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Catchy Title: A Ribbon Around a Bombshell - A Glimpse into the Life and Art of Frida Kahlo
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Frida Kahlo's Life and Art
Time Commitment: 2 90-Minute Periods/Blocks
Subject Area(s):
Arts
Language Arts
Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 9,10,11,12
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question: What can we learn about an artist, their times and their culture through their art?
Overview:
Some people record their lives through written memoirs and autobiographies. Others share personal experiences through art. Frida Kahlo did both. Many of Kahlo's paintings graphically reflect the personal tragedies of her life. She contracted polio at the age of seven; this resulted in one leg being noticeably smaller and thinner than the other. When she was eighteen, Kahlo was the victim of an accident in which the bus she was riding collided with a streetcar. During the collision a metal rod impaled her abdomen and broke her spine in three places. Through her entire life, Frida endured numerous
surgeries and hospitalizations as further result of the bus accident. Kahlo's injuries also caused her to suffer three miscarriages later in life; the inability to have children was one of her greatest sorrows. Andre Breton, Kahlo's friend and a Surrealist painter, described Kahlo's art as "a ribbon around a bombshell." Her artwork also portrays a glimpse into the rich Mexican culture that she depicts so colorfully in her paintings.
Students will research the life and artwork of Frida Kahlo, a twentieth century Mexican artist. They will discover the influence of Kahlo's physical limitations and ethnic background on her art. Students will write a descriptive piece in which they will describe the scene they would create to illustrate a memorable personal experience or an aspect of their heritage or culture. They will create a PowerPoint presentation that represents their own personal or family experiences and cultural background. Two weeks prior to the introduction of the lesson, the teacher should create and distribute a letter to the parents of students that informs them of the upcoming lesson so that students may have the resources necessary to complete a personalized project. In this letter, parents should be asked to spend some time with their child to discuss their family heritage and ongoing traditions. In this letter, the teacher should also tell parents that the child is responsible for bringing in a graphic or two, which will be scanned into the PowerPoint presentation. If photographs are unavailable or if the child prefers, he may substitute an original drawing or painting that depicts him or her self or family involved in a memorable event. Students may not be required to bring in these materials until 2 days before the unit of instruction begins.
Students will need access to computers with an Internet connection and PowerPoint software. The presentation may be created by students as individuals, or in pairs or teams depending on the desires of the teacher and the equipment and software available. If the presentations are created by pairs or groups, each individual student's family traditions and culture should be represented.
As a culminating activity the presentations may be presented to the class. If the multimedia projects are presented to the class as a whole, an LCD projector would be advisable. If a computer lab is available, then students could set up their completed works in a "Gallery Walk" format so that students could view all of the presentations as though they were in an art gallery.
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Peoples of the Nation and World
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students will understand the diversity and commonality, human interdependence, and global cooperation of the people of the United States and the world both through a multicultural and historical perspective. | Maryland State Indicators
7.2.12.2
analyze issues related to polarization and unity in pluralistic societies | Writing
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students produce informational, practical, persuasive, and narrative writing that demonstrates an awareness of audience, purpose and form using stages of the writing process as needed (i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing). | Maryland State Indicators
3.12.1.3
develop key ideas by integrating complex connections among ample supporting evidence such as descriptions, personal experiences, observations, and/or research-based information (CLG 2.1.1, CLG 2.1.2, CLG 2.1.3, CLG 2.2.1, CLG 2.3.4, CLG 3.1.1 CLG 3.2.1, CLG 4.1.1)
| Writing
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students produce informational, practical, persuasive, and narrative writing that demonstrates an awareness of audience, purpose and form using stages of the writing process as needed (i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing). | Maryland State Indicators
3.12.4.1
write to express personal ideas in plays, biographies, short stories, autobiographies, and other writings that
- develop the narrative elements with concrete sensory details and language
- purposefully include such elements as allusions and different points of view
- effectively pace the presentation of action to accommodate tone and mood
(CLG 2.1.1, CLG 2.1.2, CLG 2.1.3, CLG 2.2.1)
| Technology communication tools
(K-12) | ISTE Technology Standards Indicators
4. Technology communication tools
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Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
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Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
| | Technology research tools
(K-12) | ISTE Technology Standards Indicators
5. Technology research tools
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Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
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Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
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Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
| | Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Design, develop, publish
Design, develop, publish and present products (e.g., Web pages, videotapes) using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom
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Learning Objectives:
The Students will:
- Research the life and cultural heritage of a Mexican artist.
