Art Integration Unit Plan Template

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

LTC Art for Children
Unit Title & Big Idea: (Define the BIG IDEA?)
The Big Idea for this unit is guilt and innocence. In this lesson, students will connect the
big idea of guilt with antagonists and guilty parties in literature and will connect the big
idea of innocence with protagonists or main characters in literature. Students will use
their artistic expression to represent the guilty antagonist in their art making experience
of creating a Wanted poster. They will also create a Reward poster for who they think is
the innocent party or the protagonist in the story we will read as a class.
Unit Overview/Summary:
In fifth grade, students are expected to understand the different aspects of characters in
literature as well as be able to group them into two different categories: antagonists and
protagonists. Students should understand the concept of guilt and how to deal with
being guilty or being around someone who is guilty. This is an important life skill, as
students will always be around someone who is guilty of something. It is also important
that students are able to recognize key concepts and terms in reference to literature.
Students should understand the terms antagonist, protagonist, and main character.
Through this lesson, I hope to teach students these concepts and help them to not only
know the definitions, but be able to show their learning through a creative art project of a
Wanted poster. Students will be given examples of portraiture by Leonardo da Vinci to
help them in their creative endeavors.
Key Concepts (3-4)
Students will learn that a protagonist is the main
character in a book and an antagonist is the opponent to
the main character who is actively working against the
protagonist. Students will learn that artmaking can be
useful in everyday life (i.e. Wanted posters or photos of
criminals). Students will learn how to realistically portray
human faces as well as stylistically portray guilt in their

Grade Level/Class
Periods Required:
5th grade
1 Class period

Materials/Equipment/Etc
:
Posterboard (one for
every student)
Read-aloud book (Room
One: a mystery or two
by Andrew Clements)
Markers
Crayons
Sharpies
Paints
Pens and Pencils
Construction Paper

Essential Questions (3-4)

Who is the guilty party in Room One: a mystery or two
by Andrew Clements?
How can you show guilt through your artmaking?
How can you create a poster that will effectively
convict/capture the antagonist?
How can you create a poster that will effectively reward
the protagonist?

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

artmaking. Students will also learn how to stylistically

portray innocence within a Reward poster. All of the
students will have the choice to create a historical
Wanted poster from the times of Westward expansion or
create a modern-day version (they get to choose what
that looks like). Students have the opportunity to learn
more about creating art with technology during this
lesson as well as using traditional materials.
Unit Objectives:
The student will learn the definitions of protagonist and antagonist. The student will learn how to create a Wanted
poster and a Reward poster. The student will predict the antagonist and protagonist of Room One: A mystery or two
by Andrew Clements using inferencing. The students will learn how to use technology and traditional materials to
create art. The students will revise and refine their posters throughout the reading of the book. The students will
relate artistic choices to the big ideas of guilt and innocence. Students will compare the antagonist and
protagonists as well as the different characteristics included in their artwork to represent the differences between
the two characters.
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) (3-4)
Core Academic Standards (Common Core State
(http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/)
Standards) (3-4)
National Core Art Standards
(http://www.corestandards.org/)
(http://www.nationalartsstandards.org)
English Language Arts/Literacy Standards:
NCAS:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine
Anchor Standard #1: Generate and conceptualize artistic what the text says explicitly and to make logical
ideas and work.
inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when
Anchor Standard #2: Organize and develop artistic ideas
writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from
and work.
the text.
Anchor Standard #3: Refine and complete artistic work.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why
Anchor Standard #10: Synthesize and relate knowledge
individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over
and personal experiences to make art.
the course of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate
GLEs:
content presented in diverse media and formats,
Strand 1: Product/Performance
including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

3. Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes

in artworks created for various purposes
A. Portrait: Create a portrait from observation
A. Still Life: Create a still life from observation that
shows the illusion of form
C. Create an original artwork that communicates
ideas about the following themes:
o Time (past, present, future)
Strand 2: Elements and Principles (EP)
1. Select and use elements of art for their effect in
communicating ideas through artwork

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or

more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text.

