Teach With Video

Final Art Movies

Steven Katz — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:42:43 +0000

Below are examples of the movies students created as a part of the “Art as social action” unit. Some students focused more on the artistic process, while other more on the issue. More movies from this unit.

Photos of the project.
Other posts about this project.

North Koreans Have No Emotions

Steven Katz — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:36:27 +0000

“What do you want us to do?”
“How do you get people to react?”

These were the questions asked by the teacher, Sara Arno, to her students about their artwork. She followed up with, “Is causing empathy or sympathy enough?” and, “What more needs to be said?” She was trying to get her students to really think about if their art accomplished the goal of provoking social action, as was discussed earlier in the unit. Then she asked what they would do as a follow-up piece, how they would continue the “series.”

A series can make the message stronger. In AP art students select a topic and make 12 pieces. The artist can’t say the same thing over and over. So how do you continue with the message?

In the painting about North Korea (below) there was a lot of discussion about why the man does not have eyes. Some of the ideas were that North Koreans are not considered individuals, or they are blind to the outside world. There was also some discussion about if the buildings represent South Korea or a nondescript western city. The artist shared that this represents the lack of freedom in the north, and that some people are beginning to realize that freedom exists on the outside. He has no eyes because North Koreans are not supposed to have their own emotions. This idea was influenced by her research on North Koreans who had escaped to South Korea, and were having trouble adjusting, especially with understanding appropriate emotions for various situations.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the discussion for the two works below. The top painting is about drug abuse, and the bottom painting is about harvesting organs from unwilling donors.

More photos of the project.
Other posts about this project.

The Sword and the Parasol

Steven Katz — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:41:35 +0000

Today we started discussing my favorite of the student paintings (below). The topic she researched was third culture kids (TCK). She attempted to make the face as gender neutral as possible and to represent some of the many influences on what makes up identity. She painted blue hair because she feels it represents her (she use blue hair in another project) and it demonstrates individuality. The banners represent aspects of identity that can’t be spoken about. It is not just about being a TCK, but about how people view each other in society. They are supposed to be like tape, and being wrapped in the tape “holds you back” from your true identity.

The second painting we discussed today (below) was on the topic of school violence. The “flowers” are hands, representing students. The blue hands represent dead students. The color purple was chosen to give a feeling of gloom to the painting. In Korea, the tree is symbolic of a child, growing from a sprout.

The third work of art we discussed today (below) deals with the topic of embracing femininity. The students saw various masculine & feminine qualities in the painting. The idea is to “weaponize femininity.” The artist wanted to paint a feminine woman that looks strong. She is holding a sword and a parasol. She specifically chose to make the eyes look Asian to go against the stereotype of femininity being a white woman. The look on her face is that she has a secret.

Sexism is the topic of the painting below. The artist was going for abstract over realism, as he felt his skills couldn’t compete with the others in class. The other students felt that this work was very superficial and trite.

More photos of the project.
Other posts about this project.

Even Hedgehogs Love Their Children

Steven Katz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:25:51 +0000

Today the students discussed each others work. Actually, the discussion was so in depth that they only discussed one work of art. They analyzed various elements of art such as color, value, form, and space. They also discussed what they thought the message of the artist was, without the artist commenting. I was really impressed by the depth of discussion of the message of the work below about teen pregnancy. The artist, Chloe, shared that the inspiration for the spikes in the baby were inspired by the Korean saying, “Even hedgehogs love their children,” with the deeper message that even though teen pregnancy is taboo, this mother loves her baby. This was the most in depth feedback of student work I have been involved in. Every element of the painting was discussed, from the blood, to the position of the feet, to the amount of black and it’s function. This is an impressive work of art, with a lot of though behind the creation.

More photos of the project.

ADE Showcase

Steven Katz — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:57:48 +0000

Last week I was at the Apple Distinguished Educator Asia-Pacific institute in Bali. It was great to return as an alumni, and being able to meet the 250 outstanding educators from the class of 2013. I am especially proud of our group from Korea (see below). We may have been the smallest group, but we made our presence known.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to present an “ADE Showcase,” which is a TED style talk given to the entire group of over 300 of the best educators in the world. This was my first time giving this type of talk, and the preparation was quite stressful. (Just ask anyone who was around me in the week leading up to my talk.) Joseph Fambro was kind enough to film & post the talk for me. Take a look if you dare. I have yet to watch it.

Social Action Research

Steven Katz — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:04:40 +0000

This is my third entry about the movie project Sara Arno is undertaking in her class, with my support. To see all of the blog entries for this project, select the Arno Art Project category.

The students have researched social issues and have each chosen one. The issues are teenage pregnancy, school violence, multicultural society, drug & alcohol abuse, animal rights, illegal immigration, feminism, sexism, and human trafficking. They have begun sketching ideas for the work of art they will produce.

More photos of the project.

iPad Trailer Storyboards

Steven Katz — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:57:48 +0000

I have been working with some 5th grade classes making movies using the iPads. Some of the students were creating trailers for books they have read. I created the storyboards below to help them plan their movies.

Storyboard – Coming of Age
Storyboard – Expedition
Storyboard – Swashbuckler
Storyboard – Teen

See the finished book trailers.

Art + Film = Art

Steven Katz — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:47:38 +0000

This is my second entry about the movie project Sara Arno is undertaking in her class, with my support. To see all of the blog entries for this project, select the Arno Art Project category.

We have spent some time in class discussion about art and social activism, and one of the conversations I found most interesting was when we were developing the rubric as a class. Some big questions were, “Is the artwork the main part of the project or is the movie? Which is more important? Is the movie art?” And of course, “What are we getting points for?” We didn’t really have concrete answers for any of this, other than each student will have to decide, based on the rubric criteria, where s/he will focus his/her efforts. Some of the discussion was based on the movie below. The students all agreed that the movie was art, and the artistic techniques used were good, but nothing spectacular.

5th Grade Book Trailers

Steven Katz — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:08:11 +0000

5th grade class’ book trailers from their book club books. Created on the iPad. They used these storyboards below to plan the shots.

Film Making Tips

Steven Katz — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:54:16 +0000

This past week I was helping students with storyboards in preparation for the movies they will be making to try to inspire others, a la Kid President. I found this video by Jeremy Cathey on film making tips that really hit the spot for these 5th graders. Great tips, and very appropriate for their level.