Blog Topic #3 - VTS2-Lesson 1

Brook Watson and the Shark, John Singleton Copley, 1778

I chose this VTS as part of Lesson 1 of my BIG IDEA - Early American Art

Did this image motivate rigorous & engaging discussion for students?

Absolutely. 

If so, what do you think made it successful?

The VTS group that I chose was a group of my smaller students.  It is a class of 15 High Schoolers ranging from 16-18 years old.  When the VTS began, there was much intrigue and interest placed on the main focus of the piece, the shark, and the individual in the water.  It was a discussion that lasted 14 minutes.  I felt that this was a successful VTS because a small group spent a keen amount of time on the VTS, paying attention to detail.

Did this image satisfactorily introduce the BIG IDEA, CONCEPTS, &/or ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS of your unit?

I felt as though the image was satisfactory.  The timeframe fit within the colonial period, which is where the first series of lesson plans derive.  Even though the painting was created later, the event took place during the period.  Essential questions for this particular lesson was introduced prior to this VTS, upon introducing the Colonial period and also conducting 2 previous VTSs of images the period.  The essential question was:

• How does the art depictions of the early American settlers reflect upon the hardships endured while trying to survive in the harsh conditions of the New World? 

The essential question drew many solutions as we walked through the period and viewed the material.  

Was the image rich enough to encourage continued discussion &/or independent student investigation? 

I felt as though this was the most prolific image that I discovered dating to this time period.  As mentioned before the students spent 14 minutes discussing the elements of this painting making it a successful investigation.

If so, how might you provide continued exploration to satisfy student curiosity and/or motivation to discover more?

I am unsure how I could go about continuing the discussion on this piece.  It seems as though the students covered most of the basis.  I realized (by learning the HISTORY of the painting while researching), that the students were incorrect of the gender of the main focus BROOK WATSON.  I spent a lot of time promoting them on why they felt that the figure was female vs. the actuality of the figure being male. I found myself in a predicament that I had not been in before, in which students were asking me questions about the painting.  I was unsure how to deal with the situations. MAYBE by answering the questions, they would feel drawn more to discuss, but I was taken off guard and tried to guide them to answer their own questions.

Did this image invite opportunities to explore the BIG IDEA through art making?

Yes it did...I felt like the image invited many ideas.  Again, I must say that this is one of 3 that were VTSed and I feel as though the 3 images combined were adequate in promoting the BIG IDEA through art making.

How will you relate this image to subsequent artmaking for students?

This image promotes many aspects of the trials and tribulations of the period.  It serves as a reminder of the hardships endured by the settlers as they struggled without the modern tools and luxuries that we use daily thanks to great innovators.  In art making, the students are reminded of what they have today and must do without when creating their first piece.  The Cornucopia.

Would you use this image again to introduce the BIG IDEA?  If so, why?

Absolutely.  Again, this covers the basis of the hardships faced by the settlers, and how these difficulties reflected in the artists of that period.

If Image #1 did not elicit what you were expecting, what image might you use in its place?

I am unsure if this image used alone would FULLY depict the message of colonial art that I am trying to incorporate in my BIG IDEA.  I am satisfied that it is a vital part of the success of the curriculum introduced, however.