Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy

UNIT PLAN OVERVIEW

(Revised 2017)

Teacher Candidate Margaret Derrig

School High School-Accelerated

UNIT TITLE The Art of Music

Length of Class Period 45 minutes
Approximate Number of Students in Each class 20
Beginning Date for this Unit
Ending Date for this Unit

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS (FROM ODE STANDARDS)

Personal Choice and Vision: Students construct and solve problems of personal relevance
and interest when expressing themselves through visual art.
Critical and Creative Thinking: Students combine and apply artistic and reasoning skills to
imagine, create, realize, and refine artworks in conventional and innovative ways.

PROGRESS POINTS (FROM ODE STANDARDS)

The students will at the appropriate developmental level:
Understand and articulate the intrinsic worth ad public value of arts and cultural participation.
Draw on a variety of sources to generate, select, and evaluate ideas to create personally
meaningful products.
Address and communicate complex visual and conceptual ideas using a range of technical
skill and art media including new technologies.
Apply reasoning skills to communicate key ideas expressed in their artworks and the works of
others and use appropriate criteria and language to critique the works.
Analyze and use digital tools to understand how and why images are created and interpreted
and how media influences culture, beliefs, and behaviors.

CRITICAL ISSUE / BIG IDEA

A).Anticipatory Set (what do the students already know)
B). Rationale (why is this lesson relevant?)
A). Students are already familiar with music, as it is incorporated into many different aspects
of our lives. They also have an understanding of the basics of art making, so we will continue
to expand their understandings and combine what they know about these topics to apply it to
interpreting, evaluating, and creating art about music.
B). Music is involved in so many aspects of our lives and can have a strong impact on many
of the things we do and experience.
Music has a complex and long history, and has been influenced by (and influences) cultures,
time periods, regions, etc.
Music is its own form of art but also interacts with other forms of art, especially visual art.
[EXPAND ON THESE]

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Central Focus (creating, presenting, interpreting, responding, and/or relating art to context)
Music
Students will be using art to explore different concepts relating to music. They’ll analyze how
music (and art) are used as a form of communication and apply what they’ve learned to
create a piece of art that communicates ideas they interpreted from music. They’ll evaluate
how different styles of music are created based on the influence of culture, time periods,
regions, etc. Then they’ll combine what they learned about different styles of music and
communicating through art and translate that into creating a piece of art that represents a
style of music.
[EXPAND ON THIS]
Essential Questions (provocative, engaging, critical)
1. How is visual art used to communicate?
2. How is music used to communicate?
3. How do music and culture influence each other?
4. Why is music such an integral part of the human experience?

Possible Integration
Music Class- Exploring the basics of music and the history of it
History- Relating different eras/time periods, cultures, and regions to their influence on music
Literature- Explore how you can use language to communicate emotions, feelings, and ideas
(relating to lyrics of songs)
[EDIT THIS]

DESCRIPTION OF THE ESSENTIAL EDUCATIONAL CONTENT OF THIS UNIT

Lesson One
Title Scenes of Songs
Lesson Students will choose a song/songs (approved by the teacher) that they
Description will interpret and then create a piece of art consisting of a series of
scenes that represents the ideas, messages, or feelings of the song that
they interpreted.
Each student must create three scenes, either from one song or three
different songs that relate to each other somehow (same album, same
band, same genre, etc).
Lesson Two
Title The Language of Art and Music
Lesson We will discuss the different ways that visual art is used in conjunction
Description with music to help communicate an idea, message, or feeling.
Students will learn how to interpret the meanings in art and in music,
and what language to use to communicate these with others.
We’ll look at album art and music videos as examples of how visual art
is used with music.
Then, students will apply what they learned by choosing an example of
visual art that is used with music, interpreting what they think the idea,
message, or feeling is that it is trying to communicate, and then finally
presenting what they found with a small group of their peers.

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 Lesson Three
Title Abstracted Instruments
Lesson We will be looking at examples of abstract art, discussing the processes
Description that artists use when creating abstract art. Then the students will create
their own piece of abstract art using the shapes of different instruments.

