Artist Research Project
Teacher Name: Katie Murphy
Grade Level: 8th Grade
Number of Students in class: 16
Length of class time: 3 weeks
NCSCS for ART:
5.01 Consider the history, purpose and function of visual arts and analyze their impact on various cultures.
5.04 Explain the impact of art movements, periods, and styles.
5.05 Explain the impact universal themes in art throughout history have had on specific works of art.
6.01 Evaluate the effectiveness of a work of art in meeting its intended purpose.
6.02 Evaluate the ways in which a work of art reflects or communicates the diverse experiences of the artist.
6.03 Interpret how a given work of art expresses the uniqueness of the individual artist.

NCSCS for 8th Grade Language Arts:

1.04 Reflect on learning experiences by: 
•	Evaluating how personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and historical issues. 
•	Appraising changes in self throughout the learning process. 
•	Evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text. 

Objectives of the Lesson: 
a.	Cognitive Objective: Students will create their own project inspired by an artist that they choose.  
b.	Affective Objective: Students will do research on famous artists and design a project based on him or her.   
c.	Psychomotor Objective: The students will:
1.	Research an artist.
2.	Make a finished work based on their pieces. 
Preparation:
	a.   Teacher Supplies: art books/magazines, handouts
b.	Visual References: Artist books and magazines.    
c.	Student Handouts: List of approved artists.
d.	Student Supplies: Depends on the work the students choose. 
e.	Passing Out materials:  Students will have assistance getting the materials they need based on the type of work their artist does. 
Focus and Review:
	The students will choose an artist from the list of approved artists and do a two page research project. They must include information about the artist’s life, the type of art they did, what their influences were, and a bibliography. From there, the student will design a work based on the work of their artist. If the student chooses a painter, they must create a painting in the same style of their painter. 
Teacher Input:
a.	Script:
	1.  Today we are going to start our research projects. I will give you a list of artist that I want you to look over and choose three that interest you. You can start by looking through the books and magazines in this room to get an idea of who you want to choose. After you decide the three artists that you would like to research, I will go through and make sure no one chose the same artist and then you may get started. 
	2.  You will then complete a two page paper on your artist. You must include (but not limited to) the following information:
		a. Life of the artist (WHO)
			1. WHERE they lived
			2. How long 
			3. Education
		b. Type of art (WHAT)
			1. Period/Type of Movement
			2. Mediums used
			3. Most famous works
		c. Influences (WHY)
			1. Where did the artist get his or her ideas? 
		d. Bibliography
	3. You will have a week and a half to gather information and design a project based on your artist. After the one week is over, we will talk about how you will complete your finished work and the materials you will need. For example, if you choose Georgia O'Keefe, she painted giant flowers because she wanted to draw people’s attention to flowers. So, you would find something in the world that you want to draw people's attention to and paint it with as much detail as you can. You will have 2 weeks to complete your final work. 
	4. You may not work together, you may not choose the same artist as some one else, and I must approve your artist before you get started. If you would like to choose someone who is not on this list, you must be able to find enough information about him/her and I will approve it. 
Guided Practice/Independent Practice
a.	Day One: Research artist in the room and have a list of 3 artists by the end of the day. 
b.	Day Two: Hand out artists and go to Computer lab. 
c.	Day Three-Nine: Work on your papers on your own or in the classroom. 
d.	Day Ten: Begin artist inspired works. (two weeks)
e.	If students finish early, they can work on their creative drawings. 
Closure: After students complete their work, we will talk about their artist and their final work.