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cherylheylart

Creating a Planning Pyramid and Stage 1 Unit Plan

Updated: Aug 6, 2023




Part 1:

Grade or Level: Unit Title

Class: Art (5th Grade)


Unit: Personal Identity


Unit Goals:

Students will be able to express and describe identity through means of symbolism, color theory, mood, physical features, and more principals and elements in artwork and discussions.

STAGE 1- STANDARDS/GOALS


Students should understand:


How to express individuality in an artwork

How to identify symbols in an artwork


Students should know:


How to identify and show proportion

That artists use symbolism in art


Students should be able to:


Create an expressive portrait

Identify accurate facial proportions


Content Standard(s)

Generalizations about what students should know and be able to do.

Content Standards

Primary Expected Performances

(Academic)


Students will be able to include at least four different visuals / symbols to represent their personal identity in a self-portrait.



· Define symbolism

· Describe how symbolism is used in an artwork

· Select visuals and symbols that represent themselves

(Academic)


Students will be able to use mathematical proportions of the human face to create a self-portrait depicting defining physical characteristics.


· Identify portraits that use correct proportions

· Show correct use of proportions in a self-portrait drawing

(Behavioral)


Students will evaluate their own artwork through a self-evaluation rubric and peer assessment through a TAB evaluation (Tell, Ask, Give).

· Self-reflect on their work

· Give thoughtful feedback to peers

Enduring Understandings

Insights learned from exploring generalizations via the essential questions (Students will understand THAT…)

K-12 enduring understandings are those understandings that should be developed over time, they are not expected to be mastered over one unit or one year.


Essential Questions


Inquiry used to explore generalizations


Overarching Enduring Understandings:


Students will understand that art is an expressive tool used by artists.


Unit Specific Enduring Understanding

Students will understand that facial proportions can be used correctly or incorrectly to express moods, ideas, or identities.


Students will understand that symbolism is used in different ways within artwork.


· What is identity?

· How is symbolism used in artwork?

· Can one object or symbol have different meanings?

· Can proportions differ from person to person?


Knowledge and Skills

What students are expected to know and be able to do


Knowledge

The students will know…


How to identify and show proportion

That artists use symbolism in art

Skills

The students will be able to…


Create an expressive portrait

Identify accurate facial proportions


Part 2: Planning Pyramid:


Expectations for what students will be able to know, understand and do.


In Stage 1, the goals and expectations align with the Understanding by Design (UbD) and Universal Design Learning (UDL) models. These are curriculum models of which the goals are to make learning accessible to all students. These models take into account student needs, the different ways in which students learn, and other variables. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). “Understanding thus involves meeting a challenge for thought. We encounter a mental problem, an experience with puzzling or no meaning. We use judgment to draw upon our repertoire of skill and knowledge to solve it.” Understanding by Design focuses on creating learning goals that are clear, observable, measurable, and align with grade-level standards (IRIS, n.d.). The goal of these models is to create reachable goals for all students with individuality in mind.


For example, my students’ first goal of the unit is to be able to show their understanding of identity and symbolism through a self-portrait. In order to meet all student needs, students will have access to “representation / symbolism packets” on their work tables that show and define different items (animals, objects, symbols, colors, etc.) and what they represent. These packets may be used by students if they need inspiration for their symbol choices. In order to state the lesson goals clearly, there are rubrics that students have access to on their work tables in written form, the steps and goals are presented digitally in the form of a powerpoint, and through multiple auditory prompts made by me throughout work time (National Center on Universal Design for Learning. 2014, July 31). Not only will these expectations be available in the form of a worksheet, but it will also be discussed orally, and reviewed in the form of a peer assessment. This allows students to know the expectations throughout the project for them to compare their work to.


The use of essential questions in the planning pyramid is included to allow for the thoughtful discussion of content and goals of the lesson. Essential questions should not be able to be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and must be more complex. Wiggins & McTighe (2005) require that essential questions meet six criteria. Essential questions must focus on the core content, create deep conversation which can lead to more questions, require supported answers, stimulate rethinking, create meaningful connections, and can connect to other situations.


Some students will:


Use a ruler to create a self-portrait with correct proportions

Accurately identify and describe symbols in an artwork


Most Students will:


Create a portrait with three or more symbols

Represent their culture and background using symbolism


All students will:


Express individuality in an artwork

Identify symbols in an artwork

Identify and show proportion

Use symbolism in art

Create a portrait

Identify accurate facial proportions


Questions:


How do you think implementing planning pyramids in the art room is different from implementing them in a homeroom class?


How do you handle and organize the adapted materials for multiple classes across a range of different grade levels?


Resources:


National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2014, July 31). What is UDL. Cast.org


Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Assoc. for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Chapter 2: Understanding Understanding


IRIS Center, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. (n.d.). Instructional Methods.



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