B. Identify and use symbolic shapes

2. Select and use principles of art for their effect in

communicating ideas through artwork
F. Identify and use relative size (realistic scale)
Content Areas Integrated:
1. Visual Art
2. English Language Arts/Literacy

Identify & define common vocabulary/concepts that

connect the art form with the other identified subject
area(s):
Art Definitions:
Balance: How the parts within artwork are arranged.
Emphasis: Which elements are most important or
emphasized because of size, arrangement, or position.
Contrast: Difference between two opposite elements
within a piece (light and dark, small and big, etc.)
Language Arts Definitions:
Balance: There is balance within two opposing elements
in literature such as between the protagonist and
antagonist (both are equally important).
Emphasis: There is emphasis in literature between
characters. Characters that are mentioned more are

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

Lesson Titles in Sequence/Order with TIME and

MATERIALS needed for each portion
1. Introduction
Materials Needed: Room One book by Andrew
Clements and document camera or Smart Board
Time Needed: 10 minutes
2. Prognostication
Materials Needed: Paper for brainstorming
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
3. Creation
Materials Needed: Posterboard, iPads, computers,
markers, colored pencils, pens, pencils, sharpies,
glue, construction paper, scissors, paint, water
colors
Time Needed: 1 hour- 1 hours
4. Explanation
Materials Needed: Completed Wanted and Reward
Posters and written explanations
Time Needed: 45 minutes

more important and more likely to be a protagonist or

antagonist.
Contrast: There is contrast in literature in the differences
between characters (such as the protagonist and
antagonist).
Brief Lesson Descriptions (2-3 sentences each)
1. Introduction: The teacher will introduce the book,
Room One by Andrew Clements, to the students.
The teacher will show the front and back covers
(via the document camera or Smart Board), give a
list of the characters in the book and their
descriptions, and read the first page of the book to
the students.
2. Prognostication: The students will prognosticate
(predict) which of the characters will be the
antagonist and which is the protagonist in the
book. Students will be given the option to
brainstorm in their head or write down their
thoughts on paper.
3. Creation: Students will be shown exemplars of
portraits by Leonardo da Vinci and other portrait
artists. The students will create a Wanted poster
for the antagonist and a Reward poster for the
protagonist. Students are given the freedom to
create Western themed posters or modern-day
posters. Students are allowed the freedom to
choose
traditional
materials
(Posterboard,
markers, pencils, etc) or more modern materials
(iPads, computers) to use to create their posters.
Students are asked not only to make a realistic

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

portrayal of the characters physical traits, but

also objectify and exemplify their guilt or
innocence through their art making.
4. Explanation: After the students have finished their
creations, they will be asked to present them to
the class and explain the art making choices they
used when creating (Ex: Why did you choose to
make a modern poster? Why did you use those
colors? How would the mood of your art work
change if you used a different medium?)
What student prior knowledge will this unit require/draw upon?
This lesson will draw upon students prior knowledge of the use of Wanted posters in history and what they look like.
This project will draw upon students knowledge of technology and traditional art materials. This lesson will draw
upon students prior knowledge of antagonists and protagonists as well as the typical form of mystery books.
What activities will you use to engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this unit?
Through the process of introducing the book and giving a sneak peek into the characters and their descriptions,
students are given the opportunity to come up with their own answers as to who is the protagonist and who is the
antagonist. Students will also be exposed to all the possibilities (in terms of materials) of creating a Wanted and
Reward poster prior to starting their creation. Students will be exposed to example Wanted and Reward posters of
different types (some from the Western era, some that are more modern) in order to help them imagine what their
poster will look like. The students will be able to walk through the room and look through all the materials before
they start working.
How will this unit permit/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
Students are given the opportunity to solve problems using inferencing and predicting. Students are able to use
their intuition and the limited knowledge that the teacher gives them about the book to come up with their
predictions about how to solve the problem of who is the antagonist and protagonist. Students are able to solve
problems in divergent ways during the art making experience. Students are able to produce very different art work
that all satisfies the requirements (students can use technology or posters or they can create a modern-day

