Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace 1

Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace

LTC 4240: Art for Children
Sally HDoubler

Unit Title & Big Idea: Magazine Marketplace Grade Level: 3
Unit Overview/Summary:

This unit allows students to publish their own magazines. They are able to go through the entire process, from
researching their potential readers to digitally completing the final piece. Math is integrated through a lesson that
collects data and has students bar graph that data and use it to help them when writing their magazine. Writing is
integrated by two class periods in which students will pull pieces from their writers notebooks and polish them up by
revising them. Visual Art is integrated by students bringing in a photograph or illustration for their magazine cover, as
well as designing the cover and adding pictures and graphic design to their finished magazine. At the end of the unit,
students will display their magazines at the front of the room and will have the opportunity to sell copies of their
magazine for class money, as well as buy copies of classmates magazines.

Class Periods Required:

Math: 1
Writing: 2
Visual Art: 2

Total: 5
Key Concepts (3-4)

Math: Students will create bar graphs and apply those bar graphs to their
magazine creation in order to sell copies for class money.

Writing: Students will pull pieces from their writers notebooks and polish
them to create magazine articles.

Visual Art: Students will create a magazine cover with their own photograph
or illustration.

Students will manipulate text, colors, and clip art to make their magazine
visually appealing to the reader.
Essential Questions (3-4)

How are bar graphs created?
How can bar graphs be applied to real-life scenarios?
How are magazines published?
What types of qualities do we find in magazines we like?
What makes a magazine visually appealing?

Unit Objectives: (Excellent resource at http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/new-teacher/48345.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1)

Students will be able to compute data and create bar graphs.
Students will be able to apply bar graphs to real-world scenarios.
Students will be able to edit, revise, and publish writing pieces for their magazine.
Students will be able to design a magazine cover using computer technology.
Students will grow in their overall understanding of magazine publications: how they are produced, published, and sold.
Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace 2

Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) (3-4)
(http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/)

EP.2.B.4
Identify and create center of interest (focal point)

EP.2.C.3
Identify and use size contrast

PP.3.B.4
Create an example of graphic art (e.g., poster, illustration, advertisement,
greeting card)

HC.1.B.3
Compare and contrast two artworks: subject matter, media, use of value and
space, theme, purpose of art in culture, place
Core Academic Standards (Common Core State Standards) (3-4)
(http://www.corestandards.org/)

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set
with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and
"how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar
graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph
might represent 5 pets.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas
and information clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen
writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions
should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and
including grade 3 here.)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6
With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and
publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.

Content Areas Integrated:

1. Visual Art
2. Math
3. Writing

Identify & define common vocabulary/concepts that connect the art form
with the other identified subject area(s):

{Magazine] Cover: The illustration or photograph on the front cover of the
magazine must correlate to the students feature piece.

Data: The data from the classroom interests helps the written decide what
they need to include in the magazine, both visually and in the written
pieces.

Visuals: Different students prefer different visuals when reading magazines.
Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace 3

Students can provide their own visuals through clip art or through their own
photographs/illustrations. They can also choose to include visuals to
supplement their written pieces.

Text: Students words on the page are considered text, but it is up to each
child to decide the font, size, and layout of that text to make their magazine
look good for the reader.

Lesson Titles in Sequence/Order
1. Math: Marketing Strategies through Bar Graphs

2. Writing: Composing a Magazine Publication

3. Visual Art: Creating the Cover and Publishing the Magazine
Brief Lesson Descriptions (2-3 sentences each)
Introduce that the class gets to be authors of their own magazines. Not only
are their writers, but businesspeople too, as they will be able to sell their
magazines to their classmates for class money!
Math
Students are able to vote as a class on what they would like to see in
their classmates magazines: basically what traits are in the magazines
they buy. The classroom votes on a variety of topics, and with the
results, each student creates a bar graph with the information. They are
able to keep this bar graph when working on their magazine to help
them decide what decisions they want to make, such as their magazines
price, digital layout, content, and visual appeal.
Writing
Students are able to pull pieces from their writers notebooks to use in
their own magazine publication. They will fill out a draft packet to
guide them, which leads them to rewrite polished versions of: a short
informational piece, a feature piece (2+ pages), an advice or fun facts
page, an about the author page, a table of contents, and a sketch of
their cover page.
**Prior to the Visual Art lesson, students were assigned as homework to
bring in either a photograph or illustration to use as the cover for their
magazine. The teacher will scan these and include them in each students'
magazine template. Also, the teacher will have scanned each students'
school picture to use on their "about the author" page. This will be included
Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace 4

