Scheme Plan for Art History – Melanie Jones

Title of Scheme: No. of Lessons:5 Group: 4th year

Art History: Edgar Total Time: (5 No. of Pupils: 17
Degas and the singles)3 hours & 20
Impressionism mins
Movement
Aims:
• Students will be introduced to the Impressionism movement,
Degas and Monet
• Students will develop an appreciation and enjoyment of the
subject matter.
• Students will describe, discuss and illustrate one work of
Degas and Monet and be able to compare and contrast them.
• Students will develop a visual awareness and language and
critical appraisal and evaluation skills
• Students will develop personal skills in small groups in
describing, making, reviewing artworks.
Overall Learning Outcomes for the Scheme:
• Student will become familiar with Degas painting and
illustrate with annotations “Miss La La at the Cirque
Fernando”
• Student will become familiar with Monet painting and
illustrate with annotations “Water Lily Pond”
• Explore and develop their visual literacy and research skills to
enable them to be a visual detectives build up a word bank
that relate to Impressionism, Degas and Monet work.
• Students will be able to describe, discuss, compare and
contrast Monet and Degas

Investigating/Exploring/Creating (include illustrations, especially

your own work):
• Degas paintings … show the non conventional viewpoint of his
subjects, repeated poses and postures, curve of a stooped
back or the slope of a shoulder, texture, surface, colour and
form mysterious, fantasy, experiential and vivid colours,
unusual perspectives and complex formal structures. Study of
gestures and poses of human figures in interior settings. “a
painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, some
fantasy when you always make your meaning perfectly plain
you end up boring people” (Degas)
• Investigate: small scale sketches and paintings of Degas and
Monet work
• Placement, shape, size, colour, line drawings.
Exploring requires:
• Describing in words and imagery looking at line, colour, and
atmosphere, light, reflection, water as theme, circus act,
form, movement, posture, poses.
• Investigating… different compositions, size, colour torn out,
cut out, collaged, hand drawn, painted imagery.
Creating requires:
Research Degas, Monet and Impressionism movement; design
a mood boards with key works and visuals relating to this
period and artists;

example of mood board:(see appendix 1 )

Harmonious (theme)
emotional connection, timeless, craft and elegance combined, all
over patterns and placement prints, atmospheric and decorative,
vintage and antique elements, abundance of contrasting textiles
visuals: Degas, floral, lace, Japanese antiques, gilt frames, Venice

Requires researching key word, illustrations, drawing,

making, annotation

Example of word mapping to use in word bank

worksheet (at appendix)

M
• Students as an individual will produce: -
• 1 A3 x mood board on different themes with key words
• Group A: mood board on Degas painting “Miss La La”
• Group B: mood board on Monet painting “Water lily pond”
• Group C: mood board on Impressionism styles
• Group D:mood board on Degas or Monet in a modern context
• 1x A4 illustration with annotation of Degas painting;
• 1 x A4 illustration with annotation of Monet painting
• 1 x A4 word bank of key words relating to this movement and
artists.
• 1 x A4 collage/painted/illustrated image of Miss La La in
another setting
Understanding/Evaluating: (include illustrations):
• Evaluations through group reviews, research, homework,
worksheet, class work, mood board, word bank worksheet
• Group research, peer presentations and discussion about
Impressionism movement and Degas. Students will
understand the influences of this movement on the artists of
the time? Describe the style used in terms of colour,
composition, light, atmosphere, and theme?
• Students will able to illustrate Degas and Monet work with
descriptive annotation

Illustrations used to show students examples and highlight

key areas:

See appendixes at back: support worksheet and example for

activity in lesson 2 and examples of mood boards for lesson 4

Edgar Degas- Miss La La at the Cirque Feranado 1879

Example of illustration from the original painting – eg
descripiton:- warm colour of the circus building suggests
danger, which spills onto Miss La La’s satin costume
 Claude Monet- Water Lily Pond 1903
Example of illustration from the original painting –
description:- the surface of the painting is a rich carpet of
colour with brush strokes of yellow, pink and lavender woven
in with the shimmering green of the plants.

