8th Grade Dive Into Art Lesson Plan Example (Art)

Topic: Dive into art

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the meaning behind famous works of art and their influences on the artist's lifestory
• Learn how to interpretate art and understand its meanings

Materials

• Images of famous works of art
• Handouts with info about the artists and their lifestory
• Pencils and paper for notes

Warm-up

• Ask the students to close their eyes and imagine themselves in a place where they can fully immerse themselves in art.
• Ask them to describe what they see, feel, and hear in their imaginary art gallery.
• Discuss the students' experiences and connect it to the concept of art and its influence on our lives.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the topic of popular artists and their lifestories.
• Provide examples of popular artists and their works, such as Vincent Van Gogh and his iconic "Starry Night" or Andy Warhol and his pop art.
• Discuss the impact that these artists wanted to cause with their art, such as Van Gogh's desire to capture the beauty of nature or Warhol's intention to make art accessible to everyone.
• Explain the process of interpreting art and how it can be subjective depending on the viewer.
• Provide handouts with information about popular artists and their works for the students to read and discuss as a class.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups.
• Provide each group with a different piece of art and have them discuss the impact that they think the artist intended to cause.
• Have each group present their findings to the class and discuss as a group.
• Encourage students to provide supporting evidence for their claims.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose an artist that they are interested in learning more about and research their lifestory and the impact that they wanted to cause on whoever tried to interpretate their art.
• Students should create a presentation or a poster about their artist, including information about their lifestory and the impact that they wanted to cause on whoever tried to interpretate their art.
• Have students present their findings to the class.

Closure

• Review the objectives of the lesson and ask students to share what they have learned about the lifestory of popular artists and what kind of impact they wanted to cause on whoever tried to interpretate their art.

Assessment

• Observe students during their independent practice and check for understanding through participation in discussions and the quality of their projects.