Jazz Collages

Lesson Plan for Grade 6

Illustration from Jazz on a Saturday Night

Sarah Kess November 21, 2013 Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural Theme Art Ed Field Studies PK-8
Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

Introductory Information
Lesson Title: Jazz Collages Grade Level: 6 Length of Lesson: Two to three class periods. In this Cross Cultural lesson, 6th grade students will study the origins of Jazz music and explore the period of American history known as the Harlem Renaissance. Students will discover the many characteristics of Jazz music, and learn how several different cultures blended together to create a unique style of African-American music. To introduce the lesson, students will experience the cultural celebration that is a jazz performance through a reading of the amazing illustrated book Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillion. The teacher will accompany the story with clarifying questions, as well as facilitate a follow-up discussion. When the story ends, students will begin their deeper exploration into Jazz, and the African-American culture from which it ourished. The lesson also allows for students to explore the visual artists and musicians of the time, as well as discover how interconnected the visual arts and music are. After looking at images of artworks inspired by Jazz and the time of the Harlem Renaissance, the students themselves will watch and listen to some Jazz musical and dance performances. Once the class has had a chance to experience the sights and sounds of Jazz, together they will brainstorm and compose a list of words describing the music, and how it made them feel. After open discussion facilitated by the teacher, the classroom artists will respond to the lesson and the music by creating their own jazz celebrations with mixed media collages.

STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS

A. ENDURING UNDERSTANDING:
! Artists reect on their new knowledge to help create meaningful works of art. ! People from many different cultures can come together to create unique styles of music, dance, and art. ! Visual Art and Music are both creative forms of expression that are interconnected. Artists can listen, and be inspired by music to create expressive, personal artworks.

! !

B. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
! ! ! ! How do the arts ( visual, and music) bring communities together? ! Where do artists get inspiration?

Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

! ! !

! How can YOU as students visually respond to a piece of music? ! How can we as artists express ourselves and our community through artworks?

C. STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED:

PreK12 STANDARD 3 Observation, Abstraction, Invention, and Expression Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and expression in a variety of media, materials, and techniques. PreK12 STANDARD 6 Purposes and Meanings in the Arts Students will describe the purposes for which works of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and architecture were and are created, and, when appropriate, interpret their meanings. PreK12 STANDARD 7 Roles of Artists in Communities Students will describe the roles of artists, patrons, cultural organizations, and arts institutions in societies of the past and present. PreK12 STANDARD 10 Interdisciplinary Connections Students will apply their knowledge of the arts to the study of English language arts, foreign languages, health, history and social science, mathematics, and science and technology/ engineering.

D. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
! The students will discover the rich cultural history behind Jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance. ! The students will begin to examine the political and social atmosphere for African Americans in the United States during during the 1920s (and on.) ! The students will explore a new community and culture, discovering they ways in which they celebrated through music. ! The students will explore how the arts (visual and music) interconnect and enrich one another. ! The students will experiment with mixed-media collage to create their nal artwork.
Jacob Lawrence, Untitled, 1943

! The students will be able to brainstorm and share ideas with their classmates when responding to jazz songs.

! The students will reveal personal insights and reections throughout the sharing and art making process.
Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

! The students will be able to verbally discuss what theyve learned about Jazz and the various cultural communities which combined to create the musical style. ! The students will create a nal artwork that responds to the movement of the music and they way in which the Jazz made the artist feel while creating their art. ! The students will create a nal artwork that reects what theyve discovered about the history of Jazz, the African American community, and the visual artists of the time.

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

A. PERFORMANCE TASK OR FINAL PRODUCT:
Each students nal artwork will be a unique collage depicting their own Jazz inspired celebration. Successful artworks will express what the students have learned about Jazz Music and the Harlem Renaissance. Students will discover the interdisciplinary connections between the visual arts and music, and will express through their nal pieces how the music made them feel. A successful example of the Jazz Collage lesson will not only be a meaningful response to the cultural history, but to the Jazz songs listened to/experienced in class as well. Through their nal artworks, students should demonstrate their understanding of the African-American community which helped create Jazz, and the struggles for identify which the musical celebrations surrounding Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance represented. The nal product will be a mixed-media collage that lls the entire 12x12 sheet of drawing paper. The collage will convey the students personal celebration inspired by the spirit of Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. By the end of the art activity each student will also have experienced working with various sources of found imagery, as well as including their hand drawn details with either colored pencils or markers, The nal product will demonstrate the students understanding of the storybook Jazz on a Saturday Night, and the art vocabulary words collage, found imagery, and mixed-media. Through the successful and creative completion of their mixed-media collages, students will have discovered arts amazing ability as a tool for expression, reection, and response.
Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