Explain how technology has been used in this unit

LESSON PLAN

Teacher Candidate Margaret Derrig

School High School- Accelerated

LESSON NUMBER 1
Lesson Title Scenes of Songs
Length of Class Period 45 Minutes
Approximate Number of Students in Each class 20
Beginning Date for this Lesson November 9th, 2020
Ending Date for this Lesson November 18th, 2020

CONTENT STATEMENT – PERCEIVING/KNOWING (FROM ODE STANDARDS)

2PE. Analyze and explain the factors that influence artworks.
6PE. Identify, examine, and understand the aesthetic, stylistic, and functional considerations
of designing objects, environments, and communications.
CONTENT STATEMENT – PRODUCING/PERFORMING (FROM ODE STANDARDS)
1PR. Demonstrate increased technical skill and craftsmanship with various media when
creating images from observation, memory, and imagination.
3PR. Solve visual art problems that demonstrate skill, imagination, and observation.
6PR. Expand visual literacy as a means to create images that advance individual expression
and communication.
CONTENT STATEMENT – RESPONDING/REFLECTING (FROM ODE STANDARDS)
3RE. Explain artistic processes from idea conception to completion of a work of art using
descriptive and art-specific terminology.
6RE. Explain how a response to a work of art is affected by the context in which it is viewed.

Performance-based Assessment Objectives

1. I will be able to interpret and analyze and explain the ideas, messages, and feelings that
music is able to communicate through a song.
2. I will be able to Expand my visual literacy by composing scenes that represents my
interpretation of the ideas, messages, and feelings of the song(s).
3. I will be able to Explain how a response to my peers’ works is affected and compare my
interpretation of the song(s) and art with their interpretation of the song(s) and art.
Performance-based Assessment Strategies
(attach assessment documents if applicable)

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1. I will document my process for interpreting and analyzing the ideas, messages, and
feelings of my song(s) using the worksheet provided, providing at least five pieces of
evidence, each with their associated analysis and interpretation, and my ideas for how to
represent this in my work.
2. I will use my interpretation to compose three related scenes that communicate the ideas,
messages, and feelings of the song.
3. I will participate in the small group critiques by sharing how I interpret the ideas, messages,
and feelings of each of my group members’ pieces and then compare their interpretations of
the ideas, messages, and feelings of my piece with the ideas, messages, and feelings I was
aiming for my viewers to interpret.

Academic Language
Vocabulary (define each)
Analyze: Discover or reveal (something) through detailed examination.
Interpret: Explain the meaning of (information, words, or actions).
Communicate: Succeed in conveying one’s ideas or in evoking understanding of others;
Convey or transmit (an emotion or feeling) in a nonverbal way.
Evidence: The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition
is true or valid.
Represent: Be a symbol or embodiment of (a particular quality or thing); Depict (a particular
subject) in a picture or other work of art
Scene: A place, with the people, objects, and events in it, regarded as having a particular
character or making a particular impression.

Additional Language Demands (specific communication task)

Students will fill out a worksheet to help keep track of their notes and ideas during the
interpretation, brainstorming, and planning portion at the beginning of the project.
Students will form small groups for a critique, during which they will engage in a conversation
with their peers to discuss how they interpret each other’s pieces and compare that to the
interpretation they were striving for in their piece.
Students will also complete an artist statement between 500 and 1000 words in which they
will address a few of the prompts that gave them on the first day when I introduced the
project.

Accommodations for Special Populations

Based on STUDENT X’S 504 Plan for their GAD, I will make the following accommodations:
 STUDENT X will be seated with other students that will help to keep them on task and
organized during class.
 I will check in with STUDENT X at the beginning of every in-class workday after giving
instructions to come up with their goals they should try to meet during that class period
and to make sure that they know what they need to do that day and how to do it.
 I will check in with STUDENT X periodically during workdays to make sure they are
making progress and using their time effectively.
 I will check in with STUDENT X before class ends to see what they were able to get

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 done in class and if they met their goals for the day.
 Based on the progress that STUDENT X makes in class, I will encourage them to
work on the assignment outside of class and give them extended time to turn in the
assignment, but still have them participate in the critique with whatever they have
done.
Art/Visual Culture Examples (list all artists, artwork or media used)
a Place in Space by Margaret Derrig
Songs used in piece: Babel, Broken Crown, Hopeless Wanderer, Lover of the Light, and Winter
Winds, all by Mumford and Sons
Evening Machines by Margaret Derrig
Songs used in piece: All 12 songs from the album Evening Machines by Gregory Alan Isakov

Preparations
Materials/Resources for Teacher
 Smartboard/Projector
 PowerPoint Presentation: Introduction to Scenes of Songs Project
 Handout: Song Interpretation Worksheet
 Handout: Artist Statement Prompts
 Rubric: Scenes of Songs Project Assessment form
Materials for Students
Depends on which medium the student is working in. Students will choose their medium from
four options: acrylic paint, watercolors, colored pencils, or cut paper. There should be some
intention in the medium they choose: maybe they choose a medium they are already
comfortable with, or one they don’t use often so they can have more experience with it; or
maybe they choose a medium that they think will work well with the scene they are creating or
the ideas, messages, or feelings they are trying to portray.

