I.

Curriculum
Desired Results
Big Idea: Illusion of Space & Winter Trees
Grade Level: 3 Duration: three 80 minutes class
Established Goal:
1. Students paint a winter landscape in perspective.
2. Students will discuss how the sizes of objects/ trees are different in the
foreground, middle ground and background.
3. Students will look at trees and its organic lines, and discuss what characteristics
organic lines have and how they are different from geometric lines.
4. Students will learn what a landscape means.
5. Students will write a poem about their paintings and reflect on their work.
State Standards (Common Core Standards):
1.3 Identify and describe how foreground, middle ground and background are used
to create the illusion of space.
2.3 Paint or draw a landscape, seascape or cityscape that shows the illusion of
space.
4.2 Identify successful and less successful compositional and expressive qualities of
their own works of art and describe what might be done to improve them.
5.2 Write a poem or story inspired by their own works of art.

Essential Question(s):
1. How can we create the illusion of space?
2. What are organic lines? and how are they different from geometric lines?
3. What is a landscape?


Student will understand:
1.The sizes of trees in the foreground, middle ground and background are different.
2.That they can create the illusion of space by altering sizes of trees in the
foreground, middle ground and background.

Students will know..
1.That foreground is a part of a two dimensional artworks that appears to be nearer

the viewer or in the front.
2.That the middle ground is area between foreground and background
3. That background is the part of the picture plane that seems to be farthest from the
viewer.
4. That landscape is works of art which feature views of nature, including seascape,
cityscape and waterscapes

Students will be able to
1.Manipulate a brush to create organic lines.
2.Arrange a big tree in the foreground, a medium tree in the middle ground and a
small tree in the background to create the illusion of space.
3.Paint a landscape

Vocabulary:
Perspective
Middle ground
Background
Foreground
Landscape
Organic lines
Assessment Evidence
Performance Task (s):
1.Art appreciation (discussion)
2.Painting
3.Poem
4.Discussion (self-reflection)


Other Evidence:
1.Participation
Assessment Criteria:
BIBAs criteria/ rubrics

Criteria

Beginning Developing Secure Advanced
Creativity
Problem
Solving
Little evidence
of original
thought
Lacks sincere
originality
Demonstrates
originality
Work
demonstrates a
unique level of
originality




Design
Composition
Minimum attempt
at design the, not
completed
Satisfactory,
lack of
planning is
evident
Average,
Student
applied the
principles
discussed in
class in a
successful
manner
Artwork shows
principles
discussed in
class, applied in a
unique manner
Skill
Craftsmanship
Presentation

Shows poor
craftsmanship or
undeveloped
skills
Satisfactory,
lack of
craftsmanship
and
understanding
are evident
Average
craftsmanship
and
understanding
Outstanding
artwork, finished
with a high level
of skill for the
grade level
Effort and
Responsiveness

Student did not
engage in the
learning process,
even after
intervention
Work lacks
finishing
touches that
could be
improved upon
with little effort
Average effort,
but more could
have been
done
Effort and
responsiveness
far beyond
requirements of
the project



Lesson Plans

Lesson 1 (80 mins)
MATERIALS: PPT, Watercolor palettes, white tempera paint, blue/brown/ purple/
orange tempera paint, brushes, water containers, palettes

Art Appreciation (20mins)
Introduce a painting by Vincent Van Gogh.
Guiding Questions:
What do you see?
What kinds of lines did the artist use to paint the trees?
What can we talk about composition? How are the trees arranged?
How do these paintings show the illusion of space? (Foreground, Middle
ground, Background)
What is a landscape?
Introduce the art project
Teachers introduce to students that they will paint a winter landscape in
perspective.
Demonstration (10mins) Background
Demonstrate to the students how to use wet blending skills to paint the sky
(watercolor paint) and how to use tint and shade (revision) to paint the snowy ground
(tempera paint).
Wet blending: wet the paper first and apply different colors on wet surfaces.
Snowy ground: ask students what they remember about tint and shade in the
previous lessons and why we need tint and shade to paint white snowy ground.
Show how to paint the snowy ground.
Studio (35mins) for students
Clean up (10mins)

Closing (5mins)
Reflection on what we did today and introduction to the next class.
Lesson 2 (80 mins)
MATERIALS: Black tempera paint/ or ink/ watercolor paint, thin brushes, water
containers

Discussion (15 mins)
What did we do last week?
How can we create the illusion of space? How are the sizes of trees different
in the foreground, middle ground and background?
What is landscape?
What are organic lines? How are they different from geometric lines?
Introduction to todays lesson painting trees.
Demonstration (5 mins)
Demonstrate to the students how to apply a brush to draw organic lines and
paint trees in foreground, middle ground and background.
Practice painting trees (20 mins)
Students practice painting trees on practice paper.
Demo (5 mins)
Demonstrate to the students how to paint trees on the background we created
last week and paint shadows of trees.
Studio (20 mins)
Students paint trees on the background they painted in the previous week.
Clean up(10 mins)
Closing ( 5 mins)


Lesson 3 (80 mins)
MATERIALS: Students paintings, paper, pencils

Discussion (5 mins)
What did we do last week?
How can we create the illusion of space? How are the sizes of trees different
in the foreground, middle ground and background?
What is landscape?
What are organic lines? How are they different from geometric lines?
Introduce artists, who were inspired by their work to write a story or poem (5
mins)
Writing poems (Integration with ELA class) (30 mins)
Students are asked to write a poem about their painting
Presentation (20 mins)
Self-reflection (10 mins)
Students are given self-reflection sheets and reflect on their work and
participation in the class.




Clean up (5 mins)
Closing (5 mins)

Back up activity:
Draw a winter scene in perspective.
Draw a comic strip inspired by their poems.