Lesson Title: Soundtrack of Your life: Creating Your Album Cover

Grade: 6th Grade

Teacher: Lauren Hermann
Lesson Plan Rationale
1. Big Idea: How does the big idea connect ideas across the curriculum?
Identity The middle school curriculum must cater to students cognitive, social,
and emotional needs. Because young adolescents are at a pivotal
point in their development, the big idea of identity is essential in
developing these needs. Students in middle school are spending a lot
of time trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. A
curriculum that allows students the opportunity to enter into an
investigation and expression of themselves without judgement is
essential to teaching in a developmentally appropriate way; providing
opportunities for high levels of student engagement and offering
strategies for demonstrating information creatively that can be
accessed in content areas throughout the curriculum. A curriculum
bridged by identity engages students in a deepening understanding of
themselves, provides immediate connections to students emotions,
and honors the authentic student voice and role in decision making.

2. Key Concepts: (What students will know) Why is it important for students to know these concepts?

Middle school students are experimenting a lot in their life with a

1.People create using objects, sounds, and ideas from their
constructed and natural environments to tell stories and enrich their
lives.
2.Engaging in the process of art making pushes people to better
understand and appreciate the meaning in their life.
3.Artists and designers shape artistic investigations, following or
breaking with traditions in pursuit of creative artmaking goals.
newfound sense of independence and the influx of physical changes
taking place. Providing positive outlets for experimentation and play is
important to students developing identities, social development,
resolution of conflict, etc. Showing students ways in which artists use
materials to shape artistic investigations provides a strategy pursuing
artmaking in a way that is meaningful to them . Additionally, these
concepts call for students to collectively use ideas, thoughts, subject
matter and medium to communicate what is important. Using
printmaking to engage in this very expression deepens students sense
of self and identity and opens a window to new opportunities of
expression that most student shave probably never experienced in this
way before. These concepts set students up for successful, positive
ways of handling what middle school demands of them.

3. Essential Questions: How are these questions meaningful to the student?


1.How do we, as artists, make statements about our life through
symbolizing the things in it?
2.How do artists determine what resources are needed to formulate
artistic investigations?
3. How does engaging in creating art enrich people's lives?
4. Vocabulary: cover art, pop art, juxtaposition, space, composition,
scale, lyrics
5. Objectives: (what students will do)
1.The learner will design an authentic artwork which visually
communicates the soundtrack of their life.
2.The learner will combine multiple approaches to printmaking and
other mixed media to create depth aesthetically and personally in
an artwork.
3.The learner will utilize artistic strategies to organize the project
from start to finish.
Through understanding the essential questions, students enter into an
investigative discovery of how artists make statements about
themselves and their lives through colors, symbols, text and images.
They see that artists over time have persisted through their artform;
figuring out how to solve creative problems and refine their ideas and
how each artwork provides an account of a moment in time, a thought,
a feeling, an experience. These questions give students a space to
investigate how their life is impacted because of their ability to make
meaning. These very ideas are essential in the development of young
people and give them concrete strategies and models for developing
the the skillset needed to be successful in their own lives and in the
their futures. It also provides avenue to incorporate creative practice
in other areas of their life.
How do the objectives fully support learning across the curriculum and
how do they connect to the students lives?
The objectives listed build upon the lessons that came previously while
simultaneously preparing students for the lessons in the future.
Students will be able to better connect with others through art as well
as through collaborating with their peers. The process of utilizing the
design process framework to organize their project provides a level of
autonomy and significant voice and choice for students to guide their
own discovery, which directly impacts how they feel about themselves,
their learning, their connections with others and their own artistic
expression!
6. Standards: Please select a standard from each: How the standards support each other and the learning taking place
Creating The standards I chose support each other as a natural progression of
Presenting learning that includes diverse curricular content as well as the
Responding application and transfer of that knowledge to materials. The format of
the lesson allows for the discovery of multiple standards as well as
Connection emphasizes and supports students using artistic practice to make
meaning in their lives and the world around them.
NVAS:
1.VA:Cr1.1.6 - Combine concepts collaboratively to generate
innovative ideas for creating art.
2.VA:Pr5.1.6 - Individually or collaboratively, develop a plan for
displaying works of art, analyzing exhibit space. the needs of the
viewer, and the layout of the exhibit.
3. VA:Re7.2.6 - Analyze ways that visual components and cultural
associations suggested by images influence ideas, emotions, and
actions.
4.VA:Cn10.1.6 - Generate a collection of ideas reflecting current
interests and concerns that could be investigated in art-making.
7. Teaching Resources: Rationale for each and HOW they work together
Art: (Artists, please insert thumbnail photo of examples shared) Because there were several resources in this section, they are arranged
in a table format. I will provide further rationale below.
 The first four album covers were chosen for the following reasons.
Each artist worked within the genre of pop art and had a connection to
working with musicians and being inspired to create because of music.
Each artist brings a unique aspect of pop art into student view. The
Warhol cover will already have been familiar to students so it will act
as a bridge between lessons. Students might respond to the idea that
the artist uses a single image and an action (peel here) to symbolize
the contents of the album and the group it represents.

