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WHAT A CHATACTER!

LESSON PLAN

Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon by


Dashiell Hammett:
[His] jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v
under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostrils
curved back to make another, smaller, v. His yellowgrey eyes were horizontal. The v motif was picked up
again by thickish brows rising outward from twin
creases above a hooked nose, and his pale brown
hair grew downfrom high flat templesin a point on
his forehead. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond
satan.

WHAT A CHARACTER!

By: Melissa Guarino


Big Idea: Throughout time and across cultures humans identify others by their
facial characteristics.
Grade/ Class: 8th Grade
Time Allotment: 5 sessions, 50 minutes

OVERVIEW
Students will create an original portrait of a literary character of their choice, using
only the written description of their fictional character found in a book read in
school or during their leisure time. The students will create their original portraits
by using their imagination to interpret the descriptions that an author has written
and create a portrait if what they envision that character looking like. Using pencils,
the students will draw their portraits on 14x14 watercolor paper and will paint the
surface using watercolor paints.
LESSON RATIONALE
Students will develop drawing skills by rendering a portrait of a human. They will
learn the proportions of the face which will allow the students to render more
naturalistic portraiture in alignment with their developmental stage and/or ability.
They will also be introduced to watercolor as a medium that will be used to add
color to their portrait. Students will exercise their capacity for creative thinking by
creating an original portrait inspired by their imagination. Students will connect the
roles of writers, artists, directors and actors play in bringing a literary character to
life for their audiences.
ARTWORKS, ARTISTS AND/OR ARTIFACTS
Composite sketches of Literary characters, http://thecomposites.tumblr.com/
Katniss from the Hunger Games by Flowinowa, http://flominowa.deviantart.com/

KEY CONCEPTS
Humans describe others by identifying the unique facial features of every person
they see.
Authors paint a mental image of a character in a literary work of art by using
illustrative text, while artists use a visual medium.
Visual artists rely on the text of authors to bring characters to life in drawings,
paintings, theater, movies and television.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What ways can artists interpret the literary descriptions of writers to bring a
character to life visually?
How does the use of color express the personality of a character?
How does the movie or television portrayal of a character affect your vision of what
a character may look like?
How do cultural influences affect an artists interpretation of a character
description?

PA STATE AND NATIONAL STANDARDS

A. PA Standards for Arts and Humanities


9.1.8.A: Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create
works in the arts
and humanities.
Elements: Color, form/shape, line, space, texture ,value
Principles: Balance, contrast, emphasis/focal point,
movement/rhythm
proportion/scale, repetition, unity/harmony
9.1.8.B: Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts
elements and
principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts.
Visual Arts: paint, draw, craft, sculpt, print, design for environment,
communication, multi-media
9.1.8.E: Communicate a unifying theme or point of view through the
production of works in the
arts.
B. PA Standards for Other Disciplines
E06.B-K.1.1.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed
through relevant
details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal
opinions or
judgments.
E06.B-K.1.1.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is
introduced, illustrated, or
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples, anecdotes, or
sequence of steps).
E06.B-V.4.1.2: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and
nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figurative language
(simile, metaphor,
personification, and hyperbole) in context. b. Use the
relationship between
particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole,
item/category,
synonym/antonym) to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among
the connotations (associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions)
(e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
C. National Standards for the Arts:
VA:Cr1.1.8a: Document early stages of the creative process visually and/or
verbally in
traditional or new media

VA:Cr2.1.8a: Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate and take risks


to pursue ideas,
forms, and meanings that emerging in the process of art
making or designing.

OBJECTIVES, THE STUDENTS WILL


Knowledge:
Interpret a literary work of art by creating a portrait base on a character description.
Illustrate the unique personalities of humans by choosing paint colors to express a
personality trait or mood.
Skills:
Create a naturalistic drawing of the human face by following proportional
guidelines.
Demonstrate skills by practicing watercolor techniques.
Dispositions:
Recognize that writers and artists work together to bring characters to life for
audiences.
Reflect on the interpretive portrait making process.
ASSESSMENT
Pre Assessment:
Students will be assessed during their preliminary exercise drawings of human eyes
and face. Students will have their before and after drawings assessed based upon
the overall improvement and involvement in the exercises.
Formative:
Students will be assessed on their completion of the homework assignment needed
to create the final work of art.
Summative:
Students finished watercolor portraits will count as evidence of a completed work of
art and will be assesses by a rubric containing a rating system that evaluates how
the student interpreted their authors character description, their use of color to
convey a personality or mood, their observation of facial proportions, attention to

personal craftsmanship, participation in drawing exercises. Students will also


complete a self-assessment at the end of the art making process.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

DAY 1
Hook:
Students will be seated and be each given a sheet of 5x7 white paper. The students
will be asked to draw a human eye with a pencil to the best of their ability.(3-5
minutes) Once the students have completed their drawings, they will be asked to
gather at a central table with their drawings. The students will be asked to group
the drawings according to their similarities. The students will then engage in a
group discussion about what they see about the groups drawings.(3minutes) The
teacher will then give a demonstration of how to draw the human eye with a pencil.
(3 minutes) The students will return to their seats with their drawings.

Development:
The students will then play a short game Guess the Celebrity Eyes. The class will
be split into two teams. The teacher will hold up the images and the team that
guesses the celebrity correctly, earns a point. The team that scores the most
points wins. (15minutes) The teacher will then lead a discussion about how humans
rely on eyes for identification and communication and how artists illustrate human
eyes. (5 minutes)
Close:
Students will be given another 5x7 sheet of white paper and will be asked to
complete one more drawing of a human eye using a pencil. (5 minutes) After they
have finished drawing their eyes, they will again be asked to gather at a central
table, this time with both of their drawings. The will be asked to display both their
before and after drawings side by side on the table. The students will then share
what they see in terms of their improvement. (10 minutes) The students will then
place their drawings in their folders. Students will be told that the next class they
will be working on drawing the human face.
Drawing completed by 13 year old student before instruction and after.

DAY 2
Hook:
The students will be prompted to draw a human face on a 4x6 sheet of white paper.
This will be the pre assessment for the students skill level at drawing the human
face. (3-5 minutes) Once the students have finished their drawings, the students
will gather with the teacher at a central table to share and discuss the drawings
strengths and areas in need of improvement. (5 minutes)

Development:
The teacher will give the students a demonstration about how to draw the human
face using proper proportions. (3 minutes) The students will be handed a 9x12
worksheet with a blank human face consisting of plotting lines. The students will be
prompted to draw a face on the template to practice drawing the proportions, then
to draw one of their own on the opposite side of the page in the space provided. (20
minutes)
Close:
The students will be asked to gather back at the central table to compare their first
drawings with their last and engage in a group discussion regarding the results. (5
minutes) The teacher will introduce the final work of art for the lesson which is a
watercolor portrait of a literary character that the students have read about in
school or during their leisure time. They will be assigned their homework for next
class which is to choose a character from a book that they have read and find the
quote or description of that character. The students will copy the text by hand or
they can print it out if they have access to a printer. They will need to bring it to the
next class to continue onto making the final artwork.

A. Top of the head


B. Center line, top to bottom
C. Nose line, halfway between
B and E
D. Mouth line, half way
between C and E
E. Chin line
F. Center line, left and right

DAY 3
Hook:
The students will enter the room and the teacher will have the exemplar of the final
art project displayed on a smart board if one is available. Students will be
prompted to get their homework out so that the teacher may check that it is
completed. (2 minutes) The teacher will then introduce the final artwork for the
lesson. (5 minutes)
Development:
The students will gather at a central table for the watercolor demonstration. (10
minutes) The students will be given a 14x14 sheet of watercolor paper, scrap
watercolor paper, watercolor pallet and a pencil if they do not have one. They will
be instructed to begin their portrait drawing based upon their chosen character and
proceed to paint their portrait using watercolor paint. (25 minutes)
Close:
Students will clean up their area and return watercolor pallets, brushes and water
cups to their designated places. Students will place their works in progress on the
drying rack. (3minutes) Students will have one more class to complete their work.
DAY 4
Hook:

The students will be prompted to retrieve their works in progress and watercolor
materials for the class period. Once the students are seated, the teacher will
engage students in a short discussion addressing the needs and concerns of the
students. (3 minutes)
Development:
Students will work towards completing their watercolor portraits. (40 minutes)
Close:
Students will tape the descriptions of their character to the back of their artwork.
Once they have removed the masking tape from the front of their artwork, they will
sign their name by the lower right corner under their artwork and write the name of
their character on the lower left corner, then place it on the drying rack. Once they
have cleaned up and are seated, the teacher will inform the students that there will
be a critique (sharing) next class. If their works are not finished at the end of the
class, they will be able to take their work home or attend class during a study hall
period.
DAY 5
Hook:
Students will enter the room and gather their finished works of art. They will be
seated in a circle and bring a pencil with them. The students will place their artwork
face down in front of them. The teacher will begin the critique and sharing of the
artworks by asking the students to complete a self-assessment handout. Once the
assessments are completed, the students will pass the assessments to the teacher.
(5 minutes)
Development:
The teacher will ask for a volunteer to begin the sharing of the artwork. Each
student will read the quote of the description of their characters. After they have
read their descriptions, they will then show their artwork to the class. After each
student has had their turn to show their work, the students will engage in group
discussion about the artworks. They will be encouraged to offer positive remarks
about their peers interpretations of their characters as well as the quality of work.
(40 minutes)
Close:
Teacher will ask the students to share their overall enjoyment of the lesson. Teacher
will collect the student work and will thank them for their participation in the lesson.
(5 minutes)

