SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Author Whitney Johnson

UNIT 1:Grade 7 3-5 weeks

UNIT 2: 9-10 3-5 weeks

UNIT 3: 11-12 3-5 weeks

Title/Big Idea

Intersections: Folktales/Fairy Tales

meet Street Art

Intersections: Interdisciplinary Art

Intersections: Words and Images

Description

Students will investigate how visual

language and storytelling shapes our
understanding of the world through
common western folklore and fairy tales.

Students will investigate signs and

symbols - the relationships, connections,
and disconnections - between written
language and visual images.

Practice

Studio Pract. 70%

Teacher will give
students a list of
common
iconography and
symbols found in
western folklore
and fairy tales, and
their
corresponding
metaphorical
meanings. Using
those icons,
students will
recontextualize
them by creating
their own slap
stickers of their
own personal
identities as an
empowered
character.
Students will
create at least two
versions of this
character in kawaii
style, doing
different activities.
Teacher will
prompt them by
showing Hana
Kappa, which is an
example of a
traditional folktale
shaped by
contemporary
Kawaii culture.
Teacher will also
show Banksys
Dismalanand and

Students will choose an interdisciplinary

subject area in which to conduct
research, and we will practice traditional
drawing techniques to study this subject
deeply.
Studio Pract. 70% Crit/Hist Study 30%
This particular
Students will study
unit will use
the work of three
students preartists who commit
existing interests to a deep study of
to jump-start their interdisciplinary
technical drawing work. These artists
and wet media
collaborate with
(india ink) skills.
specialists in other
It might extend
fields to gain deeper
longer than five
knowledge. The big
weeks. The first
idea of this
week we will be
introductory Unit is
learning drawing
that all artists draw
principles. Based inspiration from the
on their research, world/outside
students will
sources, which they
bring in items of
consider research
interest to learn
that informs their
basic drawing
work. Teacher will
techniques:
show an example of
-contour lines,
her finished project
crossof this unit, so
hatching...etc students can think
through the study about working
of a still-life. The
towards their own
second week will individual goals.
focus on
Students will
charcoal /chalk
propose an area of
pastel and value- research that is
blocking.
meaningful to them
Techniques. The
(this could be
third week will
personal such as
focus on wet
their childhood
media, and
collection of stuffed
working from
animals, or social
images instead
such as feminism in
of observation.
sports) - students
We will learn
who are uncertain
about blocking
can choose from a

Crit/Hist Study 30%

As a class, we will
read and decode
one tale from the
Brothers Grimm
together. Students
will learn about
symbolism (such
as a frog
representing
masculinity, apples
representing
desire, and the
woods
representing the
subconscious, or
inner state of
mind). We will
study how these
symbols and tales
have shaped our
life experiences;
and locate
recurring moral
themes in
contemporary
popular Western
culture. Artist
Tracey Moffatt
illustrates how
these feelings
pervade our
everyday lives in
her Invocations
series. For
example, we will
find parallels
between Grimms
fairy tales and
Disney- such as

Studio Pract. 70%

This
interdisciplinary
Unit will start out
with blackout
poetry, a kind of
kick-starter prompt.
As another launch,
Students will pair
up with each other
to create poems
from each others
book collections,
as Katchadourian
does in her sorted
Books series.
Students will then
create their own
hand-bound
journals to learn
bookbinding
techniques, and
which to record
poems and writing
in. This journal will
not be too
dissimilar to a
process journal,
but will function
more as an art
object and its
aesthetics will
reflect its contents
and meaning.
Based on
research, students
will choose and
propose the format
and media of their
final project. The

Crit/Hist Study 30%

Students will learn
about semiotics.
As a scaffolding
tool to understand
semiotics and
demonstrate its
cultural reliance,
students will work
in groups to use
signs/
language/storytelli
ng/other to design
a way to
communicate the
prospect of danger
to people living
10,000 years from
now
(http://99percentin
visible.org/episode
/ten-thousandyears/). We will
come together to
brainstorm, and
then discuss each
designs strengths
and understand
their limitations.
Students will read
some excerpts of
Foucault's This is
Not a Pipe, and
we will discuss
power structures in
visual culture. We
will look at a varied
group of artists
who have used
language to

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Tracey Moffatts
work to emphasize
this. Students will
make copies of
their stickers and
trade them with
each other. These
will be collected in
sketchbooks,
where students will
analyze them in
small groups.
Students will write
stories of
empowerment and
liberation from the
traditional fairytales their
characters are
stuck in. Teacher
will ask questions
such as, If you
were the Little
Mermaid, how
would you change
your own fate?
Students will use a
variety of
printmaking
methods, such as
collograph and
linoleum carving,
to depict scenes in
the story. Students
will display these
images in a
sequence by
mounting them to
a strip of thick
paper.

