Abigail Powers

Week 1 (Lesson 1):

Lesson Title: Introducing Perspective
Grade Level: This lesson is for a class of 3rd graders who meet twice a week for 40 minutes.
It will span over the course of two class periods (one week).
National Visual Arts Standards:
Creating: Elaborate on an imaginative idea.
Creating: Elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork to enhance
emerging meaning.
Responding: Determine messages communicated by an image.
Grade Level Expectations:
Grade 3, Strand II: Elements and Principles, 1. G.: Identify and use middle ground, overlapping, and change of size to create illusion of space
Grade 3, Strand II: Elements and Principles, 2. C.: Identify and use size contrast
Rationale and Goals: This lesson is essential because it lays the foundation for my students
understanding of perspective. It is in this first lesson that I teach the student what
perspective means. Once the students have an understanding of the world perspective in
visual ways, I will further expand their understanding by also explaining perspective in
terms of culture and people. With fundamental comprehension of what perspective is both
visually and socially, the students will be able to appreciate the differences between
themselves and others and expand their view from traditional perspective to creative
perspective.
Enduring Big Idea: The big idea of this lesson is perspective. The first part of perspective
that students will investigate is visual perspective and how their world can be transformed
when viewed from the eyes of another creature (in this case, the ants we will read about in
Two Bad Ants). I will push them to start to think about perspective even further by giving
them examples of how perspective is a good thing to have when thinking about people who
are different than themselves or cultures that are different from their own. These examples
will correlate directly to the lives of a third grader so that the concept is easily understood.
While they begin to develop their own understandings of perspective in this social way, the
students will dive deeper into a creative exploration of the world seen from a different set
of eyes in this case, the eyes of an insect.
Essential Questions:

What does perspective mean?

How will perspective help me to better understand myself and my world?
Why is it important to understand other peoples lives?
How can I use perspective to help me grow as a person?

How can I use art to show multiple perspectives?

How can I use art to show people my own views?
How can I use art to appreciate views different than mine?
How is the world of an insect different than mine?
What would the world around me look like if I were the size of an insect?
How can I create a world that represents life from the eyes of an insect?

Knowledge and Key Concepts: The book Two Bad Ants will be used to show the children not
only what it means to use perspective in art, but also to introduce the idea of perspective
itself. I will start the unit by reading the children this book, which is a captivating, exciting
tale of two ants and their great, treacherous journey to a bowl of sugar. By starting the unit
with this story, the students will have a direct, simple example of what it means to shift
perspectives. The story is written and illustrated from the point of view of an ant, so
students will both see and understand the difference between an ants life and their lives.
The illustrations of the world from an ants perspectives give the students a clear example
of distorting the world so that it reflects what is true in anothers eyes. The story itself is
also a key part to understanding perspective. As the ants journey is described in terms of a
world that is so giant to them and so normal-sized to us, students will begin to
fundamentally understand how things that are true for us can be completely different for
others. Using this book and its illustrations as examples, the students will learn about
making art that is not traditional in terms of visual perspective. They will learn to see
ordinarily sized objects in a completely different, ginormous way. Students will discover
that art can be used to represent and convey a world that may be different than the
traditional world.
Objectives:

Students will actively engage in discussion to introduce and explore the topic of
perspective.
Students will chose a list of their favorite insects and write these in their journals.
Students will create a picture that includes their favorite insect(s) by using
fingerprints.
Students will create a picture that clearly represents how the world is seen from
the eyes of an insect.

Vocabulary:

perspective
represent

Lesson Vignette:
Day 1:
10:00-10:23AM: On this first day of this unit, I will begin by reading students the book Two
Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. After we read the book, I will discuss with the class the

general definition of perspective. After Ive explained what perspective is in terms of a

