BELOW ARE LESSON PLAN SUGGESTIONS FOR GRADES 9-12 AND 6-8. RUBRICS AND PDFS CAN BE SENT UPON INQUIRY.  

Our Safe Spaces Project- Unit-grade 9 to 12 visual arts,

media arts, communications technology

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the power of photography through examining their own interpretations and understandings of the world around them. our safe spaces project, a theme inspired by the Accepting Schools Act, will challenge students to collaborate, think critically and express their message through the fine art of photography. The project gives students an authentic 21st Century learning experience with an authentic, real life outcome that will be shared with hundreds of visitors throughout the Contact Festival. This year we will be accepting two categories of work, Black and White Images and Colour to emphasize emotion.

Essential Questions:

  1. What are conventions and techniques used in photography?

  2. What has to be considered when framing a shot with regard to design principles?

  3. What is your photo trying to communicate? And how have you used the principles and elements of design to help get this message across?10.5 hours

Assignment Requirements:

CHALLENGING AND INSPIRING- 3 HOURS

  1. As a class we begin by exploring the Photosensitive website together. http://www.photosensitive.com/index.php. Watch one of the videos included on the videos page. “Life of Water” http://www.photosensitive.com/videos.php#12-video-view is a good all ages example of storytelling photography created around a theme. The teacher can then initiate a discussion about social commentary in art and the power of an image.

  2. Students can discuss the power of a collaborative exhibit and how we can benefit from exhibiting as a group with other artists in expressing individual interpretations of a shared theme.

  3. Students are asked to go through the Photosensitive gallery and select one piece that really caught their interest. Students are then asked to share the image they selected and share what they ‘See, Think, Wonder’ about the photo.

  4. Students then answer the question, What attracted you to that image?

  5. As many of the reasons given will address subject matter and composition the discussion can be followed by the following presentations about photography and composition in photography. Students are asked to make notes…

  1. A review of the principles and elements of design can also be helpful.

  2. Other extensions could include guest speakers, visiting photojournalists, outings to photography galleries, etc.

IMAGINING AND GENERATING- 1 hour

  1. A discussion begins with the topic of “Safe Spaces”. What is it? Students in pairs quickly formulate their definition of  safe spaces to share with the class.

  2. The discussion continues…What makes it a Safe Space? Does it change? Does it vary from person to person?

  3. Teachers can use examples of spaces represented in art history to compare the connection between space and emotion.

PLANNING AND FOCUSSING- 1HOUR

  1. After the discussion students begin brainstorming what they consider to be their safe spaces.  With those spaces in mind, students visualize in their sketchbooks and add notes to further describe the emotional connection.

EXPLORING AND EXPERIMENTING- 1 hour instruction, photos taken on own time

  1. Once students select the safe space they want to shoot, they take their photos using cameras, iPads or phones. Teachers can provide students with feedback and offer differentiated opportunities, eg. Using manual settings on the camera to experiment with depth of field etc.

PRODUCING PRELIMINARY WORK- 1 hour

  1. In class students go through their images and get input from classmates as to which images are most effective in terms of design and communication.

REVISING AND REFINING- 2 hours

  1. Students select 3 images and begin post- production on their photos creating strong black and white images. An easy to use, free application can be downloaded from Google if students have not worked with Adobe software. http://picasa.google.com/  

  2. Students can work in pairs/small groups to learn how to use the software.

PRESENTING AND PERFORMING- 30 mins

  1. Once students are finished editing, they then print their 3 images at 8X10 for display at their own school.

REFLECTION AND EVALUATION- 1 hour

  1. Students complete a written reflection of approximately 50 words for the image they choose to submit. The reflection should be a short artist’s statement explaining their interpretation of the photo.

  2. Students email their written work and final image, to the submission email,(will be sent out in Sept. to all teachers) once it has been proofread.

  3. Students answer the essential questions above for their class assignment, print them and add them to their sketchbooks.

Student checklist for Safe Spaces unit…

What to submit to our safe spaces project (teachers will receive more specific submission requirements re. resolution etc.)

  • final image

  • reflective writing

What to submit to the teacher...

  • Imagining and Generating-

  • a definition of Safe Spaces. What makes it a Safe Space? Does it change? Does it vary from person to person?

