Silhouette Lesson Plan

Teacher: Devon Sparks

Grade Level: 6th grade

Title: Landscape Silhouettes

History/Background: Silhouettes began appearing and being used in the 17th century as portrait pieces for families. They have originated in modern times to encompass anything that you would like to form a picture with light background and contrasting dark foreground images.



PA standards:

9.1.6 A. Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts and humanities.
9.1.6 B. Recognize, know, use, and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review, and revise original works in the arts.
9.1.6 C. Identify and use comprehensive vocabulary within each of the arts forms.
9.2.6 C. Relate works in the arts to varying styles and genre and to the periods in which they were created.
9.3.6 A. Know and use the critical process if the examination of works in the arts and humanities.
9.3.6 D. Evaluate works in the arts and humanities using a complex vocabulary of critical response.
9.4.6 D. Describe to what purpose philosophical ideas generated by artists can be conveyed through works in the arts and humanities.

Goal: To create a winter landscape silhouette

Objectives:
1. Learn about silhouettes in art.
2. Learn about blending water colors.
3. Learn about drawing shapes and using them as silhouettes.

Requirements: To design a stark winter landscape with long shadows using silhouettes of trees, skiers, sleighs, or other winter scenes.

Resource Materials/visual aids: silhouettes in art, examples of snow scenes, Monet's painting, Haystacks in the Snow.

Supplies/Materials: watercolor paints, kosher salt, black construction paper, white watercolor paper, paint brushes, glue, scissors, sponges (optional for added texture)

Teacher Preparation: Gather silhouette visual aids, prepare supplies for each student to use individually or share, have an exemplar ready to show, demonstrate blending water color technique and kosher salt if necessary.

Introduction: Ask students what they think of when they think of the word silhouette, and what they think it means? Ask students if they can think of an example to explain of a silhouette. Talk to students about how snow effects are achieved by artists. Show an exemplar of Monet's painting, Haystacks in the Snow and describe his use of dark colors on a light background. Discuss silhouette history through out time, focusing on landscapes.

Directions:

1. Wet your water color paper with a sponge or paintbrush.

2. Choose one watercolor and brush the wet color over the wet paper. Rinse your brush and add a second color, blending the colors together on the paper. Cover the entire page to resemble sky colors of your choosing.

3. while the paint is still wet, sprinkle kosher salt on the painting. Watch the salt absorb the watercolors to make a crystal or snowy pattern. Let Dry.

4. While the paint is drying get out the black construction paper and sketch silhouette images on your paper. Winter appropriate images such as skiers, snowboarders, a ski lodge, a house, a barn, trees, skylines, sleighs, ect. Cut out these images and attach to your winter sky with glue.

Closure: Students will clean up, allow work to dry and then talk about students different ideas on silhouette and the winter images.

Critique/evaluation/assessment: Students will discuss what successfully worked for other students, constructive criticism and participation is a must.

Extensions: If students are done early they can begin working on another silhouette of choice.

Time Budget:
10 minutes- Demo/introduction
30 minutes - work time
20 minutes- clean up and critique

Vocabulary: silhouette, Monet, landscape

safety concerns: none





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sense of place

I really enjoyed the links that were provided and the ideas your former students came up with. In the wish you were here blogs some of the photograph collages Amy and Ann made were just beautiful. I went through all of the wish you were here blogs as well as the sense of place, sounds of the city blogs and thought they were all beautifully put together and well thought out.

To get some ideas for the sense of place silhouette we had to create, i thought a lot about what I was most familiar with and what came to mind were all of the silhouettes my parents had done of me as a child. i also thought about how most silhouettes we see in the present and the past usually have a white background with the image being in black or color. I wanted to do something different that incorporated light, literally.
I used white cut outs of trees as well as light posts (that is where the light comes in), i wanted to incorporate my sense of place with my everyday life. I work and go to school in the city but live in Conshohocken, and although that isn't so far outside the city, there are definitely more landscapes, and tree lines. The lamp posts obviously tie me to the city, you don't normally notice the lamps during the day, but when the lights are on at night they guide you everywhere. I came up with the tree scape idea my self and just began cutting out paper shapes, the lamp posts i printed offline and i used black construction paper for the background. i decided not to adhere it completely everywhere because i liked the play of the shadows the white cut outs made on the black paper.

I think this could definitely be used as a lesson plan, putting emphasis on different collage materials that could be used representing each students choice for their individual sense of place, whether its at home or somewhere they might go. Having a light box in the classroom to further explore ideas is also a great idea to get them to think outside the box and use they're imagination.

Philosophy of Art Education

I believe that education is not only academic but also emotional, social and physical. These things are the very core of what I want my classroom to encompass and revolve around. I want my classroom to always have a hands on approach, and I want to be understood that learning can be fun, and directly applied to what it is you have a passion for. I believe teachers are facilitators, not just knowledge givers, and I do not believe education is a privilege, but rather a right.