Introduction to Obsessions and Visual Catalogues

Lesson 1
Melissa Gerhart
Grade Level: Middle School (6th grade)
National Visual Arts Standards: VA 1, VA 2, and VA 6
Show-Me Visual Arts Standards: FA 1, FA 2, and FA 4
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs): I 1D, I 3B, I3C, II 1B, and IV 2A
Rationale and Goals:
On a daily basis, we encounter obsessions, wither we are aware or not. Our society
is based around obsessions. The objects and ideas that we obsess over tell a lot about who
we are as people in our culture. It is important as artist and people in society that we
acknowledge our interests and obsessions. With this lesson, I hope students will start
thinking about what they are interested in and what they find themselves thinking about
often. I hope students will start to think about what they are obsessed with, why they are
obsessed with it, and how their obsessions reflect on them.
Enduring Big Idea:
Throughout time and across cultures, artists have investigated their own obsessions
and interest. In this specific lesson, students will investigate their own obsessions in the
form of a visual catalogue and then create an illustrative book to represent them. Most
artists work in themes that include their recurring thoughts, or obsessions. I will show
students the book My Favorite Things by Maira Kalman. This book is a visual catalogue of
ideas and objects the artists is interested in or obsesses with. Students will learn that
obsessions occur in art, and even in book making. As the students create their visual
images, they will use magazines to clip out some of their obsessions. This will help students
think about how the media portrays obsessions.
Essential Questions:
In what forms do obsessions occur in art?
What are you obsessed with?
Can obsessions be ideas or thoughts?
How do your obsessions define you as a person?
What do they say about you?
Why do you obsess over the things you do?
How are obsessions portrayed in the media?
How do obsessions define our culture?
In what different ways can your obsessions be depicted?
Knowledge Base and Key Concepts:
Obsessions are used as subjects for art.

Society is obsessed with art that interests them.

Obsessions occur everywhere in society.
Obsessions grow from our interests.
The media, especially magazines, portrays obsessions of our culture, which
sometimes align with our obsessions.
Maira Kalman Illustrative and pictorial book
Exploring significant or important objects in her life
o Aligns with our projects very well
Artists are working with obsessions as subjects.
Artists are documenting and narrating books about
obsessions.
http://www.mairakalman.com/books/adult/favoritethings/#1

Objectives:
The student will define obsession.
The student will view images from an artist working with obsessions in a book/
narrative form.
The students will brainstorm, as a class, obsessions they have.
The students will individually explore their own obsessions.
The students will create a visual catalogue in their journals/ sketchbooks to
represent their obsessions. This will help serve as references for the rest of the unit.
The students will use this catalogue to discuss what obsessions means to them and
how their obsessions define them.
The students will choose three or four obsessions to explore deeper and create a
book.
The students will make artists decisions on the use of text for their pages.
The students will create a small book that represents their obsessions artistically.
Vocabulary:
Obsession
Bookbinding
Lesson Vignette:
Attached.
Assessments/ Rubrics:
Periodically, throughout the lesson, I will have students writing. The students will
be given prompts, which will be responded to in their sketchbooks. I will read through the
responses to understand where my students are at and how they are progressing. The
prompts will serve as a formative assessment tool.
Another formative assessment tool I will use in this lesson is the most note card.
When students are finished with their books, they will be given a most note card. This

notecard asks what is the most important idea you included in your obsession book and
what more do you wish to know about this? This will help students think about the art they
just created and will be a good transition into the next project.
At the end of the lesson, I will grade students based off of their performance and end
result, where I will need a short rubric or scoring guide. I will give the students this scoring
guide before we start the book, so students know what is expected from them. This is a
summative assessment of their books.
Adaptations for Special Needs and Student Engagement:
This assignment is designed for students to explore themselves, which allows for
diversity in the classroom very easily. Students are asked to explore their own obsessions;
this encourages obsessions that can be different or can be same as their peers.
I hope that the topic of the project is enough to keep the students engaged because
they are able to pick a topic that is supposed to be highly interesting to them.
During the flip through of the book, I will keep students engaged by having them all
seated around so they are able to see. This also removes them from their distractions
(desks, folders, artwork, homework, etc.) I will also ask for participation in discussing what
they see and themes of the book.
I will challenge highly talented students to think about obsession not only as objects
but also as ideas and thoughts. I will challenge them to convey how that idea could be
portrayed visually.
For students who finish early before we start the book, I will ask them to either
explore their obsession further or explore on a deeper level a different obsession they have.
For students who finish the book early, I will ask them to work on the obsession idea board
in the front of the room.
This obsession idea board will be a place for students to add new ideas and
recurring thoughts when they are having trouble. This will be a space for early finishers,
and for students who are struggling with their obsessions. The board can include text
(writings, questions, ideas) or it can be visual. This space is a space for class collaboration
on exploring obsession.
Materials, Teaching Resources, and References

