It’s what’s on the inside that counts…. Ted Edinger Tulip Grove Elementary

Rational : At such a young age, students begin comparing themselves to one another. Hair, clothing, and over all style take on an unhealthy importance. I want my students to be more aware of who they are on the inside: personality, mental prowess, feelings, dreams. The exterior is just the vessel that contains who they truly are. BIG IDEA : Identity TOPIC : “It’s what’s on the inside that counts!”

KEY CONCEPTS: …big idea Identity includes what is on the inside. Identity is shaped by many things. Identity is concrete & abstract Identity is both personal & shared. …art/visual culture Artists use animals for personal representation. Artists use objects as metaphors. Artists create vessels from clay. Artists work in community. Artists use critiques as a tool for personal growth.

Essential Questions: What is identity? What makes/shapes your identity? Is identity concerned with only external factors? Why is identity important?

Unit Objectives: Students will learn the difference between external & internal identity. Students will learn the purpose of different vessels. Students will learn about symbols & their use in art making. Students will learn the coil method in clay hand building.

Lesson One Students will discuss essential questions about identity & create a list of identity words that deal with internal identity. Students will look at and discuss the use of animals as symbols /representations in Native American art work, African Art, Egyptian Art, and the work of Frida Kahlo. Students pick an animal to represent themselves & draw that animal in the center of their paper. They will then write the words that represent their internal identity around their animal(taken from the list we generated, or they can come up with some new words of their own.) Students will discuss essential questions about identity & create a list of identity words that deal with internal identity. Students will look at and discuss the use of animals as symbols /representations in Native American art work, African Art, Egyptian Art, and the work of Frida Kahlo. Students pick an animal to represent themselves & draw that animal in the center of their paper. They will then write the words that represent their internal identity around their animal(taken from the list we generated, or they can come up with some new words of their own.)

Lesson Two Students will learn about Canopic Jars and the purpose they had served in Egyptian culture. Students will create the lid for their own Canopic Jar w/ the head of the animal they had draw in lesson one.

Making their lids for the Canopic Jars…..

Lesson Three Students will be creating the vessel portion of their canopic jars. Students will be discussing with their table groups qualities they see in each other(as they are working on their vessel). From the discussions, we will revisit our list we created during Lesson One, and add any new words.

Lesson Four Students will receive their lids, vessels, and animal/adjective sheet back. Students will write on the back of their animal/adjective sheet their favorite part of the lesson. They will also write(3 sentences) why they feel it is important to know who they are on the inside. Students will fold their paper up and place inside their vessel.

Art Work Used in Lessons…

Visual Art Standards Develops skills in: application of media, techniques, process, manipulating tools. Explores sculptural techniques with clay. Understands and applies the art making process. Creates artwork using sequential steps, from conception to the final product. Explores universal themes found in specific works of art within world cultures, art movements, and time periods. Develops skills to critique artwork through description, analysis, and judgment. Begins to identify possible solutions to production and composition problems. Begins to acknowledge problems that arise in art production.