ICT:
• Images sourced from internet and books on Degas, Monet
and Impressionism Era
• Websites: Tate online:
www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/degas; The Metropolitan
Museum www.metmuseum.org; National Gallery, London
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
• PowerPoint presentation on Degas and Monet work and
examples of illustration
• Students will use internet for research work
• Record students work by digital camera
• Whiteboard to outline the structure of the lesson

Key words/phrases:
• word bank, new words, phrases
• Line drawings, image, illustration with annotation,
unconventional viewpoint, vivid, bright colours,, suspended,
reflection, water, Composition, theme
• collage, colour, black and white, tonal value, shape, space,
line, styles, proportion, size, cutting, simplify, sketches, torn,
cut out, hand drawn, painted, series of poses, posture,
• visuals, mood board, reflection, bright, nature, outdoor and
indoor painting, Japanese prints, sunshine, mixing colours on
canvas, light, shade, study of colour, technique, fleeting
moments, atmosphere, swirling shapes of colours,
abstraction, drawing, painting from life or imagination,
collage
• research, art, ideas, circus, performance
Teaching/Learning Strategies:
• Present information on subject matter and key areas of
learning through visual aids and demonstration.
• Group discussion and analysis to compare and contrast key
areas and artists techniques.
• Group description of key area, techniques and subject matter
verbally and through observation drawings
• Teacher guided instructions through demonstrations and
guidance. Questions and answer time allowed after
demonstrations and during lessons.
• Homework/ class work will demonstrate if the student has
grasped the key areas of learning during the lesson,
confidence and skills in subject matter and research will
improve student knowledge.
• Group and individual work assessment, discussion and peer
presentation.

Materials:
• Colour & white cartridge paper (different weights), pens,
colouring pencils, pva glue, magazines, acetate, paints,
scissors, fabric paint, photocopies, craft knives, cutting
boards
Safety Precaution:
• Safety talk and demonstration on correct use of craft knives
and cutting boards where applicable to lesson plan.

Differentiation:
• Visual demonstration of each tasks
• Use key words on whiteboard to support and map out each
lesson.
• Students will be encouraged to work to their own strengths
and adapt their designs. A selection of materials will be
available for those who have difficulties with cutting.
• A4 laminated photocopies of visual images with annotation
and worksheets with key words.
• Encourage students to work at their own pace and capabilities
and adjust scheme to suit this.

Timeline/Sequence of Lessons:
Week One- introduce subject matter, Impressionism and
artists like Degas and Monet
Lesson 1 (Single):- Introduce subject matter.
Who were the Impressionists? Why do you think they are
called the impressionist?
What are the similarities between the paintings? What is
their inspiration?
What did the impressionist do different from the previous
school of art?
How was colour used and which materials i.e. brush?
Group Activity: visual cards and worksheet. Divided up into 4
groups through worksheet and present findings. (appendix
1a)
Introduce word bank – handout with list of words on
Impressionism, Degas and Monet (new words/ phrases to be
added to list).(at the end)
Homework: Research Degas and Monet and impressionism
and collect imagery for
What are their key styles/techniques and unusual
compositions?
Lesson 2: Start adding to word bank.

Week Two: Impressionism – introduce group work for week 5

presentation
Lesson 2 (Single) – Review any new words for word bank.
Discussion about Degas ‘Miss La La’ painting. Why were so
many artists attracted to the circus for inspiration? How does
this painting compare to any performance you might have
seen, for example at the circus, film, street artists and the
theatre? Do you agree that Degas was described as an
abstract artist using the human figure to project form, colour
and movement?
Introduce: visual image of Degas pastel sketch and painting
Activity: Think of an alternative place for Miss La La to be
suspended from, using collage, photographs, drawing or
painting from life or from your imagination, place, and daring
acrobat into other settings. (see appendix 2-4)
Homework :
1 x illustration with annotation on Degas painting ‘Miss La La’
for lesson 3 and finish class work
Week Three: *
Lesson 3(Single) Review and collect homework/class work
Describe Monet work – water lily pond (Visual image)
Collect homework from lesson 2: Homework: 1 x A4
illustration on Monet painting ‘Water Lily Pond’

Week Four- Compare and Contrast Monet and Degas paintings

Lesson 4 (Single) Review new words for word bank.
Compare and Contrast Monet and Degas paintings (Visual
image)
Introduce mood boards and show examples.
Collect homework from lesson 3 (illustration – Monet)
Group A: Degas mood board and key words based on Miss La
La
Group B: Monet mood board & key words based on Water Lily
Pond
Group C: Impressionism style mood board & key words
 Group D: mood board & key words Degas or Monet work in a
modern context
Homework: Mood boards completed for presentation – Lesson
5

Week Five- Group presentation on Degas, Monet and

Impressionism
Lesson 5 (Single) Presentation of group work. Group review,
worksheets and discussion on peers work.

Assessment Rubric:
• Design concept/ creativity
• Research/ Development
• Knowledge and understanding
• Effort/ commitment to project
• Evidence of Learning

Assessment rubric –4th year Art

History
Design Research & Knowledge Finished Effort/
Concept/ development (20) and work commitmen
Creativity understand (20) t to project
(20) ing (20) (20)

Visual and Development of research Finished Effort during

imaginative visual literacy/ Impressionis design class
design and presentations, (5) m Knowledge And applying
concepts(5) movements/ and this to
Monet/Degas understand homework
(5) ing of key (5)
areas (5)
Developmen design/drawings/ Key areas (5) Visual Student
t of visual concepts/annotatio compare/ impact of taking on
vocabulary/i ns contrast/ finished board
deas and word bank/mind discuss/ design; guidance and
designs in to mapping/ mood describe illustrations evidence
subject boards/ artwork and / shown in
matter(10) (5) movement presentatio work (5)
n (5)
Demonstrate Development of Design, Student Works well
independent class work/ layout technical individually
thinking (5) Homework (5) composition, response and in group
(5) to design work (5)
(5)
 Experiment with Techniques Creative Enthusiasm
different techniques skills and ideas and throughout
and took time in medium experiment the project
creating designs. used (5) ing (5) and finished
(5) piece reflects
students
best work (5)

Example of word bank about Impressionism and Degas

and Monet

Academic art: art that met the standards defined by the

French Academy of Fine Arts, characterized by hard outlines,
smooth surfaces, idealized figures, and mythical and biblical
themes; this artistic style was popular in Europe from the 17th
to the 19th centuries
Composition: arrangement of forms in a painting or another
work of art
Cool colours: colours that contain blue tones and suggest
coolness; cool colors appear to recede in a painting, suggesting
depth
Expressionism: artistic style that exaggerates or distorts the
painting’s subject in order to express the artist’s emotions
Genre painting: use of scenes of everyday life as the subject
matter of a painting
Impasto: paint applied to the canvas in thick, raised
brushstrokes
Impressionism: a style of painting, which emerged chiefly in
France during the late 19th century, that focuses on the artist’s
general impression of an object or scene and often uses
unmixed colours and small brushstrokes to depict reflected
light
Naturalistic: representing objects or people as they actually
appear
optical mixtures: technique that places pure, primary colours,
in small touches, right next to each other, so that the colours
appear to merge
Palette: range of colours used in a painting or the flat surface
upon which an artist mixes paints
Plein air painting: French term meaning “open air”; used to
describe a painting that is created out of doors
Realism: French artistic movement, led by Gustave Corbet,
that focused on painting ordinary objects and people, instead of
the lofty themes traditionally represented in French painting
Still life: painting of non-living objects, such as flowers, fruit,
or utensils
Series painting: a set of paintings that represent a single
motif seen under different combinations of light, weather, and
seasons
Warm colours: colours that contain red tones and suggest
warmness; warm colors seem to advance in a painting,
appearing closer to the viewer

Add you own key words and phrases that describe

Monet and Degas work……

Presentation for Art History

Slide: 2 Week 2
 EdgarDegas, “MissLa
La”at theCirque
Fernando1879

Howdoesthispainting
compareto anyperformance
youmighthaveseen, for
exa2mpleat thecircus, film,
Slide 2: Week

streetartistsandthetheatre?
Whyweresomanyartists
attractedtothWhich
ecircusvie
andw sopoint was t
fewtosportingevents?
Describe themedium u
DoyouagreethatDegas
wasdescribedasan ab Which
stract do you pr
artistusingthehuman
figuretoprojectform, colour
andmovement.

Slide 3: Week 3
 Monet: Water Lily
Pond
Whatis themain themeand
inspirationin thispainting?
Describethe coloursand his
Slide 4: Week 4
useof light?
Howdoes thisinfluencethe
painting?
CompareandContrast
Describetheatmosphereinbo
Intermsof subject,colou

Monet – WaterLilyPond

Slide 4a: Example of Mood boards - group work for week 5

Degas Mood
Board
Describe the mood you might
find in aDegas painting through
visuals, illustrations, colours he
would have used. Howhemight
havecreated this atmosphere.

Example:
harmonious
emotional connection, timeless,
craft and elegance combined, all
over patterns and placement
prints, atmospheric and
decorative, vintage and antique
elements, abundance of
contrasting textiles
visuals: Degas, floral, lace,
Japanese antiques, gilt frames,
Venice