Unit Outline

Illinois, Our Home

This 15-lesson unit is designed to integrate with 4th graders’ study of Illinois.  Students were inspired by a number of socially responsive artists throughout the unit. Paula Scher uses formal elements to convey demographic information about places. Wesley Willis employs perspective and point of view to depict Chicago’s architecture and urbanscapes. Nicole Marroquin  examines issues of immigration and deportation through ceramic architectural forms. AfriCOBRA, a Chicago-based group of black artists, was founded in1968 to foster solidarity and self-confidence throughout the African diaspora. Students’ inspirations took the form of drawing, painting, sculpture, cartography, research, and writing to create a large-scale map of Illinois that included both personal and iconic landmarks.

Grade Level Focus: 4th Grade
School: Barack Obama School of Leadership and STEM
Teaching Artist: Marc Fischer
Classroom Teacher: Kindell Smith, Kimberly Biciste, Kaneda Irvin
Materials: Paper, pencils, markers, crayons, foamboard, construction paper or other large sheets of paper, paint, clay, labels, and other art materials.
Lessons: 15