ARTISTIC THINKING UNIT INSTRUCTION PLAN

utilizing the
MU Art Education Lesson Plan Format
Developed by Dr. Kathy Unrath
*Lesson plans are always accompanied by a teacher-made
exemplar of potential student work!

1. NAME : Kelsi Brosnahan

2. TITLE OF UNIT: Design Thinking Animal Housing

3. GRADE LEVEL(S): 7th Grade

4. STANDARDS:
NATIONAL VISUAL ARTS STANDARDS:
o Elaborate on an imaginative idea. VA:Cr1.1.3a
o Demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use
of materials, tools, and equipment for a variety of artistic
processes. VA:Cr2.2.3a
o Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and
technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art
making process. VA:Cr1.2.3a
o investigate and discuss possibilities and limitations of
spaces, including electronic, for exhibiting artwork.
VA:Pr4.1.3a
o Identify exhibit space and prepare works of art including
artists statements, for presentation. VA:Pr5.1.3a
o Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of
art. VA:Re7.1.3a
o Determine messages communicated by an image.
VA:Re7.2.3a
o Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject
matter, characteristics of form, and mood. VA:Re8.1.3a
o Evaluate an artwork based on given criteria. VA:Re9.1.3a
SHOWME VISUAL ARTS STANDARDS:
o Process and techniques for the production, exhibition or
performance of one or more of the visual or performed arts.
o The principles and elements of different art forms.
o Interrelationships of visual and performing arts and
relationships of the arts to other disciplines.
Missouri Fine Arts GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS (GLEs):
o GLE:1.1C.FA1
o GLE:1.2A.FA1
o GLE:1.3C.FA1
o GLE:2.1A.FA2
o GLE:2.2F.FA2
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o GLE:3.2A.FA3
ISTE-S Standards
o ISTE 1a
o ISTE 1b
o ISTE 2a
o ISTE 2b
o ISTE 2d
o ISTE 4a
o ISTE 4b
o ISTE 4d
o ISTE 5a
o ISTE 5b
21st Century Learning and Innovation Skills (4Cs)
o Critical thinking
o Communication
o Collaboration
o Creativity

5. RATIONALE and GOALS FOR THIS LESSON:

Why is this important to teach?
o Students will learn about the process of design thinking.
Which is a creative way to challenge students to develop
solutions through a habitual process that encourages asking
acute questions and building from their mistakes. This will
build a student's confidence in creating and problem solving
by discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation, and
evolution. These are 21st century life skills that are important
for students to learn in order for them to be successful in
their future.
What do you hope to accomplish?
o Through the use of design thinking students will sharpen
their 21st century skills of critical thinking, communicating,
collaborating, and creativity. Students will be able to use the
design thinking process to develop a project that will not only
use their 21st century skills but also benefit their community.

6. ENDURING BIG IDEA: (Define the BIG IDEA)

What is the big idea that is being investigated in this lesson?
o The big ideas in this lesson are chosen to have students
think of what would benefit the environment, the community,
and tie into social practice.
o Environmental: animal housing created to blend in with the
environment that the animal is living in. Also working on
environmental friendly options for animal living options.
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o Community: students can develop animal housing that can

work for a community of animals. Housing can expand past
individual housing and work on a larger scale.
o Social Practice: students will ask questions like how to live?
And what give housing life? These are important questions
for students ask as they develop their animal housing in
order for them to develop housing in the round.
How will you connect the big ideas and themes about art and artists
work with the art making part of this lesson?
o We will look at a few different artist to get inspiration. All of
the artist that we be looking into have developed a type of
housing utilizing the three big ideas.
o Alan Sonfist
He is an environmental artist that developed natural
art sculptures from plants. He has several large scale
projects that can be used to show students that
environmentally friendly housing made from natural
materials can be a possibility.
http://www.alansonfist.com/landscapes_time_landscape.html
o Thomas Hirschhorn
Students look at his temporary monuments
installation in the Bronx. Even though this piece is not
a traditional housing it is a great example of a
community housing environment. Student can use his
art as an example to develop a housing unit that can
be utilized in an animal community.
http://www.gladstonegallery.com/artist/thomas-hirschhorn/work#&panel1-1
o Andrea Zittle
By looking at Zittles art work students can get a
sense of how to live and what means to make a
house a home. Looking at the small station wagons
are personal spaces that are developed for one
occupant. These are perfect for getting students to
ask those social practice questions when it comes to
housing.
http://www.zittel.org/

7. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Students will discover and learn about the design thinking process.
Name the three artist that we discussed and how they connect to the
big ideas that we have discussed.
Discovery: What is the challenge that is presented before me?
Discovery: Where should I look to help start my research into my
animal housing design?
Interpretation: How do I interpret the challenge?
Interpretation: Where is the meaning within my animal housing unit?
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Ideation: What am I going to create?

Ideation: What type of materials am I going to use to create my animal
housing unit in the round?
Experimentation: How am I going to build my animal housing unit?
Experimentation: How do I work out bumps in my design?
Evolution: In what ways can I evolve my design?
Evolution: How can I take peer feedback to make my design better?
What went well? What did not go well?
What could you do differently to improve your work?
What would you change to make this project better?

8. KNOWLEDGE BASE AND KEY CONCEPTS:

What will students learn and KNOW about art and art making from this
lesson? (List as facts about art and artists and works of art)
o Students will learn how to be A/R/Tographers by looking
through the artist lens, reachers lens, and even the teacher
lens through this design thinking process.
o Artist lens: students will use their creative thinking to find
meaning and experiment with materials
o Research lens: students ask questions and find different
alternatives to make their design work to the fullest.
o Teacher lens: students will give feedback on their peers
work and be able to take their mistakes and learn from them.
o Students will learn about contemporary artist
Alan Sonfist
Thomas Hirschhorn
Andrea Zittle
o Students will be able to work with their community in a
collaborative process to develop housing for animals.
What will they learn from the art history and criticism discussion?
o Students will learn about how environmental, community,
and social art has historically influenced art today.
o They will learn about contemporary artists that are working
within these big ideas and developing pieces currently.
o Students will also learn how to critically look at each other's
designs and communicate their ideas and thoughts about
one another's works of art.
What will they learn from the art production part of the lesson?
o Students will learn about art production through the design
process of discovery, interpretation, ideation,
experimentation, evolution.
o Discovery: students will break down their artistic challenge
and find a way to approach it.
o Interpretation: students will search for meaning and find
ways to incorporate their meaning making into the art
processes.
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o Ideation: students will generate their artistic ideas and break

them down into a single vision.
o Experimentation: students will problem solve through
building with various materials and working through
shortcomings that they might come across.
o Evolution: students will be able to take peer feedback and
use it to evolve their piece into something more.
o Students will be able to work collaboratively with their
community to develop animal housing that is beneficial to the
community.

9. OBJECTIVES:
Students will know what the steps of design thinking process is.
Students will be able to follow the design thinking process.
Students will be able to problem solve in their artistic process.
Students will know what three-dimensional forms are.
Students will develop a design for animal housing.
Students will decide on the best direction for their animal housing unit
through play and experimentation.
Students will create an animal housing unit that is a functional three
dimensional form.
Students will give critical feedback on each other's designs.
Students will be able to take their peer feedback and use it to evolve
their design.

10. VOCABULARY:
Design Thinking Process
Discovery
Interpretation
Ideation
Experimentation
Evolution
Environmental Art
Community Art
Social Practice
Three-dimensional Design
Collaboration

11. LESSON SEQUENCE - LESSON VIGNETTES:

On the first day students will learn about our three artist Alan Sonfist,
Thomas Hirschhorn, and Andrea Zittle. The three big ideas of environment,
community, and social practice will be broken down and discussed as a class.
The students will be presented with their challenge. (With the environmental
challenges that are we are presented with today many animals are left without
 6

homes and their communities destroyed. Your job is to design a new home
and/or a community that your animal would be comfortable established a life in.)
Day 2-3 students will start their design process in the discovery phase. They will
look at how they are going to approach their challenge and prepare their
research through developing an idea box to break down their thoughts. Day 4-5
students will then step into the interpretation phase.They will break down their
thinking from their idea box by using SCAMPER to rework their ideas and
prepare for the next phase. Day 6-7 students will go into the next phase of
ideation. They will use the ideatoons strategy to plan out their animal housing
unit before they move on to experimenting. Day 8-10 students move into
experimentation phase and work on developing their animal housing. Students
will be working through their shortcomings to develop a working housing unit.
Day 11 students end with the evolution phases. They will be using visual thinking
strategies to review each other's work. Students will be taking their feedback and
working on evolving their design. Day 12-22 students will work with the high
school woodshop class to make their designs a reality and actually useful for the
community. Day 23 students will document their piece for it to be uploaded on
the school webpage.
Anticipatory Set- (Opening that engages and motivates students)
o What questions can you ask the students that will engage
them and lead them to an understanding of the ideas in the
lesson?
What are the attributes to the animal?
What environment will this be in?
How can my design be beneficial to my chosen
animal/species?
What design am I using to create the animals
housing?
What materials am I going to utilize in my creation?
o What questions will you pose about the art they view?
How does the big ideas of environment, community,
and social practices shine through these pieces of
artwork?
What is the message that they are trying to convey?
How are the artist creating meaning through their
different types of housing?
o What questions will you use to put students in a position to
understand the concepts, skills and techniques involved in
your studio activity?
What
Body of lesson- Students will continue the their process through the
use of design thinking. They will follow the flow of the phases of the
process.
o Discovery: students will break down their artistic challenge
and find a way to approach it.
 7

o Interpretation: students will search for meaning and find

ways to incorporate their meaning making into the art
processes.
o Ideation: students will generate their artistic ideas and break
them down into a single vision.
o Experimentation: students will problem solve through
building with various materials and working through
shortcomings that they might come across.
o Evolution: students will be able to take peer feedback and
use it to evolve their piece into something more.
Closure- When everyone has completed their animal housing design
they will pair up with the high school shop class to make their design a
reality. Once they have collaborated with their high school partners
they will document their animal housing piece by photographing and
uploading it to the classroom webpage. They will then put their piece
out into the community.

Standards Major Learning Activities: 21st C Skill

VA:Re7.1.3a Day 1-2 Communication

VA:Re7.2.3a and
VA:Re8.1.3a Activity: Discuss Artists and Big Ideas. collaboration

ISTA 5a Objective: Students will learn about the big Critical thinking
ideas and connecting artist.

The big ideas in this lesson are chosen to have

students think of what would benefit the
environment, the community, and tie into social
practice.
Environmental: animal housing created to blend
in with the environment that the animal is living
in. Also working on environmental friendly
options for animal living options.
Community: students can develop animal
housing that can work for a community of
animals. Housing can expand past individual
housing and work on a larger scale.
Social Practice: students will ask questions like
how to live? And what give housing life? These
are important questions for students ask as
they develop their animal housing in order for
them to develop housing in the round.

Alan Sonfist
He is an environmental artist that developed
natural art sculptures from plants. He has
 8

several large scale projects that can be used to

show students that environmentally friendly
housing made from natural materials can be a
possibility.

http://www.alansonfist.com/landscapes_time
_landscape.html

Thomas Hirschhorn
Students look at his temporary monuments
installation in the Bronx. Even though this piece
is not a traditional housing it is a great example
of a community housing environment. Student
can use his art as an example to develop a
housing unit that can be utilized in an animal
community.
http://www.gladstonegallery.com/artist/thom
as-hirschhorn/work#&panel1-1

Andrea Zittle
By looking at Zittles art work students can get a
sense of how to live and what means to make a
house a home. Looking at the small station
wagons are personal spaces that are
developed for one occupant. These are perfect
for getting students to ask those social practice
questions when it comes to housing.
http://www.zittel.org/

Students will then be asked a few questions

that they can discuss with their color groups.
What is Environmental art? What is community
art? What is social political art? How is it made?
Which category would each artist that was
discussed fit into by their art pieces and why?

After discussing, students will be presented with

their challenge. With the environmental
challenges that are we are presented with today
many animals are left without homes and their
communities destroyed. Your job is to design a
new home and/or a community that your animal
would be comfortable established a life in.

They will then spend their time in the discovery

phase. They will use their resources to decide
with animal they are creating for and gather
ideas of the housing. They will use the strategy
of an idea box to get their ideas in order.
 9

Closing: The last ten to five minutes each color

group will share and make a list of one
interesting thing they learned or found on their
own research. Then each table will share their
fact that they learned with the class. Each color
group must have a different fact, no repeats.

VA:Cr1.2.3a Day 2-4 Communication

VA:Cr2.2.3a and
VA:Cr1.2.3a Activity: Interpretation of research collaboration
VA:Re8.1.3a
Objective: Students will take their initial critical thinking
ISTE 1a research and transform it.
ISTE 1b creativity
ISTE 2d After having their initial research done students
ISTE 3a will look at how they are going to interpret their
ISTE 4b ideas in order to create an animal housing unit
ISTE 5a design.
ISTE 5b
Through the use of SCAMPER students will
look at what they have found so far and
continue to develop their understanding of their
challenge that is presented to them.
 10

Closing: Share your thoughts with your color

group on the process so far. What type of
research have you found so far? How is this
going to help you in your animal housing
design? What more have you found that will
help you when it comes to actually building.