PREPARATION:
Teacher Research and preparation:
Teacher will prepare exemplar.
Teacher will prepare portrait practice worksheet.
Teacher will prepare Watercolor Worksheet.
Teacher will prepare character descriptions for students who do not complete their
homework.
Teacher will prepare Eye Spy game pieces.
STUDENT SUPPLIES:
5x7 white paper
14x14 Watercolor paper
Watercolor scrap paper
2B pencils
Eraser
Watercolor Pallets
Paint Brushes
Masking Tape
18 ruler

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS FROM LITERATURE


Ender from Ender's Game by Orson
Scott Card:
"Ender did not see Peter as the beautiful
ten-year-old boy that grown-ups saw,
with dark, tousled hair and a face that
could have belonged to Alexander the
Great. Ender looked at Peter only to
detect anger or boredom, the dangerous
moods that almost always led to pain."

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms


by N.K. Jemisin:
" Face like the moon, pale and
somehow wavering. I could get the gist
of his features, but none of it stuck in my
mind beyond an impression of
astonishing beauty. His long, long hair
wafted around him like black smoke, its
tendrils curling and moving of their own
volition. His cloak or perhaps that was
his hair too shifted as if in an unfelt
wind. I could not recall him wearing a

Ford Perfect from Hitchhiker's Guide


to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams:
"He was not conspicuously tall, his
features were striking but not
conspicuously handsome. His hair was
wiry and gingerish and brushed
backward from the temples. His skin
seemed to be pulled backward from the
nose. There was something very slightly
odd about him, but it was difficult to say
what it was. Perhaps it was that his eyes
didn't seem to blink often enough and
when you talked to him for any length of
time your eyes began involuntarily to
water on his behalf. Perhaps it was that
he smiled slightly too broadly and gave
people the unnerving impression that he
was about to go for their neck."
Rue from The Hunger Games by
Suzanne Collins:

cloak before, on the balcony. The


madness still lurked in his face, but it
was a quieter madness now, not the
rabid-animal savagery of before.
Something else I could not bring
myself to call it humanity stirred
underneath the gleam."
Elrond from Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R.
Tolkien:
"The face of Elrond was ageless, neither
old nor young, though in it was written
the memory of many things both glad
and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the
shadows of twilight, and upon it was set
a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a
clear evening, and in them was a light
like the light of stars."

"She's the twelve-year-old, the one who


reminded me so of Prim in stature. Up
close she looks about ten. She has
bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin
and stands tilted up on her toes with
arms slightly extended to her sides, as if
ready to take wing at the slightest
sound. It's impossible not to think of a
bird."

Alia from Dune by Frank Herbert:


"Through the door came two Sardukar
herding a girl-child who appeared to be
about four years old. She wore a black
aba, the hood thrown back to reveal the
attachments of a stillsuit hanging free at
her throat. Her eyes were Fremen blue,
staring out of a soft, round face. She
appeared completely unafraid and there
was a look to her stare that made the
Baron feel uneasy for no reason he could
explain."

Briar from Boneshaker by Cherie


Priest:

Lord Asriel from The Golden


Compass by Philip Pullman:

"Without the coat, her body had a lean


look to it as if she worked too long,
and ate too little or too poorly. Her
gloves and tall brown boots were caked
with the filth of the plant, and she was
wearing pants like a man. Her long, dark
hair was piled up and back, but two
shifts of labor had picked it apart and
heavy strands had scattered, escaping
the combs she'd used to hold it all aloft."
Director of Hatcheries and
Conditioning from Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley:
"Tall and rather thin but upright, the
Director advanced into the room. He had
a long chin and big rather prominent
teeth, just covered, when he was not
talking, by his full, floridly curved lips.
Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It
was hard to say."

