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The Baggage We Carry

The four examples in row 1 are pencil and paper drawings
Advanced
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Proficient
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Developing
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Beginning
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The four examples in row 2 were drawn on IPads with various drawing apps.
Doceri
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Paper
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Draw Pad Pro
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SyncSpace
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The Things They Carried  by Tim O'Brien

Overview of the Lesson  The lesson introduces and explores the concepts of value and shading as well as metaphoric writing

Big Idea:
 
 Artists shape their artistic investigations by exploring the layers of meaning in the pen stroke, the brush stroke and words as well as the environment in which they live. 

Goals. To demonstrate:
o   understanding of how to use line, value and shading in a drawing 
o   appreciation of the potential for the metaphorical aspect of visual art.



In the book, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, the characters carry those "things"  that were required of a soldier such as  canteens and grenades.  Their backpacks were heavy physical loads of ammunition and gear, but they also carried heavy, intangible loads.  
The things they carried were largely determined by necessity.  Among the necessities or near-necessities were ...can openers, pocket knives... dog tags, mosquito repellent...C Rations..."canteens of water.. steel helmets..."  (The Things They Carried. 2)
They carried their reputations.  They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing.  Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. (The Things They Carried. p20)
They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture. (The Things They Carried. p20)
They shared the weight of memory.  They took up what others could no longer bear.  Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak. (The Things They Carried. p13)
Read these quotes and think about what you carry both tangibly and intangibly in your purses, and packs.  Begin by doing a drawing of your backpack with pencil on paper or on your tablet.    While you are drawing, think about what you carry.  Make a list and then create a paragraph about your backpack or bag that begins with the tangible and ends with the intangible. 
Summary of the Book
A conversation on NPR with Tim O'Brien about his book, The Things They Carried
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