VA:Cr1.1.3a Day 4-5 communication

VA:Cr2.2.3a and
VA:Cr1.2.3a Activity: Plan out building design collaboration

ISTE 1a Objective: Students will be able to create a plan critical thinking

ISTE 1b for their upcoming artistic process on the
ISTE 2d ideation phase creativity
ISTE 3a
ISTE 4b Students will take all of their found knowledge
ISTE 5b and develop a plan for the next phase of
development. Through ideation students will
use the strategy of ideatoons to make a timeline
of their plan for their animal housing design.
 11

On one side of the card students will draw out

their process and then write their thoughts on
the other side. This will then be laid out in the
order of the students thinking process.

Closing: Students will share their ideatoon with

their table. What design am I using to create
the animals housing? What materials am I
going to utilize in my creation?

VA:Cr1.1.3a Day 7-10 Communication

VA:Cr2.2.3a and
VA:Cr1.2.3a Activity: Experimentation collaboration
VA:Re7.2.3a
VA:Re8.1.3a Objective: Students will experiment with their critical thinking
VA:Re9.1.3a animal housing designs.
creativity
ISTE 1a Students will take all of their research and then
ISTE 1b utilize it by incorporating it into their animal Collaboration
ISTE 2d housing design. They will work with their
ISTE 4a chosen materials to create a tangible prototype
ISTE 4b of their animal housing. This is a time of
ISTE 4d focused exploration for the students.
ISTE 5a
ISTE 5b Towards the end of the class we will discuss
what challenges we are facing while trying to
develop their animal housing. What can we do
differently to improve our housing design?

Incase there are a few stragglers, we will finish

or fix prototypes the next time class meets.

Closing: What challenges did you face? What

did you do to overcome these challenges?

VA:Cr1.1.3a Day 11 Critical thinking

VA:Cr2.2.3a
VA:Cr1.2.3a Activity: Evolution of design thinking Creativity
VA:Re7.2.3a
VA:Re8.1.3a Objective: Students will look at each others Collaboration
VA:Re9.1.3a animal housing designs and give constructive
feedback.
ISTE 1a
ISTE 1b Students will use visual thinking strategies to
ISTE 2d break down their thoughts on each others
ISTE 4a animal housings designs.
ISTE 4b
ISTE 4d
ISTE 5a
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ISTE 5b

Students will take their peers feedback and use

it to make any final improvements on their
prototype before they are paired up with their
high school counterpart.

Closing: At the end of the class students will

share their thoughts on their process of the day.

VA:Cr2.2.3a Day 12-22 Collaboration

VA:Re7.1.3a
VA:Re7.2.3a Activity: Collaborate with high school shop class
VA:Re8.1.3a
VA:Re9.1.3a Objective: students will collaborate with high
school students to help build a life size housing
ISTE 5a unit for their animal.
ISTE 5b
ISTE 5d Students will take their finished prototype and
design plans into their high school

Now that the students have create their final

clip they will share their clip with their peers.
They will have to collaborate with their high
school partner to make sure that their vision of
their animal housing comes to life.

This will be a longer process due to the fact that

there is time restrictions in creating meeting
 13

times between the two. High school students

will be able to work on the housing without the
younger peer there but they will have the plans
to help make the vision come to life.

Closing: Ask the students to share their

thoughts on the process of collaborating across
buildings.

VA:Pr4.1.3a Conclusion Day 23 Collaboration

VA:Pr5.1.3a
Activity: Digitally documenting and Community critical thinking
ISTE 2a giving
ISTE 2b
Objective: Students will photograph their
finished animal housing unit and digitally upload
it to the class website. Also giving to the
community.

Students will take photographs in the round of

their animal housing. They will then upload
those into the classroom website so that there
will be a digital portfolio for everyone to see.

After, students will give their animal housing to

their community service of their choice.

Closing: What did you like about this project?

What would you change if you could do this
again? Give some advice for the next class that
does this project.

12. ASSESSMENT/RUBRIC:
Students will follow the design thinking process from the chart below. They
will also be assessed on their compilation of the different strategies they
will complete throughout the lesson. These will be compressed into a
project design book so that the students critical thinking process is
documented for assessment.
 14

13. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ADAPTATIONS FOR SPECIAL

NEEDS:
How will you differentiate for your diverse classroom population?
o Having students work together at different periods
throughout the project will keep them accountable for each
other. They will be able to work with their peers to check for
understanding and design development.
How will you keep students engaged?
o Students will be able to stay engaged by having their design
thinking process documented through the use of their critical
thinking strategies. They will also have each other to hold
accountable. They sit in color groups and each group has
task like getting materials and putting work away. Also each
students has a pencil. When they are having a bad day their
pencil gets taken away. When they are able to turn it around
they will earn their pencil back. Students want to keep their
 15

pencil because it is their treat to take home at the end of the

year when they have been good.
What will you do to challenge students who are highly talented?
o To challenge students that are highly talented I will allow
them to add more complex ideas to their animal housing if
they desire. I feel like this is already a pretty intensive project
to beginning with so I do not foresee having to create more
for them.
What have you planned for those who finish early?
o For students that have finished early I will have them go
back to their design thinking process and double check their
development. If they feel like they completed their design to
the fullest they can assist any other students in their design
process.

14. MATERIALS, TEACHING RESOURCES/REFERENCES:

Sterman, C. (2015, September). Teaching By Design: Design Thinking is
a Problem-solving Strategy that Helps Builds Students' 21st Century
Skills. Principal Special Supplement , 2-5. Retrieved June 18, 2017, from
www.naesp.org
Slafer, A., & Cahill, K. (1995). Why Design?: Activities and Projects from
the National Building Museum. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press.
Nemeth, J. (2015). Metaphors, Puns, and Chance Combinations: Creative
Thinking Strategies and Art Practice. Connecting Creativity Research and
Practice in Art Education: Foundations,Pedagogies, and Contemporary
Issues, 236-243.
Design Thinking for Educators (2nd ed.). (2012). Retrieved June 8, 2017.
Gardner, H. (2006). Five Minds for the Future. Harvard Business School
Press. Boston, MA.
Michalko, M. (2006). Thinkertoys a Handbook of Creative-thinking
Techniques (2nd ed.). The Rocks Campus: Ten Speed Press.
Yenawine, P. (2013). Visual Thinking Strategies: Using Art to Deepen
Learning Across School Disciplines. Harvard Education Press.
Cambridge, MA.
Sonfist, A. (2014). Retrieved June 19, 2017, from
http://www.alansonfist.com/landscapes_time_landscape.html
Zittel, A. (2014). Andrea Zittel. Retrieved June 19, 2017, from
http://www.zittel.org/
Thomas Hirschhorn. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2017, from
http://www.gladstonegallery.com/artist/thomas-hirschhorn/work#&panel1-1
 16

Studio H. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://studio-h.org/

Teaching Strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://lindsays-
art-room.weebly.com/teaching-strategies.html
Pilloton, E. (2010). Motion picture. TEDGlobal. Retrieved June 20, 2017,
from
https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_pilloton_teaching_design_for_change#t-
984276.
National Visual Arts Standards. (2014). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from
https://www.arteducators.org/learn-tools/national-visual-arts-standards
Chromebooks
Digital cameras
Projector
Paper
Pencil
Any materials that students might need

15. PREPARATION REQUIRED:

What materials, tools, and resources do you need for this class?
o I have listed above several tools, resources and tools that I
would absolutely need, but it would be a bonus if our
technology instructor would be able to come into the class
on the first day and talk more with the students on their
netiquette when they are working on the internet.
What do you need to practice and prepare for this lesson?
o To be prepared for the project students will need to have
their chromebooks, google drive log-in and access to the
websites. All of the paper needs to be prepared for students
to start drafting their design for their animal housing.
What did you learn from creating your teaching exemplar?
o What I learned from creating the teacher exemplar was that
it is important to give students time to create. The design
thinking process is long and goes around in circles. Students
will weave in and out of divergent and convergent thinking to
help them develop their animal housing. There is a lot of
research, creativity and educating that goes into this
process.

16. TEACHER REFLECTION: How will you know that this lesson is
successful and meaningful? List indicators.
I believe that I will be able to know if this lesson is successful and
meaningful for my students by gauging their understanding for the design
thinking process and their role as an a/r/tographer. During the process of the
project I can tell if students are clicking with the topic or not. It is key to always be
 17

asking the higher thinking questions while they are working through their process
to keep them engaged in work. If they are able to stay engaged and then give
meaningful feedback on their own and their peers works will indicate how
meaningful this lesson was for the students.