- Write a descriptive piece that explores a memorable personal experience or an aspect of their heritage or culture.
- Create and present a PowerPoint slideshow that shares the descriptive piece visually.
Assessment
Individual students will be assessed on the KWL they complete on an artist's life and a final slideshow project with the Webpage/Multimedia Project Rubric handout. It is important that the students are given the rubric before they begin their presentations so that they can use the rubric as a guide and checklist while working.
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Resources
| Software | Microsoft PowerPoint | | Print Materials | Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo Herrera, Heyden. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991. | The Diary of Frida Kahlo Fuentes, Carlos (Introduction). Lowe, Sarah M. (Commentaries). New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001.
| | Internet Sites | National Teacher Training Institute All 2002 NTTI Institute lesson plans, resources, and links can be accessed at this site. Lesson plans from past institutes are also available.
| | http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/ | | Frida Kahlo Resource Website This Web site provides the links for all of the Internet sites used as resources for this lesson. | | http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~region5/kahlo.html | | Frida Kahlo: Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States This Web page depicts clearly the artist's cultural duality and is excellent representation of her major life themes. | | http://mati.eas.asu.edu:8421/ChicanArte/html_pages/kahlo5.lrgest.html | | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution - Fridah Kahlo This site provides a brief biography of the artist and does not include any graphics. | | http://artarchives.si.edu/htgmonth/hispanic/aboutfrida.htm | | Frida Kahlo Self Portraits This site includes several self-portraits by Frida Kahlo with very little text. The lack of text makes it easy for the students to compare the various portraits. | | http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jcummings/ph56frida.html | | Artist Profile - Frida Kahlo This site is a good resource for students to learn about Kahlo's deep-rooted ties to her Mexican culture and how they are demonstrated in her art. | | http://www.nmwa.org/legacy/bios/bkahlo.htm | Fridah Kahlo - Works (in Spanish language) This site contains the major art works of Kahlo.
*Note: Sites that are in Spanish can be translated at Altavista's Web site listed below. | | http://www.telesat.com.co/Telesat/home2/galeria/kahlo/ | | AltaVista Translation Site Copy and paste the URL of the site that you would like to translate into the white Web Page box, then select the languages you are translating "From" and "To." | | http://babelfish.altavista.com/ | | The Artchive - Frida Kahlo This site is more comprehensive in annotating Frida's life and the events that she chronicled in her paintings. | | http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kahlo.html | | Frida by Kahlo This site has large graphics that portray major events in Kahlo's life and would display nicely for whole class participation in which the teachers displays images using a TV connection or LCD projector.
**NOTE: Some of Kahlo's more graphic paintings are included on this site so it is strongly advised that the teachers preview the entire site to determine if it is appropriate for their learners. | | http://www.fbuch.com/fridaby.htm |
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Materials
Per class- Computer with Internet access
- Scanner
- LCD projector - not mandatory but a good option for displaying projects
Per student team/group of 4- Computer with Internet access and PowerPoint software installed
Per Student
Vocabulary
- Culture - the skills, arts, etc. of a given people over a given period.
- Heritage - a tradition or custom handed down to one's ancestors or the past.
- Retablo - a painting of a saint or holy person; often retablos are painted on metal.
Procedures
**NOTE: Some of Kahlo's paintings represent tragedies that have affected her life. It is strongly advised that the teachers preview each site to determine if it is appropriate for their learners and explain the artwork and provide the URLs to be used in an introductory letter to all parents.
In this lesson, students will survey the paintings of Frida Kahlo, and research life events of the artist to discover how these events were represented in her works. They will investigate two major influences on Kahlo's works: her physical afflictions and limitations and her Mexican culture (specifically, retablos).
