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Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#2206. Teaching Visual Arts Through Photography

Art, level: all
Posted Sat Mar 31 06:32:34 PST 2001 by judith victoria (judith@kih.net).
Wallins Elementary, Harlan, KY
Materials Required: Camera, Film, magazines, photographs
Activity Time: Adjustable
Concepts Taught: Basic Elements of Visuial Art

The basic elements of visual art are:
line
shape
texture
space
value
color

The principles of design are:
balance
unity
emphasis
rhythm

Define these terms orally, or have students look up the definitions.

For each term, depending on grade level, the students will look for a picture from a magazine, a collection of photographs, OR take a photograph with the use of a camera which demonstrates the concept being taught.

This can be used for each concept individually, or in the creation of a unit, which is inclusive of all these concepts. Or, as with my class of fourth graders, it has become a year long project to find connections between other forms of visual art, photography, and their use in the real world.