Unit Title: Environment

Unit Title: Environment Lesson Title/Focus: Week One Photograms/cyanotypes

Lesson Abstract:

In this lesson, students will produce three distinctive photograms to understand how design can communicate ideas. The students will also explore opaque, translucent and transparent objects and combine them to create organic, geometric and symbolic designs. Students will learn about the technologies and processes of photography. After completing their photograms, students are encouraged to be more articulate about their design choices as they critique their works and write individual artists' statements.

Instructional Materials:	Projector	PowerPoint	Project handout
Necessary Equipment:	Glass Cardboard Trays	Photographic paper Darkroom Tongs	Variety of objects Developing chemistry Running water
Technology:	Enlarger
Lesson Resources:	www.acorngroup.com.p1371htm Information on light-sensitive papers www.exploratorium.edu/light.walk/index.html Photogram artists: Anne Barnard, Bruce Checefsky, Karen Saunders and Man Ray.

Standards:
Visual Art EALRs/GLEs:	1:The student understands and applies arts knowledge and skills. 1.1.1 Understands arts concepts and vocabulary 1.1.2 Develop arts skills and techniques 2:The student demonstrates thinking skills using artistic processes. 2.1 Apply a creative process in the arts 3:The student communicates through the arts. 3.1 Use the arts to express and present ideas and feelings 3.3 Develop personal aesthetic criteria to communicate artistic choices
Language Development EALRs	1: The student uses listening and observation skills and strategies to gain understanding. 1.1: Uses listening and observation skills and strategies to focus attention and interpret information.
Mathematics EALRs/GLEs	5:The student understands how mathematical ideas connect within mathematics, to other subject areas, and to real‑world situations. 5.3: Relate mathematical concepts and procedures to real‑world situations.
Science EALRs/GLEs	2: The student knows and applies the skills, processes, and nature of scientific inquiry 2.1 Investigating Systems: Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to do scientific inquiry.
NETS Standards	Students will use the internet to research information about the history and photographic information. In their research, they will include a relative timeline of photographic history, as well as chemical information of the processes. Students should also include information they have research about chemical reaction. Students will also need to include proper citation of all websites used. (see attachment) 3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. process data and report results.

Learning Targets:

Performance Objectives:

Students will be able to identify opaque, translucent and transparent objects.

Students will create a photogram series that include:

Organic designs which focus on value and composition;
Geometric designs which focus on texture and negative space;
Symbolic designs in which they select objects and materials to visualize different aspects of themselves and their lives.

Student will be able to correctly describe the processes involved in creating cyanotypes and photogram
Students will be able to identify artists how have used cyanotypes and photograms in their art
Students will be able to analyze the cyanotype and photogram processes.
Student will be able to synthesize a paper using the internet to find information on artistic process and historical information.

Language Development Objectives:

Students also are responsible for an artist's statement in which they reflect on both the creative and technical processes involved in their photogram series.

Classroom Management Considerations:
Grouping Students for Instruction:	Students will form groups of two when working with enlargers for the first time. ELL student or students will disabilities will also be allowed to pair off with other students as needed.
Transitions:	Student will come in from the pervious period and take out their journals and complete the entry task. (See diagnostic assessment). At the end of class we will play "Boys vs. Girls" until class is over.
Safety Concerns:	Photography chemistry is highly toxic. The material safety data sheets (MDSD) can be found in the red MDSD binder. Before this lesson, students will be introduced to the binder and the safety concerns with the chemistry.