Students will use the Painting Interpretation Chart to record the connections between Kahlo's works of art and events in her life. Students will then write a descriptive piece in response to a writing prompt in which they are asked to imagine that they have been commissioned to create a mural based on their own personal or family experiences, traditions or cultural heritage. The writing will describe a painting that they would create to represent the chosen event. The emphasis is on using accurate descriptive writing. The Writing to Inform Rubric will be used as both a guide and an assessment for their writings. The information that students include in the writing prompt will serve as a basis for a PowerPoint presentation they will create the following day.
Students will later create a PowerPoint presentation that represents their family tradition or cultural heritage. They will use at least one graphic, which they have brought from home. They may choose to use some of the text exactly as it appears in their descriptive writing.
Day 1: A Mexican Heritage
Daily Challenge Question: What does the artwork of Frida Kahlo tell about her Mexican heritage?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
Students will analyze several self-portraits created by Frida Kahlo. They will then compare the self-portraits with a Mexican folk art form known as retablos. Retablos are religious paintings or shrines that were often used as home or portable altars. Retablos often include images of saints that relate a religious parable or reveal an interesting scene from everyday life.
Students will need copies of the Frida Kahlo Venn Diagram to record the similarities and differences between Frida's self-portraits and Mexican retablos. The following Websites should be bookmarked or presented in a hotlist for the students to access on the computer:
Frida Kahlo
Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States
http://mati.eas.asu.edu:8421/ChicanArte/html_pages/kahlo5.lrgest.html
Frida Kahlo Self Portraits
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jcummings/ph56frida.html
Tradition - Retablo Art
http://www.naki.net/RetabloArt/retabloart.html
The students will then discover many aspects of Frida Kahlo's life by interpreting three paintings and determining their cultural or personal significance for Kahlo. The following Web sites should be bookmarked on the students' computers or compiled on a hotlist to assist their research.
Bibliographical Web sites:
Artist Profile - Frida Kahlo
http://www.nmwa.org/legacy/bios/bkahlo.htm
The Artchive - Frida Kahlo
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kahlo.html
Artwork Web sites:
Frida Kahlo - Works (in Spanish language)
http://www.telesat.com.co/Telesat/home2/galeria/kahlo/
Optional Web site - Artwork with Biographical notations:
Frida by Kahlo
http://www.fbuch.com/fridaby.htm
Copies of the Biographical Portrait Writing Prompt should also be available for students to use at the end of class or for homework.
If the teacher would like additional information about the symbolism of the objects in the "Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States" painting, click on the link entitled "Information About the Artmaker" just below the graphic of the painting on that Web site.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Cultural Duality
The teacher should explain to the students that today they will be looking at an artist's work as a form of expression for her cultural heritage and personal experiences. Remind them of the letter that was sent home previously explaining the nature of this lesson. Have the students divide a sheet of notebook paper into three sections and label the top of each column with the following titles: What I Know about Frida Kahlo, What I Want to Find Out about Frida, and What I Learned about Frida. If Inspiration is available, students may record their responses digitally. Then, the teacher should present the following Web site using an LCD panel or have students visit the site to begin to discover who Frida Kahlo was:
Frida Kahlo: Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States http://mati.eas.asu.edu:8421/ChicanArte/html_pages/kahlo5.lrgest.html
Ask them to share their interpretation of "Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States" by Frida Kahlo by recording their thoughts using a K-W-L graphic organizer.
As they gather information from this site, students may use the Think/Share/Pair strategies and notes from their K-W-L chart to discuss the following questions:
1. What do you think that the artwork tells the viewers about the artist's thoughts of dual citizenship?
2. What do you think the objects in the painting represent? How are they related?
3. How might you interpret the symbolism of the objects in the painting?
4. What is your overall impression of this painting? The use of color? The style? The theme?
5. What do you think that this painting tells us about Frida Kahlo the artist? About her life? About her values?
After the students share the information they have recorded on the K-W-L Chart, the teacher should explain to students that although Frida's father was a Jewish Hungarian immigrant, Frida was raised from birth in the Mexican culture. Her father was a photographer and she often helped him in his studio. Frida was one of the first women to study art at the National Preparatory School. This is where she met her future husband, artist and muralist Rivera Diego. After marrying Rivera Diego, she spent much of her life in the United States. Ask them to take a few minutes to complete the What I Want to Find Out about Frida section of the K-W-L Chart.
Activity 1 - Retablo Art
Distribute the Frida Kahlo Venn Diagram. Have the students access the Web page Tradition - Retablo Art
http://www.naki.net/RetabloArt/retabloart.html. Ask them to read the information to determine what Retablo Art is and how it has changed over the years. Use the Venn Diagram to take notes on about Retablo Art.
After the students have read the Web page, teacher should ask questions such as, "How would you describe Retablo Art? When was it popular? What is its history? How is it represented today?" (Students should be led through a discussion that clarifies that retablo art is primarily a painting of a saint or holy person; often retablos are painted on metal. The creation of retablos was a popular Mexican tradition from 1720 through the 1880's. This traditional artform has changed through the last century to depict Mexican migration to the United States and most recently to depict spiritual themes and personal experiences.)
Next the teacher should tell the students to keep in mind what they now know about retablos and decide if this next Web site represents a retablo. Direct students to the Frida Kahlo Self Portraits Web site at
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jcummings/ph56frida.html.
Ask the students how this might be considered a retablo. (The discussion may include the following points: The Web site shows a series of pictures depicting a one central idea. Frida's Mexican heritage, love of nature, and important elements of her life are shown. The paintings suggest spiritual themes.) Make sure to point out the Mexican cultural pieces shown in the artwork. Have the students complete the Frida Kahlo Venn Diagram using the all three Web sites they have seen so far in the lesson.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for media interaction is for the students to define and explore retablo artwork by using 2 Web sites.
Activity 2 - Frida's Life through Her Artwork
Students will visit several Web sites to further study the life and works of artist Frida Kahlo. They will choose at least three paintings to interpret and should record what each painting could tell about the artist's life based on the biographical information they have read. They will record their findings on the Frida Kahlo - Painting Interpretation Chart.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for media interaction is to interpret a person's life by exploring three pieces of artwork and brief biographical sections found on several Web sites.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Hand each student a Frida Kahlo - Painting Interpretation Chart and direct their attention to the Web sites that are listed below and have already been bookmarked on their computers.
Bibliographical Web sites:
Artist Profile - Frida Kahlo
http://www.nmwa.org/legacy/bios/bkahlo.htm
The Artchive - Frida Kahlo
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kahlo.html
If students scroll to the bottom of the page, they will see links to images of Kahlo's works.
Artwork Web sites:
Frida Kahlo - Works (in Spanish language)
http://www.telesat.com.co/Telesat/home2/galeria/kahlo/
Optional Web site - Artwork with Biographical notations:
Frida by Kahlo
http://www.fbuch.com/fridaby.htm
Before beginning the research necessary to complete the chart, the teacher should read the Introduction aloud with students and clarify the focus for their research.
Introduction: Have you ever had something happen to you that was either so good that it seemed to be a dream or so bad that it seemed to be a nightmare? Often these types of experiences are call "surreal." A group of artists called "Surrealists" painted scenes that had dreamlike qualities. Even today, some people categorize Frida Kahlo as a Surrealist painter. In response Frida said, "They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my reality."
Frida used her paintings to record events in her life, especially those that were painful. Use the chart below to describe how she used her paintings to represent experiences that she had in her life.
Now ask the students to complete the chart by choosing three paintings that clearly depict aspects of her life and/or suggest Mexican cultural items or motifs. Remind them that some paintings may do both. Let them know that they must explain in detail the events or cultural aspects they feel are depicted.
The students may feel that they have read Kahlo's autobiography by the time they are finished. Monitor the students as they work. It may be helpful to have small group discussions about the student responses to Kahlo's artwork and her personal experiences.
