Ask students that the questions will help them understand a work of art; Name tags for students will enable you to preface a question with “Chris, can you find….” A question presented to the entire class, rather than a specific student, often results in a number of voices responding at one time.
Avoid questions that require students to make a quick judgment. Don’t start out by asking the students which picture they like the best. We want the students to learn how to describe, analyze, and interpret a work of art and the later, be better prepared to state that, “I like it because….”
Avoid expressing your own opinions as students will mimic your responses. We want students to know that there is no one “right” way to make a painting and that artists create in many ways and for many different purposes; for example, some art is created to record how a person or place looks; some to inspire religious or spiritual responses; some to tell stories, convince, inform, or move people to action. Some artist paint realistically; others emphasize their emotional responses to the world in an expressive way and may distort or change what they see. Others are interested in the colors, shapes, and lines and arrange them in abstract ways. Still others show us the world of fantasy, the imagination, and their dreams.
Make sure you understand your own lesson, project, art literature and enjoy by keeping your lessons alive!!
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