WHAT MAKES US SMILE? visionary activities. for the classroom

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Milo Alban Woods
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1 WHAT MAKES US SMILE? visionary activities for the classroom

2 lesson one: Laughter Students will research humor and comedy in other cultures and throughout history, finding ways in which it is timely and/or timeless. Students will discover the reasons that laughter is important in cultures around the world. Is laughter important? Are there certain things that are funny to everybody? Why is something funny? What happens if a culture does not value laughter and humor? When do you need laughter the most? Various works inspired by Patch Adams, his accoutrements and the Gesundheit Institute Carlos Zapatas Tickle Machine (see cover photo!) Various works by John Callahan 1. Inter-generational Laughs Language Arts, Grades 5-12 Ask students to interview someone from an older generation about what makes them laugh. What is their favorite comedy movie? Do they think that comedy has changed over the years? If so, how? Has their sense of humor changed? How does their sense of humor compare to your sense of humor? What do you think is funny? Take the results of this interview and write an article featuring your interviewee. NL-ENG.K-12.4, Communication Skills NL-ENG.K-12.11, Participating in Society NL-ENG.K-12.12, Applying Language Skills 2. What Makes you Laugh? Fine Arts/Language Arts, Grades K-8 Ask students to create a list of what makes them laugh. Students can then expand upon this list with illustrations and or stories. Students can then bind these ideas into an individual book. Above and Beyond: Each student can contribute one story and or drawing that makes them laugh to a collaborative class book. NA-VA.K-4.6, NA-VA and NA-VA , Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines NA-ENG.K-12.12, Applying Language Skills 3. Laughter as Healing Fine Arts, Grades K-5 Have a discussion with students about how they feel when they are sick or sad. What makes them feel better? What do they do to feel better? Who do they like to spend time with to feel better? Have students work on a project to someone that is sick. It could be someone they know, or they could make cards for children in the hospital or elderly people in a home. Have students make a card, poem, drawing or song. Think about ways to use humor to make the recipient smile and laugh in order to feel better. NA-VA-8.4 and NA-VA , Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Culture

3 lesson two: scary or silly? Students will research horror and comedy stories, making their own conclusions about what defines these literary genres. Students will write their own comic horror stories based on what has worked and not worked throughout history. Students will create a work of art that inspires a comic horror story. What scares you? Is there anything that you enjoy that also scares you? What is the correlation between being scared and being silly? How do you feel when you are scared of something? Various works by Chris Roberts-Antieau (ie. Misunderstood Monsters) Adam Kurtzman s Elsa Lanchester as Bride of Frankenstein Coffins??? 1. Ghost Stories Fine Arts/Language Arts/History, Grades 5-12 Students will be asked to research scary stories and find common threads. What makes a scary story truly scary? How do scary stories differ throughout history? How do scary stories differ throughout cultures? Students will then use the elements that work and write their own scary story. This can take many forms including a comic strip or graphic zine. Teachers could host an afternoon of interpretive readings of the stories to find out whose was the scariest. NL-ENG.K-12.12, Applying Language Skills NA-VA.K-4.6, NA-VA and NA-VA , Making Connections Between Visual Arts & Other Disciplines; NHIST.K-12.3, Historical Analysis and Interpretation 2. Scary vs. Silly Stories Language Arts, Grades 7-12 Find examples of horror stories and comic stories. What elements do each of these stories have in common? What is different? Compare and contrast these stories. Write your own story, give it a scary ending and then give the same story a comic ending. Which do you like better? Why? NL-ENG.K-12.1, Reading for Perspective NL-ENG.K-12.12, Applying Language Skills 3. Monster Masks Fine Arts/Language Arts, Grades 5-12 Ask your students to make monster masks. This can be done with any sort of materials you have readily available (the recycling bin is a good place to start!). Think about what defines a monster and make sure to incorporate your interpretation of monster into your mask. Above and beyond: Write a story or create some illustrations from the viewpoint of the monster. Does the monster scare people? Where does the monster live? How did the monster come to be? NA-VA and NA-VA , Choosing And Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols and Ideas; NL-ENG.K-12.12, Applying Language Skills

