This curriculum kit was developed as a resource for Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) teachers whose schools have been served through the Community Arts Initiative tour program at the Tampa Museum of Art (TMA). For 2023-2024, HCPS was awarded a Congressionally Funded
Community Arts Education Project grant to impact approximately 39,000 students attending Transformation Network schools by contracting the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the Tampa Museum of Art.
Through the tour program, the Museum has assisted schools in meeting the Visual Art Critical Thinking and Reflection, Enduring Understanding 3: The processes of critiquing works of art lead to development of critical-thinking skills transferable to other contents. To meet the standard, TMA developed a tour program for Transformation Network students in grades 3rd through 8th, with students engaging in facilitated conversations and participating in an art-making activity. For the facilitated conversations, our tour facilitators utilized thinking routines that drew out students’ observations and interpretations, and encouraged students to articulate their reasoning with evidence and to question and investigate, enabling them to use their critical thinking skills. While the thinking routines used in this program are essential for art education, they fit all subjects, and the lesson plans in this curriculum were designed as scalable plans; for this reason, we invite all educators to utilize this curriculum kit.
Notes on the curriculum kit:
- There are two versions of the See, Think, Wonder (STW) handout and the Thinking Visually/Artfully handout. We invite you to use whichever best fits your needs.
- There are two versions of each lesson’s Visual Vocabulary handout, except for the Florida Highwaymen lesson. We invite you to use whichever best fits your needs.
- The Parts of the Landscape handout is the sole Visual Vocabulary handout for the Florida Highwaymen lesson.
- In the optional step of the Florida Highwaymen lesson plan, the Compare/Contrast Venn Diagram is listed as two separate materials; it is one handout.
- The acronym ATS stands for Artful Thinking Strategies.
- In the last step of the Haitian Flagmakers lesson plan, there is a reference to completing the Artist Statement Recipe handout and a Reflection handout; they are the same handout and step.
- There are two versions of the Brainstorming/Planning handout for the Haitian Flagmakers lesson. We invite you to use whichever best fits your needs.
Contributors:
- Emma Chandler, Curriculum Writer
- Paige Boscia, Graphic and Communications Designer
- Danette Albino, Community Arts Initiative Program Manager
- Brittny Bevel, Head of Guided and Gallery-Based Learning
Download the curriculum kit below!
Resources on Thinking Routines
This PDF goes over the best practices of facilitating conversations that encourages critical thinking, including instructions on how to utilize See, Think, Wonder and Thinking Visually. This also includes handouts that can be used throughout the curriculum kit or for other lesson plans.
Amazon V. Heracles
In this project students look at ancient Greek pottery and read a myth. Next, students draw a scene from the myth, exploring ways to visually illustrate a written narrative. These sketches will be transformed into a crayon and water-color resist artwork of an amphora depicting the 9th Labor of Heracles. Alternatively, students could write about and illustrate moments from their own life in the style of a Greek myth. The lesson plan and handouts are in one PDF while the teaching poster is in another PDF.
Decadracham Coin
In this project students explore the imagery of ancient coins, reflecting on what is similar or different about coins then and now. Next, students design and draw a coin featuring a subject they find worthy (including themselves or a pet). This opens great discussions about local history, family, and student ideas about themselves, the world around them, and what they think is important. The lesson plan and handouts are in one PDF while the teaching poster is in another PDF.
Florida Highwaymen
In this project students will investigate the state’s ecology and history through the paintings of the Florida Highwaymen. They will talk about the life and times of the painters and the special environments depicted in the landscapes. These artworks can be compared and contrasted with vintage Florida postcards; both can serve as a jumping off point for students to create landscape postcards exploring Florida’s idyllc and fascinating ecosystems. Once the artworks are completed students can write imaginative missives on the back from the perspective of the Highwaymen painters. The lesson plan and handouts are in one PDF while the teaching poster is in another PDF.
Flag Makers of Haiti
In this project students explore Haiti’s people and artwork, examining the colorful multi-media flags typical of drapou. Students then create their own flags with color, pattern, and line. The original Haitian Flags (or drapou) are influenced by many sources, one of which is Adinkra cloth, a traditional textile craft originating with the Asante people of Ghana, Africa. Students will learn about these symbols, incorporating some into their own designs. This project helps connect the continuing influence of a variety of cultures through the African diaspora.The lesson plan and handouts are in one PDF while the teaching poster is in another PDF.
If this has sparked your interest to arrange a field trip to TMA, please visit our Schools Tours page to learn more and book a visit.