Fine Arts - Visual Arts Seventh & Eighth Grades
Medals for Heroes
Description
The Olympic Games provide students with examples of real life heroes. Students compare and
contrast heroes portrayed in the media with Olympic athletes and "local heroes." Students
design a medal to present to a personal hero that they admire.
Themes
Heroism, Civics, Friendship, Respect, Goals
Core Life Skill Connections
Life-long learning appreciates a variety of cultural contributions
and artistic expressions; shows aesthetic awareness through demonstrating an understanding of
the subtleties and details of everyday living and participating in the arts for enjoyment and
personal growth.
Complex Thinking uses creative, critical problem-solving,
decision-making, and innovative thinking processes; puts information together in new and unique
ways; balances reason and emotion in decision making; considers new ideas and various
perspectives to broaden insight and increase understanding.
Effective Communication successfully interacts with others using a
variety of mediums; expresses ideas, feelings, and beliefs aesthetically; evaluates the
effectiveness of communication; receives and understands ideas communicated through a variety
of modes; adapts and adjusts communication to suit the needs of the intended audience.
Collaboration works effectively with others to identify and achieve
specified results; values differences and similarities among groups members; respects cultural
and ethnic differences and builds on them in positive ways; treats others with compassion;
resolves conflicts positively.
Responsible Citizenship acknowledges that all people have innate
worth; demonstrates respect for human dignity, needs, and rights; works towards improvement
in society.
Learning Outcomes
Students Will:
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Recognize that Olympic values pertain to everyone
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Learn how heroes are created by television and magazines and have students make
some personal decisions concerning the character traits that the students think
a real hero should have
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Create two medals that represent heroic values
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Choose their own hero and design a hero's medal for that person and one for themselves that
identifies a value they possess or wish to possess. Just as a downhill skier receives a medal
that is artistically designed with a skier that appears to be going very fast, students design
their hero's medal with visuals that express the character of that person
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Activity 1: Understanding Heroism
Preparation
Assemble information about Olympic values and contrasting information about the values portrayed
in images in popular culture (TV, CD's, magazine ads, movies, sports, websites, etc. An obvious
example in sports would be the lack of sportsmanship, civility and respect exhibited by Tonya
Harding toward Nancy Kerrigan in Lilihammer, France; or the poor example of the US 4x100 meter
relay team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.)
Assemble familiar icons and logos (like the Nike swoosh), and prepare to discuss their purpose
and prevalence in our world.
Tools and Resources
TV, VCR, CD player, magazines and newspapers from home and school.
Any art tools available, from a pencil and paper to a computer with graphic design capabilities
Internet sites with further resources. (See Further Research section below.)
Instruction
Ask students to find 2 examples on the web or in TV commercials, videos, CD's, magazines or
newspaper ads that promote "values" that in your opinion are not "valuable" (ex. Cigarettes
as cool. You must have designer clothes to be liked. Etc.) Bring them to class on videotape,
or CD, or cut them out of magazines.
Critique examples:
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What is being promoted and why? What is the agenda of your example? (Ex. "To sell clothes")
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How are particular values identified and communicated? (Ex. "You will be popular if you use
a certain shampoo.")
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What other stereotypes and values are promoted indirectly? (Ex. "The person using the shampoo
has a certain body type.")
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What artistic means are used to sell these values? (Ex. "Music and fanfare with animation
and graphics surrounding "the NBA on CBS." (Ex. "Saturated colors emphasize the clothes
against a drab background.")
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Consider Media heroes such as: professional athletes, TV personalities, movie stars, pop
musicians, and anyone who has lots of money. Are these people always heroes? Is it important
that we recognize the real heroes among us? What makes a hero special? Do you personally know
any heroes? Can you be a hero? What does a hero do?
Read or copy for students: "The Olympic Experience." Discuss the ways in which the Olympic Games
promote values that range from friendship, fair competition, commitment and honor, to other life
skills such as self-discipline, good manners, cooperation and respect. Our communities are filled
with everyday heroes that embody these real Olympic values, but they are usually not on TV. They
could be your friends, your family, or people that you know. Could you be your own hero?
Discuss examples of people who to you are real heroes. Identify the character attributes and
Olympic values that qualify them as real heroes.
Activity 2: Design Two Medals of Heroism
Ask students to choose someone whom you consider a hero in your life.
List a few of the heroic characteristics of the hero (these can be quite simple: patience,
kindness, truthfulness, etc.)
Ask students to use any art tools available, from a pencil and paper to a computer with graphic
design capabilities to design a medal for the hero. This design should visually communicate the
heroic traits of your chosen character. Remember to use the devices of strong visual communication
that are employed in everything from TV commercials to fine art to maximize your message.
Students will design a medal that identifies a value that they wish to possess.
Share and critique the individual medals.
Evaluation Questions
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Are the traits of heroism clearly communicated?
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Is the medal pleasing/interesting to look at?
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What could you do to make your medal design stronger?
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Assessment
Extensions
Encourage students to examine the concept of heroism by listing a number of behaviors that they
can do in their own life to be considered a hero.
Invite students to present their medal to their personal hero. If students want to share their
medals they can be e-mailed (jpeg, tiff, etc. attachments) to the State Fine Arts Specialist:
cgoodson@usoe.k12.ut.us
Extend students' interest in heroes and Olympic values by creating a Webquest for the internet
to help others create art, music, dance, film, or drama that communicates Olympic values.
Webquest can be submitted to your school website. Instructions on what a Webquest is and how
one can be created is found at:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/
and
http://www.kiko.com/wqst/index.jsp
Further Research
Internet Resources
Teachers will want to preview these sites carefully.
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