Similarly, Keith Haring uses an abstracted image (printed) to give

viewers an idea about the David Bowie album. Students might respond
Andy Warhol - Keith Haring- to the juxtaposition of the image of two people embracing with the
The Velvet Underground David Bowie title Without you.

Robert Rauschenberg utilized text and collage in his interpretation of

pop art. This particular album was a technological marvel at the time
because the layers are actually embedded within the record itself.
Students may respond to how this affects the music itself and vice
versa.

Peter Blake also used collage art, but in a more recognizable way. This
cover made a statement about history and culture of the time in
addition to merging it with the values of the Beatles band. Student
may respond to the story this image tells.

Robert Rauschenburg -
Talking Heads Peter Blake-
The Beatles
 The following albums are more contemporary versions. Jean Michel
Basquiat is known for his abstracted human figures. Students may
respond to the contrast between light and dark and how that may
communicate the type of music.

Banksy is a controversial character in his own right. He uses stencils to

create a high level street art which makes statements about society
and what he believes. Students may respond to the artist's purpose.
Why would a controversial artist lend his craft to an album cover?

Jean-Michel Basquiat
The offs Banksy
Blur
Last, I chose Shepard Fairey and the graphic interpretation of the
Shepard Fairey smashing pumpkins album cover. What does the image and color
Smashing Pumpkins communicate about the band, the artist, or the music.

All of these images together work to inform how artists and musicians
collaborate to create cover art. The artists here all were inspired in
some way by the message or the music and a reflection of their own
identity within the music. Meaning making happens in two distinct
ways; emotionally through the music and visually through the art.
These examples show the progression of print artists over time and
Book: cause students to ask if the conditions today are different from the
conditions of our past. Students can learn about these universal truths
of existing and creating to make meaning through viewing these
examples.

