instructional resource k-5

8/14/2019 Instructional Resource K-5

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Instructional Resource

Children are bombarded with thousands of images everyday, from television

commercials to advertisements on cereal boxes, to logos on all their clothing and streets

lined with enormous billboards and colorful signs. Everywhere they look, a visual

stimulus attempting to grab their attention. This constant saturation of images causes the

children to filter and ignore many of the images which constantly surround them.

However; because children are so accustomed to seeing these everyday visual culture

images, they are familiar and comfortable with them. I define visual culture as anything

that has been created to be looked at: signs, storefront windows, toys, decorative

figurines- anything that does not serve a strictly utilitarian purpose. The following

Instructional Resource should be used in a 3rd through 5th grade setting as a way to use

visual culture images to gain a slightly deeper understanding of fine art.

By making comparisons between fine art and visual culture images, children will

begin to understand art on a more fundamental level, as well as increase their mental

repertoire of important and relevant images. Additionally, the images that are up for

comparison in this article are all images involving children. In using children as a

common theme, the students may understand that art is not just for adults, but very much

meant for younger viewers as well. The images will be more accessible for the students if

they feel they can relate to the children that are depicted in the images.

An instructor should us the following types of exercises once a day just for a few

minutes to help their students increase their understanding and appreciation of fine art,

increase their mental catalog of images, as well as make connections between images

seen in their everyday lives and fine art images. The instructor can also make this an

exciting and fun time of day by adding an element of surprise. For example, after the

image comparisons have been discussed, the instructor will ‘reveal’ the ‘secret’ meaning

of one of the images. This way, children can learn the excitement of art, as well as

learning that every image has a story. Furthermore, the instructor can begin to select fine

art images which tie into the unit of study which is being currently being taught in the

classroom.

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For example, this first comparison would be useful in an American history unit, or

a unit on the Civil War. The first image for comparison is a stock photograph of children

playing underneath a colorful and billowing parachute (Figure 1). The instructor would

begin by showing the stock photo to the students and asking them to describe what they

see. What types of clothing are they wearing? Where do you think the children are? Are

they playing a game? What type of game do you think they are playing? The children will

answer the questions and discuss what they think is taking place in the picture with the

children underneath the parachute.

The fine art image to be compared with the stock photograph would be Winslow

Homer’s Snap the Whip (Figure 2). Similar questions can be posed to the students before

the instructor ‘reveals’ what the image actually is. What type of clothing are the children

wearing in this image? Where are they? Is this a current image? What are they doing?

The students can then look at the stock photograph of the children next to the Homer

painting and make comparisons; for example: both images show children playing, in one

image, the children are barefoot etc. After the students have compared both images and

come up with ideas, it will be time for the instructor to reveal what is actually taking

place.

Winslow Homer was an American artist who painted images of American

life in a nostalgic way. Even though this painting is old, it is recreating a memory of

something older. The laughing children barefoot in the grass, the one room school house

in the background- all try to capture the essence of life before the Civil War. The war was

hard on American families, and they longed for happier days before the war made them

sad. The instructor can then ask the students about memory. Do they have snapshots in

their mind of an event? What was it? Do you think what you remember is how it really

happened? In this comparison, the visual culture image is simply used to get the students

warmed up to thinking about images. This would be a good example of discussion to use

at the beginning of these types of exercises for the comparisons will be very rudimentary

at first. As time goes by and these comparisons are done more frequently, the students

will be able to make connections between the pairs that are both meaningful and

significant.

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Princess Margarita is painted wearing her best clothes and has her hair curled

nicely, just like the girls in the other photograph. She must sit still for many hours while

Velazquez paints her picture. Could you imagine wearing uncomfortable clothes and

having to sit still for hours? Additionally, explain how during the time Margarita had her

picture painted, only the very wealthy people could afford to hire a painter. Today, many

people can get their portraits painted or photographed and they do not need to be rich.

As an activity to accompany this discussion, have students pair up and draw

portraits of each other. They could chose to represent each other as they really are, or

perhaps wearing nicer clothing than their school clothes. Maybe they could change the

setting, putting each other in a room outside the classroom; or perhaps outdoors. They

could also take turns posing each other, so they can have a different angle or perspective

to work from. When the drawings are finished, have the students create picture frames for

their portraits and display them on the wall as a ‘Gallery of Exceptional Students’!

The next pairing of images compares images of children with animals. Begin by

showing the image of a small Hummel figurine (Figure 5). This figurine shows a little

boy crawling over a fence to see a goose. Why do you think the boy wants to see the

goose? Does the goose want to see the boy? Can you create a story of what is happening

between the boy and the goose? Discuss these questions, following with questions about

the object specifically. What is the use of the object? Where might you see this? Is it

expensive? Though Hummel figurines are collectible, they are often not considered fine

art. It will be interesting to note how students respond to an actual, fragile object in

regards to what they may perceive as a static painting in the aforementioned pairings.