After they have completed the research, the teacher may ask a few students to point out aspects of Kahlo's art that spoke to them, surprised them, or were appealing to them.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
Have the students refer back to the KWL chart they began at the beginning of the lesson and fill in the What I Learned about Frida section. The teacher may lead a discussion how Kahlo's works reflect her experiences and the Mexican culture. The teacher may choose to collect the KWL chart , Frida Kahlo Venn Diagram or the Frida Kahlo - Painting Interpretation Chart to assess the student's work.
Wrap Up:
The teacher should inform students that tomorrow they will create a PowerPoint presentation that represents a biographical portrait that will include cultural influences from their own lives. In the PowerPoint, they will include information about an important personal event and the influence of their culture. They will use at least one graphic that they have obtained or created outside of class. The graphic may be a photograph or self created artistic work.
To prepare for the PowerPoint presentation, students will respond to the following Writing Prompt in which they will write a descriptive letter about an important life event and the influence of their culture. This writing prompt will serve as a basis for the PowerPoint presentation they will create the following day. They may choose to use some of the text from their descriptive writing when they create their PowerPoint presentation the following day.
Teachers should distribute the Biographical Portrait Writing Prompt handout and clarify any student questions or concerns. The students may be asked to begin working the Biographical Portrait Writing Prompt now or assign it for homework.
Day 2: My Biographical Event
Daily Challenge Question: How would you depict and describe personal or family events or cultural traditions that have been important influences on your life?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
The teacher will make PowerPoint available for students to use either in the lab or at several computers in the classroom. Copies of the Biographical Portrait Writing, the Storyboard Template, the Student Web Page/Multimedia Project Rubric, and the Writing to Inform Rubric should be prepared for the students in advance. The teacher may choose to use one or both rubrics. If both of the rubrics are used, the students should be clear on what parts of their project each rubric is assessing.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
The teacher should redistribute the student responses to the Biographical Portrait Writing Prompt that were collected the day before or have the students take them out if it was assigned for homework. As a brief introduction, the teacher may ask a few students to share their plans for the PowerPoint they will create in which they demonstrate their biographical portrait or discuss certain cultural aspects the students hope to depict in their presentation. The teacher should also distribute the Storyboard Template if they were not given out as homework the previous day.
Activity 1 - Creating the PowerPoint Presentation
Students will then create a Biographical Portrait PowerPoint presentation using the Storyboard Template, writing prompt responses and Student Web Page/Multimedia Project Rubric as guides. Before students begin to work on their PowerPoint presentations, the teacher should distribute the Student Web Page/Multimedia Project Rubric handout or another rubric and discuss it.
As students gather information, they should refer to the rubric and focus on the following sections: Storyboard Sheet, Organization of Content, Originality, and Copyright and Documentation.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
The students should present their projects. If the multimedia projects are presented to the class as a whole, an LCD projector would be advisable. If a computer lab is available, then students could set up their completed works in a "Gallery Walk" format so that students could view all of the presentations as though they were in an art gallery. Their classmates may record the images used by the presenter to depict certain cultural aspects and brief discussions may follow each presentation or after the Gallery Walk.
Wrap Up:
Enrichment Options
Parent-Home Connection
Parents are a part of the planning in this lesson and the teacher may decide to invite parents to see the presentations. They may also create a booklet of the students' writings to distribute to parents in print or via the Internet.
Field Experiences
Students may visit local museums that display cultural exhibits.
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Fine Arts
Students can create self-portraits in the same retablo style as Frida Kahlo. For specific directions, use the following Web site:
Juniper Learning: Frida Kahlo, the Bold Artist
http://www.juniperlearning.com/lessonkahlo.html
Science
Students can study the contributions that members of their own cultural heritage have made to the field of Science.
Social Studies
Students can further study their own cultural heritage and describe a lost or forgotten custom that they would like to see become a tradition in their families.
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As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students' learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?
Author: Susan Creamer
Modified by: Linda Leypoldt
Program: National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI)
Author's School System: Prince George's County Public Schools
Author's School: Region 5 Office
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