submission for contests/art school admissions. A student will then be able to self-assess, reflect and discuss his/her work as well as use this knowledge and procedure to develop more fully as an artist.

Special needs groups

All students will be addressed one on one by the instructor, addressing each students diverse learning style.