Student Characteristics and Accommodations:
Prior Knowledge:	Students will have already been introduced to the Dark Room and have a general understanding of how to use the enlarger, negative carrier, the timer, and lens. Reviewed the safety procedures and demonstrated the tray developing procedure
Differentiated Instruction:	Some students are intimidated by working with enlargers and printing in the dark. A solution to this is to have students work in teams of two for their initial darkroom experiences. As students become more familiar with the darkroom, they can work individually. Students who have difficulty with value could use a collection of photogram materials that the teacher selects to ensure different degrees of value. Students who finish quickly can experiment with other materials, such as reflective objects, liquids and different textures. Some students may need teacher support when recording technical and creative processes on the rubric. Some students may need teacher support when writing their Artist's Statement.
Cultural Sensitivity:	This lesson has a multicultural emphasis since it introduces artists from different background. Students will bring in their own unique items from home. Students will then be given the opportunity in the critique to talk about how their pieces relate to them and their home environment.

Instructional Plan:

Introduce Student-Friendly Learning Targets:

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate how to properly develop and create photograms.
Able to define opaque, translucent and transparent objects
Create a organic, geometric and self-representative photogram

Engage and Encounter/Antipatory:

Students' will be introduced to nature print paper. The teacher will ask the students what they believe will happen to the paper when it is exposed to sunlight. Students will be encouraged to take notes within their journal. Students will be allowed to experiment with the nature print paper to make their own cyanotype. In their journal, students will reflect on how this paper is similar and different than our lesson on silhouettes we covered last lesson. Suggest to students to draw a concept map for this task. This will be used as a starting activity in understanding light sensitive paper and connect it to our past unit. Students will then research the history and artists (past and present) who use cyanotypes in their work and how that technique has impacted photography. (see attached).

Language Support:
Key Vocabulary:
	Composition	the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art
	Negative space	the space around and between the subject(s) of an image
	Opaque	blocking the passage of radiant energy and especially light
	Organic shapes	with a natural look and a flowing and curving appearance
	Overlapping	sharing the same space
	Photographic	chemicals- developer, stop bath, fixer
	Photogram	unique art form requiring only the action of light on a photosensitive paper
	Symbolism	practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships.
	Texture	element of art, is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work actually feels when touched, or the visual feel of a two-dimensional work.
	Transparent	allowing the transmission of light through a material
	Translucent	allowing light to pass through but scattering it as it does, to give diffuse images
	Value	the relative darkness or lightness of a color
Language-Sensitive Modifications::	Some students may need teacher support when writing their Artist's Statement and paper. An alternative activity may also be provided based on the student's needs and abilities. Students may use a scribe or make an audio recording of their artist statement.

