Creating Vibrant Art Lesson Plans

Writing lesson plans is often considered busywork, but it can be a useful path for discovering what’s important about artmaking and teaching. This book shows teachers how to slow down, breathe, and linger over the process of unit and lesson plan writing to uncover how much this process can support them professionally, creatively, and personally. The user-friendly text offers guidance for selecting an art project for the unit and then zooms into the nitty-gritty of specific lesson plans, including how to identify materials for a project and how to construct classroom dialogue to help students develop ideas for their artwork. The text also considers standards, assessments, and extensions to other subject areas. Featuring accessible language, clear definitions, practical examples, and self-reflection prompts, this unique resource will help pre- and inservice teachers create lesson plans that are useful to their specific contexts and methods of teaching.

Book Features:

• Everything an art educator needs to know about writing a unit plan.
• Blank space for readers to sketch, doodle, or make notes, along with images to color.
• Color illustrations that can be cut out and glued into the book or used in other collages.
• A completed sample unit that illustrates a real-world example of the issues being discussed.
• A glossary of terms that students and early career professionals often find confusing.
• A blank unit planner template that can be cut out and used again and again.
• A website with downloadable templates, helpful resources, and a forum for interacting with other educators.

Kristin Baxter is associate professor of art and director of the Art Education Program at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

“If you happen to be feeling weary, frustrated, or uninspired, this book sparks imagination, fuels hope, and gives you theories to support what you know needs to be done.”
—From the Foreword by P. Bruce Uhrmacher, Christy McConnell Moroye, and Bradley Conrad, educational researchers

“Baxter invites us to slow down and consider the lesson plan as a creative catalyst to inspire our own artmaking, as well as a space to examine why and what we teach. Written in a clear and accessible manner, this book directly engages readers in a thoughtful conversation about arts education, mindfulness, and the interconnectedness of teachers’ practices of reflection and self-care.”
―Lisa Hochtritt, Maryland Institute College of Art

"An inspiring and playful resource, Kristin Baxter’s new book is much more rewarding than typical lesson planning. Creating Vibrant Art Lesson Plans will surely spark your imagination with every flip of the page.”
― Hailey Adlard, art educator, Parkland School District, PA

Contents

Foreword by P. Bruce Uhrmacher, Christy McConnell Moroye, and Bradley Conrad

Acknowledgments

Introduction
   Space to Breathe and Think
   What This Book Is Not Meant to Do
   What This Book Is Meant to Do
   Audience
   First Things First
      Art Project
      Lesson Plan vs. Unit or Unit Plan
      Curriculum
   Use of Pronouns
   Format of This Book
   Participatory Features
   And More Participatory Features
   Outcomes
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Chapter 1. Vibrant Communities: Factors That Influence Our Teaching
   Some Background
      Community, District, and School or Other Educational Setting
      Cultural and Linguistic Contexts
      Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Students (LGBTQ+)
      Students' Interests Outside of School
      Laws: IDEA, Section 504, and ADA
      Considering Artistic Development
      The Art Program and Facilities
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Chapter 2. Contemporary Art Studio Practices and Artist-Teachers
   Some Background
      Making Art and Teaching Art
      Contemporary Art and Post-Studio Practices
      Contemporary Artists
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Chapter 3. The Art Project: Unit Overview
   Some Background
      Introduction and Students' Prior Knowledge
      Expressive Outcomes
      Big Idea
      Enduring Understandings
      Essential Questions
      Objectives
      Standards and Skills
      Safety, Conservation, Sustainability, and Clean Up
      Classroom Set Up and Environmental Accommodations
      Linking Standards, Skills, Objectives, and Assessments
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Chapter 4. The Art Project: Individual Lessons Within the Unit
   Some Background
      Lesson Objectives
      Materials to Prepare in Advance
      Materials for Students
      Dialogue, Instructional Activities, and Adaptations
      Value of Dialogue
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Chapter 5. Authentic Assessments
   Some Background
      Domains of Art Education
      Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
      Interdisciplinary Vocabulary
      Family and Community Involvement
      Related Museum Visit or Fieldtrip
      Curriculum Rationale
   Beginnings, Endings, and New Beginnings
      Sustenance and Nurturance
      Personal Studio Art Practice
      Contemporary Art: Opening Up Time and Space for Ideas
   Reader's Prompts
      Writing Invitation
      Artmaking Invitation
      Self-Care Invitation

Appendix A: Blank Diagram  of a Unit Plan

Appendix B: Questions for Understanding Your Teaching Contexts

Appendix C: Collage Elements for Embellishing This Book and/or  Your Unit and Lesson Plans

Appendix D: Sample Outline of a Comprehensive Unit Plan

Appendix E: Sample Unit Plan
   Part I: Background About the Community, District, School,  Students, Families, and Art Program
   Part II: Introduction to the Unit
   Part III: Individual Lesson Plans Within the Unit
   Part IV: Interdisciplinary Extensions

Glossary

References

Index

About the Author