Create a Museum Exhibit: Analyze a Model Curator’s Statement | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M3:U3:L7

Create a Museum Exhibit: Analyze a Model Curator’s Statement

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.7.2, SL.7.4

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RL.7.4, RL.7.5
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can generate criteria for the curator's statement of a museum exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance. (SL.7.4)
  • I can identify themes developed across works of the Harlem Renaissance. (RL.7.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7
  • Work Time B: Analyze a Model Curator's Statement and Label note-catcher (SL.7.4)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Exit Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (RL.7.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Review the Performance Task - SL.7.4 (5 minutes)

B. Analyze a Model Curator's Statement - SL.7.4 (25 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Brainstorm Unifying Themes and Texts - RL.7.2 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Optional: Create Art: Students have the option of creating a poem, story, song, dance, artwork, or nonfiction piece in response to a Harlem Renaissance work. They may choose to include this as their contemporary piece in their Harlem Renaissance exhibit for the performance task.

B. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • SL.7.4 – Work Time A: Students review the criteria and expectations for the performance task, including presenting findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, details, and examples, and using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
  • SL.7.4 – Work Time B: Students analyze a model curator’s statement and label, noting techniques that make it effective, determining the purpose and important elements, and generating ideas for their own curator’s statements and labels.
  • RL.7.2 – Closing and Assessment A: Students brainstorm about themes developed across texts that could be used in a museum exhibit and works they’ve encountered throughout the module that develop those themes.
  • In this lesson, students focus on contributing to a better world by preparing to create their own exhibit and inform others of the important work of the Harlem Renaissance.
  • The Think-Pair-Share protocols are used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students analyze the model curator’s statement and label in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • Invite students who are enjoying this work to research other curator’s statements and labels on the internet and create a list of strengths of these exemplars to share with the class.
  • Show the items associated with the curator’s statement while reviewing it—an image of the painting Isle de Bonaventure by Palmer Hayden and the poems “Storm Ending” by Jean Toomer and “Like a Strong Tree” by Claude McKay. Challenge students to think about why these works have been pulled together before explaining it to them.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students have engaged with works from the Harlem Renaissance as well as work that brings the Harlem Renaissance themes into the present. Throughout the module, students have added these works to a class collection with an eye toward creating their own exhibits for their performance tasks. Students begin planning their exhibits in this lesson, analyzing a model curator's statement and determining criteria for a unified theme.

Support All Students

  • The subject matter in the works selected may include descriptions of prejudice, poverty, and hardship. Continue to monitor students to determine if issues surface from the content of this chapter that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.
  • Students may need additional support in selecting a unifying theme and creating groupings of works. Also, work with small strategy groups to support students. ▲
  • For this unit, students are encouraged to create their own exhibits. However, students may also benefit from working together in pairs or triads to create their exhibits. This will give students support in planning, writing, and in the performance task museum exhibit creation. Working in pairs or triads also allows students to develop collaboration skills essential for college and career readiness. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ exit tickets to ensure that they are choosing unifying themes and groupings that will work well for this assignment.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue organizing their exhibits, draft their curator’s statement, and write a label for their visual piece.

In Advance

  • Ensure that there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 at each student's workspace.
  • Prepare
    • Make copies of the Performance Task anchor chart so each student has a copy of the expectations
    • Ready a device to display the image of Palmer Hayden's painting Isle de Bonaventure: http://eled.org/0210
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Device to display the image of Palmer Hayden's painting Isle de Bonaventure: http://eled.org/0210

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, 7.I.B.6, and 7.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes a whole class analysis of the Model Curator's Statement and Label as well as a note-catcher to support student comprehension and analysis. Additionally, students receive support as they work in groups to begin to curate collections for their museum exhibit.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand the Model Curator's Statement and Label. Draw together a group of students who need more support and read the curator's statement and label aloud several times, pausing at the end of each line to allow students to highlight or illustrate the line. Allow time for students to work together to paraphrase the curator's statement and label, writing their version below the originals. Encourage students to share out their paraphrases and check them to ensure all students understand the content. Then assist these students in completing their note-catcher, ensuring that they each understand why they are recording certain lines from the model in certain places on the note-catcher.

Vocabulary

  • curator's statement (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart (one for display; Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Module 3 texts and artwork: Shuffle Along, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," The Harp, "Calling Dreams," "Hope," "I Shall Return," Ethiopia Awakening, African Phantasy: Awakening, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "His Motto," "The Boy and the Bayonet," "On Bully Patrol," "David's Old Soul," and "The Sculptor"
  • Module 3 poetry and story note-catchers (begun in Module 3, Unit 1)
  • Module 3 Homework materials (begun in Module 3, Unit 1)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Analyze a Model Curator's Statement and Label note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Device to display the image of Palmer Hayden's painting Isle de Bonaventure: http://eled.org/0210
  • Exit Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (one per student)
  • Performance Task directions (one per student; see Performance Task Overview and Supporting Materials)
  • Model Curator's Statement and Label (one per student and one for display)
  • Analyze a Model Curator's Statement and Label note-catcher (one per student)
  • Exit Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (one per student)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download the Performance Task

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.
  • With students, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the term curator's statement (paragraph about works from a person who creates museum exhibits). Record on the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.

