Department of Arts Administration, Education, and Policy

UNIT PLAN OVERVIEW

(Revised 2016)

Teacher Candidate Trinity Arend

School Westerville Fouse
Grade Level 2nd

UNIT TITLE Crankin Out Kusamas

Length of Class Period 40 min
Approximate Number of Students in Each class 30
Beginning Date for this Unit April 22
Ending Date for this Unit April 26

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Critical and Creative Thinking: Students combine and apply artistic and reasoning skills to
imagine, create, realize and refine artworks in conventional and innovative ways.

PROGRESS POINTS
C. Connect making art with individual choice and understanding personal cultural identity.

CRITICAL ISSUE / BIG IDEA

Anticipatory Set (what do the students already know, why is this lesson relevant?)
Going into this lesson, students already understand the basic techniques and materials used
including pencil sketching and tempera paint usage. They also are beginning to understand
stress and negative emotions and how to process these. What they may not understand are
positive coping mechanisms to these negative emotions and what exactly a mental illness is.
Central Focus (creating, presenting, interpreting, responding, and/or relating art to context)
In this lesson, students will study the works of Yayoi Kusama and interpret the works meaning
during a group discussion. They will then create their own works practicing her method of
making. These works will be on a 9’’ by 11’’ piece of drawing paper. We will first sketch them
using pencil then paint them with tempera paints.
Essential Questions (provocative, engaging, critical)
What is mental illness?

How might creating work help Kusama cope with her illness?

What are some other ways we can cope with stressful or negative situations?

Possible Integration
N/A

DESCRIPTION OF THE ESSENTIAL EDUCATIONAL CONTENT OF THIS UNIT

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 Lesson One
Title Crankin Out Kusamas
Lesson Description Students will study the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. They will
then participate in a teacher facilitated discussion covering mental illness
and ways to cope with mental illness. They will then create their own
version of a Kusama work focusing on dots and eyes.

Explain how technology has been used in this unit

N/A

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LESSON PLAN

Teacher Candidate Trinity Arend

School Westerville Fouse
Grade Level 2nd

LESSON NUMBER 1
Lesson Title Crankin Out Kusamas
Length of Class Period 40 min
Approximate Number of Students in Each class 30
Beginning Date for this Lesson April 22
Ending Date for this Lesson April 26

CONTENT STATEMENT – PERCEIVING/KNOWING

1PE Notice and point out details and respond to expressive features in artworks

CONTENT STATEMENT – PRODUCING/PERFORMING

1PR Demonstrate increasing skill and craft in the use of art tools and materials with attention to
their diverse qualities.

CONTENT STATEMENT – RESPONDING/REFLECTING

7RE Recognize and discuss that people have various opinions about art and value art for
different reasons.

Performance-based Assessment Objectives

Students will notice and point out three details in Kusama's work.

Students will demonstrate increased technical ability when sketching and painting their
artworks.

Students will recognize and discuss their opinions about artworks and list at least three possible
reasons an artist would create a piece of art.

Performance-based Assessment Strategies

(attach assessment documents if applicable)
During group discussion, we will review various works by Yayoi Kusama in which the students
will point out and describe at least three details from as well as how they interpret these
artworks.

When creating their own artworks, students will demonstrate increased technical ability by self
assessing works and making adjustments accordingly as well as from teacher feedback.

Students will recognize and discuss their opinions about Kusama’s artworks and list three
possible reasons an artist creates a work of art (not necessarily just Kusama).

Academic Language

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Vocabulary
Mental illness:disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. (google)

Additional Language Demands (specific speaking or writing activity)

Students will participate in a class discussion covering the topic of mental illness and coping
strategies.

Accommodations for Special Populations

-frequent check ins
-extended time
-verbal or written responses
-clarification on instruction
-breaks
-point of instruction seating
-written and verbal instruction

Art/Visual Culture Examples

Yayoi Kusama

Preparations
Materials/Resources for Teacher
-projector
-internet access
-computer

Materials for Students

-pom poms
-pencils
-drawing paper (9.5x11)

Safety Procedures
I will warn the students to be careful with the paint materials and pencils.

LEARNING ACTIVITY
Getting the Classroom Environment Ready
To prepare I will need to have water cups and paint pallets set up as well as brushes out on the
counters easily accessible to the worker bees.
Procedures for the Teaching/Learning Structure (indicate approximate time for each step)

Time Student Teacher

1 min Students will enter the room and I will greet the students as they enter
quiet their bodies as well as their the room and ask them to have a
voices in preparation for class. seat on the floor. I will also have the
Sitting on the floor for group projector turned on and the

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 discussion.
10 min The students will participate in group
discussion and answer or ask any
questions they may have by raising
their hand throughout the time we
are seated.
24 min The students will follow along as I
show them how to create their
Kusama Image. After they have
sketched the image they will be
permitted to paint the image using
eraser tips, paint brushes and pom
poms.
5 min Students will need to place all paint
brushes in their water cups and their
paintings on the drying rack. The
worker bees will collect pallets and
water cups. They will need to rinse
out all pallets and brushes. I will call
on tables that are cleaned up and
ready to go to line up.
Clean-up Procedures (Room, Materials & Work Storage)
Students will put all brushes in the water containers and place their paintings on the drying rack.
The worker bees will collect the paint trays, rinse them out and collect the brushes/ water cups.
Closure, Review & Anticipation (what’s next?)
I will let the students know that the next time I see them they will get these back and we will be
finishing our alien pinch pots.
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powerpoint up and ready to be
shown.
I will show the students the power
point and ask them if they know what
a mental illness is. I will then flip to
that slide and read the definition as
well as the comparison to a
sickness.I will continue the
powerpoint moving on to who Yayoi
is and explaining that she has a
mental illness and still creates
beautiful works to be enjoyed by all. I
will explain that this is the way she
copes with her illness and art makes
her feel better.
I will demonstrate a step by step of
how to create the Kusama image.
After we have done this as a group
they will be permitted to begin
painting. As the students paint I will
walk around offering feedback and
answering any questions they may
have.
I will keep an eye on clean up and
dismiss students to line when I feel
they are ready to be. I will then
choose a student who is behaving
well to do crayons.
Supplemental Activity
If the students finish up early they will be allowed to do an alien coloring page or play with
playdoh.

Teacher reflection focused on the lesson after it has been taught

N/A

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