Week Two / Day Four
Lesson plan
Character
Mandala (first part of two-part lesson plan)
Duration: 50-minute
class period
Rationale: Mandalas are drawings that use the “ancient
idea of the circular shape as an archetype denoting the integration of a number
of elements to make a whole” (13). Mandalas
and the language generated from the visual exercise assist in the writing of
descriptive and metaphoric language used in the students’ short stories.
The students are better able to create complex characters by converting
their abstract ideas into concrete symbols through drawing.
Visual projects in conjunction with student writing also integrate the
multiple intelligences into the learning experience and carry over into other
aspects of students’ lives.
Objectives:
Students will have learned:
► To produce
a variety of visual symbols pertaining to a character for their short story.
► To portray
the duality inherent in their created characters for short story.
► To generate
metaphoric language to use to describe the complexities of their
character.
Method:
Anticipatory Set: Children of all cultures draw circular shapes and draw pictures that carry
meaning. Many cultures such as the Navaho
and countries such as India,
China, and Japan have a tradition
of using the mandala. Even the rosette
stained glass windows in many Christian cathedrals are mandala forms. Fran Claggett describes a mandala in her book
Drawing Your Own Conclusions: Graphic
Strategies for Reading,
Writing, and Thinking as an “ancient idea of the circular shape as
an archetype denoting the integration of a number of elements to make a whole”
(13). Ask students if they have seen
such circular shapes in life or in books that they have read. Discuss.
Explain assignment and rationale to students. This lesson will make use of the students’ characters
that they are developing for their short stories. They will develop visual symbols that will portray
the duality of a prominent character by depicting the sun and shaded personality
traits of that character. The variety
of symbols should help the student to understand the motivations and complexities
of characters that they are trying to flesh out for their stories.
Selecting
the Images: Give students a list of specific visual prompts
to come up with depict different character traits. The images are for both the “sun” and the “shaded”
aspects of the character. Have students
write down responses to the following question. What kind of _____________ is your character? list: animal,
plant, color, number, shape, object, gem, season, or element such as fire, water,
air, or earth (aspects of these could be beach, desert, breeze, storm, etc.)
The final mandala does not need to use the entire
list (six minimum for each side) and may be depicted in any fashion that the
students sees fit. The writing aspect
of the lesson will come later, but it is important when selecting the images
to think of the way they will be used in the writing.
Tell students to consider the following phrase when selecting the final
images: The character is like the __________ because,
like the __________he/she is _________________________________________.
Give out the checklist for assessment expectations. Use
remaining class time to have students get into groups to discuss their choices.
Assessment: The mandala will be assessed along with
the writing later in the unit. The rubric
will have criteria for drawn mandala and generated writing. Rubric is included in Supporting Materials for
Teachers section of unit.
Homework:
Finish mandala drawing and have ready for Generating
Writing lesson a few days later.
* Quote and
lesson adapted from Drawing Your Own Conclusions: Graphic Strategies for Reading, Writing, and Thinking by Fran Claggett
with Joan Brown.
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return to Rebecca Moore