Lesson Plan on Georgia O’Keefe created by Sandy Harsch for 7th & 8th grade April, 2015
Lesson is (2) 45 minute sessions
Goal: We will study the life and works of Georgia O’Keefe, especially her flowers. We will apply these characteristics to student’s own work.
Elements of Art: Color, Line, Shape, Form, Space, Texture
Principles of Art:Balance: the arrangement of elements in a work of art (Formal Balance: symmetrical, Informal Balance: asymmetrical, Radial Balance: positioned equally around a focal point), Variety: combined elements to create visual excitement, Harmony: blended use of elements to create Visual Repose, Emphasis: use of an element to draw immediate attention to a certain part of the whole, Proportion: the way the elements of art cause the individual parts of a work to connect with one another, Movement: the way the elements of art cause the observer to sense motion in a work,Rhythm: the repetition of elements that make art appear active, Unity: the combined use of element and principles of art to create a sense of wholeness.
Art Terms: Hue: Color, Value: Lightness/Darkness of a color, Shade: Darker Values, Tint: Lighter Values, Analogous colors: closely related colors or colors next to each other on the color wheel, Warm & Cool Colors, Cityscape, Landscape, Realistic: art created to look real, Abstract: art that is geometric in design or simplified form, does not need to look like anything real, Stylized, Non-objective, Surreal: art that expressed imaginary thoughts and images.
Photography Terms: Cropping, Enlarging, Low Angle, Sharp Focus, Focal Point, Composition
Vocabulary:Magnification: Enlarging, Monumentalize: To make a monument of or in memorialto
Background: In Georgia O’Keefe’s early lifetime, females were not usually artists. Men were usually the artists and artistically inclined women were normally taught to be Art Teachers. The art of photography was a new medium in 1917 through the early 1920’s.
Cross Curricular: - Art History & Culture, Geography, Math (scale, proportion)
National Standards for Visual Arts: 1. Understanding and applying media and techniques 2. Using knowledge of structures and functions 3. Evaluating subject, symbols and ideas 4. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history & cultures 5.Assessing characteristics of their work and that of others 6.Connecting visual arts to other disciplines.
Objective: Students will use iPads, as well as traditional materials, in their creation of large-scale flower paintings/drawings, incorporating characteristics of O’Keefe’s flower paintings.
Teacher Materials: iPad, website: books about O’Keefe, poster of her work
Student Materials: iPad, flowers, paper, drawing pencil, eraser
Procedure:After Prayer and Roll Call, students will be given their goal and instructed to use their iPads to go to where they will see photographs and works of Georgia O’Keefe. They will discuss the elements and principles of Art in her work. The teacher will incorporate art terms, photography terms and vocab into the discussion. Standards: 2. Structure/functions; 3. Symbolism/ideas; 4. History/cultures; 6. Connecting visual arts/ other disciplines
Activity:Students will be given flowers. They will be instructed how to use their iPads as cameras to photograph the flowers from different angles and perspectives. They will be instructed how to use the editing tool to crop and enlarge their photographs of the flower to create compositions inspired by O’Keefe’s work. The students will save the finalized photograph into their galleries on the iPad so that they can use them for inspiration when drawing and painting their work on the large pieces of paper.Standards: 1. Applying media/techniques
The students will have 45 minutes the following Art session to complete the large scale drawings/paintings, using the saved photos from their iPad gallery for reference.
Evaluation: 1. How did the students use the O’Keefe works as inspiration? 2. Did the students show realism or abstraction in their work? 3. Which elements and principles can the student identify in their own artwork? Standards: 5.Assessing their work/ others
Review: Students will answer various questions about Georgia O’Keefe and her life & works.
- Tell us what you know about Georgia O’Keefe’s early years: birth –high school age
- How was Georgia taught to paint?
- How would you tell someone about Georgia’s City paintings?
- What are some photography techniques that Georgia incorporated into her paintings?
- How did Georgia and Alfred inspire one another?
- Why did Georgia say she painted flowers?
- How would you describe her flower paintings?
- Tell us what you know about Georgia after Alfred died.
- Why do you think Georgia drew the bones in her desert paintings?
- Why do you think Georgia O’Keefe is an American Icon?