in their own personal template as well.
Visual Art
Show students different magazine covers throughout the years. Show
and discuss Norman Rockwell's as well as Highlights and American Girl
and Life magazine covers. Then, bring in laptops and have students type
up final copies of their magazine pieces. Let them create their Magazine
cover using a PRE MADE template (made by the teacher) on Microsoft
Word. Students will need to enter in the title of their magazine, featured
articles, and may move things around as they please. Give them the
choice of fonts, colors, clip art, and spacing. This is more of a graphic
design approach to art, as well as their self-taken photograph or
illustration for the cover.

Students will display their magazines at the front of the classroom. There
will be a stack of magazine order forms for students to fill out if they would
like to buy a classmates magazine using class money. Students magazines
will be reprinted in response to how many people bought their magazine.
The teacher gives each student $15 in class money and requires that each
student must buy at least two other classmates magazines.


What student prior knowledge will this unit require/draw upon?

Students must know how to collect data and create a bar graph using data.
Students must understand the concept of buyers and consumers.
Students must be able to add money.
Students must know how to revise and publish self-written pieces.
Students must be able to type on a computer and use Microsoft Word.
Students must be able to independently illustrate and photograph settings, and choose appealing colors,


What activities will you use to engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this unit?

Students are able to imagine their magazine by sketching and completing a draft packet. Students explore what writing pieces they want to include and
experiment with what pieces they like for the magazine. They are also able to imagine how they want to display their articles and clip art, as well as
Art Integration Unit Plan: Magazine Marketplace 5

experiment with different fonts, sizes, colors, and pictures.

How will this unit permit/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?

Students are encouraged to solve problems divergently by applying the data from the bar graphs to how they want to market their magazine. They are also
able to control what writing pieces go in the magazine, as well as come up with creative ways to design their magazine and display their written content.

How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning/learning processes?

Students are given the chance to reflect upon their original vision for their magazine and use the classroom bar graph regarding student interests to decide if
it will sell well in the classroom or not. Students are also able to reflect upon their Writers Notebook pieces and revise them for their published magazine.
Students can reflect upon how well their magazine sells and if they are happy with the finished product. They can ask themselves different questions at the
end of the unit, such as which magazines did they like best? If they could go back, what would they change about their magazine?

How will this unit engage students in assessing their own work and the work of peers?

Students can assess their work by how well it sells to the class, how visually appealing their magazine is, and if there are any grammatical or spelling errors.
They should be engaged, as the success and quality of their work directly affects them, as they get to keep the profit from their magazines sales.

What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work?

Students are able to take past writing pieces and revise them, as well as retype them before going in their final magazine. They are given two days of class
time to do this, so students should have more than enough time to revise their writing pieces and tweak their pieces to be more appealing to their readers.
Students are also able to revise and improve their work during the two days working on computers creating the magazines appearance and layout. Students
are able to self correct and can work in partnerships to help proofread and give second opinions on classmates work.

What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning/understanding/work in this unit?

Students are able to share their writing pieces, graphic design skills, photography/illustration piece, and application of class data in their final, published
magazine. Their work is displayed for the class, and copies can be bought with class money. Their understanding, work, and learning are all exemplified
through their final printed copy of their magazine.

How will you adapt the various aspects of this lesson to differently-abled students?

Students are able to choose writing pieces from their own ability level. Also, differently-abled students, as well as all of my students, will be graded mostly
based on effort. While I expect the magazines to be cleaned up, polished, and realistic looking, I understand that these are third grade students. If differently-
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abled students need one-on-one time or a shorter magazine requirement, that can most definitely be offered based on the students ability level and needs.
If students are above the ability of most of the class and have extra time to work, they can digitally create advertisements for their magazine.

References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts%20Integration.pdf