Compare the Hummel with the statue of Child With Goose from ancient Greece.

How are both figures same and different? What is the story between this particular boy

and this goose? This could also open up to a discussion of pets and the students’

relationship with their pets. When the stories of both figures have been discussed, begin

to explain the significance of Child With Goose. This sculpture is actually a Roman copy

of a Greek piece. Many Romans copied ancient Greek sculpture and what we have today

are copies- not the originals. This one was excavated in Rome. The significance of the

piece is that it may be an offering to a God. Often at times when children were sick in

ancient Greece, their parents made offerings to a god to help them feel better. This statue

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could be an offering to a God, depicting their child playing after he was healed. How is

this different than the Hummel figure? The Hummel figure is meant to be enjoyed and

collected. It is a decorative piece. The sculpture of the Child With Goose is a functional

piece. It has a purpose other than being something to look at; like a tool. Ask the students

if they can think of anything in their house that is both decorative and functional. What is

it? What is it used for? Can the students think of something their parents or friends do

when they are sick? Why do they do this? The students may conclude the discussion by

creating an object or drawing of themselves with an animal. What type of object will it

be- decorative, functional, or both?

The final pairing of images involves the image of a ballerina doll(Figure 7). If the

instructor has access to an actual ballerina doll instead of an image, this would be a better

fit for the exercise. Begin by showing the toy doll. The students will know it is a doll,

what type of doll is it? What is she doing? How would you play with this doll? If she

were a real girl, what would she be like? What would she like to do? The students will

generate ideas about the doll as if she were a real person. Would you like to play with this

girl? Why are why not?

Follow the discussion of the toy ballerina doll by comparing it with an image of

Degas Little Dancer of Fourteen Years. This girl is a ballerina too, look at her fancy

ballerina clothing. She has her toes pointed and head held high- do you think she is

getting ready to dance? How is this like the other ballerina? Is this image a toy too? What

is the story of this girl? Do you think she would like to play with the other ballerina girl?

The comparison of these two images will be interesting, for it may be hard for students to

separate a ballerina toy from a ballerina sculpture which looks similar to a toy they may

play with. As the discussion of the two ballerinas dies down, the instructor will reveal the

secret meaning of the Degas image.

During the 1880’s in France, there were many poor people who did not have

enough money to live. The rich people ruled the city, and it was very hard to get a job.

Sometimes, the families were so poor they had to send their children to work. Little girls

were often sent to learn how to become ballerinas. If the girls became good ballerinas,

they could find work in a ballet. They may also find rich people who liked their dancing

and thus would buy them gifts as tokens of their appreciation. Degas spent much time

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watching these little girls practice and perform, and tried to understand what they were

feeling. So, the girl in the second images is not playing- she is working. She is hoping

that she can become a good dancer to get money for her family. The first image is a doll,

that we play with. She is probably dancing for fun, not like the girl Degas has painted.

Many of the students may have taken dance lessons- do they think they could be

professional dancers now? How are times different today- do children still have to go to

work? The secret meaning of the Degas work is that the girl is not dancing for fun, but

working and hoping to make money.

In terms of evaluation and as students become more accustomed to the

comparison of images; they should become more excited about learning the secret

meanings of art. As the students continually see images and try to create stories about

them, they will begin to learn that what they see often has a very different story than what

they may think of at first. Their comparisons should become more abstract as the

comparisons progress; they should be able to create their own secret meaning or come up

with alternate stories which may explain what is taking place in the fine art images in a

more than obvious way. Have the students go through magazine ads and choose one. Can

they come up with their own secret meaning of what is happening in the image?

In conclusion, adding the element of surprise or secrecy builds an intimate

relationship with the fine art images. They will now know what is really going on, and be

excited to tell their friends and parents the mystery they have discovered that day. By

allowing students to guess and then learn the real meaning, they will become actively

engaged and hope they can guess what is really going on before the instructor tells them.

This should become a fun part of the day for the classroom and open the eyes of children

to the world and mystery of fine art.

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Figure 1

http://www.warrington.gov.uk/Images/PLAY_01_tcm31-12494.JPG

Figure 2Snap the Whip, Winslow Homer

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Figure 3

Children’s Portrait https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0626/5b323209ddb0c/5b32320e601

Figure 4 Las Meninas, Velazquez

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http://www.wilburtague.com/images/simage1.jpg





Figure 5

Farm Boy #66 , Hummel

Figure 6

Child With Goose, Boethus c.160 B.C

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Figure 7

Ballerina Toy Doll

Figure 8

Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, Degas

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