Do Something about…
School Violence Art Curricula Unit
Day 7: Conversations and Arguments with Lines

itle – Do Something about…
School Violence Art Curricula Unit
Day 7: Conversations and Arguments with Lines
By – Do Something, Inc. / www.dosomething.org
Primary Subject – Art
Secondary Subjects – Social Studies
Grade Level – 9-12

Do Something about…
School Violence
Art Curricula
15-Day Unit

The following lesson is the seventh lesson of a 15-day
School Violence Art Curricula Unit from Do Something, Inc.
Other lessons in this unit are as follows:

More student resources for this cause are at:
www.dosomething.org/causes/school_violence

For more Service-Learning Curricula check out:
www.dosomething.org/oldpeople

Day 7: Conversations and Arguments with Lines

Goal:

Students will learn to use visual instead of verbal language to have a conversation.

Process:

1. Pair the students off and hand out three pieces of paper and two pencils to each pair.
2. The students will do three timed exercises with their partners. There is no talking during this time. Tell the students that you will let them know when each exercise is over.
3. For the first exercise, ask one of the students to select straight and angular lines, the other will work with curvilinear lines. When you tell them to begin, they will take turns making lines on the page and having a “conversation” between the two types of line, but the two types of line will never cross over one another. Ask them to fill the whole page and be sure to tell them to have the two sets of lines converse. Time them for a minute and a half or two minutes.
4. For the second exercise: they must have a conversation, but this time their lines can intersect and cross one another and either student can use either type of line.
5. The third exercise will ask the students to use either type of line and to have an argument between each other. After a minute, ask the students to resolve the argument. They must come to a mutually satisfactory conclusion in the next minute.
6. Ask the students which type of line felt more aggressive? How did they have a conversation without language? Which type of line did they want to use when they were arguing? When they were trying to come to a resolution? How did their lines change when they were conversing versus arguing? Or when they were trying to resolve things? Did the lines say things to each other without words?
7. Ask the students to think about whether there are other ways to say things without verbal language? What other kinds of language are there? What about body language? How does body language come into play with bullying, emotional abuse and violence? How can you use your body to send negative messages? To exclude someone? To threaten someone? Are there ways to use body language to include someone, to make them feel protected or on their side?ffect these choices? How can they use these drawings to make others aware of the choices they have?

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