Lesson Plan Summaries
Teacher Guide: Cézanne & American Modernism
Target Grade Levels: 4-12
Course: Geography, writing elements, visual arts
Time Recommended: 1 class period (55 minutes), plus optional Museum visit
Originator: Phoenix Art Museum Education Department
Cézanne and American Modernism is the first exhibition to explore how American artists learned from the French painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906). This guide includes background information on the exhibition’s themes, a lesson plan, images and resources.
Art, Science and Technology
Target Grade Level: High School
Course: Art 1 & 2
Time Recommended: 10 class periods (55 minutes)
Originator/Pilot site/date: BioScience High School, Phoenix, Arizona; 08-09
Science and art-making often utilize similar thinking processes. Artists incorporate scientific principles into their processes; scientists must be creative, as well as critical, thinkers.
Non-Objective Art
Target Grade Level: High School
Course: Art 1-2/Drawing & Painting 1-2
Time Recommended: 20-25 class periods (55 minutes)
Originator/Pilot site/date: North High School, Phoenix Arizona; 08-09
This unit explores non-objective art, including a consideration of the historical and cultural influences on artists working within those parameters.
Students will practice critical thinking skills and gain confidence in their ability to look at non-objective art and make informed interpretations and judgments.
Exploring Contemporary Sculpture
Target Grade Level: Middle School
Course: Art
Time Recommended: 9 class periods (55 minutes)
Originator/Pilot site/date: Estrella Sixth Grade Center, Phoenix Arizona; 08-09
This unit introduces students to a range of contemporary sculpture styles while developing critical thinking and looking skills to identify differences among realistic, abstract, and non-objective imagery. Through discussion, group work, and writing, students build core skills in language and communication.
Assessments of content acquisition include both written work and the production of an abstract metal sculpture.
Questionable Realities: James Casebere
Target Grade Level: High School
Course: Photography
Time Recommended: 3-5 class periods (55 minutes)
Originator/Pilot site/date: Central High Scool, Phoenix Arizona; 08-09
Students discuss the elements and principles of art utilized by photographers to create aesthetically pleasing images. While viewing photographic images by fine art photographers and photo journalists, classroom discussion encourages students to explore the contrast between horrifying subject matter and beautiful images.
Elements and Principles will be discussed, as will be symbolism and metaphor. To demonstrate understanding of these concepts students create an environment using campus or off-campus architectural structures as the basis for original photographic compositions.