Benchmark artwork

B. CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENTS:
! Students will save any drafts or sketches used in the planning process for their nal 12x12 jazz celebration collages ! Students will hand in all written brainstorming lists from class discussion prompts regarding their personal responses to hearing Jazz songs and seeing Jazz performances. ! ! Students will be asked throughout class by the art teacher clarifying questions about Jazz, the Harlem Renaissance and why these cultural celebrations were so important to the fabric of American History. ! Students will explore what ideas regarding the Harlem Renaissance were important to them personally, and the sounds of Jazz they most connected to. ! After completing their nal artwork, students will take time to reect on the lesson through written assessment sheets provided by the teacher. ! !

C. CRITERIA:
! Did the student meaningfully discover the rich cultural history behind Jazz Music and the Harlem Renaissance? ! Did the student explore a new community and culture, discovering they ways in which the members of that cultural community celebrated through music? ! Did the student explore how the arts (visual and musical) interconnect and enrich one another? ! Did the student experiment with mixed-media collage, and push their existing skills even further? ! Did the student successfully brainstorm and share ideas with their classmates when responding to jazz songs? ! Did the student personally reection on the Jazz celebrations of the early 20th century throughout the classroom sharing and art making process? ! Did the student create a nal artwork that reects what theyve discovered about the history of jazz, the African American community, and the other visual artists of the time? ! Was the student able to write about their artwork and reect on the lesson which inspired it?

Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

STAGE 3: LEARNING PLAN

A. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:
ART MATERIALS: ! 12x12 pre-cut drawing paper ! Magazines, newspapers, and other sources of found imagery ! ( internet, personal photos, catalogues, etc.) ! Buttons, Fabrics, wallpapers, various texture paper. ! Images of jazz musical instruments ! Scissors ! Glue sticks ! Colored pencils ! Markers EQUIPMENT: ! Computer and Projector for sharing artworks and jazz performances.

Bearden, Bessie, Duke, and Louis 1981

B. VOCABULARY AND DEFINITIONS:

Civil Rights A popular movement to secure equality for African Americans as ! American citizens. (Though The Civil Rights Movement did not peak until the 1950s and 1960s, Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance were a precursor to the civil rights movement.) ! Visual Response How we as artists respond to new information. How we as artists can help make sense of what weve learned through visual responses and exploration.

Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

Collage An artistic composition composed of various materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. Mixed-Media Using more than one medium to create a piece of artwork. Found Imagery Imagery that is not your own, but that youre found and are choosing to re-use and include in your own artwork.

C. VISUAL IMAGE RESOURCES:

Bearden, R. (Artist). Clockwise series (1979-1984) [Image]. Retrieved from ! ! http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/romare-bearden/clockwise-series-1979-1984 Bearden, R. (Artist). At the Clef Club (Piano Player) (1975) [Image]. Retrieved from ! ! http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/romare-bearden/at-the-clef-club-piano player-197 Bearden, R. (Artist). Bessie, Duke, and Louis (1981) [Image]. Retrieved from ! ! http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/romare-bearden/bessie-duke-and-louis-1981 Lawrence, J. (Artist). Bar and Grill,1941 [Image]. Retrieved from ! ! http://arthistorynewsreport.blogspot.com/2012/06/african-american-art-.html Lawrence, J. (Artist). Great Migration Clockwise series,(1940-1941) [Image]. Retrieved ! ! from http://www.phillipscollection.org/migration_series/ash/explore.cfm

D. TEXT, MEDIA AND WEB RESOURCES:

Dillon, L. & Dillon, D. (2007). Jazz on a Saturday Night. New York: Blue Sky Press. ! Scaruf, P. (2007). A history of jazz music, 1900-2000. United States: P. Scaruf. Orgill, R. & Qualls, S. (2010). Skit-scat raggedy cat : Ella Fitzgerald. Somerville, Mass: ! Candlewick Press. Ulaby, N. (Writer) (2003). The Art of Romare Bearden [Radio series episode]. In All Things ! Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/ Winter, J. & Qualls, S. (2006). Dizzy. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

E. TEACHER INSTRUCTION:
! ! The teacher will introduce the lesson by reading aloud to the class the illustrated childrens book Jazz on a Saturday Night. Throughout the story, the teacher will pause to ask the students questions. Questions to ask: - What images do you see? - Do you see people? a few people, or a lot of people? - What are they doing together? - What instruments do you see? - Why are they celebrating? ! Once the story is complete, the teacher will ask the students to discuss and share the types of celebrations their families have. Questions to ask: - Are they similar celebrations to what we saw int he book, are they different? - Are they similar celebrations to your other classmates? - Is there typically music or dancing at these gatherings?