Resources:
o http://www.mairakalman.com
Things I Like (book)
o http://handmadelibrary.com/how-to-simple-pamphlet-stitch-notebook/
This will help me brush up on my book making skills
Materials:
o Visual catalogues
Magazines
Sketchbooks
Glue
Scissors
Computers/ iPad access

Printer access
o Book
Paper
Cardboard for covers
Needles
Thread
pens
Preparation:
o Examples
Visual Catalogue
Book

Teacher Reflection:
I will know if this lesson is successful by student interactions. I will be looking for
participation, which includes the creation of the two projects.
Another way I will know if this lesson was successful is if the students are thinking
critically. I will have evidence from this with their prompts and also their end of project
note card. I will be checking to see if students are thinking deeply in their responses.
Another way I will know if students are making meaning through this lesson is if they are
exploring their self. Some indicators will include are they thinking about who they are and
what they obsess over, as well as are they thinking about what their obsessions say about
them.
As a teacher, I will need to know my students and have discussions with them to be
able to recognize these indicators. This will not be easy, but it will definitely be important
in determine the successes of my lesson.
Lesson 1 Vignette
Day 1

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:15

9:15- 9:25

Attendance- Name one object you are obsessed with.

Everyone is gathered in a group at the front of the room

for introductions/ discussion.
As a class define obsession
As a class make a list of objects and ideas you are
generally obsessed with
As a class flip through My Favorite Things
o Look at the visual catalogue of images
o Be attentive to the different ideas illustrated in the
book

9:25-9:35

9:35-9:45

9:45-9:50

Students get their sketchbooks and move back to their

seats
Students will quick write a list of their obsessions,
interests, and recurring ideas- Prompt 1
Students will be asked to reflect and respond to three
questions: (Prompt 2)
o What makes you obsess over these things?
o Do obsessions have to be objects or can they also
be ideas and thoughts? Why or why not?
o Do you know other people who share these
obsessions?
This will be a formative assessment for students. I will
read these and write quick responses back to students
about what they are thinking about obsessions.
Now I will explain to students the obsession board. This
will be at the back of the room and will be a place for
students to place their ideas and questions about
obsession both textually and visually. This space is for
students who are stuck or finish early. The obsession
board will be a community discussion of obsessions.
As students leave, they will clean up by put their
sketchbooks away.

Day 2

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:10

Attendance- Name one book or magazine you are

obsessed with.

I will explain what a visual catalogue is.

Show my exemplar of my visual catalogue and the book
so they know what is to come out of this exercise.
Pass out sketchbooks

9:10-9:40

Student working time on the visual catalogue.

o Student will choose 3 or 4 obsessions from their
list yesterday. Each choice will have its own page
in their sketchbooks.
o Use magazine clippings, print outs, and drawings
to show multiple images/representations of the
obsessions.
I will be formatively assessing students by walking
around and talking with think about their work and the
images they are representing.

9:40-9:50

Student will clean up their areas and store what they are
working on in their folders.

AttendanceSee by raise of hands home many students need more

time to work on their visual catalogues. If many students
need more time, allow 20 minutes. Students who do not
need more time can start thinking about the next part of
the lesson.

Everyone is either working on their visual catalogues or

responding to them. Ill pass out sketchbooks.
Students should respond in their sketchbooks to this
prompt:
o Do you think these obsessions represent who you
are in your culture?
o Are they worthy of being in your obsessions book?
Why or why not?
Again, I will use this to formatively assess how my
students are thinking about obsessions in relation to
them in society.
I will show students my book example again.
Students will choose the images they want to include in
their book. They will start sketching in their sketchbooks
how they want each page to look.
I will ask students to be thinking about these questions
while they are working.
o How will you represent your obsessions?
o How many pages will your book have?
o What text will you put on your pages?
Students will clean up for the day
o Put sketchbooks away

Day 3

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:25

9:25-9:45

9:45-9:50

Day 4

9:00-9:05
9:05-9:15
9:15- 9:45

9:45-9:50

Attendance and get sketchbooks

I will demonstrate to the students how the books will go

together.