Learning Activities:
Application Mastery:	Define and explain the terms value, opaque, transparent and translucent. Discuss how value is important to artistic composition and learn how the use of opaque, transparent and translucent objects produces value in a photogram. Show slide show of photogram prints Conduct a discussion about value and how it relates to composition. Have students observe the number of different values used in the prints. In addition, have students look for other elements within photograms that contribute to the illusion of depth and space. Photogram prints by artists such as Man Ray, William Henry Fox Talbot and Kurt Schwitters are examples. Other artists to study include Henry Holmes Smith, who made colored photographic photograms by projecting light through liquids onto color photo paper, and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy of the Bauhaus School of Design. Students will be allowed time to look up images from arts online. (Fill out attached activity) Discuss how the characteristics of opaque, translucent and transparent relate to the value in their photogram compositions. An overhead projector can be used for those students having difficulty understanding the difference among opaque, translucent and transparent. In this session, students create a basic photogram that introduces them to the darkroom, enlarger and printing process. Darkroom procedures- (See Attached) Organic Photograms Students will select materials such as live plant leaves, dried flowers, seeds and sliced fruit pieces for the organic photogram. Remind them that achieving at least five values in their compositions depends on the translucent characteristics of the items they select. They should have at least five values. After students select their objects, have them plan their compositions before they go into the darkroom. They should have a focal point and may consider the option of objects going off the page. Demonstrate the technique called dodging or burning. This is achieved by moving the hand or a piece of cardboard over certain areas of the photogram while it is exposed to light. This technique creates additional values. Next, students go into the darkroom and create their photograms using the darkroom procedures (see attached). Geometric Photograms Students will select materials such as paper cut outs and other found geometric shapes. Remind them that achieving at least five values in their compositions depends on the translucent characteristics of the items they select. They should have at least five values. After students select their objects, have them plan their compositions before they go into the darkroom. They should have a focal point and may consider the option of objects going off the page. Demonstrate the technique called dodging or burning. This is achieved by moving the hand or a piece of cardboard over certain areas of the photogram while it is exposed to light. This technique creates additional values. Next, students go into the darkroom and create their photograms using the darkroom procedures (see attached).
Closure:	Students will be encouraged to take a walk around the room. If they see a technique the likes, they are allowed to ask their classmates how they achieved that particular result.
Independent Practice:	Self-Symbolic Photograms For this photogram, ask students to bring in personal objects that symbolize aspects of them. They will use these objects in photogram self-portraits. The objects should tell stories about themselves as artists. 1. Display artwork by photogram artists such as William Henry, Fox Talbott and Kurt Schwitters. Have students identify objects used in the photograms. 2. Give students time to look at the artworks. Have him or her infer contextual information about each photogram and artist such as details about the artist's life, the subjects the artist used and the time the artist lived. 3. Students explain how they think the artists used symbolism in their photograms. 4. Next, they take turns identifying the objects they selected for their self-symbolic photograms. Have each student explain the object's personal significance. Encourage and challenge them to achieve some depth by choosing objects that touch on aspects of real importance to them so they move beyond simple solutions, cliches and stereotypes. 5. To achieve good compositions, have students experiment with arranging objects. Point out different options such as overlapping, size and placement in the picture plane. 6. When they are satisfied with their compositions, let students go into the darkroom and follow the same procedure as they did when creating previous photograms.


Assessment and Performance Tasks:
Diagnostic:	Prior to teaching this unit, students will be asked to hypothesis about the range of values they see on the photogram. They will be asked if they can guess if objects on the photogram are opaque, transparent and translucent. This will inform me about how much the students know about these terms. This will be written in the students' journals and shared out loud before the days activities are began.
Formative:	Teacher will complete the Performance Photogram Checklist for each student (see attached).
Summative:	Assessment is in the form of a rubric that will address the goals of the assignment, artistry, originality and overall visual impact (see attached: Photogram Project Rubric).

Reflections:

Student Reflection Procedure:

Students are responsible for an artist's statement in which they reflect on both the creative and technical processes involved in their photogram series. Some students may need additional teacher support with recalling their artistic processes and writing the artist's statement.

Teacher Reflection:

At the beginning of this lesson, students did not know how to identify objects as translucent, transparent or opaque. By the end of this lesson, students could identify the physical properties and how they relate to the values in photograms. Students also could properly produced photograms by properly using the development process. Next time for this lesson, I will set out more developing chemicals, one set was not efficient for the amount of students. I will also remember to tell the student how to check and change the chemicals prior to the development of their products.

History:

This was an accidental discovery, in 1725, where Johann Heinrich Schultze (1687-1744)

The first period of "photogram" exploration was to gain scientific record of natural objects (e.g. Anna Atkins).

The second period was a rediscovery of the artistic potential as illustrated by Christian Schad, Man Ray and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy in the Dada, Surrealist and Constructivist periods of art, respectively.

Talbot began investigating the properties of silver salts in mid-1834 and in 1835 and began to produce photosensitive paper by sequentially coating paper with sodium chloride solution followed by silver nitrate thereby producing silver chloride impregnated paper. In dim light, this paper was then coated on one side with a 1:6 to 1:8 solution of silver nitrate.

This paper was now photosensitive. Contact of a translucent object or fern or lace in a printing frame, and exposure to sunlight until a reddish image appeared, followed by washing the print in salt solution under low level of light, resulted in a relatively permanent image.

Talbot created photograms of plant material by allowing sunlight to pass through leaves that he placed on his photosensitive paper.

