Pamela Coleman, Deb Liu, Ann Reis, and Ellen Shea Solomon School

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Understanding the 1960s Civil Rights Era
Through Black Creative Expressions
Pamela Coleman, Deb Liu, Ann Reis, and Ellen Shea
Solomon School Grades 6th, 7th 8th Social
Studies, Language Arts, Fine Arts
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Romare Bearden (American, 1911-1988) The Dove,
1964 Cut-and-pasted printed paper, gouache,
pencil, colored pencil on board Museum of
Modern Art, New York City (377.1971)
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• Key Ideas
• ? Art communicates ideas.
• Community is defined by the individual and the
  group.
• ? Collage may be used as a metaphor for
  community.
• ? The arts often reflect personal
  experiences/reactions to the historical events
  of a time period.

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• We wanted our students
• ? To increase their understanding of the Civil
  Rights Era of the 1960s.
• ? To appreciate the Black experience as diverse
  yet also universal.
• To appreciate the arts as an individual/group/com
  munity expression.
• ? To understand collage as the gluing together
  of disparate parts.
• ? To appreciate American art.

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videos, music, books, poetry,
art reproductions, technology
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• Major Learning Activities
• View DVD on important events of the 1960s Civil
  Rights Era
• Write reflections/poetry/summaries of those
  important events
• Close read of The Dove
• In-depth read on Romare Bearden and his art work
• Read/Listen to Black American poetry/music of the
  era
• Create A to Z collages celebrating 50 years of
  Motown
• Create Bearden-inspired individual/group/community
  collages

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(No Transcript)
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• Our Students Learned
• To appreciate American art and artists.
• To appreciate their own creative talents.
• To understand that creativity is often sparked
  by external events.
• The 1960s was an era of social and political
  change reflected in art, literature, and
  music.

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• We Learned that
• Exposing our students to American art and
  devotingtime to observe and discuss the artwork
  helpsto develop their appreciation of art.
• Our students understand that art communicates
  ideas.
• Using the arts to personalize historical events
  deepens students understanding of those events
  and contributesto their ability to empathize
  with the experiences of others.
• Collage is an effective medium/metaphor for
  theexpression of individual, group and community
  identities.