Lexi Nagamine

Jennifer Herring
ITE 326
30 October 2016
Visual Arts Unit Plan Reading Response
Chapter 6: Integrating Visual Art Throughout the Curriculum (pp. 141-177).
1. Which reason(s) stated in Cornett (2011, pp. 144-148) for integrating the visual arts
into the elementary curriculum resonated with you? Why is this important to you and
how will you use this information to advocate for the arts in education?
In the section for integrating the visual arts into the elementary curriculum two
reasons that resonated with me were art promotes attention to details and art gives
confidence to be unique. I think that art does promote attention to detail because when
creating an original piece of art or even a reproduction everyone should want to make it
perfect. I think when students start to get into this mindset of wanting to create the
perfect artwork they also carry over this skill into other subjects such as writing or even
math. I also agree that art gives students the confidence to be unique because art is
one of the only subjects in a school setting where students don't need to feel vulnerable.
In math there are many ways to solve problems, but in the end there is only one correct
answer and you will either be right or wrong. However, in art there are many different
ways to create art and there isn't always a correct answer and students are allowed to
freely express their ideas. Art is a subject that allows students to be themselves and
they don't need to be geniuses to be good at art all you need to do is pick up a medium
and start creating.
4. After reading Cornett (2011, pp, 162-163), describe the aesthetics of your ideal
classroom that integrates the visual arts into the curriculum. Why are the aesthetic
components of your classroom important to you and your students in creating an
environment that uses the arts to enhance teaching and learning?
The aesthetics of my ideal classroom would be a class with blue walls with a
large amount of space one that allows room for desks and a carpeted area. I would like
there to be a lot of natural light where if i turn the lights off it would not interfere when
students are working. I want students artwork to be displayed around the room on
bulletin boards and students will have their own art portfolio. The art around the room
with be original students pieces that focus on different art concepts and periods of art. I
also want to display different art that depict different cultures appropriately and i
definitely want to stray away from the stereotypical views.

The aesthetic components of my classroom are important to me because i want

them to enhance my students learning rather than hinder it. I don't want my students to
have a stereotypical view of cultures because the pictures in the class and books they
read still show people wearing feathered headdresses or kimonos and carrying around
swords. I also want the classroom to give off a calming feeling using the color blue that
may reduce any anxieties that the students may be bringing into the classroom. The
color blue will also help students feel cooler especially in the humid climate we have
here in Hawaii. Although, the aesthetics of a classroom may not seem like it should be a
top priority i do think teachers should take some time before the school year starts to
think about how they can maximize their students learning by using all the resources
given to them including the layout of their classroom.
Chapter 7: Visual Art Seed Strategies (pp.178 -198)
10. Cornett (2011) says that energizers and warm-ups are used to ready students
mentally and physically for creative problem-solving (p.179). She lists numerous
energizers and warm-ups. Select three energizers or warm-ups that you would like to
include in your teaching. You may be able to include specific warm-ups in your unit
plan that you are going to write. Describe in detail how you would guide students
through each of these experiences. This is similar to what you need to do when you are
writing your lessons in your unit plan to describe what students will do.
The first energizer i would like to include in my teaching would be art walks.
Especially in Hawaii where we are surrounded by nature i feel that this would be the
perfect energizer. First i would have students grab their art journals then form a single
file line. Before we leave the class i would remind students that they are to remain silent
so that they can hear all that nature has to offer and this cannot be done if they are
talking. I would then tell them that they should be looking for different types of colors
(what colors do you see?), textures (what are some textures you felt?), and shapes
(What shapes do you see? Geometric? Or Organic?) and using their senses (sight,
smell, hearing, and touch). We will stop occasionally for students to write down their
observations. After we will head back to the classroom and have a discussion on what
everybody observed.
The second energizer i picked is Eyes Warm-Up. I think that this is a fast
energizer that you can do with students to transition into your arts lesson. It allows
students imaginations to get ready for the upcoming lesson. I want to use this energizer
in my lesson after my students learn about the elements of art and design. I would have
them rub their hand together for a couple seconds and then place them lightly over their
eyes. Since my lesson focuses on colors, shapes, lines, and values i would have them

imagine these elements. I would have them imagine different colors (red, blue, yellow),
then move into different values of these colors, after i would ask them to imagine
different colored shapes and lines.
The final energizer i picked is Shape Blitz because this energizer feels like a
game, but still helps students learn about the elements of art and design. Since my
classroom is split up into tribes this is a perfect group activity where they will learn to
work together and they will have to use visual arts vocabulary with each other to identify
the different shapes, colors, and lines in the room. I will allow them 3 minutes to look
around the room without getting up from their chairs. I will remind them that the level of
talking should remain at spytalk.
12. Cornett (2011) describes a wide variety of drawing, painting, printmaking,
collage, and mixed media. She includes information about specific media, tools,
surfaces and techniques (pp. 184-187). She also includes information about artistic
techniques such as enlarging, simplifying, cropping. She also explains other art forms
such as displays, bulletin boards, murals, photography, three-dimensional art, and
bookmaking (pp. 186-190). After reviewing this information, think about which one of
these art forms you feel comfortable teaching your students and describe why you think
you want to select this art form as a focus for one of your lessons in your unit plan and
what you want to teach your students about this art form.
I would like to use the art form of Drawing and Rubbing because i think that these
types of media (pencil, colored pencil, markers) are used most often in elementary
schools. Since they are the most often used i think that students should be allowed to
practice some of the different techniques like cross hatching to create new textures in
their art. I would also like students to focus on 3-D object to create more realistic
drawings and looking at the details that make images look 3-D. For my unit plan final I
chose for students to use colored pencils a medium that is familiar to them since they
are learning about a new art concept (abstract). I also think that colored pencils are an
easy to maneuver medium so that students will be able to learn about the element of
value.
An Essential Fine Arts Toolkit for the K-5 Classroom Teacher
15. Describe the three artistic processes: creating, performing/exhibiting, and
responding. Share specific ideas about how you can engage your elementary students
in these three processes in a visual art experience that you design for them. Be
specific. This is like writing the instructional strategies in a lesson plan that focuses on
what the students will do and what the teacher will do. This is a skill you need when
you develop the slide show and lesson plans.