Talbot called these images "photogenic drawings", a term that is used periodically today, but has generally been replaced by the term photogram.

By using "salted paper" Talbot began making photograms of various botanical specimens including leaves and flowers and also of a variety of translucent and opaque objects.

By corresponding with William Henry Fox Talbot, Anna Alearned about photogenic drawings and from her acquaintance with a friend of her family, Sir John Herschel, the inventor of cyanotype, she learned how to print her specimens as cyanotypes. Herschel was a scientist, inventor and astronomer. He invented the cyanotype in 1842 by observing the photosensitivity of ferric salts.

Anna later used the process of making cyanotypes to produce detailed images of botanical specimens. She then used these to illustrate her book entitled "British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions". This was the first book that was illustrated using photography. Atkins and her father John Children began in 1840 to explore the use of the new photographic processes being developed by William Henry Fox Talbot and Sir John Herschel. Anna Atkins began her work, using the cyanotype process, on British Algae before 1843, and published British Algae in parts from 1843 to 1853.

In 1918 Christian Schad (1894-1962) (German), who was inspired by cubism, began experimenting in Europe by making cameraless photographic images. Talbot had originally called these images "photogenic drawings" which were prints made by placing objects onto photosensitive paper and then exposing the paper to sunlight. By 1919 Schad was creating photogenic drawings from random arrangements of discarded objects he had collected such as torn tickets, receipts and rags

Man Ray (1890-1976) was born Emmanuel Rudnitsky in Philadelphia. He did not speak of his early years or family background and used only Man Ray as his name not wishing to reveal his given name. He was the eldest son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. In 1897 his family moved to Brooklyn, New York. He became famous because of his photogram imagery. His early influences in New York included attending the National Academy of Design and going to lectures at the avant garde Ferrer Social Center. During his formative years he was fortunate to have met Alfred Steiglitz, and later Marcel Duchamp, and Francis Picabia. Man Ray, became a colleague of Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia during the New York Dada period. In 1922 he experimented with producing images using only light and photographic paper. He called these images Rayographs, combining his name and the source of light and being similar to Andre Breton's "automatic writing". [http://anniehalliday.com/photograms.php ] His facination with the Rayograph resulted in an album of twelve images, Champs D licieux, created using this approach.

He produced these Rayographs by arranging translucent and opaque objects on photosensitive materials. He intentionally used objects that were three dimensional in order to create unusual shadows of the objects on the two dimensional photosensitive surface. His techniques included immersing the object in the developer during exposure, and using stationary and moving light sources. [Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography, 3rd edition 1997, Abbeville Press, p394]. Man Ray obviously did not invent the photogram, but he breathed life into the technique and gave it a spirit. He moved to Paris in 1921 where he did professional portraits and fashion photography. It was during this time that Man Ray explored many creative aspects of the photogram. Curtis Moffat worked as an assistant to Man Ray during these years.

Photogram Project

Each students will create 3 photogram.

Organic photogram will be of organic maters found within the community. These will be provided in class.

Geometric photogram will contain object

The final project will require you to bring personal objects from you that reflect your self-identity to create a photogram with personal meaning.

*All work must be printed the day before the final critique!*

Artist's Statement

Each student will write an artist's statement reflecting on the complete photogram series. This should be typed without any grammatical error and handed in on the day of the critique

Artist's Statement Guidelines

FIRST PARAGRAPH – Describe the photogram that you consider to be the best of your photogram series. Why is it your best? What do you think it communicates to others? Describe the materials or objects used in the photogram and why you selected them.

SECOND PARAGRAPH – Describe the photographic process and photographic techniques you used to achieve certain effects in the final piece. Be specific, using details and the vocabulary you learned.

THIRD PARAGRAPH – Explain problems you encountered through the process and how you resolved them. Use appropriate, relevant vocabulary in your response. In your view, did you achieve the visual effect and meaning you intended? Why or why not?

