Concept Map

Video: Online Project Example https://www.dropbox.com/s/88iz0ne8es6j7yn/Video %20Project%20Example.m4v

Students will also be exposed to clips from Art21 relating to community and/or the documentary on Vik Muniz, Wasteland.

Journal Jots
Day 1: What is a community? Who is a part of your community? A community is a group of individuals sharing some common aspect of life. People in my community are my family, my friends, my classmates, my neighbors, and my coworkers.

Day 2: Why are certain people placed in certain groups or communities? People are placed in specific communities based on their relationships, their locations, how they do things, aspects they share with other people, and even stereotypes.

Day 3: List three (3) communities that you are a part of. Explain why you belong to those communities. Michigan - I was born and raised in Michigan, and I have lived here my entire life. Art Art is my passion, my hobby, my career, and I actively seek to participate in the art community. Grand Valley State University I have gone to GVSU for 5 years. It is where I have studied, where I have worked, where I have lived, and a location at which a significant amount of my life has occurred.

Day 4: Give examples of people who are a part of your specific communities? How do you know these people? My parents and siblings are a part of my family. Matt and Alicia are my friends. Roger and the Cramers are a part of my neighborhood. (Local community) Alexander Calder and Emily are a part of the GR art community. I am also friends with Emily and I study Calder in school. The mayor and the governor are a part of the Michigan community. I do not know them personally, but they have a direct influence on my life.

Day 5: How do you compare to the other people in your community? People within one community typically share some aspect of their identity. This could be a common trait, interest, location, or belief. However, just because you belong to a community does not mean you share every aspect and characteristic of the other people in that community.

Day 6: Explain what a stereotype is. How do stereotypes affect you? A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization that is used to describe a group of people. Stereotypes are usually hurtful, so when they are used towards my identity, it is upsetting.

Day 7: How do your actions influence others? My actions can directly influence others emotionally and physically. The things I say can change another persons mood and the things I do can help or hurt others. If I act like a bully to someone, they could get upset or get physically hurt. I can also make indirect impacts on others. If I do things like recycle, I am helping make the world cleaner, which will make other people healthier.

Day 8: What things can you do to help your community? What could you do if you had help from your community? I could recycle. I could be a good person. I could be friendly. I can make sure I do not litter. I can clean up garbage. If I had help from my community, I would try to make it healthier and happier for everyone who is a part of my community.

Day 9: List some ways that people communicate within a community. What type of information is shared? Why? People communicate with each other by talking, through letters, newspapers, television, news, posters, advertisements, billboards, signs, cards, and more. People share the news. News is important because it lets people know what is going on around them. People also talk about their lives. They do this because they want people to know

about them. We also share stories. This is usually because they are interesting or have an important message.

Day 10: Why is it important to inform people about certain issues? Some issues can be harmful to other people. When we tell people about the issue, they have a chance to make the problem go away or protect them from possible harm.

Day 11: Explain awareness. What forms of media could be used to raise awareness? Awareness means you know about something and have some sort of understanding of it. People use the news, advertisements, commercials, and conversations to use awareness.

Day 12: What is a Public Service Announcement (PSA)? Where do you see a PSA? A Public Service Announcement is a video or sound recording, usually paid for by the government, informing the public of an important issue. PSAs are usually seen on television or even on the internet.

[TYPE THE SENDER COMPANY NAME]

A sample letter to an individual of authority in our community. 2/15/2013

To whom it may concern:

It has come to my attention that our neighborhood is lacking in the community arts area. I feel as though exposure to the arts is a key part of a communitys development as a group of cultured individuals. I would like to propose that my classes design, create, and install a new piece of public artwork. Not only would this project allow for a little more creativity and fun in our city, it would be beneficial for the students. This project would result in young individuals realizing and demonstrating their roles in the community. It will also be an opportunity for students to see how they can make positive changes in their society. I would expect to receive a letter from my students in the near future. Within this letter, students will describe their ideas and concepts for a public art piece they can create on their own. Thank you for making time in your schedule to read this letter. We hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely,

