Finding Story Elements in Art

Part I: Students will learn about warm and cool colors and understand how artwork can portray common experiences. 

Part 2: Students will learn how to write a short narrative using setting, characters, objects, and events based on an artwork.

Vocabulary

cool colors 

colors suggesting coolness: blue, green, and violet. 

warm colors 

colors suggesting warmth: red, yellow, and orange. 

Process

1. Part I: Begin by asking students to look around the classroom very closely. After at least 1 minute of looking, ask the students to look around again, this time looking for all the different types of lines that exist in the classroom. Have the students repeat the process, looking for shapes in the classroom. Finally, have the students look again for different types of colors in the classroom. Each time allow students the opportunity to get out of their seat and point to the line, shape, color they are describing.
2. Show students the focus artwork. Ask the students to describe what objects they see. Ask students to describe the lines they see. Repeat for shapes and colors.
3. Once students have had a chance to study the artwork, begin a discussion on what the artist was trying to tell the viewer.
   • What are the people doing?What time of year is it?Is it cold or hot outside? How do you know?
   • If you could become a part of the painting, what would you hear, smell, feel, taste?
   • Why do you think the artist chose this scene to paint?
   • What did the artist want to share with the viewer?
4. Moving from the scene in the painting, ask the students to think of a time in their life where something special or important happened. Ask a few students to share their stories with the class.
5. Explain the literary term of setting to the students. Use the artwork to give an example. Using the same procedure, explain to the students the literary terms of characters, objects and events referring back to the artwork for a concrete visual example for each term (If time permits, use a related artwork showing an event and have the students point out the examples of setting, characters, objects, and events).
6. Have the students tell a story to a partner about an event in their life that was special or important. Encourage the students to include setting, characters, object, and event in their story.
7. Have the partner retell the story back, and then have the students change roles so that both students can tell their story.
8. Hand out paper to the students and have them write down the story they just shared with a partner. You may want to provide a writing prompt.
9. Part 2: At the front of the class, show the students an oil pastel. Show the students how oil pastels can be used like a pencil or laid on their side and used to lay down large blocks of color. Show the students how to blend two colors by laying down a patch of one color next to a different color, then using your fingers blend the two where they meet. Model the use of baby wipes to clean hands before using another pastel.
10. Have the students lay down old newspaper on their desks to keep the oil pastels from getting on the desks. Hand out baby wipes, paper and oil pastels to the students. Allow students time to work with the pastels, experimenting with the medium. Help where necessary.
11. ask the students what cool colors are-blue, green, and purple. Next ask the class what warm colors are-red, yellow, and orange. Direct the students to find the warm and cool colors in their oil pastels. Give student a few minutes to experiment with either the warm or cool colors.
12. Tell the students that they are going to illustrate their story using either warm or cool colors. Discuss with the students which type of stories might be better illustrated in cool colors (sad, calm) or warm colors (high energy, angry, excitement). Tell the students to choose warm or cool colors from their pastels, then direct the students to put back in the box all the other pastels, leaving out only those colors they selected. Give the students time to finish their illustrations.
13. Put students in groups of three and have them share their artwork with each other.

Standards

The following California content standards are directly addressed in this lesson for the grade levels indicated. Although not listed here, this lesson also meets similar content standards in other grade levels.

Visual Art

Responding—Anchor Standard 8: Interpret Intent and Meaning in Artistic Work (K.VA:Re8, 1.VA:Re8)

Connecting—Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and Relate Knowledge and Personal Experiences to Make Art (PK.VA:Cn10, K.VA:Cn10)

English/Language Arts

2^nd grade: RL.2.1; RL.2.6, RI.2.8, SL.2.1.a-c, SL.2.2, SL.2.3, SL.2.4, SL.2.5

3^rd grade: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.6, SL.3.1.a-d, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, SL.3.4

Materials

• Focus artwork
• Old newspapers
• White construction paper-two per student
• Oil pastels
• Paper
• Pencil
• Baby wipes