definition, I will further elaborate by using examples related to the lives of the third graders
so that they may more easily grasp the concept of perspective. For example, I may say, I
remember when my little brother was one year old. He would cry and cry when he started
to grow baby teeth. I never understood why he cried so much, but I tried to put myself in
his shows and understand the world from his perspective if I had teeth growing through
my gums it would be really painful, wouldnt it? I would probably cry just as much as he
did! I just had to look at things from his eyes to better understand and sympathize with
him. I will then ask if the kids can think of a time that they needed to use perspective to
understand other people the way I used it to understand my baby brother. Once the kids
share their own examples, I will allow time for more questions.
10:23-10:31AM: During this time, I will introduce the project that the students will be
creating. Were going to use our fingerprints to create our very our insects! Were going to
create our insects and pretend we are looking at the world from their eyes while we create
the scenery around them. I will introduce the supplies that the students will need to make
the project and do a demonstration. This demonstration will allow the students to view an
example of the process of creating an insect by using a fingerprint. I will also think aloud as
I create the scene in which my insect is in by saying things like I am going to make this
pebble next to the ladybug twice the ladybugs size. If I were the size of a ladybug, this
small, little pebble would look like a huge boulder compared to me.
10:31-10:40AM: After an explanation and demonstration of the project, I will hand out the
students journals and project a slide on the board that has pictures of different insects
with their names clearly written below. The students will make a list of five of their favorite
insects, using the slide of insects as a reference or ideas and spelling.
Day 2:
10:00-10:05AM: To start the second day of the lesson, I will read Two Bad Ants to the
children a second time so that both a visual and social example of perspective are fresh in
their minds.
10:05-10:15AM: I will briefly explain and review what we learned about perspective last
class and re-introduce the project by showing my example. I will pass out the students
journals so that they can review the insects they wish to include in their projects.
10:15-10:35AM: The students will gather the supplies that they need/want to use and will
spend the rest of the class period creating their projects.
10:35-10:40AM: Students will put away their supplies and clean their places.
Assessment:
Student was actively listening and/or participating in discussion over perspective and its
meaning:
Student developed a list of insects he or she could use for his or her project:
Student created insects that were chosen by him or her by using his or her fingerprints:
Students insect was fully developed and included details:
Student created a background for his or her insect that represented his or her
understanding of perspective:

Student Engagement and Adaptation for Special Needs: I will be sure to make sure all my
students are understanding the idea of perspective. If a student seems to be struggling in
comprehending the concept/is not engaged, I directly ask the student simple questions that
may aide in his or her understanding in a way that does not obviously call out or embarrass
him or her. For those who finish early, I will let them begin another scene with more
insects.
Materials, Resources, and Preparation:
ink pads
paper
markers
Two Bad Ants
PowerPoint and a place to display it
Teacher Reflection: I will know that this lesson is successful and meaningful if my students
create a world for their insects that uses perspective to represent what the world looks like
in the eyes of a tiny creature.
Week 2 (Lesson 2):
Lesson Title: Creating the Giant World of Insects
Grade Level: This lesson is for a class of 3rd graders who meet twice a week for 40 minutes.
It will span over the course of two class periods (one week).
National Visual Arts Standards:
Creating: Elaborate on an imaginative idea.
Creating: Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate
personal ideas through the art-making process.
Creating: Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and
materials.
Grade Level Expectations:
Grade 3, Strand I: Product/Performance, 1. D.: demonstrate an additive process (e.g.
string, cardboard, glue, found objects)
Grade 3, Strand I: Product/Performance, 2. A.: Manipulate paper to create forms (inthe-round)
Rationale and Goals: This lesson will allow students to dive deeper into the meaning of
perspective by giving them a second way to represent the world of an insect. Students will
also learn about perspective in history and how artists like Moholy-Nagy break traditional
ideas by capturing the world from different angles. With their next project, the concept of
perspective will be reinforced and explored further. Since they are creating only the
background this time, students will be able to focus entirely on the world in which an insect
sees and lives in. Students should have a more concrete understanding of perspective at the
end of this project and be able to take this idea with them and apply it to their own lives.

Enduring Big Idea: The big idea of this second lesson is developing an even deeper meaning
of perspective. By introducing the photography of Moholy-Nagy, students will make
connections between his highly unusually angled photographs and the impact of
perspective. Through creating a backdrop through the eyes of an insect, the students have
yet another opportunity to use perspective to expand their understanding of the different
views of the world around them.
Essential Questions:

What does perspective mean?

How will perspective help me to better understand myself and my world?
Why is it important to understand other peoples lives?
How can I use perspective to help me grow as a person?
How can I use art to show multiple perspectives?
How can I use art to show people my own views?
How can I use art to appreciate views different than mine?
How is the world of an insect different than mine?
What would the world around me look like if I were the size of an insect?
How can I create a world that represents life from the eyes of an insect?

Knowledge Base and Key Concepts: The second artist I will present to my third grade
students to help them understand the concept of perspective is Moholy-Nagy. He was one
of the first artists to use photography as a means of showing perspective. By using
interesting angles and unique perspectives, Moholy-Nagy wished to shake viewers out of
their original interpretations of ordinary situations. I think his photographs are easily
understandable examples of perspective. They will be fun for students to look at, as they
may not have ever thought about looking at the above scenes from the angles at which they
were captured. These photographs will give the students a clear understanding of what it
means to think out of the box in terms of artistically representing perspective. By the end of
the second lesson in this unit, students should be able to relate to insects on an even deeper
level since they have now created two representations of the world of insects. This
connection between students and the world of an insect should correlate to the students
growing understanding of perspective and how it allows one to more easily relate to
others, both visually and emotionally.
Objectives:

Students will actively listen and/or participate in discussion during a Visual

Thinking Strategy on a photograph by Moholy-Nagy.
Students will affectively use the straw stems method to create a background
stage for an insect.
Students will utilize the materials provided to them to create a colorful, visually
interesting stage for their insect(s).

