Hunter College
School of Education
Curriculum & Teaching
Prof. John Toth, Ph.D. / jtoth@hunter.cuny.edu		 PRIME COMMUNICATION
BODY LANGUGE
TIME MIN THE ARTS AS COMMUNICATION...
for the post modern educator		  
1:30 15 Introduce  BODY LANGUAGE   as a form of communication.
  • Body language communicates meaning and expression in the Arts.
  • Introduce Art Literacy as modes of communication that can be compared to writing as literacy.

AIM: Understand how artists use the energy of line in bodies to create movement. How do composers use duration to create qualities that effect dance movement. Understanding how body language communicates balance. Understand ways in which artists communicate meaning using interactive body language.
 
LINE OF INQUIRY: How do artists use body language to create meaning and expression.
ART ELEMENT: Body Language, gesture, form, sign language, signals.

 ART STANDARDS:
The Arts Standards for NY

The Arts Standard 1
performance:

Dance - Identify and demonstrate movement elements and skills (such as bend, twist, slide, skip, hop)
Music - sing songs and play instruments, maintaining tone quality.
Theater - use creative drama to communicate ideas and feelings.
Visual Arts - understand and use the elements and principles of art (line, color, texture, shape) to communicate their ideas.

1:45

15

 Talk-about, critical thinking and

Artwork under study: 4

Alberto Giacometti, “Annette”
                    Frida Kahlo, “Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair"
                                              Jacob Lawrence, “Pool Player"
 Umberto Giacometti, “Unique
Forms of Continuity in Space”

6
Rossiter and Mignot, “Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon”


Line of Inquiry:

How do Kahlo, Giacometti and Lawrence use body language and facial expression to communicate emotion, ideas and symbolic meaning?

Enlarge image
Henri Matisse. The Dance, 1911. o/c

DANCE / Cunningham / pedestrian gesture
DANCE / Urban Bush Women,
MUSIC / Claude Debussy, Claire De Lune
2:00 15

SKILL ACTIVITY: Choose and complete ONE skill activity.
GESTURE DRAWING

OBJECTIVE: Paint or draw poses of small groups doing specific tasks. Explore angular and flowing lines to effect mood / content.

Pedagogy reflection: Develop question strategies that open ideas around multiple intelligences. Explore methods for investigating a work of art: describe, analyze, interpret, reflect and question.

Dance - create 5 different linear / angular gestures in a group.
Art - Make gesture drawings of poses.

 SAMPLE ACTIVITY:
GROUP GESTURES 18

2:15


2:45

3:00

30


15

15

 CREATIVE ACTIVITY: Choose and complete ONE creative activity.
SHAPES WITH ATTITUDE

Draw a large circle that just fits inside the page. Students will take turns presenting a pose with a specific attitude. Sketch a pose with the feet on the bottom inside the circle. Rotate page and add another pose. Sketch and rotate 8 times. Place a meaningful object in the center that relates to the combined poses.
- Reflect on student generated artworks.
Theater - Write a dialogue for The Dance. And enact.
Music - Use percussion instruments to create 3 different rhythms that accompany your 3 sketches.		  
3:15   CONTEXT:
ART HISTORY
- Henri Matisse

SOCIAL STUDIES
- Jacob Lawrence & Lanston Hughes, Migration series. Artist and writer collaboration.

ART EDUCATION: Practice and Theory. Lincoln Center Institute

VOCABULARY:
Body Language
relaxed, anxious, working, playing, crawling, gripping, directing,

Please complete this Survey
Survey: Body Language

3:30