Lesson Plan:Emotion Reflected Through the Arts
Lesson Plan:Emotion Reflected through the Arts
Grade: Eighth Grade 40 minute class period
Date:
Objectives:
Students will be able to write a journal entry connectingthe emotions displayed by Roderick Usher in "The Fall of the House of Usher" through the use of art and music with their own emotional responses to a piece of art.
Materials:
Music: quotes from story (underlined and/or bracketed in the copy included); journal homework assignment
Anticipatory Set:
Class will begin by listening to a piece of music and drawing whatever images come to mind when visualizing. After doing this, students will pair off and share what they visualized during the music, and, per my instruction, discuss what they think made them see what they did (emotions, etc.) This will connect later to the journal assignment for the day as well as the class discussion concerning "The Fall of the House of Usher."
Instructional Procedures:
1. Motivation Activity (music and drawing 3-8 minutes); (short discussion in pairs 3-5 minutes)
I will greet the class and right away hand out sheets of blank drawing paper to all the students. The music will be ready and queued prior to the students entering so we can get started right away. After all this is done, I will tell the students to "Listen closely to the piece of music I am about to play for you all. On the piece of paper I have given each of you, draw whatever images come to mind when you hear the music." After the piece of music has come to an end, I will give the students a minute or two to finish whatever they were drawing, telling them to "wrap up their last ideas before we move on." After a minute or so, I will ask that the students pair off, stating that they should "discuss the images that they drew in reaction to the music and compare their drawings to that of their partner's." I will begin to encourage them to discuss how emotions were displayed or depicted at this point.
2. Group discussion as a class to elaborate upon what was discussed in the groups. "How were you, as a listener, able to visualize the music you were listening to?" "Does the drawing you ended up with approximate how the music made you feel and why?" (10 minutes)
After several minutes of discussion in their pairs, I will ask the class to finish up whatever their last thoughts are and indicate that their attention should return to the front of the room. At this point, I will ask the students about the similarities and differences that the students found in their drawings when comparing them to that or their classmate's. I will then begin to ask questions that lead the class in the direction of connecting images with emotion more clearly, such as "How were you, as a listener, able to visualize the music you were listening to?" and "Is your drawing representative of the emotion you felt the music was conveying?"
AR: Students will either connect with what we're talking about, i.e. they will indicate that yes, they understand the correlation between the music they listened to and the drawing they created as well as the effect emotion has both in music and in art, OR students will not embrace this activity. In the first case, conversation should begin to flow naturally and will be an easy transition into how this activity connects with "The Fall of the House of Usher," and more specifically, the character of Roderick Usher and how his emotions are conveyed in the text. In the second case, discussion will have to be drawn out here at more length in order to get them to this point, perhaps asking questions such as "are there any songs that you (the student) are particularly attached to? Why is this?" These questions will make the connection between music and emotion relatable to the students on a more personal level if necessary.
3. Discussion is then directed toward the short story, specifically Roderick Usher, the students having already read "The Fall of the House of Usher" the night previously. First pose the question, "In what way are Roderick Usher's emotions, feelings, etc. illustrated to us as readers within the text?" (allow 5-10 minutes for student answers and input). In this discussion, I direct the students to several passages within the story that indicate Usher's strong connection with both art and music, next posing the question more specifically if students have not already come to this as one of their responses: "In what way is Roderick Usher's interest in music and art an indicator of his emotions, feelings, etc. throughout the course of the story?" (5-10 minutes)
AR: I hope to have some responses going in the right direction after our activities. Ideally, a few or more of the students will take note that Usher's emotions are shown throughout the piece through his passion for music and art. If this is the case, I will ask that the students look for quotes to back this claim up from the text. If the students do not come up with this concept right away, I will have quotes from the text ready to direct the students toward to guide them to the idea that Usher conveys emotion through the arts.
Closure:
Students are able to use any remaining time to begin work on the journal assignment for the day: the connection between emotions and music and art as illustrated in "The Fall of the House of Usher," specifically concerning the character of Roderick Usher.
Students will be asked to bring in the picture they used for their journal assignment to the next class as well.
Formative Assessment Differentiated Instruction Strategies
______Exit slip ______Learning Styles______Mini-Lessons
______3-2-1 ______Class discussion ______Lesson based on student interest
______colored cards______Partners______Lesson based on background knowledge
______true false survivor ______Group work______Creative projects
______Discussion Logs______Graphic Organizers______Circle of Knowledge
______Visual Displays
______Student Choices
PA State Standards Addressed
Lesson Plan: Emotion Reflected through the Arts
Grade: Eighth Grade 40 minute class period
Date:
Objectives:
Students will be able to write a response to a classmate's journal entry and picture, indicating whether or not the correlation between the two is clear to them.
Materials:
My own picture and journal entry
Anticipatory Set:
At the beginning of class I will model the activity I want the students to perform for the class period by showing them my own journal response and picture and asking them to respond as to whether or not they understand the correlation between my chosen picture and my journal response. (10 minutes)
I will then ask the students to pair off and trade their pictures and journal entries. After trading, I will ask that the students read each other's journal entries and look at the pictures used, then respond to whether or not they feel the correlation between the two is understood. After this is done, I will ask the students to respond to their partner's picture. (remaining time)
Instructional Procedures:
1. We will be using the journal entries and pictures the students chose in the class activity for the day. I will have brought my own response in to show students what is expected of them and allow the students to respond to my piece first indicating whether they understand the correlation between my journal entry and my picture before I allow them the class period to work with their partners.
Formative Assessment Differentiated Instruction Strategies
______Exit slip ______Learning Styles______Mini-Lessons
______3-2-1 ______Class discussion ______Lesson based on student interest
______colored cards______Partners______Lesson based on background knowledge
______true false survivor ______Group work______Creative projects
______Discussion Logs______Graphic Organizers______Circle of Knowledge
______Visual Displays
______Student Choices
PA State Standards Addressed: