By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
a. Describe deception throughout history
b. Read an excerpt of Hamlet and obtain multiple meanings of the text
c. Explain: vanishing point, orthagonals, foreground, middle ground
and background
d. Design a pop-up drawing using the styles of Renaissance painters
Overview:
Day One-Hamlet overview and connection to history
Day Two-Deception in the visual arts.
Day Three-class work time on project
Day One
First, the teacher will write one word on the blackboard: deception.
Then, the teacher will ask the students the following questions. What
connection does deception have to history? Can you think of anyone
who has been deceptive in history? Some examples include: Watergate,
the Jews during the holocaust and the white settlers deceived the
Native Americans. An example of visual deception in history was FDR,
he had polio and was in a wheelchair, but the public never saw him
that way.
Second, the teacher will explain that one of the master’s of
deception was Shakespeare and we will read an excerpt from Hamlet’s
speech “to be or not to be” to demonstrate this. Hamlet
is being deceived during this speech because other characters of the
cast are eavesdropping on his conversation. Also, Hamlet himself is
being deceptive because he is now saying that he is not in love with
Ophelia but she felt he was in love with her. There are many layers
of deception throughout Hamlet.
Third, students will read the first 30ish lines of Hamlet’s
most famous speech “to be or not to be” in a round robin
fashion while standing in a circle three times. The first time, the
teacher will encourage students to read the line as best as he/she
can. The second time, students will be encouraged to pick one word
in the line to emphasize. For the third reading, students will be
asked to pick a different word to emphasize. Then, we will talk about
what we just experienced. What did we notice? How were the different
readings different? What can we learn about deception from this? Can
you think of a famous person in history who has given a speech and
it has been interpreted to have different meanings? How does changing
the emphasis on a word change the meaning of the sentence?
Day Two
Slides show presentation on the Medieval and Renaissance artists.
Artists to include: Giotto, Brunelleschi, Massacio, Simi Martini and
Fillipo Lippi.
Students will complete an exit card on which he/she must explain
what realism is and how Renaissance painters achieved this.
Day Three
The teacher will display famous Renaissance art around the room.
Then students will be instructed to draw a pop-up picture using the
styles of Renaissance artists. Encourage the students to work on the
theme of deception: making the 2-d look 3-d by using vanishing points
and a foreground, middle ground and background. The teacher should
show a model of this and then ask for questions.
Then, as students get to work, the teacher will encourage students
to work quietly so they can concentrate and hear some music from the
Renaissance.
The teacher can play many tunes. Palestrina is a good choice because
it is smooth, pleasing music. The teacher will monitor and circulate
to answer questions.
Closure
Students will be asked to share their pop-up drawings with the other
students in the class.
Assessment
Students will be graded on:
Exit card (after PowerPoint Presentation)
Defined realism accurately?
Gave two correct examples from presentation?
Pop-up drawing
Used elements and principles of Renaissance art design?
Completed drawing turned in?
And given participation points for
-Reading of the Hamlet text
-Class discussion on deception
-Attempting a pop-up picture