Preparing for Teacher's Choice:
Norman Rockwell, Girl with a Black Eye, 1953.
I am excited to use this Norman Rockwell image because it has a sense of humor, which I think my students will enjoy. Our discussions have mostly been male dominated, so I am interested in seeing how this image affects participation. The main character here is female, but the situation is relate-able for 7th grade boys.
My Advisory students have been very good at creating a narrative with the images in our past discussions, so I chose this image because the narrative is easily accessed, I'm hoping this choice will challenge students to move beyond the narrative and question the artist's choices, source of inspiration, purpose, technique, message, etc. Yenawine describes Stage I viewers as "storytellers...they make concrete observations about a work of art that are woven into a narrative." This describes what my students have been doing. Stage II viewers, according to Yenawine, "look at works of art using... their own perceptions, their knowledge of the natural world, and the values of their social, moral, and conventional world," which is what I hope my students will do with this image. I'm hoping this image will probe ideas about bullying, gender stereotypes, or other moral issues. I realize it's a bit risky- using an image with a story to move beyond the story, but I think these kiddos are on the cusp of Stage II viewing and ready for the challenge.
Very impressed with your rationale for using this image! Sounds like it is just what your students need at this stage of their development. Hope it snags the girls into the discussion and will be very curious to hear if the issues such as bullying and stereotypes enter into the discussion. I wonder, too, if there will be comparisons w/ how school discipline was handled in Rockwell's day and the "zero tolerance" that pervades school discipline in the 21st century. Great choice all the way around. Anxious to hear how it goes!
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