Students will then start working on the pages for the

book. Students will get their own paper as necessary. I
will pass out colored pencils and markers.
o First they will transfer with pencil
o Then they can start using pens.
Student clean up for the day
o Put away
o Put book pages in their folders
o Ill collect supplies

Days 5, 6, and 7 will be workdays for the students to work on the pages for the book.
If students finish early, they can start to work on the front and back cover of their
book.
Day 8 & 9

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:40

9:40- 9:50

Attendance
Get out sketchbooks and book pages/ covers

Everyone is finishing up final touches on the pages.

Everyone should be working on the front and back
covers at this point. These are final work days for
creating.

Clean up and take home anything you might need to

finish up before the next day.

Attendance
Sit in the front of the room after they put their stuff at
their desks.

Day 10

9:00-9:05

I will demonstrate the process of binding the book step

by step to the entire class as they are sitting in a group in
the front of the room.

I will go step by step with the class as we put together

our books. For struggling students I will have fast paced
student or students who are finished help instruct others.

Clean up all materials.

If students did not finish, they should come in before or
after school or during lunch to finish up.
Homeworko Most note card- (formative assessment)
What is the most important idea you
included in your obsession book?
What more do you want to know?
o Bring this finished to class next time.

9:05-9:15

9:15- 9:40

9:40-9:50

Visual Catalogue and Obsession Book

Expectation Sheet
Concept and Design (15 points)

Student has a well rounded concept

The concept is understandable visually
Students voice is clear

1.) What did you think was successful about your piece? Did you have any
challenges? Explain.

Craftsmanship (15 points)

The piece is ready to be presented.

The piece is clean and of high quality.
Clean understanding of book making and techniques is apparent.

2.) In what ways do you believe your obsessions book is finished and ready to be
presented?

Reflecting (20 points)

The student finished the most notecard

The student thought critically in the writing prompts.
The students thought critically when responding to the expectations sheet.

3.) Do you feel you were successful in meeting the objectives? If not, please explain.

Student

Teacher

Concept and Design

/15

/15

Craftsmanship

/15

/15

Reflections

/20

/20

/50

/50

Total

Effects of Repetition and Time on Obsessions

Lesson 2
Melissa Gerhart
Grade Level: Middle School (6th grade)
National Visual Arts Standards: VA 1, VA 2, and VA 6
Show-Me Visual Arts Standards: FA 1, FA 2, and FA 4
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs): I 1D, I 2A, I3C, II 1B, II 1G, and IV 2A
Rationale and Goals:
This lesson is important to teach because like we will learn by studying Warhol, the
printmaking process can mass-produce images, which makes them repetitive. It is
important to teach that the process and medium the students use impacts the meaning of
the piece of art. I hope that by mass-producing images of students obsessions, they will see
that this media can diminish the importance of the obsession because it is now easily
obtainable.
This lesson is important to teach because obsession can be fleeting and fads. In a
society of constant motion, most of our obsessions will disappear in a short amount of time.
As we grown in age and as artists, we obsess and find interest in different ideas and object.
I hope that by creating a postcard to their future self, explaining why they are obsessed
with this idea, they will understand that what is important to them right at this moment,
might not be important in 5 years, especially if it is a materialistic object.
Another aspect of this lesson is to think about how time effects obsession both in
terms of fads, but also in terms of deterioration. We will explore this idea as we burry our
images of our obsessions in a time capsule. It is important to think about the effect time has
on obsessions in various aspects.
Enduring Ideas:
Throughout time and across cultures, artists have used printmaking to massproduce images that people obsess over. We will explore the printmaking process
and how repetition effects the meaning of the students obsessions.
Throughout time and across cultures, artists have obsessed over ideas and objects
that are fads in society. Andy Warhol spent a lot of time obsessing and investigating
pop-culture and celebrities, which are objects people obsess over.
Throughout time and across cultures, artists have studied the effect time has on
objects. We will explore artists who work with time to think critically about how
time affects obsessions.
Essential Questions:
How does the printmaking process effect the importance of your obsessions?
How might this process diminish the meaning/ importance of your obsession?
How does creating your obsession in printing reflect on pop culture like Warhol?