Paige Darbyshire
Secondary Art Educator

Vik Muniz
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1961. Sculptor and Photographer

Has lived and worked in New York since the late 1980s

Draws attention to social issues in specific locations

Works with multiple objects or materials like chocolate and sugar

Recreates famous artworks with materials other than paint

Marat/Sebastiao Pictures of Garbage

The Gypsy Magna Pictures of Garbage

Community
In the art department, we already tend to focus on what we call Big Ideas as we plan our lessons. I have spent quite a bit of time playing around with and designing activities based on these lessons. So, when it came to picking the topic for my multigenre project, I just selected the Big Idea that I enjoyed the most and already planned on using in my classroom. As a content area, art is already discussed through a wide variety of texts. Some of my genre choices came very quickly and easily, but as I came around to the fifth and sixth choices I began to struggle. I started the actual creation of the process by selecting the genres, which ended up being: a concept map, journal jots, a visual biography, a letter to an individual of authority, a video project example, and a drawing project example.

Concept maps are a common practice in art lessons. It helps the students break down a very broad topic into manageable concepts that can be defined. A teacher can either create one for the students, or the students can spend a class period breaking down the Big Idea in small groups and through class discussions. I also chose to do what I call journal jots. These are basically just open questions or concepts that I would like students to think about as we explore the idea of community together. These can be turned in, or just warm-ups each day as a way to keep students thinking about the topic throughout the unit. For my project, I answered my own questions in about the same way I would expect my students to do in class. The next genre I selected was a visual biography on Vik Muniz. I selected six main points about him as a person and as an artist. The main image is a self-portrait of Muniz and then I included two other samples of his work. These pieces are also samples from a documentary I would have my classes watch if we had time. It is important for students to look into and research various artists, especially contemporary

artists. I would turn this into a project by providing students with a list of contemporary artists that deal with community or one of our sub-topics. They would have to choose one to research and create their own graphic biography. My fourth genre selection was a letter to some individual of authority. This could mean the mayor, the principal, the superintendent, or someone of a similar position. The intended goal is for students to come up with an idea for a project they could make for the benefit of their community. Then they will need to write a letter to the appropriate individual asking for permission to actually implement this project. This could also lead to collaboration with the English department so the students write a proper letter. The letter I created was just a sample of a professional letter that also introduced the concepts behind their potential project. The final two genres are sample projects that I would be interested in having the students doing. The first is a short video project. Students would be required to pick an issue they feel strongly about and create a video that raises awareness. These videos can be as serious or silly as they want as long as students can defend their choices. My sample video is a comedic version of a news report on gingers intended to communicate the issue of bullying and stereotypes as well as pointing out the idea that some sources of information are not always credible. I chose to make this project a video genre because it is becoming more and more important to include technology in the classroom. Video is typically an easy form of technology that can be utilized by several age groups. The second sample project is a drawing. Students would be asked to draw their home, their neighborhood, or a place within their community that they like to go. This project should get students thinking about whom and what is a part of their community. Depending on the age and grade level of the class, the incorporation of content like perspective, contour lines, composition or other art concepts could be required from the students. I chose to draw a library because I really enjoy reading and a library is a great place to find quality books. Libraries are also a great place to get together with friends or a club in your community to discuss books or even do homework. As I completed the multi-genre project, I learned a lot about how I interpret certain Big Ideas. It was interesting to see that I have my own interpretations and

opinions, but researching required me to think about the opinions of others as well. I am glad this project had this impact on me, because it is going to be extremely important for me to be able to listen to the interpretations and opinions of my students. I also noticed that many of my genre choices did not require me to actually write as much as I had expected. The journal jots were easy since it was just supposed to be a brief train of thought. However, I did learn that I am not a very strong letter writer and could probably use some more training before I really expect my students to do it.