Students will create a stage for their insect that shows their understanding of
perspective by representing the world from the eyes of their insects.

Vocabulary:

perspective
watercolors
stage

Lesson Vignette:
Day 1:
10:00-10:25AM: I will start the second lesson of the unit by once again re-explaining the
concept of perspective and why it is important for the students to know (Like we talked
about before, you need to use perspective in order to understand people who are different
from you. I always got so annoyed when my childhood dog would jump up on my lap
during dinner to try and get a bite of my food. One time he even jumped onto our counter
and ate my brothers birthday cake while we were gone! But when I use perspective to put
myself in my dogs shoes (even though he never wore shoes!), I begin to understand him.
All he had to eat every single day of his life was dog food. I dont know about you, but dog
food doesnt seem very tasty. Its all brown and icky looking and it smells disgusting! So
when I thought about being my dog and that the only thing he had to eat his whole life was
dog food, I understood why he tried so hard to get my delicious human food. I put myself in
my dogs shoes by using perspective and was able to understand why he acted the way he
did, which made me much more patient and much less annoyed with is actions.) I will then
put up a photograph by Moholy-Nagy and do a Visual Thinking Strategy over the
photograph, encouraging all students to participate. We will do the VTS long enough for
students to make a connection between the photograph and the fact that it is using
perspective. After we do a VTS on one of Moholy-Nagys photographs that uses perspective
in a groundbreaking way, we will look at another one of his photographs that uses
perspective in the same way. I will explain to the students how he was an important artist
in history who used perspective to change the way people see things. I will point out how
the photographs the students haven seen are of ordinary things but do not look ordinary
because of the cameras position in correspondence with the objects. I will emphasize the
idea that by shifting angles, or perspectives, things that we see the same way every day can
be transformed and thought about completely differently.
10:25-10:40AM: For the rest of the class period, I will introduce the students next project.
(What were creating next is a garden stage, or backdrop, for the 3D insects well be
making next week. The backdrops for our 3D critters are going to represent the idea of
perspective that weve been learning about. So the flowers surrounding your 3D creature
should look like what they would look like to a little bug. What would a flower look like to
you if you were the size of a ladybug? It would be huge, right? It would tower over you like
a ginormous building! To create these backdrops, were going to use some fun methods. I
will then do a demonstration by making my own backdrop. I will show the students how to
use straws to blow watercolor paint up the page to create stems, blades of grass, or

anything else they wish to create with this technique. I will show the students how to use
tissue paper to create the tops of flowers or leaves. The students will be free to use any or
all of the techniques that they wish to use.
Day 2:
10:00-10:05AM: I will generally re-explain both the idea of perspective and how we are
using it in the project the students will create on this day. I will tell them that at the start of
this class period until the end of it, they should imagine themselves as the size of a bug and
build their garden backdrops with that in mind.
10:05-10:35AM: The kids will have 30 minutes to finish their backdrops. I will use
formative assessment as I actively participate in the making of my students backdrops by
asking them questions, keeping them engaged, and observing what difficulties the children
may be experiencing so that I can continuously make modifications.
10:35-10:40AM: The students will put away supplies and thoroughly clear their work area.
Assessment:
Student actively listened and/or participated in the VTS of the Moholy-Nagys photograph.
Student actively listened and/or participated in the discussion on the second Moholy-Nagy
photograph by digging deeper into his or her understanding of perspective.
Student created a backdrop for his or her 3D creature using thoughtful techniques.
Student created a backdrop for his or her 3D creature that uses perspective to represent
the world of an insect.
Student Engagement and Adaptations for Special Needs: If a student has trouble paying
attention during the VTS and other discussion on Moholy-Nagys photography, I will find a
way to include that student directly into discussion in a nonobvious way. I will challenge
those who finish early to add even more detail to the backdrop.
Materials, Resources, and Preparation:

PowerPoint and a screen to present it on

watercolor paint
watercolor dishes for each student
watercolor paintbrushes
tissue paper
markers
cardboard lids (to use as backdrop, preferably white)

Teacher Reflection: I will know that my students are continuing to grow if they create
projects that use perspective to show the world from a different viewpoint. Students will
utilize materials and express their creativity in fun, hands on ways by exploring with these
materials and different techniques.
Week 3 (Lesson 3):

Lesson Title: In the Shoes of my Creature

Grade Level: This lesson is for a class of 3rd graders who meet twice a week for 40 minutes. It
will span over the course of two class periods (one week).
National Visual Arts Standards:
Creating: Elaborate on an imaginative idea.
Creating: Elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork to enhance
emerging meaning.
Grade Level Expectations:
Grade 3, Strand I: Product/Performance, 1. D.: demonstrate an additive process (e.g.
string, cardboard, glue, found objects)
Rationale and Goals: In my final lesson of this unit, I am pushing students to dig even
deeper into the meaning of perspective. At the end of this lesson, the students should be
able to more easily relate to others by using perspective. Students should complete a set
that includes a 3D creature and backdrop to create the world of an insect (through using
visual perspective by imagining the world through the insects eyes).
Enduring Big Idea: In this third and final lesson, students will pull their projects together
and create a complete stage and creature to fully represent their understanding of
perspective from the eyes of a tiny bug. Students will also be pushed to imagine themselves
in anothers shoes and shift their self-perspectives.
Essential Questions:

What does perspective mean?