Will your obsessions still be valuable to your future self? Why or why not?
What does the relevancy of your obsession to your future self say about the objects
and ideas you choose to obsess over?
How might society in 5 years view your obsession? Will it be positive or negative?
In what ways could burying your images in a time capsule harm your images and
how does this reflect time changing?

Knowledge Base and Key Concepts:

Artists work with obsessions in their pieces of art and as their subjects.
Artists are working in printmaking to mass-produce art.
Artists use printmaking to comment on societies obsessions.
Artists are thinking about time when they are creating art and choosing subjects.
Artists use obsessions that may not be relevant in years to come. (like some of the
things in Warhols time capsules)
Andy Warhol
Printing process- silk screens
Repetition and its effect on pop-culture/ societies
obsessions
Mass production
Thinking about time when he created his time
capsules.
o http://www.warhol.org/tc21/main.html
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warholmarilyn-diptych-t03093
http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andywarhol-campbells-soup-cans-1962
Wayne Theibauld
Repetition- same object over and over again
Mass culture- pop art
o Relates to obsessions
http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.
com/2012/11/15/wayne-thiebaud-at-acquavella-galleries/
Claude Monet
Rouen Cathedral
o Interested in time and how it progresses
o Showed the effect time has on an object
Similar to what we are thinking about in
this lesson

Objectives:
Students will learn relief printmaking techniques.
Students will learn how to use positive and negative space.
Students will acquire knowledge about how printing effects the subject of the piece
in pop-culture.
Students will create a postcard to their future self.
Students will understand how time might effect the relevancy of their piece.
Students will understand how burying the time capsule might effect their obsession.
Vocabulary:
Printmaking- an art process in which the artist transfers an image from one surface
to another. This process makes replication easy.
Relief print- a type of printmaking where only the areas of the block that are raised
will be printed onto the surface.
Brayer- the device used to roll the ink onto the block.
Edition- the total number of copies that are identical that are made from the block
Negative space Positive space Time capsule
Fad
Deterioration
Lesson Vignette:
Attached.
Adaptations for Special Needs and Students Engagement:
In this lesson, students are again choosing an obsession important to them, which
will allow for differentiation among diversities. I plan to keep students engaged by teaching
them a new process of printmaking and allowing them to be part of the process of burying
the time capsule.
To accommodate for special needs students in this lesson, I will have to work closely
with the special education teachers. I am not sure how I would allow students to still
participate in the printmaking process. I could possible have them make a monotype print.
For students who are highly talented, I might have them again work with an idea
rather than an object. For those who finish early, they can either work on the obsession
board more or they can help create and image for the outside of the time capsule. The early
finishers might work on decoration for our time capsule.
Materials, Teaching Resources, and References:
Recourses:
http://www.warhol.org/tc21/main.html
Materials:
Sketchbooks
Easy carve blocks
Carving tools

 Brayers
Wooden spoons
Printing ink
Paper
Container for the time capsule
Examples:
Example of several different prints
Example of a post card to my future self
For this lesson, I need to prepare an instruction/ guide sheet for the activity. This will
also serve as the expectation sheet and scoring guide for the final piece.
I plan to have students pass a safety course to demonstrate safe tool skills before they
begin to use the tools. I will need to create the check off sheet.
I also need to prepare and research the container for the time capsule. I will have to
receive permission to bury it at the school.
Teacher Reflection:
Again, in this lesson I will be able to see success of this lesson in my students
writing prompts. These will take place in their journals and will show critical thinking
about their concepts and their piece. Example prompts will be attached with the lesson
vignette. They will direct them in thinking critically about the process of printmaking in an
informal way, which serves as formative assessment.
I will again assess the students in a summative way in this lesson based off
performance. I will have a scoring sheet/ expectation guide that will be given at the
beginning of the assignment. I will also take into consideration the formative assessments
when I grade them on performance.

Lesson 2 Vignettes
Day 1

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:25

9:25-9:35

9:35-45

9:45-9:50

Attendance- What was your favorite obsession from your

book?

