This lesson is for : Grade 8:
Summary
Students will analyze the artistic contributions of Spanish-speaking cultures with a focus on artists who created self-portraits or ‘selfies’. While learning how the perspectives, practices, and products of Spanish-speaking cultures are reflected in artwork, students will compare the motivations behind Spanish self portraits to contemporary society’s motivation to take and share selfies.To culminate student learning, the class will use photo editing tools to create an artistic interpretation of their own selfies. These artistic selfies are then color coded in Spanish, shared with the class and used to compare and contrast contemporary art movements with artwork from Spanish-speaking cultures.
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Developing – Explanation: Students created their own research questions to deepen their learning about selfies. Students had a solid understanding of web credibility and used a mental checklist to find valid sources (based on prior established knowledge). They brainstormed the research questions in groups, then listed the questions, the answer they found through valid research and the link where they found their answer on a google doc. View a research work sample.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Approaching- Explanation: Students worked with elbow partners at various stages throughout the lesson and they worked in teams to complete the research components of the lesson. As a group they shared a collaborative google doc to accomplish their research and reflections. As a culminating activity, students shared their finished outline style, color labeled selfies anonymously via Google Docs with other students and had them use their critical thinking skills to determine which classmate was being represented in the simple, line drawn selfie image.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Not observed – Explanation: Not a focus, but students used their critical thinking skills to determine which classmate was being represented in the simple, line drawn selfie image
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Ideal – Explanation: Students constructed a new and in-depth cultural understanding of the advent of the selfie through investigating Spanish culture. Students analyzed the self portraits or Spanish artists and compared and contrasted Spanish art with contemporary self portraits, ‘selfies’ in order to develop an awareness of perspective, practices and products of Spanish speaking cultures. They predicted the origin of the selfie and through the lesson activities, were able to generate a personal schema for how self portraits eventually linked to the pop culture selfie phenomenon. In addition, students were able to determine previously unknown similarities between our contemporary culture (selfies) and that of Latin Art History (Kahlo’s self portraits). The class also created a contemporary connection to Latin art by exploring the contemporary self portrait art of Eloy Morales. This was accomplished by having students create original artwork of their choice with Adobe Photoshop in the form of an illustrated selfie, as well as through student generated research. In additions, students reflected on their role as a selfie taker in modern society and they engaged in self directed research as a part of this reflection.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
