Unit 1 has come to an end in Grade 6M. The Grade 6M students have been working with the MYP unit statement-of-inquiry: “The process of artistic creation can lead to self-discovery.”
These young artists were introduced to how artists from Asia, Europe, and Africa traditionally represented people in artwork and why; have begun to learn how to critique, compare, and contrast artworks; have acquired new art-specific vocabulary; have wondered if their own representations of themselves truly express their identity, experiences, and feelings, and have become more independent, critically-thinking students. Their Unit 1 studies have focused on the Arts Criteria of Knowing & Understanding, Developing Skills, Thinking Creatively, and Responding as well as on the MYP Approaches to Learning skills of Communication, Self-Management/Organization, and Creative Thinking.
The students created two self-portrait drawings: one during the first week of school and then a long-labored final drawing after weeks of work through October: realistic, three-dimensional, shaded, highlighted self-portrait pencil drawings. In the interim, the students were encouraged — through persistence, trial-and-error, peer-feedback, and self-reliance — to think, create, and solve problems for creating true-to-life portraits in pencil by observing proportions, light & shadow, values, and gradation.
After creating their drawings, the students wrote a detailed Reflection of their artwork, of themselves, and of their experience during this first unit of study. Students described their new skills & knowledge, noted instances where they could improve their work upon reflection on their learning, and explained what kind of ‘learner’ they have discovered themselves to be.
Have a look at the self-portraits created by each Grade 6M student below:
In November, the students move on to Unit 2: abstract printmaking, with a focus on the concept of Change, on innovation, and on the use of influences and symbols in art.
