Faces tell feelings - Part 2 - Observations

Students will view a PowerPoint presentation of various portraits by different artists. They will observe facial expressions and the emotions they convey in these works of art.

A lesson plan for grades 3–5 Visual Arts Education

By Jan Kimosh

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  This lesson may be adapted for use in a school/classroom by using museums and artwork found online (see Web sites listed below). A Powerpoint presentation which displays some artwork from the Ackland Art Museum is attached to this plan, as well.

Related topics

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This lesson plan was designed as part of a collaborative unit between art and technology teachers. The other lessons in the unit are:

• Faces tell feelings - Part 1 - Understanding URLs
• Faces tell feelings - Part 3 - Drawing facial expressions
• Faces tell feelings - Part 4 - Computer Animation
• Faces tell feelings - Part 5 - Typefaces
• Faces tell feelings - Part 6 - Emotions collage

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• use accurate verbal descriptions while commenting on works of art.
• relate human emotions to works of art while observing facial features and how they change according to the inside emotion.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

45 Minutes

Materials/resources

Classroom area where all students are able to clearly view the projection screen.

If teacher does not have access to equipment to project a PowerPoint presentation, posters and photographs of facial expressions may be used to stimulate discussion.

Technology resources

• PowerPoint presentation
• Computer
• Computer projector
• Screen

Pre-activities

Teachers are strongly encouraged to complete the lesson plan Faces tell feelings - Part 1 - Understanding URLs with students prior to art class. (This is a search and find lesson on the internet done in computer class.)

Activities

1. Review “Faces Tell Feelings Part 1.”
   
   • What was the topic of your search?
   • How did you go about finding the pictures?
   • What was your favorite picture you found?
2. Explain that today students will again see some of those images they found in computer lab. “Today we will be able to talk about the artwork, the artist, and what the artist was trying to convey.”
3. Begin PowerPoint presentation. Stop presentation as necessary to discuss and answer questions. (*See attachment for Powerpoint program and discussion questions.)
4. If you will go on to use lesson plan three, explain that the students will learn to draw some of those facial expressions.

Assessment

There is an attachment to the PowerPoint presentation that lists a set of possible discussion questions and some of the appropriate responses. This is a starting point only, other questions and comments may arise throughout discussion. Be flexible!

Assessment is immediate for students. (”Good observation”.…”Right answer”.….”You’re on the right track”… “Let’s think a little further”…) as the presentation/discussion progresses.

Supplemental information

Comments

This lesson is the second in a series of six lessons created by computer teacher Susan W. Getter, and elementary art teacher Jan Kimosh, of Our Lady of Lourdes School during a summer LEARN NC/NCSSM/Ackland Art Museum workshop. Look for lessons 1, 4, and 5 in the Computer Technology Skills section of the lesson plans.

1. We spent 45 minutes on the PowerPoint presentation and the discussion was very lively! (This was one class period, we could have used more time, but I feel containing it to one class time is best.) I showed the presentation slide by slide so we could pause for questions and answers. The students responded to the questions written in the slides, and also to additional questions from the teacher from.
2. Getting the proper equipment ready was time consuming, as we had to obtain a screen, projector, and laptop computer on a cart. My computer teacher assisted with the setup. We are hoping sometime in the future to have a classroom (could be the art room) with a complete setup for PowerPoint presentations so classes may go to the classroom for viewing.
3. This was a highly effective way of presenting material. The students were enthusiastic with their responses and enjoyed viewing the work of different artists. They had completed “Faces Tell Feelings - Part I” in computer class the week before. They were excited to see the images that they had “found” through their internet search. Seeing the images a second time reinforced the impact that they had seeing them again.
4. I rate this as one of the most successful lessons I have completed with these students. The outcomes were up to my expectations and far exceeded the projected outcomes. Allowing students to “talk” about art in art class, versus “doing” is a very valid component of their education.