Classroom Activities
I will describe three activities that this unit will include. One will detail how I’ll implement the use of daily snapshots, one will show how I’ll integrate the use of racist images with ekphrasis, and one will focus on the making of a visual art product.
Snapshot Activities
We will start by reading “Gravity” by Angel Nafis together as a class. Then I will show students the photographs on which the poem is based - images from Carrie Mae Weems’ Kitchen Table Series. This activity will be a great jumping-off point for discussions about microagressions. The term “microaggression” was coined in 1970 by psychiatrist and Harvard University professor Chester M. Pierce to describe insults and dismissals he regularly witnessed non-black Americans inflict on African Americans.25 Microaggressions are everyday verbal and non-verbal slights and insults that communicate negative or hostile messages to a marginalized group. They are often hidden messages that threaten or demean, like when a white woman clutches her purse when a black man walks past. As a class, we will unpack the meaning of microagressions alongside the reading of the poem and analysis of Weems’ photo series.
Racist Imagery and Ekphrasis
Prior to the start of this unit, students will make collage haikus so they will have experience integrating visual art and poetry. Students will write as many of their favorite words as they can in three minutes. In the style of round robin, each will share one word they wrote. Next, I will select a simple poem to “dissect” – I will cut up each of the words individually. Students will work in pairs to reassemble the poem, as they see fit, using all of the words. Then, I will provide students with copies of the original poem. We will discuss the similarities and differences. Next, students will write three lines about the sky. I will encourage students to be imaginative and avoid clichés. Then, I will select one poem from the list I’ve mentioned to read and analyze in class together. This activity will provide students with an opportunity for guided practice of reading and understanding poetry. After we have annotated the poem and discussed it as a class, I will show students a compilation of racist images. The lesson will involve situating these objects in a historical context while also making connections to modern day racist imagery and stereotypes. Students will be encouraged to write down words or phrases from the presentation, or words that describe how they’re feeling. Finally, students will brainstorm how they want to approach writing a poem about an image or object from the presentation.
Art Making
Before starting their self-portrait, students will gain experience working from observation with a variety of media. Exercises will include using contour and blind contour to draw a still life as well as portraits of several of their classmates. Given examples of the plethora of ways that artists create self-portraits, students will make a plan for their own. The only requirements for the finished product are: Use of translucent paper, use of line and value, one layer must include a representation of how they see themselves, another layer must include a depiction of how they think society sees them, and a third layer can be the students’ choice.
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