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

Wanted poster that is a Facebook post or a historical Wanted poster from Western times). Students are
challenged to think in divergent ways about guilt and innocence through their investigations into protagonists and
antagonists.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning/learning processes?
Some art talk questions that the teacher can use to help students as they start their art making and learning
processes are:
What are some ways artists can make their pictures display innocence or guilt?
What mediums and materials can an artist use? How will these mediums and materials affect the meaning of the
art?
Some art talk questions that the teacher can use to help the students as they are making art and learning are:
How is your Wanted poster different from your Reward poster? Why?
Do you like this work of art?
Have you made any mistakes? How can you use the mistakes and turn them into happy mistakes?
Some art talk questions that the teacher can use to help the students after they have finished their art making
and are continuing to learn are:
What is this art work made from?
What is the artist trying to tell us?
How is this art work the same or different from other pieces by other artists in the classroom?
What is the message or meaning of the art work?
How will this unit engage students in assessing their own work?
Through the questions above (the art talk questions), student will assess their own work as well as their peers
work. Students are given the opportunity to present their artwork at the end of the lesson and explain their art
making choices as well as their predictions about the protagonist and antagonist. Student success will be
represented by students having a completed Wanted and Reward poster with two different characters represented
for each of the posters as the antagonist and protagonist. To assess the students work, there will be a formative
assessment during the unit and after the unit. During the unit, students will be formatively assessed while they are
working. The teacher will move about the room and ask the during art making art talk questions to assess

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

students. After the students have created their art work, students will be formatively assessed by the art talk
questions they will be asked during their presentations of their work. The summative assessment for this lesson will
be a rubric for the Wanted and Reward posters. Students will need to have a different character to be included in
each poster. The students must also make their Reward and Wanted posters differ in the tone/message sent
(represent guilt and innocence in some way).
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work?
Students will be given the opportunity to revise and improve their understandings and their work after the class has
read to the middle of the book and after the class has finished the book. Students will be able to revise their
predictions and create new Wanted and Reward posters if they have changed their ideas after reading some of the
book. After the class has finished the entire book, the students are allowed to revise their work again if their
predictions turned out to be incorrect. Students will not lose points because they had to revise. The revision process
is simply for them to continue learning and predicting and continually be engaged in the book. At the midway point
and at the end of the book, the teacher will make students aware of the opportunity to revise their work and give
students time during class to revise. If students choose not to revise during this time, they may work on other
assignments or read silently.
What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning/understanding/work in this unit?
Students are given the opportunity to share their learning/understanding/work in this unit at the end of the lesson
when they present their Wanted and Reward posters. The students will get to explain their predictions and their
artistic choices to their peers. They will be able to explain why they chose the materials they did and how those
choices affected the meaning of their work. Students will also explain how they represented guilt and innocence in
their posters through the balance, emphasis, and contrast in their artwork when they are questioned by the teacher
and their peers using the art talk questions.
How will you adapt the various aspects of this lesson to differently-abled students?
I think this lesson naturally differentiates for students because it is so open-ended. Students get to really come up
with their own creative ways of expressing guilt and innocence with the only prerequisite that they create a Wanted
and Reward poster (the posters dont even have to be traditional Wanted or Reward posters-they dont have to
include the words, but just have to be classified as a Wanted or Reward poster in some way). The option for

Art Integration Unit Plan Template

students to use technology as a means of creating their posters is another way to differentiate for students with
learning disabilities or students who are sight-impaired (they can use text modifying tools to help them create their
work and use magnifiers built into the technology to help them to see their creation). Students will naturally be
engaged in this activity because it will be similar to a competition in that students want to make a correct prediction
during the activity as to which character is the antagonist or protagonist. Students who are highly talented will also
be engaged in this lesson because they can make their posters as extravagant as they wish. There is also the
opportunity for a lot of creative license to be used and students can be very implicit in their creations. Students can
make their posters very obviously Wanted or Reward posters, but they can also make the posters more implicit in
their association with guilt and innocence.

TEACHER REFLECTION: How will you know that this lesson is successful and meaningful? List indicators.
I will know that this lesson is successful and meaningful if students are interacting with the materials in creative and
distinct ways. If the students are drawn to the materials once they are allowed to start and if they start talking to
their neighbors about the project, I will know that I the students are engaged and understand the lesson. I will also
know that the lesson is successful if students truly understand the purpose behind the posters at the end of the
lesson and if they understand the meaning of protagonist and antagonist at the end of the lesson. Lastly, I will know
that the lesson was successful and meaningful if students were engaged throughout the process, even during the
revising stages during the reading of the book.

References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining
%20Arts%20Integration.pdf

Art Integration Unit Plan Template