VTS Campbells Soup Can

Looking at Andy Warhol
o Pop Culture/ Pop art
o Images
o Repetition
o Printing
o Obsessions/ celebrities, objects, etc.
Looking at Theibauld
o Repetition
o Pop Art
o Mass Culture

Student get their sketchbooks and move back to their

seats
Students will answer Day 2 Prompt 1

Clean up- put sketchbooks away

Attendance/ pass out sketchbooks

Students will look at various examples of my prints and

the blocks
We will discuss the process, variation in line, and positive
and negative space.

Day 2
9:00-9:05

9:05-9:25

9:25-45
9:45-9:50

Start sketching the obsession they want to print in

sketchbooks

Clean up and put away sketchbooks

Day 3
9:00-9:05

9:05-9:45

9:45- 9:50

Attendance/ Pass out sketchbook

Everyone is sketching their objects and getting them

approved.
Students can start transferring their images to the
printing blocks.

Clean up and put sketchbooks away

Attendance and get supplies.

I will demonstrate how to use the carving tools safely.

Students who are ready may come take their safety tests.
o After they pass, they can begin carving.
Others will keep sketching and transferring.

Day 4

9:00-9:05
9:05-9:15

9:15- 9:45

9:45-9:50

Students will be working at whatever points they are at.

Hopefully everyone will take the safety test by the end of
the day.

Student clean up for the day

Days 5 and 6 will be workdays for the students to carve and print. Students should
make sure they have several prints for their edition.
Day 7
9:00-9:05

Attendance


9:05-9:35

9:35- 9:50

We will talk about time as a class

o Warhol
View time capsules
o Monet
Talk about time and the effects
Discuss the time capsule they will do. Talk as a class
about how the earth can effect the images in the time
capsule over time.
Everyone is writing their postcards to themselves on the
back of one of their prints. This will transform into a post
card to the time capsule. The prompt to their post card is
#2 on the prompt sheet.

Day 8
9:00-9:05

9:05-9:15
9:15- 9:45
9:45-9:50

Attendance and get out postcards

Finish prompt/ letter to self and turn it in. I will need to

look over all of them before we burry them.

Reflect on the lesson. Prompt #3 will be written in the

sketchbook.

Clean up all materials.

We will burry the time capsule as a class after I review the prints and the postcard.

Obsession Print and Postcard

Expectation Sheet
Concept and Design (15 points)

Student has a well rounded concept..

Students obsession is communicated clearly.
The piece shows both positive and negative space.
The student used variation in line.

1.) Do you feel your concept is apparent to the viewer? What did you think was
successful about your piece? Did you have any challenges? Explain.

Craftsmanship (15 points)

The piece is ready to be presented.

The piece is clean of fingerprints.
Mastery of creating an edition is apparent.

2.) In what ways do you believe your prints are finished and ready to be presented?

Reflecting (20 points)

The student finished postcard to their future self by responding to prompt 3.

The student thought critically in the writing prompts.
The students thought critically when responding to the expectations sheet.

3.) Do you feel you were successful in meeting the objectives? If not, please explain.

Student

Teacher

Concept and Design

/15

/15

Craftsmanship

/15

/15

Reflections

/20

/20

/50

/50

Total

Monumental Obsessions
Lesson 3
Melissa Gerhart
Grade Level: Middle School (6th grade)
National Visual Arts Standards: VA 1, VA 2, VA 3, VA 4, and VA 6
Show-Me Visual Arts Standards: FA 1, FA 2, FA 3, FA 4, and FA 5
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs): I 3C, II 1B, II 1D, III 2A, IV 1A, IV 2A, V 1A
Rationale and Goals:
This lesson is important to teach because it relates the idea of obsession to ancient
cultures. Historically, cultures use monuments (statues, buildings, etc.) Ancient Greek art
obsesses heavily on mythological stories. It is important to learn about the statues and
monuments of ancient Greek culture and relate it back to the students directly. I hope to
teach the students that obsessions date back years ago and are still relevant in art and
monuments. I also hope that students will understand that monuments are create to honor
important ideas or objects, and they are honoring something important to the artist and
their culture.
Enduring Idea:
Throughout time and across culture, artists have used obsessions to create
monuments and statue to communicate stories that are important to them and their
culture. We will create our own monument that represents the students obsessions. The
Greek culture was heavily interested in mythological stories, which is how it will relate to
the students working with their obsessions.
Essential Questions:
What is the criterion to creating a monument for a city or area?
Why do artists make monuments?
Why are monuments important in our culture?
How does a monument or statue convey importance?
How do artists choose the subjects for monuments or structures?
Knowledge Base and Key Concepts:
Monuments and statues can be linked to artists of ancient Greek culture and those
who study Greek culture and who were interested in popular subjects of their
culture.
Artists make monuments to honor recurring ideas, themes, or obsessions in their
culture.
To commemorate important ideas, objects, and people in their culture, artists create
monuments.