4 lesson three: Parody and Satire Students will define parody and satire, being able to identify historical & contemporary examples. Students will begin to think about parody and satire critically, how and why it is important. Students will create their own parody or satirical story. Why would an author choose to use parody and or satire? When is parody/satire effective? When is it not effective? How has parody/satire changed through history? How has parody/satire played a role in history? Various works by John Root Hopkins Various works by John Callahan 1. Re-thinking History (with a comic twist) Fine Arts/Language Arts/Social Sciences/History, Grades 7-12 Ask students to choose a historical event. Show and discuss examples of parody/satire throughout history. Ask students to re-tell their chosen historical event through a satirical comic strip. Students can add a narrative to the characters and think critically about what was happening at that point in history. Adding details about music, art and literature. Students will be asked to place themselves in the mind-set of that time period and think critically about where they would have fit in politically or socially during that time. How does that impact their opinion/narrative of the story? How might that have impacted other versions of historical tales? NL-ENG.K-12.1, Reading for Perspective NA-VA & NA-VA , Choosing & Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols & Ideas NSS-C.5-8 and NSS-C Roles of Citizens NHIST.K-12.4, Research Capabilities 2. Did we always have jokes? Fine Arts/Language Arts/Social Sciences, Grades 7-12 Ask students to choose a modern parody and compare it to a historical parody. This can be two pieces of literature, theater, music, etc. Have students compare these parodies. How has parody changed? How has our sense of humor changed? Do students find the historical parody funny? Why or why not? Above and beyond: Ask students to re-create the historical parody in a modern way (ie. A podcast, a you-tube video, a zine or a graphic novel). How does this change the content/meaning? Is it still funny? NL-ENG.K-12.1, Reading for Perspective NA-VA & NA-VA , Choosing & Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols & Ideas NSS-C.5-8 and NSS-C Roles of Citizens NHIST.K-12.2, Historical Comprehension NHIST.K-12.4, Research Capapbilities

lesson four: Portraits Students will research the various types of portraits created throughout history. Students will create their own portraits.

5 lesson four: Portraits Students will research the various types of portraits created throughout history. Students will create their own portraits. Students will learn about what a portrait can convey beyond what a person looks like. Students will learn about the purpose of creating various portraits. What can you learn from a portrait? How have portraits changed throughout history? What are the different kinds of portraits? What are the different reasons for creating portraits? Why are portraits a common-thread through history? Unflattering portraits by Reverend Aitor Various works by Ian Flynn Paul Graubard s In My Wife s Head Various works by Jon Sarkin 1. Telling Stories through Portraits Fine Arts, Grades 5-12 Ask students to choose someone in their life to tell a story about. This story has no words and can only be conveyed through a portrait. Ask students to think about the background of the portrait and what this adds to the story. What is the subject wearing? What is the subject holding? What is near the subject? What expression does the subject have on their face? How do all of these factors contribute to the story? After the portraits are completed, display them throughout the room. Assign each student a classmate s portrait. Have the students then write the story they see in their classmate s work. NA-VA & NA-VA , Choosing & Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols & Ideas NA-VA-8.4 and NA-VA , Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Culture 2. In Someone Else s Head Fine Arts/History, Grades K-12 Have students look at Paul Graubard s painting, In My Wife s Head. Using this painting as inspiration, have students do their own version of a portrait surrounded by what might be in that person s head. Students can choose a historical or literary figure to try and understand a different culture or time more deeply. NHIST.K-12.2, Hisorical Comprehension NHIST.K-12.4 Historical Research Capabilities Pictured above: Unflattering portrait of co-curator Matt Groening by Rev. Aitor

6 lesson five: dress up, Make up, cheer up! Students will think about the importance of recycling and brainstorm new ways to use all products/materials. Students will create costumes out of recycled or unusual materials. Students will think about the importance of pretend playing. Students will think about how role-playing and costumes make history and literature come to life. Why should we recycle? What are some items you could use/recycle that you don t right now? Do you like to pretend? Do you like to dress up? How can dress up and pretend help you to learn? How can pretending help you understand something better? Various costumes and headdresses by Ray Peper Various works by Gloria Garrett Wayne Mad Mac McCaffery s Three Cookie Jars Various works by Brian Dowdall Various works by Jimmy Descante 1. Visionary Media Fine Art, Grades K-12 Show students artwork by Gloria Garrett, Brian Dowdall, Mr. Imagination, Jimmy Descante and Wayne Mad Max McCaffery (or other various visionary artists). Discuss what visionary art is and their frequent use of alternative materials. Give students the challenge to make a piece of artwork using non-traditional art materials they find around the house. This can be 2-d or 3-d. Discuss with the students how working with unusual materials surprised them? Was the process difficult? How was it different from using traditional materials? Has it changed the way the they perceive things in their home or classroom? NA-VA.K-4.1, NA-VA and NA-VA : Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes 2. Dressing up History Fine Art/History, Grades 5-12 Choose a historical figure. Research this figure. Where are they from? Did they have a family? Why are they remembered? What did they like to do in their spare time? What other historical events were going on at this time? What was going on in music? What was going on in art? Think about what this historical person would have worn. Create a costume for this person (think about how you can use recycled materials to create elements of the costume). Think about adding props or elements to tell more of this historical figures story. Have a day where your students can wear these costumes to school and share information about their historical figure and that time period. NHIST.K-12.2, Historical Comprehension NHIST.K-12.4 Historical Research Capabilities

Silly vs. Funny. But Friends can still be funny with each other. What is the difference between being Silly and being Funny?

Silly vs. Funny. But Friends can still be funny with each other. What is the difference between being Silly and being Funny? Silly is Out Talking is In (by the end of Kindergarten) But Friends can still be funny with each other. What is the difference between being Silly and being Funny? Silly Funny Definition: Weak-minded or