1. Visual Thinking Strategies & Language Arts

2. Learning Outcomes We will briefly review the Visual Arts Standards
We will practice Visual Thinking Strategies
We will practice designing an integrated lesson

3. Visual Arts Standards Strands: Artistic Perception Creative Expression
Historical & Cultural Context
Aesthetic Valuing
Connections, Relationships, and Applications

4. Artistic Perception
Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts
Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations.
Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary
Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design

5. Language Arts Writing 1.0 Writing Strategies
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
Listening and Speaking
1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies
2.0 Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

6. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
Research-based teaching method that improves critical thinking and language skills through discussions of visual images
Developed by educator Phillip Yenawine & cognitive psychologist Abigail Housen

7. Let’s try it!
Use note-taking tool

9. Watch…

10. Your turn…
Rotate being teacher, student, and note-taker, 7-10 minutes each

11. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)

12. So?

13. Enjoy a quick break…

14. How Do We Choose Images?

16. A few tips… Start with the standards
From simple to complex, realistic to abstract
Accessible, expressive content
Themes such as landscapes, portraits, animals, and flowers
See online resources list

17. Lesson Design VTS & ELA What’s the goal of the lesson?
What does proficient work look like?
How will you teach it?

18. VTS Integration Template
Grade:
Visual Thinking Questions
Questions specific to the image:
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)
Learning Goal: (ELA Standard(s) from the Domains of Writing and/or Listening and Speaking)
Students will be able to…
Proficient Student Sample
Instructional plan:

19. Visual Thinking Questions
Questions specific to the image:
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)
Learning Goal: (ELA Standard(s) from the Domains of Writing and/or Listening and Speaking)
Students will be able to identify and summarize the visual narrative of the image by writing a summary that contains the main idea and the most significant details.
Proficient Student Sample
Instructional plan:

20. Visual Thinking Questions
Questions specific to the image:
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)
Learning Goal: (ELA Standard(s) from the Domains of Writing and/or Listening and Speaking)
Students will be able to identify and summarize the visual narrative of the image by writing a summary that contains the main idea and the most significant details.
Proficient Student Sample
The image, Sunday in the Mines, helps people of today understand what life was like for miners at camp during the gold rush. The image is arranged spatially in order to show what miners might do when they were not mining. The artist uses bright red to draw attention to different characters in the painting. People who view this image should understand that life at gold mining camps was stressful and boring at times. Knowing how to view this image is important because it shows life events in a mining camp.
Instructional plan:

21. -What kinds of lines do you see?
Visual Thinking Questions
Questions specific to the image:
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)
-What kinds of lines do you see?
-Where are the brightest spots in the painting?
-What colors do you notice?
-What do you notice about the characters?
-What was life like in the mining camps?
Learning Goal: (ELA Standard(s) from the Domains of Writing and/or Listening and Speaking)
Students will be able to identify and summarize the visual narrative of the image by writing a summary that contains the main idea and the most significant details.
Proficient Student Sample
The image, Sunday in the Mines, helps people of today understand what life was like for miners at camp during the gold rush. The image is arranged spatially in order to show what miners might do when they were not mining. The artist uses bright red to draw attention to different characters in the painting. People who view this image should understand that life at gold mining camps was stressful and boring at times. Knowing how to view this image is important because it shows life events in a mining camp.
Instructional plan:

22. Share learning goal for lesson
Visual Thinking Questions
Questions specific to the image:
What's going on in this picture?
What else can you find?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What do you mean by that? (Probing for Clarification)
Who is this person? (Probing for Character)
Where is this taking place? (Probing for Setting)
-What kinds of lines do you see?
-Where are the brightest spots in the painting?
-What do you notice about the characters?
-What was life like in the mining camps?
Learning Goal: (ELA Standard(s) from the Domains of Writing and/or Listening and Speaking)
Students will be able to identify and summarize the visual narrative of the image by writing a summary that contains the main idea and the most significant details.
Proficient Student Sample
The image, Sunday in the Mines, helps people of today understand what life was like for miners at camp during the gold rush. The image is arranged spatially in order to show what miners might do when they were not mining. The artist uses bright red to draw attention to different characters in the painting. People who view this image should understand that life at gold mining camps was stressful and boring at times. Knowing how to view this image is important because it shows life events in a mining camp.
Instructional plan:
Share learning goal for lesson
Show the image using VTS – use language that focuses on visual arts
“I Do” – Do think aloud using Summary template
Add 1 sentence (already written) per horizontal box.
Think Aloud then post sentence
“We Do” – Using same template, write summary together. Groups of 3/4 brainstorm sentences, share out and class chooses one to post.
Ticket Out the Door – After covering the “We Do” product, each student writes sentence about the image using the summary template as a guide.
Hand in for spot check

23. Your turn…
Use image and VTS Integration Template to design lesson connecting the ELA standards with VTS

24. Reflecting…
Insights?
Applications!