In the article An Essential Fine Arts Toolkit for the K-5 Classroom Teacher,
Hawaii Fine Arts Grade Level Guide it talks about the three artistic processes: creating,
performing, and responding.
The first process creating means that students are producing art that is original.
Students will create different forms of art like dance, drama, music, and visual arts by
expressing their personal ideas, but should not be limited by it. With visual arts
students use a variety of art materials, personal ideas, and artistic concepts to create
original works. Students are encouraged to explore new ways of expressing their ideas
and feelings(Hawaii Alliance for Arts Education, 2006, 12). For my students and future
students i would like to introduce an array of different types of mediums for them to
create original pieces of artwork. In my unit plan students will be creating their own
abstract art using sharpies and colored pencils. However, this project could also be
created using watercolor, oil pastels, tempera paints, acrylic paints, markers, or
crayons. My students will be learning about the concept of abstract art and i am allowing
them to use their own personal ideas to interpret the rules i have set for them as well as
finding ways to create focal points in their work.
The second process performing/exhibiting
is where students may exhibit
their artwork, share their ideas, and intentions. In an elementary setting, students
should try small in-class presentations [informal] then work their way to formal
productions. Before starting the final project students will be able to share some of their
ideas that they have in mind that they would like to add to their final. My students, after
completing their final works of art will be having a gallery walk where they will be able to
look at their classmates artwork.
The final process responding is divided into four forms: observation,
description, analysis, and judgement. Students should reflect not only on others
artworks, but their own as well. My students will be doing a discussion where they will
be comparing and contrasting Kandinskys works of art to various other artists. After
completing their gallery walk the students will be asked to share some of their
observations and describe the similarities and differences between their own artwork
and their classmates (what did they do to create their focal points? did they use similar
colors? etc.)

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III: Fine Arts, Visual Arts

17. Identify and copy selected benchmarks in three different grade levels that are
directly related to using the vocabulary of art. List some of the academic language with
definitions you think are important to help your students develop and use as part of your
visual arts curriculum as a K-5 arts educator. This is a skill you need when you develop
your slide show and lesson plans in the visual arts. This is also directly related to
discussing the Academic Language Demands that is part of our unit plan format. (For a
glossary of visual arts vocabulary see the Appendix in An Essential Arts Toolkit for the
Grade K-5 Classroom Teacher. )
Three benchmarks in three different grade levels from the Hawaii Content and
Performance Standards III that are directly related to using the vocabulary of art:
Benchmark FA.3.1.4: Use visual arts vocabulary to discuss and compare
works of art.
Benchmark FA.4.1.3: Use properties, personal response, and research to
make informed judgments about artwork.
Benchmark FA.5.1.4: Explain how an original artwork demonstrates a
concept or idea from another discipline.
In my unit plan students will be learning about Wassily Kandinsky who was an abstract
artist and will be using their new visual arts vocabulary, which includes the elements of
art and design to describe what they see in his paintings. They will also be using visual
arts vocabulary to compar and contrast Kandinskys work to various other artists. Some
of the academic vocabulary i think is important are:
Abstract- Artwork usually based on an identifiable object, but the artist leaves out
details, and/or simplifies or rearranges visual elements. Abstract works that have
no identifiable subject are called non objective art.
Line- A continuous mark with length and direction, created by a point that moves
across a surface. Can vary in length, width, direction, curvature, and color. Line
can be 2-D, 3-D, or implied.
Primary Color- One of the three basic colors (red, blue, yellow) that cannot be
produced by mixing colors and are the basis for mixing other colors.
Shape- 2-D objects composed of height and width created by actual or implied
lines. Shapes can be divided into several types geometric (circles, triangles,
squares) and organic (irregular in outline).
Texture- The actual or visual surface of an object
Value- The lightness or darkness of a hue or gradation of grays from white to
black
Form- 3-D objects with height, width, and depth

Works Cited
Claudia E. Cornett (2011). Creating Meaning through Literature and the Arts: Arts
Integration for Classroom Teachers, Fourth Edition. Pearson Education, Inc.
Hawaii Alliance for Arts Education (2006). An Essential Fine Arts Toolkit for the K-5
Classroom Teacher, Hawaii Fine Arts Grade Level Guide. Honolulu, Hawaii. Retrieved
from http://www.hawaiiartsalliance.org/#!arts-education/c8k2.
Hawaii State Department of Education (2006). Hawaii Content and Performance
Standards III: Fine Arts, Visual Arts. Honolulu, Hawaii. Retrieved from
http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us.
Scoring Rubric for Self-Assessment For Reading Responses Check your work!
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candidate needs a
included the number of the question.
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number of questions from each
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and answers
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