I Can Change the World Lesson Plan

Subject: Computer Applications

1. Topic-

I Can Change the World

2. Content-

After a class discussion about events or social problems that the students find disturbing, each student chooses an issue to research and use as the theme for a high contrast, mostly black and white poster. Appropriating images from magazines and newspapers generates the imagery for the posters.

An important aesthetic aspect of this project is that students are not asked to laboriously re-draw found images. Utilizing a familiar strategy of contemporary postmodern artworks, the selected images are juxtaposed and layered onto the final artwork. Using this method, dynamic and thought-provoking posters can be created in one to two weeks.

Much better than the all-to-typical initial rush of enthusiasm for a new project turning into a depressing struggle to get students to finish up their artwork after the creative fun has gone out of it for them.

3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-

OBJECTIVES
- The students search for proactive responses to an issue or problem.
- The students juxtapose, overlap, and layer images.
- The students experiment with creating clear, dynamic compositions.
- The students learn that laborious representational drawing and painting is not necessarily the best method to create an artwork.

4. Objectives-

5. Materials and Aids-

Magazines, newspapers, pencils, pen, paper, design program,

6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

Gather samples of effective posters that address social issues. Northland Poster Collective, the Guerilla Girls, and the Syracuse Cultural Workers are good sources for posters.

A visit to a Museum of Contemporary Art followed by a discussion of why so many contemporary artists are creating artworks that address social issues would be a great introduction to the project. Artists Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer are interesting to consider because their text-based work is so visually stark and conceptually clear. An interesting beginning point for a discussion is to ask students what issues dealt with by artists at the museum are issues about which they also feel concern. Follow up by asking students if they are aware of important issues that they don't see represented.

B. Development-

Students conduct library and/or Internet research about the topic. They begin to gather images. These can be torn or Xeroxed from magazines or newspapers, as well as downloaded from the Internet.

Remind students that they are not looking for images that simply illustrate the problem. Encourage students to think about creating meaning by juxtaposing images that typically might not seem to be related to the issue or idea.

C. Practice-

Ask each student to choose an issue or problem as the focus for his or her poster. Have students write a statement explaining why this problem is of importance to them.

Break students into small groups of 5 or 6. Within each group, each student presents his issue and statement. Together the students brainstorm proactive responses to the problem. The student whose issue is being discussed takes notes in order to gather more ideas for his or her project. Encourage students to think of responses on several levels. What could be done personally, by a family, an organization or group, local government, or national government?

F. Checking for understanding-

Have students return to their original small groups. Discuss each poster. What's working? What isn't? How could the image be made more dramatic?

Alternating discussion groups with using the available projectors will help to ensure that all students are focused on a productive task.

G. Closure-

Have each student write a description of the process and final product.
Create a whole-school or community showing of the posters.
Encourage community or school newspapers to cover the story that today's youth are not thoughtless slackers, but rather are deeply concerned about the state of the world.

7. Evaluation-

Using proprietary images from magazines and newspapers generates the imagery for the posters. An important aesthetic aspect of this project is that students are not asked to laboriously re-draw found images. Utilizing a familiar strategy of contemporary postmodern artworks, the selected images are juxtaposed and layered onto the final artwork. The found photos were Xeroxed or traced onto transparency film. Using an overhead projector, students enlarge and trace images onto their personal political posters. When using the technique of projection, students quite naturally become more experimental in juxtaposing and layering images, thus moving spontaneously into styles of illustration and representation that are more complex than naturalistic, social realist-type imagery.

This Lesson Plan is available at (www.teacherjet.com)