Theory: Why Differentiate?

In order to meet students’

diverse learning styles and

abilities educators should

differentiate throughout

their lessons.

Differentiating within

instruction can make the

class more meaningful,

comprehensible, and most

importantly increase

student achievement.

Lesson

Subject: Visual Arts

Grade Level: High School (grades 9-

12)

Unit: “Current World Issues in Art”

Lesson Topic: Global Warming

Mixed Media Sculpture

Application:

Literacy Strategies for Lesson1. Responsive Writing:

Students will write a response to my prompt after

watching a couple short national geographic videos on

global warming. This strategy is meant to inspire

students and enhance their critical thinking. There are no

right answers, this way it encourages students to think

outside the box!

2. Questioning the Artist (art version of questioning the

author):

The students will deconstruct digital images of “global

warming art” and try to figure out the messages within .

This will help students generate ideas for their mixed

media projects.

Video and Prompt

Write your response to the following prompt. Draw ideas from personal opinion, experience, and ideas in the video. Based on your response it will help you come up with a meaningful work of art that depicts your views on global warming. Share our responses with your neighbor or discuss it with the class.

Prompt: What is your stance on global warming? Do you care, why or why not? What are some changes you might take in your life to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or what are some suggestions you have for society? How might you portray the issue of global warming in your art? Give at least two examples.

http://youtu.be/oJAbATJCugs

http://youtu.be/O8qmaAMK4cM

Questioning the Artist Image #1

• What is the message?

• Is the imagery effective, why or why

not?

Questioning the Artist: Image #2

• What is the meaning of the

artwork?

• Is there a mood, if so what is it?

Questioning the Artist Image #3

What do you think

is the intended

message?

Explain why!

There can be multiple

interpretations.

Fake Student Answers:

By Casey Bennett

Image #1

“It looks like its meant to be humorous. It takes away from the

seriousness of the issue of global warming. It might make people want

to save homeless people before polar bears, or put the two on the

same level. I think its confusing and it’s not a very good

advertisement”.

Image #2

“The artwork is implying how we are filling up the sea with trash and

how the fish are being replaced with garbage. The mood is happy and

dark at the same time, the play on fish is quirky, but the presence of

trash is the harsh and gross reality”

Image #3

“I think the artist is trying to show how green house gasses are caused

from cigarette smoking and factories. It shows how humans are

polluting the earth in multiple ways.”

Materials and Timing

Videos: 5-6 minutes total

Questioning the Artist Section:

3-5minutes (Done with a partner, share groups answer with the class).

Responsive Writing: Students will be given around 10-15 minutes after video to complete the handout.

Mixed Media Project: 3-4 class periods

Supplies: recycled materials, scissors, hot glue, paint, paper, national geographic magazines, newspapers, etc.

The Big Question

How will I differentiate??? Differentiating in the “Questioning the Artist Activity”: This visual learning activity is

meant to be a collective and social process. I will have students work in pairs then have a

class discussions on their interpretations. This way if anyone is confused they will have

the help of their peers and instructor to better explain things.

Differentiating in Multiple Resources: Utilizing multiple resources other than text

books can aid to enthusiastic learning and elevate achievement (Brozo,253). I am

showing the videos and images to get the students motivated , but this method will also

cater to the visual and auditory learners, as well as ELL students. The writing portion will

help those who are more kinesthetic (learners by doing). The writing is also not going to

be graded, it is meant to be a tool to collect their thoughts and ideas, which will take the

pressure off students with learning disabilities or those who struggle with writing. We will

share answers with the class so students can hear their classmates ideas and scaffold

one another's thinking.

Differentiating within instruction and for the mixed media project: I will use the

red/green card assessment tool for those who are struggling on their writing and art

projects. Students with learning disabilities will be asked to write what they thought of the

video versus answering my in depth prompt. Students with severe learning or mobility

disabilities won’t be expected to convey an environmental issue or meaning within their

art, but show they are exploring the materials and attaching things in a creative fashion.

During the video I will pause in a couple sections and model comprehension by restating

the key facts and supporting ideas. I will ask questions to assess that they are paying

attention.

Student Product

Example of high school student mixed media project:

Shows the negative effects of pollution and global warming

on the environment.

Reflection

At first I was unsure if the videos were enough for the lesson, but Casey said it helped him generate ideas and they weren’t to long, therefore it was easy to pay attention. One thing I would change would be to have the students answer the prompt after discussing the artworks, versus right after the video, that way they would have more ideas to pull from in their response.

It always surprises me how creative and in depth in his responses and ideas are since he is not the artsy type. I also really enjoyed his unique interpretations of the artworks!

I felt the lesson topic was good because it’s a global issue. The students might find this issue relative to their lives, which may help those who don’t enjoy art get more interested.

Looking back, I wish I would have done this exercise on two students so I could have more feedback on how I had to differentiated for them, but overall I was pleased with his work.

Resources for: Images and

Videos

Images:

http://favbulous.com/post/2948/38-

creative-global-warming-awareness-

posters

Videos

http://youtu.be/oJAbATJCugs

http://youtu.be/O8qmaAMK4cM