Pam Hill

Lesson Plan Title: Still Life Drawing and Writing Activity

Grade: 7
Subject: Visual Art
Concept/Topic to teach: Still Life Drawing, Visual Imagery, and Descriptive Writing
Common Core Standard(s) Addressed:
LACC.7.W.1.2.b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples.
LACC.7.W.1.2.d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about
or explain the topic.
LACC.7.W.1.3.d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and
sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
LACC.7.W.2.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
LACC.7.W.4.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LACC.7.SL.1.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
VA.68.C.1.1
Apply a range of interests and contextual connections to influence the art-making and
self-reflection processes.
VA.68.C.1.2
Use visual evidence and prior knowledge to reflect on multiple interpretations of works
of art.
VA.68.C.1.3
Identify qualities of exemplary artworks that are evident and transferable to the judgment
of personal work.
VA.68.C.2.2
Evaluate artwork objectively during group assessment to determine areas for refinement.
VA.68.C.2.3
Examine artworks to form ideas and criteria by which to judge/assess and inspire
personal works and artistic growth.
VA.68.C.2.4
Use constructive criticism as a purposeful tool for artistic growth.
VA.68.F.3.3
Collaborate with peers to complete an art task and develop leadership skills.
VA.68.F.3.2
Analyze the procedural and divergent thinking skills developed in visual art to identify a
purpose for the communication of art ideas.
VA.68.O.2.1
Create new meaning in artworks through shared language, expressive content, and
ideation.

VA.68.S.2.3
Use visual-thinking and problem-solving skills in a sketchbook or journal to identify,
practice, develop ideas, and resolve challenges in the creative process.
VA.68.S.3.1
Use two-dimensional or three-dimensional art materials and tools to understand the
potential and limitations of each.
Behavioral Objective: ABCD = audience, behavior, condition, and degree
Audience 7th grade visual art students
Behavior Descriptive language, adjectives, writing, drawing skills and
techniques
Condition Concentrated observation of objects, illustration, and descriptive
writing at the 7th grade level
Degree 95%
Objective: Given an object to observe, analyze, describe, illustrate, and compare,
7th grade students will use detailed descriptive language verbally and in written
form with 95% accuracy and create a still life illustration and poem.
Required Materials:
1. A variety of fruit and vegetables
2. Blindfolds
3. Sketch book
4. Pencil
5. Drawing paper, poster board, Bristol board, watercolor paper at least 18 x 24
6. Colored pencils, markets, acrylic paints, watercolor paints
7. A copy of Perfection by William Carlos Williams Poem
8. A copy of The Tropics in New York by Claude McKay Poem
9. The Internet
10. Computers with word processing software
Introduction:
First, I will begin the lesson by taking the students on a virtual museum field trip to
explore famous artists still life paintings of fruit and vegetables.
1. The Chicago Art Museum website:
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artworksearch/results/still+life+fruit?filters=o
bject_type_s%3APainting.
2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art website:
http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=still+life+fruit+&x=-1163&y=-58
3. See list of resources at end of lesson.
Next, in a whole group discussion, I will talk about describing words; why and how we
use them in art. I will ask the students to think and share as many words as they can that
can describe fruits and vegetables. The class will create a collaborative descriptive Word
Wall. Next, I will read the poems Perfection by William Carlos Williams and The
Tropics in New York by Claude McKay out loud to the class. The class will have a
discussion about the two poems and their relationship to fruit and vegetables.

Model Step-by-Step Procedures:

I will use the Guided Imagery technique (Buehl, 2009, p. 90) to describe an object to the
class. I will model thinking aloud while describing a lemon to the class using as many
descriptive words as I can. The students will close their eyes for this portion. I will hold
the fruit up and say out loud that I am taking a close look at the object, really observing
and studying the object before describing it. Then thinking aloud I say, hmm this object
is oval in shape, kind of like a football but more pointed at the one end. It is
asymmetrical. It is small and fits in my hand perfectly; it has a thick, bumpy, bright
yellow skin that has dimples all over it, and it has a small green pointed cap at the top
where it was attached to the stem. There is a small round patch of green color on the skin
near the bottom of the object. Then the students will try to guess what the object is.
After, I will create a poem thinking out loud.
A lemon is small and oval.
Thick, bumpy, and bright yellow.
A lemon looks like a football.
With a green pointed cap for a hat,
And dimples all over its skin
You would think it looks more like a fellow.
Though a fellow it is not,
For it once had a stem protruding from its head,
And near the bottom a green colored spot.
Guided Step-by-Step Procedures:
Pair students up and give them a blindfold. They will need their sketchbooks and pencils.
Have the students take turns being the visual guide and the guesser. One student will put
a blindfold on while the other picks a fruit or vegetable that I brought in for the lesson.
Have a variety of items to choose from. The visual guide student will then observe their
object and provide a verbal description of their object to the guesser. The visual guide
student will write the name of their object in their sketchbook and the words they are
using to describe it. The other student will guess what the object is after the visual guide
is done describing the object. Then students will switch places. The new visual guide
will pick a different object to describe. They will write the name of their object in their
sketchbook and the describing words they are using. Students will discuss their
descriptions and objects afterward and help each other write a poem (any style) in their
sketchbooks to share with the rest of the class. I will walk around the classroom and
provide feedback and help as necessary.
Independent Practice:
The students will pick fruit[s] and/or vegetable[s] make an arrangement and using the
Guide Imagery technique study their object[s] and make a color illustration of it on paper
that is at least 18 x 24 with any medium they choose. Then they will write a
descriptive poem for their still life using as many describing words as possible and
include it on their paper. They may choose to write their poems or use a computer with
word processing to complete the poem.

Closure:
In a whole group session, the students will present their still life illustration and poem to
the class. We will critique the illustration and poem providing feedback for each student,
which will support and guide them in their creative writing in other areas and their visual
observation skills for drawing practices.
Evaluate Lesson Based on Objective(s):
This lesson incorporates a process writing approach and is very effective at teaching
students to observe what they are looking at in great detail. It is very effective at teaching
creative descriptive writing at the intended level. It also provides a formative assessment
on the students creativity, thinking process, and visual representation of an object. It
provides a pre-writing inquiry activity, collaborative writing experience, and contains
specific product goals. The lesson includes two poems and one that the teacher creates in
class; this supports the study of models and writing for content area learning.
Additional fruit still life paintings to share and view with the class:
James, D. (2013, April 2). Jacob van Hulsdonck still life master (2013, April 2).
Retrieved on July 11, 2014, from
http://fruitandflies.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/jacob-van-hulsdonck-still-lifemaster/
Still life oil painting of Rendor Berger. (2011). In The artistic art. Retrieved July 11,
2014 from http://www.theartisticart.com/2014/04/still-life-oil-paintings-ofrendor.html
Van Gogh, V. (1888). Still life with basket and six oranges [Oil on canvas]. In Van gogh
gallery. Retrieved July 11, 2014 from
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/520/Still-Life-with-Basket-andSix-Oranges.html
Weinbren, G. (2011). Still life with banquet: Dessert (M). In Vimeo. Retrieved on July
11, 2014 from http://vimeo.com/18480238
Resources:
Buehl, D. (2009). Guided imagery. In Buehl, D. (pp. 90-92). Classroom strategies for
interactive learning (3rd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
McKay, C. (2014). The tropics in New York. In Poetry foundation. Retrieved on July 14,
2014 from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173963
Williams, C. W. (1938). Perfection. Retrieved on July 14, 2014 from
http://ronnowpoetry.com/contents/williamswc/Perfection.html