For Lighter Support

  • To promote independence on the entrance ticket, challenge students to record their responses first and then as necessary share them with a partner. Grappling first will increase students' confidence and success on independent tasks such as assessments.

For Heavier Support

  • To promote independence on the entrance ticket, challenge students to use the words in the questions to form sentence frames to answer the questions. Then they can answer them independently. As necessary, students can then share their frames and responses with a partner. Grappling first will increase students' confidence and success on independent tasks such as assessments.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Review the Performance Task (5 minutes)

  • Display the Performance Task anchor chart and distribute the Performance Task directions. Ask students to Turn and Talk to summarize the directions and comment about anything that surprises or concerns them. (Ask students with concerns to write their names on the board so they can get some support.) Ensure that students understand that the unifying factor for their exhibit is a theme. However, they may also explore and discuss in their presentation, curator's statement, and label, any connections that exist in the language and structure of the works in their exhibit.
  • Have students Think-Pair-Share about additional criteria they might include in their exhibit to make it effective and to follow the directions. Record student responses on the chart. Inform students that today they will analyze a model curator's statement to develop criteria for their own curator's statement. Later in the lesson, students will brainstorm themes and connect groups of works from the Harlem Renaissance.

For Lighter Support

  • After students analyze the Model Curator's Statement and Label in Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to examine an effective statement in a label about a displayed work. The sentence of the Mini Dive also helps students address RL.7.4 and L.7.5c by featuring words with precise connotations (e.g., turbulent) to evoke a particular mood.

For Heavier Support

  • N/A

B. Analyze a Model Curator’s Statement – SL.7.4 (25 minutes)

  • Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can generate criteria for the curator’s statement of a museum exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance.”

  • Inform students that they will now read and analyze a model curator’s statement. Remind students that the curator of a museum is the person in charge of selecting the works to display and explaining to museum visitors how these works go together, what makes them important, the context in which they were created, as well as other information. The curator offers all this information to visitors in an interesting and engaging way, using a curator’s statement and the labels that go with each work. Curators are experts on the work they present to the public, and they use their knowledge to inform and engage visitors. Explain to students that as curators, they will be responsible for creating excitement for their viewers and helping them to appreciate the work they’ve selected in the same way.
  • Distribute and display the Model Curator’s Statement and Label. Explain to students that although they have not read the works mentioned in the Model Curator’s Statement, all are from the Harlem Renaissance, and they will read one of the works in this lesson. Read the title of the model exhibit, the titles of the works from the exhibit, and the model curator’s statement aloud.
  • Tell students that they will now analyze the model curator’s statement to decide what makes it informative, engaging, and interesting to visitors to the museum.
  • Distribute the Analyze a Model Curator’s Statement and Label note-catcher and note that students will take notes below each heading. Explain that first they will look at the Model Curator’s Statement and identify the elements they find there. Ensure that students note the hook, context, theme, titles of works, and tone.
  • If necessary to help students understand the theme and identify the tone, ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What does this theme mean to you? How is nature mysterious? How is life complex?” (Responses will vary, but may include something about how powerful storms or the ocean can be and how life is complicated by all our thoughts, relationships, and interactions.) ▲

“What words and phrases show that the writer is excited about these works and wants the reader to be excited as well?” (Phrases like brought great beauty into the world and perhaps they will remind you of the beauty and mystery all around us show appreciation. Also, phrases like Open your eyes, look around! include you and an exclamation point, which show excitement and invite the reader to join in the excitement.) ▲

  • Explain that, after looking at the curator’s statement, students will examine a label for the visual art piece in the model exhibit and identify the elements important for making an engaging and informative label.
  • Invite students to Turn and Talk with partners about the prompts on their note-catchers. Ask students to record their answers for each prompt and ask for volunteers to share out. Underline or circle the examples from the text that they provide for each section of the model curator’s statement.
  • Display the artwork Isle de Bonaventure by Palmer Hayden and direct students’ attention to the model label written for the piece on their Model Curator’s Statement and Label. Lead a whole class discussion on what visual elements the writer of the label noticed in the painting and how these elements connect to the unifying theme that nature’s mysteries can teach us about life’s complexity. (The painting has many birds flying in it and a violent, active ocean. The painting is interesting and shows that nature can be complex.)
  • Ask students to Turn and Talk with a partner about how this label gives information about the piece and helps create an appreciation for the work. (The label further develops the idea that the artist was able to capture the complexity in nature. By pointing out the beauty of the painting and the skill it took to create it, the label helps bring appreciation for the work.)
  • Invite students to record these label features on their note-catchers. Ask students to independently respond to the final questions on the note-catcher, reflecting on how this Model Curator’s Statement and Label demonstrates techniques they can use in their own curator’s statements and labels. Ask for student volunteers to share their answers with the class.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“Based on the tone of the model curator’s statement and label, who is the audience for this model exhibit? Why do you think this?” (This model sounds like it is written for older students or adults who don’t necessarily know about the Harlem Renaissance. The writer uses a formal tone and explains a lot about the Harlem Renaissance.) If necessary, prompt students further with questions such as, “What words and phrases show the formal tone?” (There is no slang used. No sentences begin with “and” or “but.” Formal words like “overall” and “together” are used.) “Who is this model written for? How do you know?” (It is written for older students or adults who don’t know about the Harlem Renaissance because of the complex explanations and deep themes but also the basic context information.) ▲