Acrylics-
 Acrylic paints
 Palette
 Brushes
 Canvas
Watercolors-
 Watercolor paints and pencils
 Brushes
 Watercolor paper
Colored Pencils-
 Colored pencils
 Bristol paper
Cut Paper-
 Cardstock in multiple colors
 Glue
 X-Acto knife
 Scissors
Miscellaneous-
 Drawing pencils and pens
 Erasers

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  Tracing paper
 Sketchbook
 Reference photos

Safety Procedures
Most of the safety procedures for this lesson depend on the materials that the student is
using, however, there are also some general rules and safety procedures that all students
must follow while in the art classroom.
 No food or drinks are allowed at the tables
 All personal belongings should be properly stored away
 All paints and glues should be closed unless they are being used
 X-Acto knives and scissors should be closed/covered when they are not being used
 Supplies and areas should be properly cleaned before leaving class
 All materials and supplies must be used in an appropriate manner and only for what
they are intended for

LEARNING ACTIVITY
Getting the Classroom Environment Ready
Students will start out in their assigned seats but will be grouped together based on their
mediums once they decide what they are going to use. On the first day, I will show the
students where all of the supplies are that they will be using (they are also labeled) and then
students will be responsible each day for getting out and putting away their own supplies.
Students may have to share certain things which is why they will be grouped together by the
medium they are working with.
Procedures for the Teaching/Learning Structure (indicate approximate time for each step)
Day One: I will show my PowerPoint and introduce the project. Students will have whatever
time is left in class after I’m done to start working on Part 1 of the project.

Day Four: Students are expected to start on Part 2. They will have four* days to work in-class
on Part 2.
*I will check in at the end of each workday to see where everyone is at with their piece. On the third
workday, I will assess whether or not I think the students need more time in class to work on their
projects. If I think they need more time, I will push the due date back one day and then repeat this
process again the next day. I will only allow at most three extra days for this project. *
Last Day: Complete Part 3. Before class ends, each student will turn in the worksheet from
Part 1 and their piece. The artist statement will be turned in before class the next day.

Part 1: Students will pick one to three songs to use for the project and start analyzing and
interpreting them. They will use the provided worksheet to keep track of the process and all of
the notes they have about their interpretations of the ideas, messages, and feelings from the
song(s) and how they plan to portray and represent these in their piece. The last thing they
will do for Part one is decide on what medium they will use for their piece.
Part 2: Students will start making their piece. First, they must make sketches of their scenes
and plan out what they will do in the context of their medium. Once they are done with their
sketches, they will show them to me so I can give them feedback before they start the actual

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piece. This is to make sure they have a well-thought-out plan and know what they’re doing.
Once I give them feedback on their sketches and plan, they will start to create their
actual piece using the medium of their choice. This process might look different for
each student depending on their work style and medium they are using.
Part 3: I will put the students in five small groups for their critiques. The critique will be timed
to ensure that each student can share their work and get feedback. Each student will have 10
minutes for their turn. When it is their turn, a student will show their piece to the group. The
other members of the group will then share their interpretation of the piece based on what
they see visually. Once each student has shared their interpretation, the student who created
it will respond to their thoughts and talk a little about the piece, like what song(s) they used,
what they were trying to convey in the piece, etc.
Clean-up Procedures (Room, Materials & Work Storage)
Students will be told when there are five minutes left in class during each in-class workday
and they are then responsible for returning all of the supplies and materials that they were
using that day. They will put their work either in their cubby, in one of the designated drying
locations, or they will take it with them if they are planning to work on it outside of class. If a
student wishes to take supplies and materials with them to work outside of class, they must
ask during class and then at the end of class, tell me what they are taking so I can write it
down to make sure the student returns everything they borrowed.

Closure, Review & Anticipation (what’s next?)

After finishing their projects, students will complete an artist statement reflecting on their
piece, the lesson, and what they think about the project.
Supplemental Activity
Students each have a sketchbook that they can work in if they complete their piece before the
mini group critiques, however it is expected that students will need to use all of the class time
as well as time outside of class in order to create a piece that fulfills the expectations of this
project.

Teacher reflection focused on the lesson after it has been taught

(I will use the feedback from the artist statements to help me reflect on how the students think
the lesson/project went and how I did as their teacher)

*NOT FILLED OUT FOR UNIT PLAN ASSIGNMENT*

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