Dracula from Dracula by Bram


Stoker:
Within, stood a tall old man, clean
shaven save for a long white moustache,
and clad in black from head to foot,
without a single speck of colour about
him anywhere.He moved impulsively
forward, and holding out his hand
grasped mine with a strength which
made me wince, an effect which was not
lessened by the fact that it seemed as
cold as icemore like the hand of a dead
than a living man.

"Lord Asriel was a tall man with powerful


shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes
that seemed to flash and glitter with
savage laughter. It was a face to be
dominated by, or to fight: never a face to
patronize or pity. All his movements were
large and perfectly balanced, like those
of a wild animal, and when he appeared
in a room like this, he seemed a wild
animal held in a cage too small for it."
Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett:
[His] jaw was long and bony, his chin a
jutting v under the more flexible v of his
mouth. His nostrils curved back to make
another, smaller, v. His yellow-grey eyes
were horizontal. The v motif was picked
up again by thickish brows rising
outward from twin creases above a
hooked nose, and his pale brown hair
grew downfrom high flat templesin a
point on his for.ehead. He looked rather
pleasantly like a blond satan
Liesel from The Book Thief by
Markus Zusak:
Upon her arrival, you could still see the
bite marks of snow on her hands and the
frosty blood on her fingers. Everything
about her was undernourished. Wire-like
shins. Coat hanger arms. She did not
produce it easily, but when it came, she
had a starving smile.
Her hair was a close enough brand of
German blond, but she had dangerous
eyes. Dark brown. You didn't really want
brown eyes in Germany around that
time.

RUBRIC FOR WHAT A CHARACTER! LP


NAME/SECTION:_______________________

Portrait was
drawn with
proper
proportions.

Student
interpreted
a literary
description
of a
character.

Student
chooses
color to
illustrate a
trait or
mood
within the
artwork.
Student
develops
skills at
drawing
faces.
Student
participates
in class
exercises
and
critique.
Total:

Outstanding
5
Shows
superior
understandi
ng of Facial
Proportions

Good 4

Average 3

Fair 2

Shows solid
understandi
ng of facial
proportions.

Shows
adequate
understandi
ng of facial
proportions.

Shows
some
understandi
ng of facial
proportions.

Shows
superior
originality
and
superior
imaginative
interpretati
on.
Shows
superior
use of color
to illustrate
a trait or
mood.

Shows
excellent
originality
and
excellent
imaginative
interpretati
on.
Shows
excellent
use of color
to illustrate
a trait or
mood.

Shows good
originality
and good
imaginative
interpretati
on.

Shows
some
originality
and some
imaginative
interpretati
on.

Poor/Incomplet
e1
Shows little or
no
understanding
of facial
proportions.
Incomplete
work.
Shows little or
no originality
and no
imaginative
interpretation.
Incomplete
work.

Shows good
use of color
to illustrate
a trait or
mood

Shows
some use
of color to
illustrate a
trait or
mood.

Shows little or
no color to
illustrate a trait
or mood.
Incomplete
work.

Shows
superior
improveme
nt in skills.

Shows
excellent
improveme
nt in skills.

Shows good
improveme
nt in skills.

Shows
some
improveme
nt in skills.

Superior
participatio
n.

Excellent
participatio
n.

Adequate
participatio
n.

Some
participatio
n.

Shows little or
no
improvement in
skills.
Incomplete
work.
Little or no
participation.
Disrespectful to
peers and/or
teacher.

Homework Complete? Yes/2 points____________ No/0 points____________


Comments:_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
___

GRADE:

Teacher exemplar, Watercolor on 14x14 paper.


Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett:
[His] jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible
v of his mouth. His nostrils curved back to make another, smaller, v. His
yellow-grey eyes were horizontal. The v motif was picked up again by
thickish brows rising outward from twin creases above a hooked nose,
and his pale brown hair grew downfrom high flat templesin a point on

SHERLOCK HOLMES, A STUDY IN SCARLET, SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE


His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of
the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so
excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were
sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have
alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of
alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and

JUDGE HOLDEN, BLOOD MERIDIAN, CORMAC MCCARTHY


An enormous man dressed in an oilcloth slicker had
entered the tent and removed his hatHe was bald as a
stone and he had no trace of beard and he had no brows
to his eyes nor lashes to themHe was close on to
seven feet in height His face was serene and strangely
childlikeHis hands were small.

STUDENT WORK BEFORE AND AFTER PROTRAIT DRAWING


DEMONSTRATION AND EXERCISE
STUDENT AGE 13

EYE SPY GAME PIECES

STUDENT WORK

8th grade student at work

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