  • Explain to students that for their end of unit assessments, they will include a visual or multimedia component such as an artwork, audio, or video. Explain that the label they will present for the end of unit assessment will be about the visual or multimedia component of their own exhibit.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • Before Work Time B, ask students whether they have previous experience going to museums. Ask these students to share their experiences with the class. As necessary, prompt these students with questions such as
    • What have you seen in a museum? What kinds of things are on the walls of museums? Besides the art, what else is on the walls? Why is there text next to each piece in a museum? What does this text tell visitors?
  • Asset-based instruction increases students' comprehension, confidence, and engagement with performance task.

For Heavier Support

  • Before Work Time B, ask students whether they have previous experience going to museums. Ask these students to share their experiences with the class. As necessary, prompt these students with questions such as
    • What have you seen in a museum? What kinds of things are on the walls of museums? Besides the art, what else is on the walls? Why is there text next to each piece in a museum? What does this text tell visitors?
  • If students don't have the language or comfort to share their experience, they can draw or write about it or tell a partner or the teacher who can share it with the class. Asset-based instruction increases students' comprehension, confidence, and engagement with performance task.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Brainstorm Unifying Themes and Texts - RL.7.2 (10 minutes)

  • Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can identify themes developed across works of the Harlem Renaissance."

  • Display and distribute Exit Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7. Invite a volunteer to read the exit ticket aloud. Inform students that they will join with partners or small groups to discuss potential unifying themes that could be used in their exhibits. Display the Harlem Renaissance Themes anchor chart and encourage students to examine the chart, looking for similar themes across texts.
  • Ask students to retrieve their copies of all the Module 3 texts and artwork, poetry and story note-catchers, Homework materials, and any other relevant material.
  • Invite students to join with partners or small groups and follow the instructions on the exit ticket to brainstorm and discuss unifying themes from the module and the texts that correspond to themes. Tell students that they should identify three possible unifying themes and brainstorm a grouping of pieces that might go with these themes. Students can work independently to identify and star themes that interest them most. They can discuss these with their partner or in a small group and explain their interest. Tell students that they do not have to finalize the themes and groupings they will use for their own exhibits at this time.
  • Using a total participation response, invite students to share their lists of themes and possible groupings. For examples, see Exit Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (example for teacher reference). Encourage students to record any interesting ideas or add to their groupings during this discussion. At this time, students may share and discuss any connections that exist in the language and structure of the works in their exhibit.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • In the brainstorming activity of Closing and Assessment A, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support and challenge them. This may mean mixed groupings by language or content proficiency. However, ensure that there are at least two students from each level and that there is no more than one level of difference among the students in a group. Strategic grouping affords students the opportunity of supporting and being challenged by others.

For Heavier Support

  • In the brainstorming activity of Closing and Assessment A, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support them. This may mean mixed groupings by language or content proficiency. However, ensure that there are at least two students from each level and that there is no more than one level of difference among the students in a group. Strategic grouping affords students the opportunity of supporting and being challenged by others.

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Optional: Create Art

  • Students have the option of creating a poem, story, song, dance, artwork, or nonfiction piece in response to a Harlem Renaissance work. They may choose to include this as their contemporary piece in their Harlem Renaissance exhibit for the performance task.

B. Independent Research Reading 

  • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

For Lighter Support

  • Before students leave class, encourage them to share how they plan to respond to their reading and analysis of Harlem Renaissance poetry, especially based on their experience of the previous lessons' homework. Consider grouping students by chosen artform and allowing them several minutes to discuss their work and the challenges and solutions they have discovered. The choice and asset-based nature of this homework assignment will increase students' engagement with the Harlem Renaissance themes and topics.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students leave class, encourage them to share how they plan to respond to their reading and analysis of Harlem Renaissance poetry, especially based on their experience of the previous lessons' homework. Consider grouping students by chosen artform and allowing them several minutes to discuss their work and the challenges and solutions they have discovered. The choice and asset-based nature of this homework assignment will increase students' engagement with the Harlem Renaissance themes and topics.

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