CTQS Standard I
Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.
Element B:
Teachers develop and implement lessons that connect to a variety of content areas/disciplines and emphasize literacy and mathematics.
Incorporating Disciplinary Literacy
Literacy acquisition is necessary throughout the artmaking process. Each unit taught requires students to use different literacy skills to get them talking and engaging with a studio community mindset. My focus on productive collaboration engages students in various modes of literacy such as speaking, reading, writing, listening, and visually representing ideas.
To create a community of learners, students at the beginning of each assignment are introduced contemporary artists exploring similar themes and ideas. Next, students engage in group work to identify big ideas and key concepts in the artwork. Lastly, students write about the art works they discussed and then present their findings during whole class discussion.
During the mid-point of an assignment when students start to feel stuck, intimidated, or just overwhelemed by their work students participate in an in-process critique. In-process critiques allow students to revisit their thinking, share struggles they are currently having, describe goals for their finished work and solicit feedback from peers on how to improve their work. This instructional time is important for teaching students how to read each other's work both technically and symbolically and responding to it.
Throughout the semester students demonstrate their growth in ceramics vocabulary and learning processes through the development of their portfolio. Although the visually represent ideas with these projects they are asked to create a slide for each project. Slides contain their planning, pictures of their work, and writing. In their writing they are asked to explain their ideas and how they were able to form them in clay.
The following artifacts follow integration of multiple Common Core State Standards for literacy throughout the process of the Beginning Ceramics’ “Masks & Molds” unit.
Day 1:
Reading Standard 2 (Grades 9-10)
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
In a group students were asked to observe design qualities and then cite how they transferred those qualities into symbolic meaning based on personal experience. After reading and speaking as their group one person volunteered to present the mask to the class.
Literacy modalities: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.
Day 2:
Speaking and Listening Standard 1 (Grades 11-12)
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
In their groups students were given a random abstract word, for example this groups’ word was “gossip”. Using their background with the word they were tasked with collaborating on a mask design to visually represent the concept they were given, while taking into account transforming every facial feature. They then had one speaker share out to the rest of the class why they made the design choice they did and the abstract word they worked from.
Literacy Modalities: Speaking, Listening, and Visually Representing.
In-Process Critique:
Writing Standard 9 (Grades 9-10)
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis and reflection.
For this critique students got out their work, plan sheets, and sat with one of their peers’ work. They were asked to structure their feedback around what was sculpturally successful / needed to improve from their mask.
This mask is an example of how this written feedback was helpful to a student, she they were told that without the plan sheet they were not seeing her theme of “summer and winter” in her mask. From this they gave her suggestions on how she could make the symbolism more clear.
Literacy Modalities: Reading and Writing
Portfolio Development:
Writing Standard 2d (Grades 11-12)
Write informative / explanatory texts, including technical processes. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as expertise of likely readers.