Key Connections
Visual Arts
- Art is a visual means of conveying information.
- Artists use symbols and details to help tell a story.
- An artist’s vocabulary includes setting, subject, symbol, point of view, and perspective.
- Narrative art can describe myths, historical or current events, fantasy, or personal stories.
- Narrative art does not have to present conclusions; it is open to interpretation.
Writing
- Writing is a way to convey information.
- Writers use literary elements, such as symbols, similes, metaphors, and details to help tell a story.
- A narrative text includes story elements such as setting, problems, characters, events, and solutions.
- Narrative genres include myths, fiction, historical or current events, fantasy, poetry, and personal stories.
- Writing does not have to include conclusions; it is open to interpretation.
Instructional Objectives
Visual Arts
- Students will identify aspects of narrative art and use art terms to describe them.
- Students will interpret a narrative work of art through observation and discussion.
- Students will create art that tells a story.
Instructional Plan
Observe
Narrative art is artwork that tells a story (narrative means story or tale). The stories in narrative art can come from history, mythology, literature, religion, or current events; they can represent an idea, such as freedom; or they can be a personal story from the artist’s life. Ask students if they have seen any examples of narrative art (religious art, neighborhood murals, war memorials, etc.). Have they ever told stories just with images? Narrative art is meant to teach, inspire, inform, and even to preserve memories and culture. It can be a way to understand the experiences of people from other places and times. Artists today often use narrative art to express their ideas about politics and society.
A Closer Look
Ask students to look closely at Brownscombe’s Love’s Young Dream and begin describing and interpreting what they see. Visual Thinking Strategies is a highly effective method for facilitating productive conversations about art with your students and introducing new vocabulary in a meaningful way. Following the conclusion of this initial exploration of the work, you may wish to revisit certain concepts in more depth using the questions in the discussion section.
For additional artworks to include with this lesson, please view this art gallery. To learn more about the featured artist, check out Jennie Augusta Brownscombe’s artist profile.
Discuss
- What is happening in this picture?
- How many people do you see? How many animals? What are they doing?
- Is there a main character? How can you tell?
- What are the relationships among the characters?
- Where is the story taking place? Describe the setting and the time period.
- What does the clothing tell you about the time and place?
- What facial expressions do the characters have? Where is each person looking? How does this help you understand what is happening? What do you think each character is thinking?
- What is happening in the background? How does it relate to the foreground?
- Are there any objects? Are they symbols? If so, what do they stand for?
For additional discussion questions, download the full lesson plan.
Create: Accordion Book
In advance of this project, you may wish to view the Accordion Books instructional video, which provides a step-by-step demonstration of how to create an accordion book. Note: For this activity, you will make a four-page book, completing only the first four steps shown in the video.
Supplies
- One 4-by-18-inch strip of paper per student
- Two 4 1⁄2-by-5-inch pieces of mat board, poster board, or cover stock for book covers per student. Two 4 1⁄2-by-5-inch pieces of mat board, poster board, or cover stock for book covers per student
- Pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers
- Glue sticks
- Student journals
Activity
Make the Pages
- Begin by placing the strip of paper horizontally on the desk in front of you. (One of the paper’s long sides will be closest to you.)
- Fold the paper in half by bringing the two short sides together. Line the edges up as evenly as possible and press firmly to crease. Open the paper back up to its original position.
- Take the short edge of the paper near your left hand and fold it toward the center. With the edge lined up along the center crease, press this new fold down firmly. Repeat these actions with the short edge of the paper near your right hand.
- Open the paper back up to its original position. You should now have a strip of paper with three creases. If you view your paper from the side, it will look like a W. Because these folds are pointing downward, are called valley folds.
Cover the Book
- Refold your accordion pace it in front of you.
- Use a glue stick to cover the top page of your accordion and attach it to the center one of your two pieces of cover paper. Press firmly to help the glue adhere well. (Note that the cover paper is slightly larger than your accordion strip, which will help protect the edges of your book.)
- Place your book so that the cover your just glued rests on your desk. Cover the top page with glue and attach it to the center of your second piece of cover paper. Press firmly to help the glue adhere.
Tell a Story Visually
Ask students to choose an important event or moment from their own lives as the basis for their story. It could be an actual event or one that they hope will happen in the future. The story should have four parts: a beginning, middle, climax, and conclusion. It can be a problem that needs to be solved or a description of a daily activity. Have student think about:
- What is the story? What has happened/will happen?
- Who is the main character? Who are the other characters?
- What are the characters thinking and doing?
- What is the setting? What is in the background?
- How will facial expressions, clothing, and symbols help tell the story?
- What is the action of the story? What happens first? Then what? How does the story end?
Have students make a quick pencil sketch of the first part of the story in the first square of their accordion book. Then have them sketch the second, third, and fourth parts of the story in the following squares. The sketch should show just the basic shapes and outlines of the characters and the setting. Students should spend only a few minutes per sketch. Next have students use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to add details such as symbols, background, and objects around the characters. Have them fill in some areas of the drawing with color.
Reflect
When students have finished, have them exchange books with a partner and interpret each other’s narratives. Discuss as a class what was hardest and easiest about telling a story without words. Have students respond to one of the following prompts in their journals:
- Telling a story without using words is like….
- If I could do this project again, I would….
- When I read my partner’s book, I noticed….
Go Deeper
Check out related writing objectives, lesson extensions, and more in the comprehensive PDF lesson plan.
Vocabulary
Narrative
Narrative refers to a work of art that tells a story.
Setting
Setting is the time and place where a subject is located or a story happens.
Subject
Subject is who or what the artwork is about. It can be a story, an idea, a person, an emotion, or a feeling.
Symbol
Symbol is an object or thing that has meaning more than the thing itself. A dog might represent fidelity in addition to being a pet; it is a visual sign for an idea or concept.
Foreground
Foreground is the part of the picture that seems closest to the viewer.
Background
Background is the part of the picture that seems farthest from the viewer.
Middle ground
Middle ground is the part of the picture midway between the foreground and background.
Elements of art
Elements of art are color, line, shape, form, space, value, and texture. Artists use these tools to create all visual art: representational, abstract, and non-representational. (Review the vocabulary list for definitions of individual elements of art.)