Lesson Title: PolyGen App for Environmental Art

Grade Level: 9th grade

Length of Lesson: 10 days
Brief Description: Students will be shown a video on the need to protect the environment.
They will take a photo of something that has a negative impact on the environment. Students
will then take a photo of something that can be done to resolve the problem.
Using the Polygen app, students will then turn the images into a cubist-like image.
Visual Art State Standards:
Artistic Perception
1.4 Analyze and describe how the composition of a work of art is affected by the use of a
particular principle of design.
Creative Expression
2.3 Develop and refine skill in the manipulation of digital imagery.
2.6 Create a two or three-dimensional work of art that addresses a social issue.
Historical and Cultural Context
3.2 Identify and describe the role and influence of new technologies on contemporary works of
art.
Aesthetic Valuing
4.1 Articulate how personal beliefs,cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political
contexts influence the interpretation of the meaning or message in a work of art.
4.5 Employ the conventions of art criticism in writing and speaking about works of art.
Connections, Relationships, Applications
5.2 Create a work of art that communicates a cross-cultural or universal theme taken from
literature, film or history.
Common Core Standard:
Writing 4 - Produce clear and coherent art imagery in which the development,organization and
style are appropriate to the task purpose and audience.

Big Question: Can artists invoke a response on the need to protect the environment with an
image.
Objectives: Students will learn how to use a photo app and how it can be a tool to make an
artistic image.

Art History: Alice Bailly, Pablo Picasso, Maria Blanchard, George Braque, Natalie
Goncharova, Chuck Close, Andy Warhol

Major Themes: Artist need to know how to use new technology to express and reflect ideas and
images about the current world situation.
Element/Principles: Environmentalism, Cubism, The power of imagery to convey ideas.
Vocabulary: Cubism, photo apps, environmentalism.
Materials Needed: Polygen app, phone camera or laptop. Color printer. Found objects which
have environmental impact for image use.
Anticipatory Set: Students will pull up a photo from their phone and will construct the image
using geometric shape cut outs using magazines. This will be for 15 minutes. They will use glue,
scissors, magazines, and an 8.5x10 inch paper
Student will then watch a brief TED talk video called Anthropocene

Teaching Strategies Student Activities

Day 1 - Have magazines, scissors, glue, and
paper ready for students. First 15 minutes
will be dedicated to constructing an image
that is already in their phone using cut out
shapes from magazines. They will glue down
the shapes onto an 8.5x10 inch paper.
Will then show TED talk video on the
environment.
Students will have a worksheet for the video
and will take notes during the video.
Teach students about cubism movement and
show examples of artists who work with or
are associated with cubism.
Briefly introduce the App they will be using
for the assignment.
Day 1 - Students will pull up an image on
their phone. Then using the magazines and
scissors, students will cut out shapes and
construct the image from their phone.
Students will glue down the shapes onto the
8.5x10 inch piece of paper. (this will be for 15
minutes
Students will be given a worksheet to
accompany the video.
Students watch video on the environment and
fill out the worksheet.
Students will clean up their space and put
supplies back.
Students will take pictures of something
environmentally unfriendly. Students will
also take a picture of something that can
Instruct students to clean up their desk after resolve the environmentally unfriendly
the PowerPoint. picture.

Instruct students look at their surrounding

environment and take photos something that
is environmentally unfriendly. They must also
take a picture of a solution to the
environmentally unfriendly problem.
Day 2 - Instruct students to download the
Application on their phone.
Demonstration on how to download app in
either phone or laptop.
Demonstration on how to use the Polygen
app.
Have students bring the photos theyve taken
for the assignment and instruct them to bring
it into the PolyGen App and PolyGen it.
Instruct students to email it to the teacher and
the class color printer will be used to print out
the PolyGen images. Each student will have
two images. One image being the problem to
the environment and one offering a solution.
Day 3- Demonstration on acrylic paints.
Instruct students on how to transfer their
PolyGen printed out photos onto canvas.
Demonstrate sketching out on canvas.
Show examples of finished acrylic paintings.
Day 2 - Students download PolyGen app and
will bring photos theyve taken for the lesson
into PolyGen.
Students will use the PolyGen app to convert
their images into a cubist like image.
Students will email the image to the teacher.
Students will print out their photos using the
classroom colored printer. Each student will
have two photos: one being the problem to the
environment and the second on being the
solution to the problem.
Day 3- Students will watch the demonstration
on how to use acrylic paint.
Students will sketch their PolyGen image
onto canvas.
Students will show teacher after theyve
sketched their image before they start
painting.

Day 4- studio day Day 4- Students will start painting their

canvas with acrylic paint.
Use display board to review with students on
acrylic paints. Show examples of acrylic
finished work.
Day 5 - studio day Day 5 - Students will continue with their
paintings.
Use display board to review with students on
acrylic paints. Show examples of acrylic
finished work.
Day 6- midway critique
Instructs students to partner up or in groups of
three and verbally tell one another one thing
they like and one thing they would change or
give advice on to another classmate.
Day 7- studio day
Use display board to review with students on
acrylic paints. Show examples of acrylic
finished work.
Day 8- studio day
Use display board to review with students on
acrylic paints. Show examples of acrylic
finished work.
Day 9- studio day (Final Day)
Use display board to review with students on
acrylic paints. Show examples of acrylic
finished work.
Day 10- Critique day
Instruct students to prop their paintings up at
their desk.
Prepare a jar with strips of paper with student
names on it.
Instruct each student to pull out two names.
Instruct students to take two post-it notes.
Instruct students to do a gallery walk.
Instruct students to use one post-it per
critique. Instruct student to find the artwork of
the student names pulled and critique.
-They are to write two things they like about
the paintings and one thing they suggest.
Instruct students to go back to their desk and
to look at the critiques.
Day 6-Students with pair up or get into
groups of 3 and critique. They are to verbally
tell one another one thing they like and one
thing they would change about their partners
work. This activity will be for 5-7 minutes.
Students will go back to their seating area and
continue to work on their paintings
Day 7- Students will continue with their
paintings.
Day 8- Students will continue with their
paintings.
Day 9- Students will finish their painting by
the end of class.
Day 10- Students will prop their paintings up
at their desk or work station.
Students will pick out two names from the jar
of names.
Students will take two post-it notes.
Students will walk around the gallery to view
works done by their classmates.
Students will critique the works of art for the
two names they chose from the jar.
Student will write down two things they like
and one thing they suggest to the student
being critiqued.
Students will go back to their work and write
10-15 sentence reflection using the prompt
questions written on the board.
 Instruct students to write a 10-15 sentence
reflection on their project. Prompt questions
will be written on the board:

How did you like this lesson?

Are you satisfied with your paintings?
What did you learn about your
environment from this assignment?
Will you change your lifestyle to help
make the environment better? If so,
how?
Do you agree or disagree with the
critiques you received?
Do you feel your work can be used to
change the way people treat the
environment?

Assessment plan:
Rubric - TOTAL of 50 Points
Magazine cut up photo 5
Class Worksheet 5
Download PolyGen App 5
2 original photos of a)environmental concern b) solution to the 15
environmental concern
2 images that have been changed in PolyGen App 5
2 acrylic paintings based off of PolyGen photos 20
Self Reflection 5

Closure: Gallery walk + peer review + self reflection