II . Lesson Plan and Activities
Rainforest ArtLink Unit Plan
Enduring Understandings Students will understand that …
• Personal and cultural introspection is the first step towards global competency .
• Expanding one ’ s awareness of other cultures enhances appreciation of the lives of peers living in another country .
• Art is a universal language that can convey cultural norms and values .
• One ’ s natural environment affects one ’ s culture .
• Elements of the environment are interconnected and depend on each other for survival .
Students will know …
• Cultural norms and values underlie global understanding .
• People create and interact with artwork that can define , shape , enhance and empower their lives .
• Different people may describe the same event or situation in diverse ways , citing reasons for differences in view .
• Family , groups and community influence the individual ’ s daily life and choices .
• The environment not only affects one ’ s own culture but that of peers living elsewhere on the planet .
• What is culture ?
Student Learning Outcomes
Assessment / Evaluation
• Artist Description Sheet
• One-on-one Student / Teacher Interactions
• Peer Feedback
• RainForest ArtLink Norms and values Assessment Criteria ( Rubric )
Essential Questions
• What are values and how do they help define one ’ s culture ?
• What are the advantages of using art ( nonlinguistic communication ) instead of written or verbal means of conveying ideas ?
• How does the process of creating art give one perspective on one ’ s own culture ?
• How does the environment affect my partner ’ s daily life ? How does it affect my own ?
• What is the connection between my partner ’ s environment and my own ?
Students will be able to …
• Develop cross-cultural communication skills through visual , written and video exchanges with Rainforest ArtLink partners .
• Explore and describe similarities and differences in the ways groups , societies and cultures address similar human needs and concerns through creation and exchange of original artwork .
• Use visual and written strategies to explore factors that contribute to their cultural norms and values .
• Plan for and create an original piece of art illustrating an aspect of their cultural norms and values .
• Understand and articulate the effect the environment has on both their own and their partner ’ s culture and how they relate to one another
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