Bearden, Clockwise, 1979

! Next, the teacher will introduce the class to the era known as the Harlem Renaissance. Through a slideshow presentation, students will learn about the history of !Jazz, the origins of the Harlem Renaissance, and the visual artists who were inspired by the music and events of the time. ! ! ! Questions to ask: ! - What have we learned about jazz? ! - Where did jazz come from? ! - Who helped create jazz? - What is the Harlem Renaissance? ! - Why was this social and arts movement created? ! After the students have learned some background information, the teacher will ask the students to take out a sheet of paper and pencil. Then the teacher will show a few short videos of old jazz performances. The students will be instructed to listen carefully and quietly, and to take notes. ! ! ! ! Questions to ask: ! - What sounds do they hear? - What instruments do they see? - How does the music make you feel?

Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

- How would you describe the music? ! - Are the people happy, are the people sad? ! ! Once the videos have been watched, students will share their ideas together as a class and the teacher will write the words/ideas on the whiteboard. Together the class will continue to brainstorm for a few minutes. ! Next, the teacher will discuss the vocabulary terms mixed-media and collage. For many students, collage may have been explored before, but possibly without the addition of the term mixed-media. The teacher will let the students know that their nal art piece will be a combination of found imagery, as well as drawing with colored pencils or markers. ! In addition, the teacher will help dene the vocabulary term found imagery. For this assignment, students will have access to magazines, newspapers, catalogues, images from home, old photographs, and pre-printed images of musical instruments and sheet music. ! The teacher will ask the students to reect on the collages they saw earlier by artist Romare Bearden. To help remind the students, the teacher will bring up the slideshow of his artworks and have them playing in the background.

Bearden, 1976

Questions to ask: - What did he include in his collages? - Does everything look real? Is this a scene you might see in real life? ! Once the students are clear and comfortable with the idea of mixed-media collage, its time for the teacher to ofcially introduce the lesson Jazz Collages to the class. ! The teacher will begin asking students to consider their own personal Jazz celebration. Questions to ask: - Who would be there? a few people, or lots of people? - What instruments would be playing? - Where would the celebration be? - What other things could be going on during a jazz performance celebration, dancing? - What types of dancing? ! Students will brainstorm and write down any notes or thoughts. Once that is complete, the teacher will begin by introducing the materials and instructions. !
Sarah Kess Lesson Plan #2: Cross Cultural

! The teacher will then present the list of materials to the class. To help get the students more comfortable with what theyll be using for this long term project, the materials list will always be posted and visible. ! Moving onto the instructions, before explaining each step, the teacher will present the students with the instructions overview. This simple step-by-step list will also be posted and visible throughout each working class period. ! ! The teacher will introduce the rst step of the art making assignment, presenting the students with the found imagery and collage materials they can select from. There should be prepared stacks of magazines, sheet music, newspapers, and instrument images for the students to select from. (In addition, the teacher may also allow students to bring in their own images from home.) ! The teacher will also have prepared a selection of various fabrics, textured and patterned papers, buttons, etc. for the classroom artists to choose from. ! The teacher should also remind the students that this does not have to be a self-portrait activity, but if theyd like to they can choose to include themselves in their jazz celebrations. ! Once students have selected their imagery and textural materials, the teacher will instruct the students to begin using scissors to cut and collect the images for their collages. Students will be asked to cut out 10-20 images (depending on the size of each item.) ! After the images have been cut, the teacher will provide the square 12x12 drawing paper, glue sticks, and drawing materials (markers and colored pencils.) ! Before gluing begins, the teacher will ask the students to lay out their collage materials and move/play with the images. They should begin to consider where and how theyd like to include their own drawings as well. ! The teacher should also remind the students that there can be different balances of mediums in the artwork. There may be more collage material than drawing in the overall artwork, or more drawing than collaging. BOTH need to be present- the amounts are up to the individual artists. ! Once the students feel condent with their cut images, the teacher will instruct the class to begin to glue onto their 12x12 drawing paper, and incorporate colored pencils and markers. ! The teacher will encourage the students to ll up the page- to create a full and dynamic celebration! ! Questions to ask: - What kind of drawings are you including? - Are you coloring in background details, or adding to the glued-on found images?

