Grade:6
Integrated Content Areas: Theatre, Visual Arts, ELA
Unit Title: The Pyramids of Geezeh
Essential Question:
How do artists and writers create harmony through careful composition?
Integrated Learning Outcome
Using reader’s theatre, students will perform a collaborative poem that demonstrates their understanding of composition in painting and in writing.
Authentic Performance-Based Summative Assessment
Students will perform their reader’s theatre pieces for each other. Assessment will be through a reader’s theatre checklist and through self-reflection.
Visual and Performing Arts
Prior knowledge:
1)Elements of art: form, color, texture
2)Principles of design: composition
3)Writing and performing reader’s theatre
Content Standards:
1)Visual Arts, Artistic perception 1.1 Identify and describe all the elements of art found in selected works of art (color, shape/form, line, texture, space, value)
2)Visual Arts, Aesthetic valuing 4.1 Construct and describe plausible interpretations of what they perceive in works of art.
3)Theatre, Creative Expression 2.3 Write and perform scenes or one-act plays that include monologue, dialogue, action, and setting together with a range of character types.
Skills:
1) Visual Thinking Strategies
2) Collaborative scriptwriting
3) Vocal and physical expression
English Language Arts
Prior knowledge:
1) Reading informational text for central idea.
2) Writing with descriptive details and sensory language
3) Speaking and listening techniques for collaborative discussion
Common Core State Anchor Standards:
1) Reading Anchor Standard 1
2) Reading Anchor Standard 4
3) Writing Anchor Standard 9
Skills:
1) Citing evidence from text
2) Revising writing and trying new approaches
3) Evaluating diverse media
Text
1) The Pyramids of Geezeh, by David Roberts
2) A Short Walk through the Pyramids and through the World of Art, by Phillip Isaacson (From CCSS, Appendix B)
Creative Process
Imagine / Examine / Perceive
1) Using the Visual Thinking Strategies questions, students will examine The Pyramids of Geezeh, by David Roberts
a) What’s going on in this picture?
b) What do you see that makes you say that?
c) What else can we find?
2) Students will read closely A Short Walk through the Pyramids and through the World of Art and determine the central idea.
Explore / Experiment / Develop Craft
1) Students will generate descriptive words and phrases on sentence strips using sensory language inspired by the Pyramids of Geezeh.
2) Students will compose and revise their sentence strips into a collaborative poem that expresses their understanding of both pieces of text .
Create
1) Students will work collaboratively to write and perform a reader’s theatre version of their collaborative poem.
Reflect / Assess / Revise
1) Students will perform their reader’s theatre pieces and assess using the reader’s theatre checklist.
2) Students will revise their script to enhance the expressive and artistic effect.
Share
Students will perform for their classmates.
Formative Assessment of the Visual and Performing Arts Content
List tools or strategies.
1) Reader’s theatre checklist
2) Small group reflection
Formative Assessment of ELA
List tools or strategies.
1) Rubric for descriptive language
2) Checklist for discipline specific language
Summative Reflection
1) How are the writing process and the artistic process similar and different?
2) What skills and techniques do both artists and writers use in their work?
3) What did I learn about composition and harmony that I can transfer to my own writing or artwork?