Andy warhol: The Complete

Commissioned Record Covers This book will be used as another additional resource. Andy Warhol
happens to be the feature artist if this unit for several reasons, but this
book does a great job showcasing the many covers he created over his
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ tenure and the development of his brand.
andy-warhol-paul-marechal/11209139
90?ean=9783791354248
 Design process resource:
8. Lesson Plan sequence (This will be lengthy and may span several
days)
1. Bellringer: Make sure all of your work to this point is filed in your
investigative portfolio. Have sketchbook out and ready!
2. Watch Art Assignment : Have students jot down questions in their
sketchbook.
3. Introduction to album cover art. How were pop art and pop music
intertwined? What was important about cover art then? What about
now? How has the way we access music changed over time? How do
we access art? Is this a privilege? What do you think the artists had
This is an excellent flow chart resource which will be pivotal in helping
students understand design process thinking. Over the course of the
unit, they have had the material broken down into chunks and worked
on a smaller scale. This chart will help them to organize and manage
their project making sure they are working through the cycle to have a
successful product. It is also a great teaching tool as the teacher can
help guide students in pinpointing areas of their process that need
improvement and areas of the process that are cause for celebration.
Share rationale for choices in each step. Be sure to identify specific
areas of creating, connection, presenting and responding.
1. The bellringer activity gives students the time to orient themselves
to the artspace. Middle School settings operate on a bell schedule
with only a few minutes to transition from class to class. The bellringer
helps students adjust, transition and provides inquiry into what might
be taking place in the art room that day.
2. This strategy is a great engagement strategy. Middle School students
would much rather watch an entertaining video production than to
listen to the teacher outline the project. This builds excitement and
may also form anxiety. Offering student the ability make jottings in
their sketchbooks helps them get out anxiety on paper so that you can
address it later with each student.
3. Idea blasting and having students interact with the examples is a
great way to build confidence in the parameters of the project as well
as begin the process of allaying fears and answering questions. By this
time students have had a lot of experience with the pop art
movement. Having them examine images in their table groups and the
to do before they could create the artwork? (With a partner, think
about the steps an artist would need to go through to work through
the process of creating an album cover) As a group-review the items
discussed with partners and generate a list for the board. Does this
fit within the design process framework?
4. You have done the research now you need to plan your cover!
Think about the following as you work through the plan...Look at the
songs you chose as a whole. See if you can discover a theme that
runs throughout? Use your investigative prints to help you. What
colors will you use in your background that best capture the mood of
the music? How will you arrange the color? Will it be a solid color?
Layers? Color blocks? What textural elements will you choose for
your background (stencils, foam shapes, found objects, bubblewrap,
etc) What words will be on the front of your album cover? What
images will you place on the cover? Collaged images like
Rauschenberg and Blake? Foam print like Warhol or Haring? How
will you display your song list?
5. After you complete the planning sheet, you must create three
different sketches of your design in your sketchbook. After you have
worked up your three options, you will meet with your record label
to pitch your design. Once your record label offers you a
contract..you are on your way to your album drop party!
6. Students will have approximately one week to plan and create
their album covers. The classroom will operate like a true studio
these days with students utilizing the materials they need to
complete their project. Mid week, there will be a production
check-in with each student to monitor progress and troubleshoot
any challenges and reevaluate plans. During this time, students can
also participate in a wagon wheel critique to get peer review.
7. In addition to the completed album cover, students will need to
develop and design a strategy to display their cover, songlist and
artist statement. The artist statement could be completed in a
use the images to help facilitate the class discussion will be helpful and
treat them as the experts they now are! The partner activity ensures
ALL students are responding and working through the artistic process.
Sharing out and generating a master list makes sure no one is called
out for an answer, rather, the collective is working as a whole. This is a
developmentally appropriate method.
4. The planning process ensures students are beginning the work of
design thinking. It is creative research at its highest form. They are
deconstructing all of the elements and ideas they have learned over
the past couple of weeks and reconstructing them as an outwards
expression of their personal identity and a visual expression of the
music of their life! This process helps students wrap their minds
around the culminating project, organize and envision!
5. Creating sketches is sometimes a hard task for many students. They
have worked and planned and have ideas and are ready to get started.
As teachers, it is our responsibility to slow them down and continue to
have them flesh out ideas. I like to tell students this is the warm up
laps before the race starts. They can sometimes work through issues
before they begin which eliminates problems later on in the process.
Can design change? Absolutely, as this is what an artist does.
Sometimes we switch course, but we document! Students presentation
skills will also come into play as they present their cover idea to the
record label (teacher). Role playing in this case introduces a playful
element and further engages students into the process. Students need
to practice discussing their work and also rationalizing their choices.
6. The studio process is really important to allow students the time,
space and breathing room to settle into their idea and begin to
produce. This process is different for every artist. The teachers role is
very important during this week Rounding with students consistently
and being completely available for troubleshooting and coaching is
paramount to the success of the final product. Students need to
believe they have autonomy but have support if they get stuck. Mid
week checks and wagon wheel critiques are a great checkpoint to
ensure progress and change course if needed.
 couple of ways...A written statement about their process of
meaning-making and what their album cover says about them or
they could choose to write an additional song for their album that
describes their process and what their album says about them.
8. Students will have an album drop party to display their album
covers. Students may even choose to walk the red carpet and have a
paparazzi photo taken with their cover!
9. Differentiation/Accommodations/Modifications
Art is a naturally differentiating content. Students will be allowed to
work at their level and will be facilitated by a certified art specialist.
Accommodations will be given through extra time needed, modified
assignments, larger print, paraprofessional support and one on one
assistance. Modifications will be made in coordination with
teachers, parents, appropriate support staff and LEA representative.
10. Assessment Strategies:
For this lesson, formative assessment strategies include the planning
document and three sketchbook sketches, the idea pitch to the
record label, mid-production checkpoint and wagon wheel critique.
Summative assessment in this case would be a combination of the
final product, display and the artist statement which would be in a
rubric.
7. After completion of the album cover, students will be immersed in
designing ways to display their art. How will they group the
requirements together to tell the story of their life? Showing examples
from years past helps students to think about different ways this might
look. The important key here is that students have complete artistic
autonomy over their display.
8. This is both the most stressful and the most fun part of the project.
the culminating activity. Students will have an album drop party (just
like in the business) Students will celebrate the huge accomplishment
they have achieved over the unit. Offering a special opportunity for
students to make the activity feel realistic, adds an engaging quality
that makes students excited, proud and want to participate. Creating
experiences like this speak to the social development of the middle
school student.
Share rationale for each
The beautiful thing about art is that it meets students where they are.
Students naturally work at their own levels with which they feel the
most comfortable. Because art celebrates individual learning
experiences, all elements can be modified to suit specific students
needs. Students having difficulty will have modifications made within
the parameters of their individualized plans. Students who have
mastered material can extend their activities by increasing the
complexity of their prints. Additionally, students who are progressing
at high levels may create a deluxe album cover which might include
pieces form their investigative portfolios. This is facilitated best during
teacher rounding. The important issue here is that ALL students have
access to a high quality art experience.
Share rationale for formative and summative assessment
The formative strategies used here are the planning documents,
sketchbook sketches, wagon wheel critiques, and teacher rounding.
Multiple strategies are used to again facilitate a triangulation of data
which provides a in depth view of student progress. It allows the
teacher to be able to pinpoint which area the student ,may need more
help in or which area a teacher could push a student farther in. The
summative assessment is the completion of the student album cover,
artist statement and the display. By this point in the unit, the student
should be very comfortable with all aspects of the process. Because we
are focused on process and not product. the rubric will reflect how well
the student moved through the various processes and the extent to
 which they were able to communicate ideas about themselves which
will be evident in their writing. The writing is important in that it is
another language in which to communicate thoughts and make
thinking visible. Many artists write in addition to create and this is also
a transferrable skill.

