What's in a Face?

Rationale:

The evolution of portraiture is introduced to the students. Through a PowerPoint presentation and class discussion, the teacher will familiarize students of portraiture’s significance throughout human history. Portraiture by Shearer West will be the main source for the students’ research/presentation project. Students will gather into small groups as the teacher assigns specific chapters for each group from Portraiture. There will be some class time available for students to collaborate within their groups about their particular subject, but “outside the class” individual work will need to happen. The research/presentations will be approximately 10-15 minutes long and include main points of interest and visual elements from assigned chapters that will allow a thorough understanding for students not assigned to that particular chapter. Research/Presentations will be conducted at the end of "What's in a Face".

As an introductory exercise for future studio assignments, students will create five blind contour drawings of their peers and create one wire sculpture from a blind contour drawing of their choosing. Blind contour drawings allow students to connect the senses, sight and touch, by drawing the outline of the subject without looking at the paper. This allows students to build their observational skills by drawing realistically instead of by memory.

Objectives:

1. In an oral and visual presentation, student groups will summarize and translate an assigned chapter from the book Portraiture by Shearer West in a 10-15 minute performance.  (9-12.RT.7) & (9-12.WT.2)

Standards:

9-12.RT.7 Translate technical visual art information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mechanically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

9-12.WT.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including technical processes.

a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Revised 2010 High School Page 70

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

Strategies

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