FOURTH PARAGRAPH – If you would do this project again, would you do anything differently? Why or why not?

Student Critique Guidelines

Procedure

Display the anonymous prints in the room where everyone can view them.

Walk around and look carefully at everyone's artworks.

We will then discuss the works while facing them.

Select a work that you feel is successful in achieving the goals of the project

Be prepared to share your choices and the reasons for their selections. Also to answer these questions, "Which work demonstrates an effective composition? What qualities or characteristics do you see in the work that make the composition effective?"

Finally, you will comment on your work. Your discussion could include how objects were selected, what interesting visual effects were created, or what problems were encountered during the process. Also you can comment on what they enjoyed about the project, what they felt about this approach to the medium and what discoveries they made during the process.

Photogram

Introduction: A photogram is made without the use of a camera or film. It is the result of placing a two or three-dimensional object in contact with photographic paper and exposing it to light followed by normal processing. The objects interrupt the path of light, creating shadows, blocking it completely in some areas and blacking it only partially in other areas creating various tonalities in the photographic paper. Photographers throughout the history of the medium have made photogenic drawings under various manes. In the 19^th Century William Henry Fox Talbot called them photogenic drawings.

In the 20^th Century Christian Scad called them Schodographs, Man Ray, called them Rayographs. The name used most often is called photogram. This name was credited to Lazolo Moholy-Nagy.

Things to Consider:

Start simple and think of making basic compositional relationships between areas on the print. The photogram can become boring visually if the entire sheet of paper has an equal distribution of similar objects.

Don't be afraid of having large areas that are entirely black

Think of using the edges of the paper with objects spilling off

Avoid placing dominant shaped objects directly in the corner or center of you paper

Attempt to get visually interesting contrast between values, lights, and darks, shapes, textures and lines

Required Supplies

a piece of opaque cardboard

a negative carrier

two and/or three-dimensional objects

The Process:

Place the negative carrier in the enlarger

Open up the lens to its maximum aperture

Turn the timer switch to "focus". This should allow you to see the light projected from the enlarger on to the baseboard

Unlock the enlarger, raise its head so that the light will completely cover an 8"x 10" piece of photographic paper. Retighten the enlarger head in this position. Note where the boundaries of the light are on the base board or use an easel

Set the aperture of the lens to approximately f11. This can be changed later if you initial results are way to light or way too dark. Turn the timer to "Time", This will turn off the light.

Place one piece of the photographic paper with the emulsion side up on the baseboard in the area that you know will be covered by the light. Place your objects on top of the photographic paper.

Make a test strip using increments of three seconds. Remove your objects

Places your paper with the emulsion side up

Developer 1 minute agitation from RC- us tongs, let drain from 10 seconds before proceeding

Stop Bath 30 seconds with agitation from RC- use tongs, let drain for 10 seconds

before proceeding

Fixer 2minutes with agitation for a complete fx of RC. Remove from the fixer, let drain for 10 seconds

Hold Tray Place your completely fixed print in the holding tray until a final was of all the prints is ready

Final Wash 5 minutes final wash

Tray: You must use a clean tray to transport your completely washed prints to the draying racks

Dry Place prints face up on draying rack and remove to your folder as soon as dry.

Lab Rule: YOU MUST COMPLETELY FIX AND COMPLETE A FINAL WASH FOR ANY PRINT THAT IS GOING TO BE PLACED ON THE DRAYING RACKS

Experiment with the selection of objects, placement of the objects and the exposure times to create the most visually interesting photogram possible. Remember that photogram result from a combination of both your decisions of object selection, object placement, exposure and serendipity. Attempt to go beyond merely recording the shape of particular objects and attempt to create something never before seen as the objects function as "light modulators"

Performance Photogram Checklist:

Student Name:________________________________________ Date:_______________

Criteria/Performance Indicators	Not Yet 0	Some Evidence 1
The student: Recognizes and name the following physical property of objects:
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Identifies different shapes:
Geometry
Organic
Knows the steps to develop picture:
Can turn on the enlarger
Can identify the aperture on the enlarger
Can set the timer
Exposure photo paper
Use of developers
Use of stop bath
Use of wash bath
Can identify drying rack
Total:
Teacher Comments:
Student Comments:

Scale:

13-12=A

9-11=B

0-7 not yet

Photogram Project Rubric

Student Name:________________________________________ Date:_______________

Criteria/Scale	0	1	2	3	4
Artist's Statement Contained all Four paragraphs	Did not complete	Contained 1 paragraph	Contained 2 paragraphs	Contained 3 paragraphs	Contained all for paragraphs
Student Critique-Displayed work, walked around to look, share reason for their selection, stated what they enjoyed and what the discovered	Did not complete	Displayed work	Displayed work and walked around	Displayed work and stated what they enjoyed and discovered	Actively looked around, displayed work, stated what they enjoyed and discovered
Completed the work on time	Did not display	-	-	-	Handed in on time
Displayed an organic photogram	Did not display	-	-	-	Displayed work
Displayed an geometric photogram	Did not display				Displayed work
Displayed a Self-representational photogram for Critique	Did not display	-	-	-	Displayed work
Photograms showed use of value	Did not complete	Showed 1-2 Tonal ranges	Showed 2-3 Tonal ranges	Showed 3-4 tonal ranges	Showed 5 or more tonal range
Handed in photogram Artist worksheet	Did not complete	No thumb nails with one-two sentences about artists	Missing 2 thumb nail and wrote paragraph3-4 sentences	Missing 1 thumb nail, but answered the artist questions in 4-5	All 3 thumb nails drawn with a Fully complete artist question contain 6 or more sentences.
Total Score (32 points):

Scale:

32-29=A

28-26=B

25-23=C

22-20=D

19 to below=F

Name:__________________________ Date_______________ Class Period______________

Internet Research Project:

Using the internet, research information about the history and photographic information. Remember to take good notes, you will need to include proper citation of all websites used.
Write 3 pages about cyanotypes and photograms.
You will be comparing and contrasting these two methods, including chemical processes and exposing process.
Describe one (1) artist has been known to use cyanotypes and one (1) artists how has been known to use photograms. Include their name, what time and place they are from.
In your paper, be sure to include 3 quick thumbnail sketches of 3 different cyanotypes/photograms the artists you have chosen has created. Also, create a timeline of photographic history and talk about the significance cyanotypes and photograms have has on the history of photography.

To receive all points for thumbnails, please create a table in word like the one below!

Criteria/Scale	0	1	2	3
Paper length and typed	Was under a page	Paper was more than one page but less than 3 Or not typed	Words were spilling on to 3 pages	Met a full 3 pages and is typed
Correct spelling and grammar	More than 7 spelling errors and grammar issues	4-7 spelling errors and grammar issues	1-3 spelling errors and grammar issues	No spelling errors and correct grammar
Included both chemical and exposing process	Did not include	States both of the processes but explained them incorrectly	Contained one process explained correctly	Included both processes, explained correctly
Describe artist (name, time, place)	Did not include	Missing two of the facts	Missing one of the facts	Has artists, name, time and place
Created timeline	Did not include	Included, but was incorrect	Included, but hard to read and understand	Easy to read and understand
Significance about cyanotypes and photograms	Did not include	-	-	Included
Thumb nails	Did not include	Sloppy, hard to visually read Or missing 2	Missing 1or did not create table in word	Contains all three and visually easy to read and created table in word
Proper citation	Did not include citation page or any websites	Includes citation, but is missing websites	Complete citation page include all websites, but does not use Chicago format	Has complete and correctly Chicago format citation page, includes all websites

			Total 24

Scale:

21-24=A

18-20=B

15-17=C

12-14=D

11 -below=F