How will perspective help me to better understand myself and my world?
Why is it important to understand other peoples lives?
How can I use perspective to help me grow as a person?
How can I use art to show multiple perspectives?
How can I use art to show people my own views?
How can I use art to appreciate views different than mine?
How is the world of an insect different than mine?
What would the world around me look like if I were the size of an insect?
How can I create a world that represents life from the eyes of an insect?
What can I learn from putting myself in the shoes of someone who is different than
me?
How does putting myself in the shoes of someone who is different than me help me
understand that person better?

Knowledge and Key Concepts: Drawing off of the two artists the students have previously
explored, they will continue to think about perspective in a more critical way. I will have
the students do an activity that pushes them further in terms of thinking about perspective
as a means of understanding. Students will learn how to represent their personal findings

about perspective by making art that allows for direct expression. They will also learn how
to tie together two pieces of art as a single set.
Objectives:

Students will think critically and use what they have learned about perspective to
put themselves in anothers shoes.
Students will create a 3D creature(s) that finds a home in their previously
constructed backdrops.
Students will respectfully view and talk about their peers work.

Vocabulary:

correspond
critically think

Lesson Vignette:
Day 1:
10:00-10:30AM: On the first day of our last lesson, I will once again re-explain the concept
of perspective, which the kids should grasp fairly well by this point. I will then pass out a
blank sheet of paper and markers to each student. I will introduce our next activity by
saying I want all of you to think really hard about a person who is different than you.
There are lots of ways someone can be different from another person, right? Do you guys
have an example of how one person might be different from another? (Ill call on a few
students who have examples. If they have not already used them, I will give the following
examples as well: If someone is taller than me, we are different in height. Im different
than my brother because he is a boy and I am a girl. Im different from my neighbor because
she is 60 years old and I am 21.) All of these things make us different from the people
around us. Since there are so many different people in the world, we need to have
perspective. Perspective will help us think outside of ourselves and to realize that I am
different from other people. Noticing this difference will help us to step out of our own
shoes and into the shoes of another, and in doing this we can better understand, appreciate,
and help these other people. I want each of you to think of someone who is different from
you. This person can be someone you admire or someone you hope to be like. Using your
markers, I want you to draw yourself standing in the shoes of this person. I will then show
then my example and explain that I drew myself standing in firemen boots because I am
very different than my uncle who is a firefighter but also seek to understand him and
appreciate his role in helping people. (This is called the In Your Shoes activity).
10:30-10:40AM: In the last ten minutes of class, I will introduce the kids final part of their
perspective project, which is creating a 3D insect out of egg cartons that becomes the
inhabitant of the backdrops we made using the perspective of a small bug. I will do a
demonstration of how to create a caterpillar using an egg carton.
Day 2:

10:00-10:30AM: At the start of the last day of our perspective unit, I will remind the
students what they are working on today by showing them multiple examples of 3D, egg
carton creatures. The students will work on their creatures for 30 minutes until it is time to
clean up.
10:30-10:40AM: The students will quickly cleanup and be allowed to walk around the room
and respectfully look at their classmates finished products.
Assessment:
Student thoughtfully decided whose shoes to stand in for the In Your Shoes activity.
Student expressed his or her understanding of perspective by critically thinking about the
way in which he or she depicted the person of his or her choosing for the In Your Shoes
activity.
Student carefully crafted a 3D creature to live in his or her backdrop.
Student paid attention to detail and did his or her best, cleanest, most focused work while
creating his or her creature(s).
Student Engagement and Adaptations for Special Needs: If the In Your Shoes activity is
unclear for some students after my explanation, I will directly work with these students
while the other kids work on their own projects to ensure understanding.
Materials, Resources, and Preparation:

paper
makers
egg cartons
pipe cleaners
eyes, pompoms, gems, etc. (decoration for the creatures)

Teacher Reflection: To know that this lesson is successful and meaningful to my students, I
will observe a fascination in my students to learn more about perspective, I will notice a
deeper sense of understanding of the idea of perspective, I will notice my students better
understanding and making connections with others through using perspective, my
students will complete a project that serves as a home for the creature they have created,
and my students will have created this home by using visual perspective to put viewers
behind the eyes of their little creatures.