Meaning

By: The Do Nuts

Kathy & Amy Time

9:10-9:25 am

Engage: Donut UNO

1. Put 5 belongings in the bag you have in front of you
2. You have ONE MINUTE

Engage: Donut Dos

1. Fold your bag to close it
2. When we say start keep passing to the right until you hear
STOP!

Engage: Donut TRES

1. Open your bag
2. Analyze the items, find meaning in
them
3. Come up with a narrative for this
person
4. You HAVE ONE MINUTE with these
items!

Engage: Donut QUATRO

1. You have 30 seconds to share your
narrative
2. When you hear DOH!
a. Stop talking...no matter where
you are
b. Next person start talking

Our Definition:
9:41-9:43

During each task, within each hour, day, week, year we live,
it is in our bones as humans to find meaning and make
sense of what we do. We question; why are we doing this,
why am I here, why am I on this journey, what is the
purpose? We create our own why to give these things
we do purpose. As artists we create visual metaphors to
represent our lives, and to find meaning within our
narratives. We are social creatures of meaning, who crave
sense of coherence and purpose (Pink, p. 222).

Analyzing into the

Labyrinth
Part I

Homework: 9:43-9:45

Create a visual metaphor that represents your life

from birth to death.
Requirements:
Bring to class Tuesday 6/21
Around 8x11 size
WILL BE TAPED TO WALL
This wont be altered in class and you will get
to take it home again

1.Really Big Outer Donut

9:43-9:45

Visual Narrative (Metaphor)

Attach your homework to the board
along the outside ring

2. Spiritual Donut
9:45-10:07

Where is spirituality in your

narrative (metaphor)?
Use given paper 8x11
Create a work that embodies
spirituality
You have 22 minutes
When finished, attach your work to
the second ring
belief in something larger than ourselves (Pink, p. 221)

3. Happy Donut
10:07-10:29

Where is happiness in your

narrative (metaphor)?
Use given paper 5x7
Create a work that embodies
happiness
You have 22 minutes
When finished, attach your work to the
third ring

Our new operating

principles are selfexpression and the
quality of life (Pink,
p. 219)

4. The Donut Hole

10:29-10:51

Is this story I tell confining me? Is it allowing me or my circle

to live at our fullest potential? If it is not, then a new
mindset is in order. A remodel of your narrative, a
reconstruction of that house of mind, ( Liu & NoppeBrandon, p. 87) Use your visions about happiness and
spirituality to modify your metaphor to remove the limiting
elements.
Use given paper 3x5
You have 22 minutes

Donut Break
10:51-11:01

Synthesizing out of the

Labyrinth
Part II

5. VTS The Donut Hole

11:01-11:03

6. VTS Happy Donut

11:03-11:05

happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue

(Pink, p. 225)

7. VTS Spiritual Donut

11:05-11:07

we are social creatures of meaning, who crave a sense of

coherence and purpose
(Pink, p. 222)

8. VTS Really Big Outer Donut

11:07-11:09

9. VTS The Whole

11:09-11:35

purpose is the journey (Pink, p. 231)

10. Goals
11:35-11:40

Reflect:
What did you learn about life today?
How do you define a meaningful life?
Are you where you want to be?

Connect:
Think about Pinks 6 Senses & how taking Happiness and
Spirituality can make meaning

Create:

take spirituality
and happiness
seriously (Pink,
p. 219)

Resources
Freedman, K. (2003). Teaching visual culture: Curriculum, aesthetics, and the
social life of art. New York: Teachers College Press.
Liu, E, and Noppe-Brandon, S. (2009). Imagination first: Unlocking the power
of
possibility. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pink, D.H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future.
New

Connections to Other 5 Senses

Play: Play, leads to joy, and joy makes us feel more fulfilled
Empathy: The ability to have deep noticing (meaning) allows us to empathize
Story: Finding meaning within objects
Symphony: Metaphor- that is, understanding one thing in terms of something elseis another important element.. (Pink, p. 139)
Design: the human nature to shape and make our environment in ways without
precedent in nature, to serve our needs and give meaning to our lives. (John

Lesson Plan

(1/ 7)

Setting Goals and Expectations:

1. Big Idea: IDENTITY
a. Students will individually reflect on the big idea and write a personal definition.
b. Students will group share their definition of Identity.
c.

We will classroom share, and teacher will share definition of Identity- condition or character
as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities, beliefs, etc. (Dictionary.com)

2. Key Concepts:
a. Students will explore the effectiveness of an image to influence ideas, feelings and behaviors
of a specific audience.
b. Students will investigate the power of visual images to construct meaning by reflecting
meaning we see in ourselves.
c.

Students will construct a visual narrative in their choice of media.

Lesson Plan
1. Essential Questions
a. How can we represent ourselves through art?
b. Is your identity fixed or changing?
c. Can you construct your identity?
d. How do you know who you are?
e. What is your personal metaphor, from birth to death?

(2/ 7)

Lesson Plan
Responding and Connecting:
1. Instructional Activities
a. VTS Rania Matar, Series A Girl in Her Room.

b. Mind Map Identity

(3/ 7)

Lesson Plan

(4/ 7)

Responding and Connecting Continued:

c. Discuss metaphor used in the images below

Alison Saar, Coup, 2006

Kehinde Wiley, Officer of the

Hussars, 2007

d. Imagination Spark #9: Reframing your story.

Lucas Samaras, Box #2,

2006

Lesson Plan

(5/ 7)

Creating:
1. Art Making Activities: Students will create 4 works of art that will explore their identity. These works
will be displayed to form the rings of a labyrinth. Student choice of media. The work will be guided
by the following questions:
a . Create a visual metaphor that represents your life from birth to death.
b. Where is spirituality in your narrative?
c. Where is happiness in your narrative?
d.Is the story I tell confining me? Is it allowing me or my circle to live at our fullest potential? If it
is not, then a new mindset is in order. A remodel of your narrative, a reconstructions of that house
of mind.

Assessment:
2. Rubric: Identity

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Lesson Plan

(7/ 7)

Presenting
1. (VA:Pr5.1.lla)
Students will display their work in the labyrinth ring that coordinates with the big idea for each artwork.

Metaphor From Home

Question 2 Spirituality
Question 3 Happiness

Question 4 Reflection

"They loved their lives. But they died

unfearing. It was living without fear, that
made their lives worth loving."
Mary Renault