Learning Activity

Artifact Analysis: Observe, Reflect, Question

Subject Area

Arts Education
English Language Arts

Grade(s)

8

Overview

Students apply the observation and critique skills of a visual arts student to analyze ancient artifacts in world history. They share reflections and questions to encourage deeper thinking among each other. Students write their analysis in paragraph form, meeting grade-level or higher organization and content expectations. Students share their observations.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 8 - Visual Arts

AE17.VA.8.15

Differentiate the ways art is used to reflect, represent, and establish group identity.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.VA.8.15

Vocabulary

  • Creative Processes
  • Organize and develop ideas
  • Traditional Media
  • Contemporary Media
  • Fair Use
  • Open Source
  • Creative Commons
  • Develop artistic ideas
  • Plagiarizing
  • Graffiti
  • Defacing
  • Criteria
  • Refine and complete artistic work
  • Archival
  • Criteria
  • Cultural Context
  • Body of Artwork
  • Collaborate
  • Medium/ Media
  • Genre

Essential Questions

EU: People develop ideas and understandings of society, culture, and history through their interactions with and analysis of art.
EQ: How does art help us understand the lives of people of different times, places, and cultures? How is art used to impact the views of a society? How does art preserve aspects of life?

Skills Examples

  • Work collaboratively to plan and create a work of art to express or represent individual or group identity.
  • Create a group portrait that shows students personal interests.
  • Compare the styles and/or themes of artworks from various artists, cultures, and times.
  • Create group artwork about a current world event.
  • Research and explain how companies or sports teams utilize icons and logos, then create a logo of one's own.
  • Create tributes to family members, school and/or community heritage.
  • Work collaboratively to plan and create visual works of art in a variety of media to communicate a specific message or for a specific purpose.
  • Analyze and compare the aesthetic, stylistic, thematic, and or technical content of works of art.
  • Identify the original contexts and purposes of works of art, and explain how each work of art reflects and is influenced by a particular culture or community.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 8

SS10.8.4

Identify cultural contributions of Classical Greece, including politics, intellectual life, arts, literature, architecture, and science.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.8.4

Vocabulary

  • cultural contributions
  • Classical Greece
  • politics
  • intellectual life
  • oligarchy
  • democracy
  • representative democracy
  • direct democracy
  • philosophy

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The cultural contributions of Classical Greece, including the areas of politics, intellectual life, arts, literature, architecture, and science.
  • The social and political structures of various city-states throughout Greece's Classical Era.
  • The contribution of Greek democracy to the American system of government.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Analyze textual evidence of primary and secondary sources.
  • Locate places on a map.
  • Describe how geography influenced Greek culture.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were many cultural contributions of Classical Greece, in government, politics, arts, history, philosophy, drama, literature, architecture, math, and science.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 8

ELA21.8.8

Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.8.8

Vocabulary

  • Narrative writing
  • Argument writing
  • Informative/explanatory writing
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Style
  • Tone
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to convince the reader to take action or adopt a particular position.
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • The development, organization, style, and tone of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writings.
    • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
    • Demonstrate command of the written language.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
    • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, style, and tone of the writing.
    • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.

    Phase

    Before/Engage
    Learning Objectives

    Learning Objectives

    Learning Targets:

    I can describe how art is used in different ways to reveal a group's identity.
    I can analyze artifacts to draw conclusions about early people and civilizations.
    I can write a well-organized paragraph to justify my opinion, using specific details.

    Activity Details

    1. Students observe the artifact projected for the whole class to see (an example is located in the Advanced Preparation section). 
    2. Students write at least three observations they make of the artifact.
    3. Using Think, Pair, Share, students only write unique observations--not repeating observations.
    4. Students reflect on the artifact and write one sentence that answers the reflection question based on their observations.
    5. Students list two questions that they still have about the artifact.
      Using Think, Pair, Share, students only write unique questions--no repeating questions.
    6. Students share responses and listen to additional information from the teacher.
    7. Students write a paragraph to show proof of their analysis. 
      Students use their reflections as the topic sentence, and their observations as concrete evidence to support their reflections. Students write a conclusion sentence that uses either 1) a Cause and Effect structure or 2) Compare and Contrast structure to synthesize and conclude their paragraphs.
    8. Students trade papers and use the Artifact Rubric to give feedback to one another.
    Assessment Strategies

    Assessment Strategies

    Use the Artifact Analysis Rubric to assess each student's final paragraph. 

    Variation Tips

    Student paragraphs can be collected and scored as an assessment or as a writing sample.
    A student leader can lead "Observe, Reflect, Question."
    Students can work as a small group or with a partner to write the analysis.

    Background and Preparation

    Background / Preparation

    Prepare a slide show with Art / Architecture from Ancient Greece
    (Example).

    Print Artifact Rubrics for each student or prepare slides for projection.

    Approved Date

    Owner (Author)

    cherisealbrigh
    ALSDE LOGO

    This site may contain links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THIS SITE.
    Alabama Learning Exchange © 2002-2023 by Alabama State Department of Education is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

    Design by Adaptive Theme