The Illustrated Page: Medieval Manuscripts to New Media

Student Produced Work

Project: In Your Own Images

Day 1

Goal:  Inspired by Diego Rivera’s mural, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, my students will create images based on important events in their lives.

Procedure

1. Students will sit on the carpet, and I will briefly review what we have learned about the narrative that may be embedded in images. I will explain to the students that today we will start creating our own “dream.” Using Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park as example, I will explain the way I could prepare a narrative about my life, using mostly images and only a bit of text. I will make pauses to check for understanding and to answer questions. (10 minutes)
2. I will ask the students to think how could they represent important moments in their lives, using images the way Diego Rivera did. I will give students time to organize their ideas and then share them with a partner. I will ask a few students to share their thoughts with the class. (10 minutes)
3. I will distribute the questionnaire/checklist titled, In Your Own Images. I prepared this questionnaire to help my students to organize their ideas before preparing their own art piece. We will read the directions together, and I will answer any questions about it. (10 minutes)
4. Students will go back to their desks to work in pairs, and start answering the questionnaire. We will continue this activity tomorrow. (10 minutes)

Day 2

Procedure

1. Students will sit on the carpet. I will share with them some of the answers to the questionnaire that was used yesterday, to check for understanding. I will ask questions and make comments to make sure each student is on track. I will distribute the questionnaires and I will send the children back to their desks. (10 minutes)
2. Students will finish answering the questionnaire. I will walk among them to provide support as needed. We will go back to the carpet, and the children will exchange their questionnaires to read their peers’ answers. A few students will share their answers with the class. (15 minutes)
3. For the next activity, I will give each child three sheets of legal size white paper and a ruler. We will fold the papers in three sections, trying different combinations. For more Information about this part of the activity, please look at the images included in the list of resources. Using a sheet of paper, I will model the way I could start preparing my own “dream.” Students will return to their desks to work individually, sketching images to represent main events in their lives. (15 minutes)

Day 3

Procedure

1. Students will finish preparing the sketches for their visual piece. We will return to the carpet to share the work, make comments and answer questions. (15 minutes)
2. I will ask the students to think about which words could they include in their piece, which would go along with their images. Using my own sketch, I will share with them different ways I could add some text to my images. I will show them images from art books, to illustrate the way some artists use scrolls, banners, and other visual components to add text to images. (15 minutes)
3. Students will talk with a partner about words they could use in their sketch. Some students will share their thoughts with the class. The students will go back to their desks to write some of those words using the Adding Text form I designed for this part of the project. (10 minutes)

Day 4

Procedure

1. Today we will review everything that we have done to create the first draft of our own visual narrative. Using my images and text, I will model the way my piece would look. I will show the children how I could modify some of the images or text. I will talk about adding color to the images and making any necessary changes to create the second draft. (10 minutes)
2. Students will receive additional sheets of paper. They will go back to their desks to prepare a second draft of their visual narrative. This draft will have color and text. I will observe the students as they work, providing support as needed. (20 minutes)
3. Students will return to the carpet to share their work with a partner. Some children will share their second draft with the class. (10 minutes)

Day 5

Procedure

1. Today we will use old magazines, pieces of discarded fabric and craft items to enhance our visual narrative. This is an optional step, and not all children may want to use these items. Students will be free to choose and use some of these objects, find their own at home, or both. I will model the way I could add some of these items in my piece. Students will select what they want, and they will put their items in a Ziploc bag labeled with their name. (15 minutes)
2. After the children put their items away, they will go back to the carpet to observe the way I write a simple description of my own piece. I will make pauses answer questions and check for understanding. I will explain how my description and images are similar to those used by Rivera in his mural. I will ask the students to think about their own descriptive passage. (15 minutes)
3. Students will go back to their desks to write a draft for their written piece. I will collect the descriptions to give each child feedback about their writing later. (15 minutes)

Day 6

Procedure

Students will take their two drafts, written description and bagged items home. I will give each child two large pieces of white construction paper, and a letter for their parents. This letter explains the way each child needs to complete their final piece, and prepare a 5-minute presentation. Children will have one week to complete their project at home. They will bring their image, and at least two photographs (printed or digitally submitted) showing them working on their piece to document authenticity. Each child will present their finished work to the class. After the presentations, my students images, descriptions and photographs will be exhibited in our school library.