WHERETO

Part 1:

A Learning Plan is used to ensure a well rounded learning experience for students. This plan includes the acronym WHERETO. According to Post University (n.d.) this acronym stands for WHERE your unit is headed and WHAT is expected of learners, how you HOOK your students and HOLD their interest, how you will EQUIP your students for them to EXPERIENCE and EXPLORE the ideas being shared, how will students RETHINK, REVISIT or REVISE their work with the goal of growth and improvement, how students with EVALUATE their work, how the lesson is TAILORED to meet the needs of learners, and the tools offered to students to help them to stay ORGANIZED so they can be effective in their learning. This tool is important in order to assure you are providing a well rounded learning experience for your students.

The lesson I have created for this Learning Plan is for my 5th Grade art class. The unit is on Personal Identity in art.

W: WHERE / WHAT

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.

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 Standards:

Knowledge and Skills:

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

(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

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.

H: HOOK & HOLD

There will be multiple opportunities for students to discuss the topic of identity and what it means to them. With this lesson being naturally focused on the students, it will be easier to engage all students on a personal level. Students will be asked to think about their interests and what makes them who they are. Students will be visually adding these elements to their self portraits in order to express their personal experiences and personalities. Students will be able to use their chromebooks to look up reference images and symbols and are not limited in their choices. Not only will students be exploring their interests in this lesson, but they will also be encouraged to connect with their families and discuss their cultures and backgrounds at home.

E: EQUIP / EXPERIENCE / EXPLORE

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. Students will also have access to their chromebooks and provided websites to help them explore images and symbols for their work.

Essential Questions:

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.

· What is identity?

· How is symbolism used in artwork?

· Can one object or symbol have different meanings?

· Can proportions differ from person to person?

R: RETHINK, REVISIT, REVISE

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). There will be “gallery walk” time where students are able to look at peer work and provide feedback and ideas. Students will use the time after these walks to plan out and begin any edits they want to make to their work given their new perspective.

E(2): EVALUATE

(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

T: TAILOR

For students who struggle with the portrait element of their project, I will have a number of options for them in order to help them be successful. Students will have access to proportion worksheets, rulers, and different levels of tracers (simple head outline to more detailed ones with the facial features mapped out). Students will also be choosing their two-dimensional medium based on their desired look as well as their confidence and preference of the materials.

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

O: ORGANIZED

Not only will 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. Before the main project is started, students will use a planning sheet to organize their thoughts and ideas. These sheets will be kept with their projects throughout the lesson. Students will also be staying organized in a variety of other ways. Student work is put into “table folders” at the end of each class. These folders are then collected and returned to the class portfolio. This helps students know exactly where their work is and where it should go back after each class. Art materials are in designated areas of the classroom and have their own procedures for use. Students will have learned the process for each of these materials at this point and will be able to acquire these on their own. More lesson specific materials (symbolism packets, face tracers, etc.) will be in the fifth grade lesson basket. As the teacher, I usually will pull the basket out and place it on the front counter for students to use as needed.

Part 2:

In Stage 1 I created the Personal Identity lesson based on a previous project, in stage 2 I created a Student Learning Profile for my standard fifth grade class. Bringing these stages together into this Learning Plan has been a great way to reflect on my teaching. Making sure that the lessons you create are meaningful, well planned, impactful, and accessible to all students is crucial. Art class is a place where students can take everything they learn in their other disciplines and put it together to make something personally significant to them. Say you have a student that really loves math, that student will love creating their own tessellations with personal imagery and colors in the art room. In this lesson we focus on personal identity. Everything these students have experienced in their lives up to this point has contributed to their identities. Taking a moment for students to explore who they are, figure out their passions, think about what makes them unique, is something that they may not get scheduled time for ever again. Not only does this put the students more in touch with themselves, but it also allows peers and teachers to get to know the individual better, all while exploring important art elements and ideas.

Questions:

How often do you reflect on your lessons?

How do you create opportunities for your students to make personally meaningful work?

Resources:

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.

Post University. (n.d.) Stage 3: The Learning Plan and the Elements of WHERETO. Post University