Laocoon and His Sons

Vatican Museum
Mythological story- important to the culture

Kloebis and Biton

Polymedes of Argos
Ca. 580 b.c.
Greek mythology- important to the culture
Ancient Greek
Stone carving
I will need to research and include much more information about the ancient Greek
culture and the importance of Greek mythology in their culture and art.
Objectives:
Students will create a monumental statue of their obsession out of clay
Students will acquire the knowledge necessary to making clay art.
Students will understand the importance of creating a monument or statue.
Vocabulary:
Kiln
Slip
Scoring
Firing
Monument
Mythology
Lesson Vignette:
Attached.
Assessments/Rubrics:
Formative assessments in this lesson include one on one discussion with students as
they are creating their sculptures. I will be discussing with students about the artistic
decisions they are making such as will the object have a pedestal, will it be large, will it be
small, etc. We will also participate in class discussions throughout the lesson. I will be
looking for participation and deep thinking as they work on their statues.
Again, for a summative assessment I will assess students on participation and
performance. Although my assessments to no rely heavily on this aspect, it is good for
students to know what you expect out of them and their art. I will give the scoring guide
and expectation sheet before they begin their sculpture.

At the end of the lesson, which is also the end of the unit, I will ask students to create
a exhibition of their work. This will stand as a unit summative assessment. I will ask
students to all enter their sculpture and accompany it with an artist statement. Students
may also enter the other work they created during this unit. The creation of the exhibition
and the artists statements, will allow students to participate as real life artists and require
them to think critically about all of their work as individuals and as a class.
Adaptations for Special Needs and Students:
Some students in my classroom might have different knowledge about clay. I will go
over the techniques with everyone just to be sure and those who already know will be
refreshed. I will hopefully keep students who already know how to work with clay engaged
by asking students to share their thoughts when they think they know the answers or what
to do. I will also keep them engaged by letting them practice techniques as I am showing
them. This will hopefully help students understand what is happening and why.
For students with special needs, I might consider having them make a flat object,
instead of a standing object, although it would depend on the situation. Again, I would need
to work with the special education teacher to help decide what is best for the individual
student.
For students who are highly talented, I might ask them to work larger or in more
detail. Also, I might suggest they think about a pedestal to display their piece on. The
students who finish early will be asked to do their reflections and also start thinking about
how to display their works for the gallery walk. They could again work on the obsession
board.
Materials, Teaching Resources, and References:
To prepare for this lesson, I definitely need to brush up on my ancient Greek history.
I might find a good video for the students to watch before we discuss in depth the culture. I
also might create a PowerPoint which will help the students follow along and will also help
me prepare for the lesson, as my knowledge on ancient Greek culture is a little hazy. As a
class, we might take time out to look through this website for students to explore the
ancient Greek culture and the art and sculptures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/
This part of the website has good basic information about sculptures in Greek culture.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/arts_and_theatre/
Materials:
Sketchbooks
Clay
Kiln
Clay tools/ kits
Storage
Possible iPads to explore the website
Teaching Reflection:
I will be able to tell if this lesson was successful again based off of reflection that
students will do in their sketchbooks. These responses help me to see how students are

thinking about their sculpture and how it relates to our culture. I will also know if there is
meaning being made by the artist statement that each student will write after creating his
or her monument. Indicators of success will look like critical thinking and heavy reflection.
Again, I will know if students were successful based off craft. I will not base students
solely on performance, but also on the other reflections and deep thinking. I will give
students the expectation sheet before we begin the lesson, and I will be checking for things
such as craftsmanship, exploration of ideas, and critical reflections.
Another way I will know if this lesson, and the unit are successful is the exhibition of
the monuments. I will be able to see success as students take pride in displaying their art
for the public. Another way I will be able to tell meaning has been made it by students
making artistic decisions when thinking about the set up of the exhibition.
Lesson 3 Vignettes
Day 1

