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Introduction |
| Downloading and Printing Instructions | |
| Lesson Plans | |
| Acknowledgments |
Introduction
The lesson plans provided on this website are related to works of art
in the collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art. They may be used in
conjunction with a visit to the Museum, or, as they are presented here,
the lesson plans may be used independently. A trip to your local museum
will provide students with an opportunity to use the vocabulary and critical
looking skills they have learned here. For Alabama teachers, the Alabama
Course of Study topics are provided with each lesson. As this program
begins, we have a selection of Social Studies lesson plans available on
the site. During the 2002/2003 school year, we will be adding additional
Social Studies lessons and Science plans weekly, so please bookmark this
section and check it throughout the year.
Teachers are encouraged to read the Overview and Objectives and select any of the lesson plans that are appropriate for your class's needs. The lessons have been designed to be used individually or using all of the age appropriate lessons presented. In order to provide the material to your class, you should print the lesson plan for your own use and print as many color copies of the focus works of art as needed to use as visual aids in the classroom. Detailed directions are provided below.
Downloading
and Printing Instructions for Start with Art
These lesson plans were originally
distributed as printed books and posters. To access the lesson plans and
printable focus art works, you need Adobe Reader. It is available
as a free plug-in. Lesson plans and art works are provided as pdf (portable
document format) files which will open with this software. If you do not
already have it, please install
now to view and print lesson plans.
For the focus art works, a separate pdf file is available for each focus art work discussed. To prepare for teaching using a lesson plan in the classroom, a teacher should print each focus art work (one or more copies) on 8 1/2 x 11" paper on any kind of color printer. To improve reproduction quality, photo quality paper is recommended. You may want to print several copies of each image and allow students to work in groups when viewing. Diagrams and samples of student art productions are shown in the lesson plan but are not available for larger printing. They are presented for teacher's reference only.
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Lesson Plans and related focus art works are provided as pdf (portable document format) files for easy printing. See downloading and printing recommendations for details.
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Cultural
Awareness ************** |
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Social
Skills and Responsibility ************** |
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Understanding
Cultural Diversity
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People Who Are Special
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People
Who Provide for Our Needs ************** |
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People
Who Enrich Our Lives ************** |
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Native
Americans ************** |
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American
Settlement by Europeans and Africans |
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Program
Overview
Start with Art is a program
sponsored by the Birmingham Museum of Art that is based on the belief
that museum education should not be distinctly different from both the
type and caliber of learning that takes place within other educational
institutions. As a community resource, museums should act as vehicles
to expand learning beyond the classroom. Through this program we hope
that the BMA will provide a critical link between teachers, students,
and the Museum's collection to enhance the educational objectives of the
community.
Program Objectives and Approach
In today's society, visual literacy
(and its practical application) is taking its place alongside verbal literacy
as a key characteristic for long-term educational success. Changes in
museum philosophy place greater emphasis on the audience. Educational
objectives have also shifted to emphasize the development of visual interpretation
and enhance students' visual literacy, and thus their ability to translate
and incorporate imagery and concepts from original works of art into more
traditional educational experiences.
The Museum advocates Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) as an effective means of assisting students in developing a higher degree of visual literacy by experiencing art in a variety of ways. DBAE integrates the ideas, skills, knowledge, and creative aptitude of students in a manner that stimulates critical thinking. This approach is based on four key steps for art education:
Understanding art's cultural and historical contexts
Evaluating the qualities of visual imagery and making informed judgments about art
Creating art
Questioning the nature of art
This four-step approach encourages students not just to observe and study art, but also to evaluate and understand the intent of the artist. Through understanding, evaluating, creating, and questioning art, students are confronted with significant cultural and social issues that allow them to enjoy educational experiences outside the regular classroom.
What These Lesson Plans
Provide
When using this interdisciplinary curriculum, select the information and
activities that are appropriate for your teaching. Each Lesson Plan unit
includes the following:
- Focus work of art from the Birmingham Museum of Art collection, including title, artist, medium, dimensions, and country in which it was produced.
- Background information about the artist, time period, and artistic styles and trends.
- Discussion questions about the work of art.
- Vocabulary.
- Studio activity lesson plan.
- Selected book for Social Studies curriculum.
- Display the focus work of art in your classroom as you teach the lesson.
- Introduce the Social Studies theme and lead a classroom discussion.
- Read selected book aloud and connect themes during discussion.
- Refer to focus art work, using the description of the work of art for in-depth background on the work and its artist. Use critical thinking questions to motivate classroom discussion.
- After discussion, have students write a short text for the art work relating to the social studies theme. Have students use their imagination to create a story about the art work based on what they see. This can be done as a group or individually.
- Begin the art production activity, using the corresponding lesson plan for each theme.
- Have students discuss their text/story with the class. Lead a discussion focusing on how the themes they learn about in school have been of interest and concern to artists of many cultures throughout history.
We have developed Start with Art resource material so that students may experience artwork as a medium for learning about and understanding visual arts, social studies, and language arts. We do not believe this project is a substitute for experiencing original works of art. We encourage you to visit an art museum near you in order to complete the process begun in your classroom. We welcome your comments. Please let us hear from you. Contact sstephens@artsbma.org.
Start with Art on our website was made possible by a State grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Included in each lesson you will find highlighted links to the Alabama Course of Study for Social Studies and Arts Education.
The original lesson plans were developed with a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
Special thanks to the Social
Studies Project Development Team:
Lisa Rigsby, DBAE Curriculum Specialist
Jan Stephens, Curriculum Specialist
Susie Goss, Research Assistant
The project development team for our Social Studies lessons wants to recognize the many individuals who generously gave their time, energy, and expertise to the creation and publication of Start with Art. We gratefully acknowledge their valuable contributions: Dr. Mary Ann Culotta, Suzan B. Harris, Carson Herrington, Barbara Kelley, Joan Kennedy, Nancy McCormack, Stacy Merrin, Sally Stephens, Gail Trechsel, Jeffrey J. York, Dr. Jeanine Bell.