Concept Based Unit
Received $500 from AAGC in September
2012
  Purchased art materials October 2012
  Implemented unit Fall semester 2012
  Updates are on going.
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Social Justice is the ways society creates and
restores equity.
Power is not distributed equally, but society
should protect all individuals.
Race, gender, religion and social class differences
can be used for oppression.
Art and Literature can be used to change
prejudices and biases.
Each individual is responsible for creating and
maintaining social justice.
How can we identify injustice?
  How can we change individuals or society to
act with more justice?
  What are the society’s responsibilities to
ensure justice?
  What are individual’s responsibilities to
ensure justice?
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Literary Analysis using CFGE literary analysis
web and Socratic discussion
  Art analysis using SMART Art
  Persuasive writing using CFGE hamburger
model
  Injustice analysis using graphic organizer
  Talent development through independent
center activities
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Independent or small group research using
Independent Investigative method
  Talents Unlimited: productive thinking,
decision making, planning, communication,
forecasting
  Culminating activity
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Topics: bullying, racism, sexism, child labor,
poverty, and war
Productiv
e
Thinking
Planning
Talents
Communicati
on
Decision
Making
Forecasting
Painting
  Drawing
  Persuasive speech
  Novella
  Non-fiction piece
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Chaffee Elementary School
7900 Whittier Rd.
Huntsville, AL 35802
256-428-7040
colleen.laymon@hsv-k12.org
Unit Title
Art and Justice
Disciplines Involved Art, Social Studies, Language Arts
Conceptual Lens
Justice
Brief Summary of Unit
This unit will focus on the concept of justice by investigating issues of injustice. Students
will read literature and view art pieces that investigate injustice. Students will analyze the
pieces to determine who are the targets, allies, the bystander(s), and the perpetrator(s).
Next the students will analyze the literary and/or art elements of the pieces to identify the
skills used by the artist to portray injustice.
After analyzing both written and visual pieces for the concept of justice, students will
begin investigating justice in their lives. They will identify acts of injustice that they have
experienced or in which they were an ally, bystander or perpetrator. Through discussion
and individual consultation, students will choose an incident to portray in art or writing.
The pieces will be shared in small groups, a gallery show, digital or print media.
Enduring Understandings
 Social Justice is the ways society creates and restores equity.
 Power is not distributed equally, but society should protect all individuals.
 Race, gender, religion and social class differences can be used for oppression.
 Art and Literature can be used to change prejudices and biases.
 Each individual is responsible for creating and maintaining social justice.
Essential Questions
 How can we identify injustice?
 How can we change individuals or society to act with more justice?
 What are the society’s responsibilities to ensure justice?
 What are individual’s responsibilities to ensure justice?
Activities to Build Understanding
 Kidspiration graphic organizer of the concept of justice
 Literary analysis of poems, essays, short stories written about injustices
 Art analysis of visual art portraying injustices
 Analysis of scenarios of injustice to indentify target, allies, bystander(s) and
perpetrator(s)
 Socratic discussions
 Drawing lab
 Art lab
 Poetry lab
 Narrative writing lab
 Investigation of act of injustice
 Productive thinking of acts of injustice
 Decision making to select an injustice to communicate about
 Planning a visual or written piece of art to persuade others
 Forecasting the effects of their piece
Colleen Laymon
09/30/2013
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Using the communication talent to create a visual or written piece
Culminating Activity
Students will use art and/or written pieces to become agents of social justice.
Resources
Crowe, Chris Mississippi Trial 1955
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird
www.tolerance.org
LaMotte, Thom White Flour
Teaching Tolerance The Children’s March
Jaffe, Nina The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the
World
Weil, Ann Eleanor Roosevelt: Fighter for Social Justice
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/teachers.html
http://www.sojust.net/songs.html
http://www.usingtheirwords.org/6elements/
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~tarboxg/Children%27s_&_Adol_Lit_Bibliography__Social_Justice.html
http://www.woodyguthrie.org/curriculum/curbibliography.htm
http://www.folkways.si.edu/
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/
women-pioneers/equality.html
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/chinese-cal/file.html
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/great-depression/students.html
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/womens-history/students.html
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/mexican-americans/
http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/using-photographs-teach-social-justice
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-justice-lessons-activities-resources-rebecca-alber
http://www.arteducators.org/news/nationalconvention/Sarah_Ryder_Using_Children%E2%80%99s_Literature_to_Teach_Ideas_of_
Social_Justice.pdf
Colleen Laymon
09/30/2013