  • Planning and Focusing-

  • Brainstorm of spaces

  • rough sketches for planning

  • Presenting and Performing-

  • The 3 printed images (8 X10)

  • Reflection and Evaluation-

  • Students print the written reflection and put it in their sketchbook


OUR SAFE SPACES PROJECT- UNIT-GRADE 6 TO 8 VISUAL ARTS

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the power of photography through examining their own interpretations and understandings of the world around them. Our Safe Spaces Project  a theme inspired by the Accepting Schools Act, will challenge students to collaborate, think critically and express their message through the fine art of photography. The project gives students an authentic 21st Century learning experience with an authentic, real life outcome that will be shared with hundreds of visitors throughout the Contact Festival.

This year will be accepting two categories of work. Black and white images and colour to emphasize emotion.

Essential Questions:

  1. What are conventions and techniques used in photography?

  2. What has to be considered when framing a shot with regard to design principles?

  3. What is your photo trying to communicate? And how have you used the principles and elements of design to help get this message across?

Assignment Requirements:

CHALLENGING AND INSPIRING

  1. As a class we begin by exploring the Photosensitive website together. http://www.photosensitive.com/index.php. Watch one of the videos included on the videos page. http://www.photosensitive.com/videos.php#12-video-view  ‘Life of Water’ is a good all ages example of storytelling photography created around a theme. The teacher can then initiate a discussion about social commentary in art and the power of an image.

  2. Students can also discuss the power of collaborative exhibit and how we can benefit from exhibiting as a group with other artists in expressing individual interpretations of a shared theme.

  3. Students are asked to go through the Photosensitive gallery and select one piece that really caught their interest. Students are then asked to share the image they selected and create a ‘See, Think, Wonder’ chart to analyze this image.

  4. As many of the reasons given will address subject matter and composition the discussion can be followed by the following presentations about photography and composition in photography. Students are asked to make notes…

A review of the principles and elements of design can also be helpful.You may extend this lesson with visiting photographers, photojournalists, guest speakers, and outings to photography galleries

IMAGINING AND GENERATING- 1 hour

  1. A discussion begins with the topic of “Safe Spaces”. What is it? Students in pairs quickly formulate a definition of  ‘safe spaces’  to share with the class.

  2. The discussion continues…What does it mean? What makes it a safe space? Does it change? Does it vary from person to person?

  3. Teachers can use examples of ‘spaces’ represented in art history to compare the connection between space and emotion. 

PLANNING AND FOCUSSING

  1. After the discussion students begin brainstorming what they consider to be their ‘safe spaces.’ With those spaces in mind, students visualize in their sketchbooks and add notes to further describe the emotional connection.

EXPLORING AND EXPERIMENTING- 1 hour instruction, photos taken on own time

  1. Once students select their ‘safe space’ to shoot they will take their photos using cameras, IPads, or phones. (at 300 dpi). Here teachers can provide students with feedback and offer differentiated opportunities.

PRODUCING PRELIMINARY WORK- 1 hour

  1. In class students go through their images and get input from classmates as to which images are most effective in terms of design and communication.

REVISING AND REFINING- 2 hours

  1. Students select 3 images and begin post- production on their photos creating strong black and white images. An easy to use, free application can be downloaded from Google if students have not worked with Adobe software. http://picasa.google.com/  

  2. Students can work in pairs/small groups to learn how to use the software.

PRESENTING AND PERFORMING- 30 mins

  1. Once students are finished editing, they then print their 3 - 8 x 10 images for display at their own school

REFLECTION AND EVALUATION- 1 hour

  1. Students select one of their images to submit digitally to Our Safe Spaces Project.

  2. Students complete a written reflection for the selected image that has a maximum of 50 words. The reflection should be a short artist's statement explaining their interpretation of the photo. Students send their written work and final image to the submission email (that will be provided in September)  once it has been proofread.

  3. Students answer the ‘essential questions’ above for their class assignment, print them and add them to their sketchbooks.

Student checklist for The Safe Spaces unit…

What to submit (teachers will receive a more thorough outline of submission requirements)

  • final image  

  • Upload reflective writing

What to submit to the teacher:

All of the work completed in this unit should be in order, under headings, in your sketchbook

  • Imagining and Generating-

  • A definition of safe spaces.

  • What makes it a safe space?

  • Does it change?

  • Does it vary from person to person?

  • Planning and Focusing-

  • Brainstorm of safe spaces

  • rough sketches for planning

  • Presenting and Performing-

  • The 3 printed images (8 x 10)

  • Reflection and Evaluation-

  • Students print the written reflection and put it in their sketchbook


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