! Throughout the art making process, the teacher should constantly move around the room encouraging careful use of the materials.

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! Once students are in full independent working mode, the teacher can also choose to play background Jazz music. If music is playing, the teacher should encourage continuous/natural responses to the music during the students art making. Teachers will encourage students to use the music as an AID/tool in their creative process. ! Once students have completely and carefully created their jazz celebration collages, the DAILY classroom clean-up routine can begin. ! Just as the teacher should always display material lists and instructions throughout the art activity, the teacher should also display all of the clean-up steps as well. This allows for the students to take responsibility for their tasks and know what to do. ! ! When the room is completely cleaned and all art works are neatly organized, then the teacher will introduce the follow-up assessment activity to the class. ! The teacher will pass out a self-assessment and reection form for each student to ll out. The form provides a very casual space for the student to begin thinking about their artwork on a deeper level, writing about their process, and thinking of themselves as serious artists. It will also help the student to consider what they learned specically in the lesson that inspired the artworks.

F. LEARNING ACTIVITY:
! The students will listen to story Jazz on a Saturday Night and begin learning about the cultural celebrations surrounding Jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance. ! The students will also answer prompting and clarifying questions throughout the story when asked by the teacher. ! ! The students will discuss how their families celebrate, and make insightful comparisons to the African-American cultural celebrations connected to Jazz Music. ! The students will be introduced to artworks by artists JACOB LAWRENCE and ROMARE BEARDEN who were inspired by Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. ! The students will learn and develop greater skills regarding mixed-media collaging. ! The students will listen to and watch old jazz performances, and respond to what they see and what they hear. ! The students will share their ideas with the class. ! Once brainstorming and discussion is complete, students will be formally introduced to their lesson activity: creating mixed-media collages to depict their own person celebrations inspired by Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. ! The students will be introduced to the idea of artistic choices. Students will have to consider details such as:! !

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! ! !

- How much of my collage do I want to be found imagery? - How much of my collage do I want to be drawn using colored pencils or markers? - Do I want to include myself in this celebration? - What instruments should I include? What instruments stood out to me during the musical performances?

! The students will demonstrate the ability to select their choice of various collage materials. ! The students will demonstrate proper use of scissors while cutting images from magazines, newspapers, etc. ! Once 10-20 images have been carefully cut-out and collected, students will select a sheet of 12x12 drawing paper, a glue stick, and select colored pencils, markers, or both. ! Before gluing begins, students will learn to plan their collage. Once their images have been cut out, each student will move their cut-outs across their papers, and play with the various composition possibilities. ! Once the students feel condent with their cut images and layout, they will begin to glue onto their 12x12 drawing paper. ! Once images, fabrics, and papers are all carefully and cleanly glued, students will begin to consider how they want their drawings and found imagery to interact within their collage. ! Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of colored pencil and marker use, and correctly use the art materials to add to their collages. ! If the teacher choses to play jazz music in the background during independent art making time, the students will discover how to continuously respond and be inspired by the music through their art making process. ! When the student has successfully included both found imagery, various textures, and drawings into their artwork, the art activity is complete and the daily clean-up process can begin. ! Students will follow the teacher posted instructions for cleaning up the art room. ! When the room is completely cleaned and all art works are neatly organized, the students will complete a follow-up reective writing activity exploring what they learned throughout the lesson and reect upon their nal collage. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL CHILD ! To accommodate the Jazz Collages lesson for an exceptional student with a behavioral disorder such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, there are several small alterations that can be made. ! For this particular student in my art classroom, the student will have all necessary materials prepared, neatly arranged, and organized in his usual work area BEFORE he arrives for class. As a teacher, this simple preparation is very benecial. The student will enter the class
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expecting to see the days materials in such a way; this routine provides a comfort level which allows for a smoother transition into the classroom, and into the lesson. ! In addition to having the materials for the art lesson already prepared, this student will also be provided with a printed checklist which will also be set-up at the students work station. This checklist is a copy of the same larger art activity steps poster that the teacher has hanging in the front of the classroom. They are also the same steps that the teacher will verbally go over as well. The words, and terminology should be consistent. ! On this typed instructional page, the student will nd a place to write a CHECK MARK when he has successfully completed each step. The step-by-step list, as well as the ability to check things off leaves this student feeling more in control of the art activity, the classroom situation, and himself. These small alterations allow for this specic special needs student to enjoy the Jazz Collage lesson and benet from the cross cultural exploration with the same success and deep thinking as his classmates.

student artworks from: http://artteacheradventures.blogspot.com

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