Visual Narratives and Hero Stories - 7th Grade Art

Visual Narratives and Hero Stories is the name of the seventh grade curriculum that I designed.  This is a class that is based on the use of imagery to tell stories or visual narratives.  All of the 5 main projects that students create are rooted in the creation of meaning through imagery and how meaning implies stories.  Student artists in this class end up creating 10 artworks.  The students create every project twice.  After I teach the students a technique, they create a “qualification” sketch as evidence that they understand the technique.  Through sketchwork, students qualify to make each project.  Aside from creating visual meaning, students create verbal meaning by writing artist statements.  They are required to write an artist statement for each project which helps me to assess meaning that the students are required to create.  I grade each project on two criterias.  The technical grade is based on improvement from their qualification sketch and how they measure up to rubric levels of technique.  The conceptual grade and idea is graded from their artist statement or their story.  The students create their visual and written stories through 3 drawings, a watercolor project, and a ceramics sculpture.