Classroom Activities
This unit is currently planned for the fall of 2026. It could take place any time of the year, however, I have found it best to try a new project and/or unit at the start of the year to keep excitement high and before we run into too many distractions from other school activities.
The planned time frame is 10 to 14 classes over a six to eight-week span. The unit should take up the better part of our first nine-week grading period and will focus mainly on our fourth and/or fifth graders.
Phase One: Discussion of artist as activist
As always with a new unit, we will do a brief discussion of expectations, pass out sketchbook/journals, and do a brief overview of what the unit will entail. After the overview, we can start into our discussion of what it means to be both an artist and an activist.
Our guiding questions will include:
In relationship to the Artist
- Why might an artist want people to think differently about specific issues?
- What experiences in the artist's life may have inspired their activism?
- How can creating art be a way of speaking out and speaking up for others?
- Why might an artist choose certain media/mediums for their work?
- Are there any artists that we have discussed that you might consider an activist?
Connecting Art and Activism
- What problem or injustice do you think artists could/should emphasize?
- How can one artwork/artist inspire people?
- How can art/artists change someone’s mind?
- How can artmaking help create a larger sense of community?
- What makes an artist a leader instead of a boss?
After our initial discussion of artists as activists, we will move on to discussing a few of the newer artists that I want to introduce to them. We will discuss the art of activist printmaker Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. along with reviewing artists that we have discussed previously such as Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringold, Romare Bearden, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. We will also delve into how artists from other mediums such as music and writing artists can be activists in their own disciplines.
The discussion part of the unit should only take one or two class periods as we can touch on these concepts throughout the entirety of the unit.
Phase Two: Planning and research
As stated in my strategies, the goal is to have students keep a sketchbook style journal throughout the entire process of the unit. This not only builds transferable habits and routines, but it provides a concrete way to look back on our process. Students will be using sketches and notes from their research as inspiration for their final project.
Students will have time to do research on an artist or artists of their choice to use as inspiration for their project. Students will also be able to use this time to do any research on what techniques, artforms, and methods they might like to use to convey their specific cause or issues. This is where the guiding and planning questions will come into play. Every student will research and record the artist or artists that they are using for inspiration along with the medium that artist is most well known for, the causes and/or issues that they want to shed light on or advocate for, and how they will use the artist or artists and their work as inspiration for their final project.
Since Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. will be our new and main artist of reference and inspiration, I will lean a little heavier on printmaking as a medium and example, but students will, within reason, have artistic license to choose their preferred medium and method of creation. For example, if a student chooses Romare Bearden as their artistic inspiration, they might choose to lean more toward a collage type project or simply use his color palette or compositional style as reference. As with all artistic endeavors, I understand that these projects can and will take different twists and turns and as long as students are able to justify and explain their reasoning, I am happy to enable and encourage them to take artistic risks and take the path that their journey puts them on.
Planning questions might include:
- Who is your artist or artists of reference that you are using for inspiration?
- What medium or mediums will you be using for the final assignment?
- What is the message that you want to convey and/or what cause do you want to bring attention to or advocate for?
Phase Three: Creation and Reflection
If students took visual and written notes during the introduction process, the research process, and during the planning process, they should already have a well-documented account of information and inspiration to look back upon and should have adequate planning and ideas to influence their final project. As visual artists we can use our sketches and notes in much the same way that a scientist would use their well-documented research, or a musician can listen back through recordings of their past performances, or even how an author or poet would look back on their notes and writing sketches. As always, certain accommodations will be made for students who missed classes along with any individual learning plans that students may have.
This framework will be laid out in the planning sheet and the checklist. Along with the rubric, these will act as the basis for grading the assignments.
Depending on the choices that the class makes, we will either choose individual methods/mediums or choose a method/medium that the entire class will use for the project. Although I am flexible, I am aiming for every student to have at the very least, a modicum of autonomy as to the direction of their work and how their project comes to fruition.
When each student finishes their project, they will be asked to complete a set of reflection questions and prompts. I encourage students to title their piece along with answering a variety of questions about their project and their artistic choices.
Some questions I use for reflection might include the following:
- Who did you choose as your artistic inspiration and why did you choose this artist or these artists for inspiration?
- What artistic medium or mediums did you use for your work?
- What was the message that you wanted to convey and/or what was it that you wanted the world to look at more closely?
- What was your favorite part of the project and what was your least favorite part of the project? Please do not answer with ‘nothing’, ‘everything’, or ‘I don’t know’.
- What would you change if you were to do the project again?
- How would you describe the color scheme of your final project? Please do not just list the colors that you used.
Throughout the process of the unit, we will continue to reinforce artistic and creative principles and concepts that we have been introducing, discussing, and implementing in some form since kindergarten. We will reinforce concepts such as color theory, design theory, the elements of art, intentionality, the principles of design, etc…
Phase Four: Collaborative Project if time
If time permits, I will enjoy having the students work in groups on a persuasive project. This could take many forms, but it would bring the project full circle if the students as individuals with a message needed to then unify for a group message. This gives them a chance to take those thoughts and feelings of one person and work through the processes of group dynamics and how we might need to compromise or at least rethink our ideas and thoughts when working with that larger group.
We have also been looking into and planning an interactive ‘mini’ art gallery that would be visible to the public and that students would be able to help maintain and decide on the themes and pieces. Much like a ‘free’ community library that you see in some neighborhoods, the art gallery would be a small structure where student art could be displayed and visible to those outside of our direct school community.
Suggested Warm Up Activities:
Sketching is a regular warm up activity in my class. If used as a warmup, the sketches should have a very specific time limit to not cut too much into the time of the actual activity for the day. I like to use prompts specific to the project or artist that we are discussing and I usually set my timer for three to five minutes for the entirety of the warmup. My rules for most warmup activities are that it is to remain completely silent and that students are to work for the duration of the time set. If a pencil breaks, use a crayon. If you don’t have the right color, use a different color. If you’re not sure what to draw at the moment, write something. If you don’t know how to draw something, think of something else to draw. But please stay in your area and I will answer all your questions when we finish the warmup.
The purpose of an intentionally silent warmup is to not only give students a brain break but to also me a chance to circulate, for me to double check and make sure everything is set out and that the room is set up for the needs of that particular class, and as a tool to help students with their focus and ability to stay on task. The reason that I ask students to keep working throughout the entire time is to also help with focus and ability to stay on task, but to also encourage them to take that extra step and to add that extra detail or details. It gives them the chance to ask themselves what else they can add to the assignment.
I have used quick collaging as a warmup as well as using that time for students to openly experiment with a new or unfamiliar medium.
Sometimes my warmups simply consist of reinforcing a concept or artistic aspect that I feel we didn’t get to touch on or one that just needs a little reinforcement. As long as it thematically or pedagogically supports the current project, any warmup is an effective way to help support the routine of using small actions to create noticeable and sustainable improvement as well as supporting student abilities for concentration and intentionality.
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