11. Insert photo of teacher created exemplar here: Rationale here should discuss the significance of what was created and
prior knowledge across the curriculum that students will need in order
to understand the lesson content.

The exemplars push students to create in layers. The album cover

project requires students to consider many different ideas. They are
working through several ideas: pop art, artist exemplars, their chosen
music soundtrack, their research data, and the materials. That is a lot
of things to keep straight! Working through the design thinking process
will be essential for student success. Having created the mini works
along the way will prepare them to be able to confidently tackle this
creative challenge. Students are choosing layers for their backgrounds
which visually communicate the mood of their album. the imagery is
representative of their identity and what the songs collectively say
about them. This artwork allows students to have significant voice
and choice in how they create and in some of the materials they use.

All prior knowledge has been scaffolded throughout the lesson series
and unit . 6th graders are coming to middle school with relatively little
experience. Creating the album cover gives them a no fail way to
create something meaningful that showcases their capabilities as
thinkers and makers!

My Album title: Rising

My soundtrack:
My finished product: 2 layers for the background, a foam print Signed, Sealed, Delivered- Stevie Wonder
Stardust-Wynton Marsalis
layer and collage elements. Alexander Hamilton- Original broadway cast
Smoke Clears- Andy Grammar
Nuthin but a G thang - Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog
Outside- Ellie Goulding
This is a shot of the foam print pieces
 This was a test print...I ended up choosing the one you see above.
12. Materials/Tools/Art supplies needed
Paper, gelli plates, brayers,paint, found texture materials (stamps,
stencils, etc), texture combs, foam shapes, leaves, collage
materials, styrofoam for prints, pencils, freezer paper, construction
paper
Prior knowledge students will need to effectively use materials
Students will require knowledge about basic artroom processes before
this lesson. Students require deep understand of artroom protocols
and how to organize information and supplies as well as a clear
understanding of cleanup procedures. At this point in the unit,
students should have a strong working knowledge base around
printmaking processes. Therefore, all information, artmaking
processes and use of materials will be demonstrated by the students as
part of their summative evaluation.
References: (Sources of resources)
http://themusic.com.au/news/all/2017/03/16/the-origin-of-the-velvet-undergrounds-warhol-banana-has-finally-been-solved/
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/monocle/the_album_art_of_keith_haring/
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-story-behind-robert-rauschenberg-s-iconic-talking-heads-album-cover
http://performingsongwriter.com/sgt-peppers-album-cover/
http://www.artnet.com/artists/jean-michel-basquiat/album-cover-album-inside-Tqjki2uLJQqMs6XiREttGw2
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/banksy-think-tank-album-cover
http://mentalfloss.com/article/82016/12-famous-artists-who-designed-album-covers
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/andy-warhol-paul-marechal/1120913990?ean=9783791354248
https://www.theartofed.com/2016/04/20/teaching-skills-21st-century-creativity/