9:00-9:05

Attendance- Quick writing/ prompt #1 in sketchbooks

Class discussion about Greek art

o What do you all already know about Greek art?
Write in sketchbooks
o Discuss as class what we think we already know
Look at Greek sculptures
o What is a sculpture?
Talk about subjects
o Discuss mythology and the importance to this
culture

9:05-9:45

9:45-9:50

Clean up and put away sketchbooks

Attendance- Get ipads

Explore the website

o Definitely check out this section
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primary
history/ancient_greeks/arts_and_theatre/

Day 2

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:25

9:25-9:45

9:45-9:50

Prompt #2
Think about how you will represent your obsession as a
sculpture
o Start sketching

Clean up and put sketchbooks away

Attendance

Show my example
Discuss clay techniques
o Scoring
o Slip
o Kiln

Continues sketching and set up for clay tomorrow

Clean up and put sketchbooks away

Attendance

Working on clay and letting it dry. When students finish,

they can start thinking about the exhibition and their
artist statements. If they are going to enter one of their
other pieces, they can write that artist statement.

Clean up clay

Day 3

9:00-9:05

9:05-9:35

9:35-9:45
9:45-9:50
Day 4&5
9:00-9:05

9:05-9:45

9:45-9:50

Day 6&7- Students will be painting their sculptures and writing their artist
statements.
Day 8&9- Students will be working on collaborating as a class to put their exhibition
together. They will need to set a time for the gallery to happen.

Obsessions Sculpture
Expectation Sheet
Concept and Design (15 points)

Student has a well-rounded concept.

The concept is understandable visually.
Students voice is clear.
The student communicated their obsession as an honorary sculpture.
Students used both additive and subtractive techniques on their monument.

1.) Do you feel your concept is apparent to the viewer? What did you think was
successful about your piece? Did you have any challenges? Explain.

Craftsmanship (15 points)

The piece is painted and ready to be presented.

The piece is clean and of high quality.
Mastery of clay and clay techniques are apparent.

2.) In what ways do you believe your monument is finished and ready to be
presented in the class exhibition?

Reflecting (20 points)

The student responded thoughtfully to their monument in the form of an artist

statement.
The student responded critically to the writing prompts.
The students thought critically when responding to the expectations sheet.

3.) Do you feel you were successful in meeting the objectives? If not, please explain.

Participation in Exhibit (20 points)

The student worked collaboratively to create a gallery exhibition.

The student included at least one piece in the gallery.

Student

Teacher

Concept and Design

/15

/15

Craftsmanship

/15

/15

Reflections

/20

/20

Participation

/20

/20

/70

/70

Total

Obsession Prompts
Melissa Gerhart
**These prompts will be used at various times in the unit to think critically
about ideas about obsession. The responses to these will go in the students
sketchbook, unless other directions are given. These will be used as formative
assessments during the unit.

Lesson 1
Prompt 1:
Quick! Write down EVERYTHING you obsess with! Your obsessions can
be any recurring ideas, thoughts or objects. GO!
Prompt 2:
What makes you obsess over these things?
Why are they important to you? Do other people share these obsessions with
you? Who do you think might?
Prompt 3:
What do your obsessions say about you as a person? Do they reflect you
in a positive or negative way, and how?
Lesson 2
Prompt 1:
How do the artists we looked at today discuss obsession? How do they
use repetition to comment on our cultures obsessions?
Prompt 2:
Why is your obsession so important to you at this point in your life? What
does this say about the culture we live in? Will your future self still value this
obsession or does time have an effect on obsession?
Prompt 3:

How did the process of printmaking effect the importance of your

obsession? Did repeating the image over and over again strengthen your
obsession or did it give it less importance? How
Also, how might the time and weathering of being in the time capsule
effect your image? How might the natural elements of the world change your
obsession?
Lesson 3
Prompt 1:
Quick write!
What is a sculpture?
List what you already know about Greek culture.
Prompt 2:
Why or why not is your obsession monument worthy? How should your
obsession be portrayed on a monumental level?