Objectives

Snow White and

the Seven Dwarfs.
We will examine
artists who have
appropriated these
symbols and
reinterpreted these
tales. We will
discuss how fairy
tales are
influenced by - and
influence - culture,
and that artists of
different cultures
are influenced by
different fairy tales.
We will also
discuss issues
about who is
represented, and
who is not, in
western fairytales.
We will talk about
how Disney just
recently created
the Frog Prince to
include a black
character as the
lead, and we will
discuss the
aspirations of
artists such as
Gerry Pigney. We
will look at
cartoons from
other cultures,
such as Hana
Kappa - a
Japanese show for
children which
plays off of a
folklore warning
children against
playing in rivers.

value steps (as in

a paint-bynumber),
transferring a
photo onto
watercolor paper,
and then painting
glazed layers
with india-ink.
The fourth week
the teacher will
introduce
collaging, and
the final project.
The teacher will
give a
demonstration on
how to collage,
and how to
create collaged
mosaics. For the
last project,
students will
create an
organized or
disorganized
diagram of the
information they
learned from
their research
topics. The final
project will be
mixed media
collages, and
students can use
copies of any
prior sketches,
photos/studies/n
otes, or text, and
images sourced
from photos or
magazines.

final project will

have a prompt,
chosen by the
teacher, such as,
create a work of
art that has the
power to change
someones mind
about a (personal
or social) issue
that you think is
important. They
will have these
options to choose
from: 1. Create a
work of art inspired
by one of our focus
artists, 2. Create a
work that puts a
Postmodern spin
on a traditional
object in the world
that contains text
and/or images (a
newspaper article,
a tourist
pamphletetc), 3.
Create a work
inspired by your
favorite author,
poet, or musical
artist, or 4.
Propose your own
project that blends
language and
visual art.

Students will be able to:

VA:Cr2.3.7a Using copic markers and at
least two symbols from folklore or fairy
tales, draw a unique, empowered kawaii
character on a slap sticker.

list of specific topics.

A short homework
assignment will
consist of filling out
brief guided notes
which contain
questions such as,
What areas of
controversy exist
within this topic?
Interview a teacher
who knows more
about this topic and
ask three meaningful
questions...etc.
Each week, there
will be new
questions to answer,
which reference the
Conceptual
Frameworks. There
will be a day in the
beginning of the Unit
where we go to the
computer lab or
library and become
familiar with
trustworthy, internet
sources and learn
how to navigate the
library. The fifth/last
week will involve a
group critique where
each student shares
the most valuable
information they
learned through their
research, why its
important to
themselves and the
world (using their
guided notes),and
how the ideas
resonate through
their artwork.
Students will be able to:
VA:Cn11-II In writing, explain at least two
similarities and two differences between
the practice of two artists we analyzed in
class.

communicate
meaning, and
relate each works
cultural and
historical context
to its meaning and
significance.
Students will
choose one of the
focused artists to
do individual
research on.
Students will bring
in another work by
their favorite
author, poet, or
musician to
unpack, find
metaphors in,
locate any places
in the work where
the audience might
disconnected and
find cultural
reasons for it, and
share it with the
class.

VA:Cr2.1.7a Create at least three unique

scenes from a story, using symbols from
reimagined fairy tales and at least two

VA:Re7-II Orally describe how the visual

organization of your finished diagram
communicates specific information about

VA:Cn10.1.IIIa In your choice of media,

make a work of art you believe has the
power to change someones mind about

Students will be able to:

VA:Cr2.3.IIIa On a slip of paper, ask at
least two peers two questions that link
the peers artwork to the world, and use
at least one vocabulary word in context.

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

printing methods.

your topic in at least two specific areas

on the work.

a (personal or social) issue.

VA:Cn10-II a. Choose a subject to

research in detail, and experiment with at
least three different drawing techniques
to create at least three full-page studies.

VA:Pr6.1.IIIa Collaboratively curate an art

exhibit by designing a space to display
the finished work, and write an individual
artists statement that explains at least
two main goals as an artist that are
specific to the work.

VA:Cn11-II a. Compare uses of art in a

variety of societal, cultural, and historical
contexts and make connections to uses
of art in contemporary and local contexts.

VA:Cn10.1.IIIa Synthesize knowledge of

social, cultural, historical, and personal
life with art-making approaches to create
meaningful works of art or design.

VA:Re7-II b. Evaluate the effectiveness

of an image or images to influence ideas,
feelings, and behaviors of specific
audiences.

VA:Cn11.1.7a Analyze how response to

art is influenced by understanding the
time and place in which it was created,
the available resources, and cultural
uses.

VA:Cr2.3.IIIa Demonstrate in works of art

or design how visual and material culture
defines, shapes, enhances, inhibits,
and/or empowers people's lives.

VA:Cn10-II a. Utilize inquiry methods of

observation, research, and
experimentation to explore unfamiliar
subjects through art-making.

VA:Cn10.1.IIIa Synthesize knowledge of

social, cultural, historical, and personal
life with art-making approaches to create
meaningful works of art or design.

2D
Cultural

Subj.

Struct.

4D
PMod

2D
Cultural

Subj.

Struct.

4D
PMod

2D
Cultural

Subj.

Struct.

4D
PMod

Artwork

Artist

Aud.

World

Artwork

Artist

Aud.

World

Artwork

Artist

Aud.

World

VA:Cn11.1.7a Interpret a peers slap

sticker, both orally and in writing, while
using at least two vocabulary words in
context and describing specific choices
the peer made to change the original
fairy/folk tale.

National
Standards

VA:Cr2.3.7a Apply visual organizational

strategies to design and produce a work
of art, design, or media that clearly
communicates information or ideas.
VA:Cr2.1.7a Demonstrate persistence in
developing skills with various materials,
methods, and approaches in creating
works of art or design.

Forms
Frames
Conceptual
Framework
Key Artists

Key Artworks

3D

3D

3D

Arthur Rackham
Liang Tao
Tracey Moffatt
Banksy
Katsushika Hokusai
Buff Monster

Gail Wight
Laura Splan
Danie Mellor

Liang Tao, Luofu Dream: Pink Pink, 2006,

wood, polyester, plastic-coated acetate,
plastic beads, nylon, dimensions variable

Christine dlund, The Plantdrummer,

Pencil on paper, 2010

Rene Magritte, Key to Dreams, Oil on

canvas, 1935

Alexis Rockman, Amphibian Evolution, oil

& acrylic on canvas, 1987

Xu Bing, Book from the Ground, 2014

Tracey Moffatt, Invocations 1,

Print/Photograph 2000
Arthur Rackham, The Frog Prince. From
The Arthur Rackham Book of Pictures.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, introduction.
London: W. Heinemann, 1913.
Katsushika Hokusai, detail of a bestiary
drawing showing a kappa

Alexis Rockman
Cory Arcangel
Christine dlund

Gail Wight, Ground Plane 1, ultrachrome

prints on Hahnemhle sugarcane, 2008
Installation shot from The Infinite Fill
Show, curated by Cory Arcangel, 2004

Rene Magritte
Xu Bing
Nina Katchadourian
Adam Farcus
Simryn Gill

Nina Katchadourian, Primitive Art, Cprint, 2001

Adam Farcus, Abracadabra, vinyl on
wall, 2011/2013
Simryn Gill, Carbon Copy (Assimilate), 1
x ink on paper; 1 x carbon on paper,
1998

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Key Critical
Questions
(Discourse)

1.

2.

3.

Vocabulary

Arthur Rackham, The Frog

Prince
How would you describe the
mood of this work? How would
you compare the mood of this
work to Tracey Moffatts
Invocations 1? What is
different from Rackhams work,
and from the Disney movie, the
Frog King? After reading
Grimms the Frog King, what do
you think the golden ball might
symbolize?
Liang Tao, Luofu Dream: Pink
Pink
Do you think Tao is depicting a
good dream, or a nightmare?
Why? How did Tao transform
an image we a familiar with (a
bedroom?) How might you use
symbolism from folklore or fairy
tales to transform a personal
story?
Tracey Moffatt, Invocations 1,
Print/Photograph 2000
What is different from this
image than from any of Arthur
Rackhams illustrations? Why
do you think the artist thought
this was Important?

Discipline (Syntax)
Blending, symbols, Kawaii, street art
Academic
metaphor, folklore, fairytale, popular
culture

Language
Modes
Language
Functions

Read

Write

Listen

Speak

Self-analyze own work

compare/contrast own work to traditional
fairy tales
describe and interpret a peers work

1. Christine dlund, The

Plantdrummer, Pencil on paper,
2010
What image comes to your
head if I were to say, plant or
stinging nettles? How has
dlund changed the way you
think about this plant? What
specific layout choices did she
make that led you to think this
way?
2. Gail Wight, Ground Plane 1,
ultrachrome prints on
Hahnemhle sugarcane, 2008
Mandalas are meant to
represent eternity and
ephemerality. What emotions
might describe how you feel
when reading Gail Wights
Ground Plane I? How does that
compare to a more scientific
depiction, such as Christine
dlunds The Plant Drummer?
3. Installation shot from The
Infinite Fill Show, curated by
Cory Arcangel, 2004
How did Cory Arcangel
recontextualize his experience
with MAC Paint? How does
filling a room with pattern
compare to filling a shape on a
computer with pattern?

