Teacher(s) /
DAVID MORAN MADRID / Subject group and discipline / Visual Art PERIOD II
Unit title / Realism vs. Abstraction / MYP year / 7° / Unit duration (hrs) / 10 Weeks
Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit
Key concept / Related concept(s) / Global context
Change / Style
Representation / Personal and cultural expression
Students will explore: the ways in which we discover and express ideas, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Possible exploration:
-Artistic value.
-Creation.
-Know-how/skill.
-Free expression.
Statement of inquiry
Abstraction is an art style that change the way of representation of our world -in arts-.
Inquiry questions
Factual: Which are the differences between a realistic art piece and an abstract one?
Conceptual: How does the abstractionists styles gives possibilities to understand modern art? Why it is considered a realistic artwork as ART and one abstract, not?
Debatable: To what extent the visual perception of a message in abstractionism art works can be missunderstood?
How do emotions interact with an artistic style?
How does the message works on realistic and abstract art pieces?
Objectives / Summative assessment
A Knowing and understanding
i. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the art form studied, including concepts, processes, and the use of subject-specific terminology.
B Developing skills
i. Demonstrate the acquisition and development of the skills and techniques of the art form studied.
C Thinking creatively
iii. Demonstrate the exploration of ideas to shape artistic intention through to a point of realization.
D Responding
ii. Create an artistic response that intends to reflect or impact on the world around them. / Outline of summative assessment task(s) including assessment criteria:
You are going to be able to identify main characteristics on the abstractionism style against realism style (Geometric and Figurative Abstractionism and cubism). You will be an artists that recreates abstract art pieces.
The exercise is to deal with basic art tools and materials to develop artistic skills in the creation of three art pieces that will show modern styles as realism, abstraction and cubism.
Students will create three abstract art pieces which will be a recreation based on reality, sketched in an outdoors drawing exercise. / Relationship between summative assessment task(s) and statement of inquiry:
Students will develop tasks that are planned to be a meaningful activities on the knowing and understanding of how reality is the basic concept for abstract art pieces.
Besides, group discussions, documental presentations and personal reflections should reinforce the understanding of the concepts during the creation process.
Throught the experimentation with techniques and demonstration of individual artistic skills, students will get in contact with creation, performance and presentation of personal art projects.
Approaches to learning (ATL)
Thinking skills: Map the creative thought process in the arts process journal to generate new ideas and questions.
Social skills: Work collaboratively in a production team with assigned roles and responsibilities.
Communication skills: Listen actively and endorse the views or opinions of others.
Research skills: Create mood boards, sketches and/or storyboards, which translate an idea into practice.
Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry
Content / Learning process
1-Renacence.
2-Hyper realism.
3-Abstraction. 3.1-Geometric. 3.2-Figurative.
4-Cubism.
Skills (Disciplinary)
5-Outdoor drawing exercise.
6-Understand the difference between realism and abstraction. / Learning experiences and teaching strategies
Thinking skills
·  Experience the reality of the surrounding by drawing in pencil differents scenes on nature. Video “The dot” is the starting point to creation process. Open discussions with students and active participation on the main topic. A brief analysis on “Guernica” art piece is the beginning to understand connections and influences between real life and an artistic expression (Teacher explanation and guidance during discussion).
Social skills
·  Students will get informed about realism and abstractionism by slides presentations of representative artists on these styles. Group discussions around the main similarities and contrasts between realism and modern art (geometric and figurative abstractionism) given by the knowledge of abstractionis styles. Brief analysis - description, colour, shapes, lines and texture – on realistic and abstract examples.
Research skills
·  Starting point with an outdoors drawing. Students draw from observation the real characteristics of an image from nature (trees, chairs, contructions, human shapes, etc). Then, recreate one art piece on geometric abstractionism style and the second piece on figurative abstractionism style, taking as a main reference realistic drawings developed previously. Demostrating drawing skills and technical skills in the use of pigments and brushes.
Communication skills
·  Write a response around the meaning of the art piece and how it evolve to a modern style. Students will answer inquiry questions to create connections and influences from the art forms studied. A self evaluation on weaknesses and strengths on the creative process will demonstrate a real connection with personal performance.
There will be constantly individual feedback during the class time that students are encharge to write in the journal. The art notebook will be collected by the teacher any time during the period to check the individual process.
All students work in the second language therefore the process in visual arts (planning, creation, performance and presentation of the art work) will be used to assist their learning
Formative assessment
Develop open questions to diagnost prior students’ knowledge of the difference between realism and abstract tendencies in modern art.
During the artistic process teacher will give feedback about their personal learning style.
Differentiation
Through the exploration of personal learning styles, teacher will be ready to identify students’ strengths, challenges and preferences. Teacher will establish flexible deadlines and adjust the pace of learning experiences.
Resources
Students will not have access to the computer room. They are allowed to bring their laptop only during the investigation stage.
Different sources like: internet, books, magazines, newspaper, interviews (School library), Power Point presentations.
http:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vske5MtIpwo Figurative Abstractionism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFY4eMnVAXI Geometric Abstractionism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kdzGAjG26s What is abstract art?
Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry
Prior to teaching the unit / During teaching / After teaching the unit
The unit was planned to introduce students to new concepts of modern art. This unit was already worked with seven grade students and the experience was very well done. It still being a new concept for them but students are open minded to experiment and develop artistic processes. / It has been a bit hard for them this new methology in visual arts because is not only painting and drawing, it involves reflections and evaluations. I had to slow down a little when explanations and practices because students need more time to capture the idea and express themselves.
It is important to mention the lack of students when following instructions. This make the artistic process to slow down. / Auto evaluation and reflection has became in a hard moment for them because they are not used to. However, the effort in most of them is evident.
Reflections are showing a little more connection with artistic intentions. They enjoy to propone them ideas to communicating messages. The technical skills are better and better. Materials and tools are coming to have an appropriate use.

CE-GE-FT-98Version 6Edicion Enero 2014