Grades 9-12
Objective Students will exercise the skill of categorizing art with different criteria and justifying their categorization by offering art analysis.
Materials Sets of Japanese postcards from different eras.
Learning Plan
Teacher will show students an image of a postcard on a projector and pass the actual postcard around and ask students what they think the postcard is depicting and from what year it is.
Teacher will model visual analysis including illustrator, subject matter, symbolism, date, context of what was going on in Japan at the time.
Teacher will offer lecture on the establishment of postcards by department stores and how they were used by everyday people. Teacher will display postcards on project chronologically.
Students in small groups will be given a set of postcards. They must order the postcards in what they think is chronological order. Teacher will take picture of each group’s work and put on projector. Students will discuss rationale as a class.
Students will then be asked to curate the postcards and organize them in the way that they think is best.
Individually, each student will write an explanation justifying their choice.
Extension Assignment
Students will choose one time period that has been covered in class and identify a piece of every day art that they think captures an aspect of the period and be prepared to share in class.