Discipline (Syntax)
volume, shading, cross-hatching,
monochromatic, blocking, glazing
Academic

1.
Rene Magritte, Key to
Dreams
How might you read this work? Do
you the artist thought each viewer
would read it the same way, or
differently? After reading the title,
what connection does this work have
to a key?
2.
Xu Bing, Book From
the Ground
Where have you seen these signs
before? Do you think Bing succeeding
in making a book that anyone could
read? Why or why not? How might
this works meaning change in the
future?
3.
Nina Katchadourian,
Primitive Art
How much influence comes from the
book owners, and separately, the
artist, in th0ese works? If you were
organizing a friends books, what else
(besides the books) might you be
thinking about?
4.
Adam Farcus,
Abracadabra
Do you see any metaphors in this
work? Knowing the artists inspiration
(his hometown), and the works
format (a black magic spell), how
might they relate? What do you
picture in your head when you read
this? How does the meaning of each
word change when placed next to
other words?
5.
Simryn Gill, Carbon
Copy (Assimilate)
How does the medium the artist
chose affect the meaning of the
works activism?
Discipline (Syntax)
sign, symbol, context
Academic

intersections, subjective, objective,

recontextualize
Read
Write
Listen
Speak

metaphor, poetry, activism, hyperobject

Self-analyze own work

compare/contrast two artists practice
interpret peers work

Self-analyze own work

Interview two peers
Describe own work
Curate collaborative show

Read

Write

Listen

Speak

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Assessments

Formative
Guided notes
check, and
subsequent talk
with individual
students. Halfway
through the unit,
students will selfassess themselves
with a rubric.

Summative
Students will
describe and
interpret a peers
slap sticker.
Students will also
share their stories
in a small group
critique/discussion.
Final Rubric

Common
Core State
Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific word choice on meaning and
tone
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2
Interpret information presented in diverse
media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and explain how it
contributes to a topic, text, or issue under
study.

Formative
guided notes
check and
subsequent talk
with individual
students.
Halfway through
the unit, students
will self-assess
themselves with
a rubric.

Summative
Students will
present their
research by all
mounting their
artwork at the same
time, then students
all students will walk
around, view the
work, and put colorcoded, categorized
sticky notes by
certain artworks.
Final Rubric

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A
Introduce a topic; organize complex
ideas, concepts, and information to make
important connections and distinctions;
include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and
multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse
perspectives, summarize points of
agreement and disagreement, and, when
warranted, qualify or justify their own
views and understanding and make new
connections in light of the evidence and
reasoning presented.

Illustrative
Artworks

Christine dlund, The Plantdrummer,

Pencil on paper, 2010
Liang Tao, Luofu Dream: Pink Pink, 2006,
wood, polyester, plastic-coated acetate,
plastic beads, nylon, dimensions variable

Alexis Rockman, Amphibian Evolution, oil

& acrylic on canvas, 1987

Formative
guided notes
check and
subsequent talk
with individual
students. Halfway
through the unit,
students will selfassess themselves
with a rubric.

Summative
Students will
curate their own
show/critique.
They will display
their own work
depending how
they want a viewer
to receive it.
Students will ask
their peers at least
two questions
about their
artwork. Final
Rubric.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view,
reasoning, and use of evidence and
rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises,
links among ideas, word choice, points of
emphasis, and tone used.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
Analyze how an author's choices
concerning how to structure specific parts
of a text (e.g., the choice of where to
begin or end a story, the choice to
provide a comedic or tragic resolution)
contribute to its overall structure and
meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

Rene Magritte, Key to Dreams, Oil on
canvas, 1935

Tracey Moffatt, Invocations 1,

Print/Photograph 2000
Gail Wight, Ground Plane 1, ultrachrome
prints on Hahnemhle sugarcane, 2008
Xu Bing, Book from the Ground, 2014

Installation shot from The Infinite Fill

Show, curated by Cory Arcangel, 2004

Arthur Rackham, The Frog Prince. From

The Arthur Rackham Book of Pictures.
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, introduction.
London: W. Heinemann, 1913.

Banksy, Dismaland, 2015

Nina Katchadourian, Primitive Art, Cprint, 2001

SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM

B
uff Monster, Mural on Mural Street, NY

Adam Farcus, Abracadabra, vinyl on wall,

2011/2013
Katsushika Hokusai, detail of a bestiary
drawing showing a kappa

Simryn Gill, Carbon Copy (Assimilate), 1

x ink on paper, 1 x carbon on paper,1998
^above

still from Hana Kappa

Artwork
Citation
50pts
50pts

^above

^above
50pts