cubism & character traits

Title
Grade 4 – Inferring character traits in a work of fiction (Can be easily modified for use with all
grade levels)
Student Target
Timeline:
Essential Idea: Elements of Story
Strand: Reading Process
Standard: Literary Analysis
Reading Benchmark: LA.4.2.1.2 The student will identify and explain the elements of plot structure,
including exposition, setting, character development, problem /resolution, and theme in a variety of
fiction.
Visual Art Benchmark: VA.4.C.3.3 Use the art-making process, analysis, and discussion to identify the
connections between art and other disciplines; VA.4.H.2. Explore works of art, created over time, to
identify the use of the structural elements of art in an historical event or art style.
Reading Student Target: I can identify the traits of a character using clues in the story.
Visual Art Student Target: I can explain the traits of a character by creating a cubist portrait.
Marzano Strategies: Having students represent their learning nonlinguistically; presenting new
information in small chunks; asking questions that require students to elaborate on information; having
students reflect on their learning
Fountas & Pinnell’s Continuum of Literacy Learning Goal: Demonstrate understanding of characters,
using evidence from text to support statements. (Guided Reading Level N, Thinking Beyond the Text,
Inferring)
Background Information: Understanding the characters in a text is central to comprehending the story.
But a thorough character analysis requires students to infer abstract traits from the literal information
provided in the text, a task requiring critical thinking skills. Students make inferences based on what a
character says, does, and by what other characters say and do in response to that character. They also
see if the character changes throughout the story. In this lesson students use inferencing skills to analyze
a character’s traits in a work of fiction, chart their findings, and then apply their knowledge by creating a
visual representation of the traits using a cubist-style portrait. In cubist artworks objects are broken up,
analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form. Rather than depicting objects from one viewpoint,
the cubist artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater
context—an appropriate approach for students to use when trying to determine specific character
traits.
Materials
Teachers:
Character Traits & Cubism PowerPoint (attached)
chart paper to record shapes and their meanings, and another for colors and their meanings
Students:
Character Study student page (attached)
1 sheet of notebook paper per student, on which they write a description of their portrait
art supplies for cubist portrait (8.5 x 11 paper as background, old magazines, construction
paper, markers, crayons, paint, glue, scissors, etc.)
Note: This lesson will require at least three class periods of 60 to 90 minutes. The three lesson parts
are noted in the following lesson plan.

Part 1
Warm-Up
Project the first slide of the PowerPoint (the Big, Bad Wolf), and explain to students that this is a character
from a story they all know. Can you guess who this represents? (the Big, Bad Wolf” from Little Red
Riding Hood).
How did you identify this character?(i.e. the sharp teeth, pointy ears, long snout, and because they
know the story well). Can the colors help you identify any character traits, and if so how? (i.e. red
might represent danger, the dark colors might represent evil, etc.). Are there any shapes that help you
identify character traits? (the pointed shapes with sharp angles might represent something unpleasant
or hurtful, etc.)
This artwork represents the character traits, or personality, of the Big, Bad Wolf. It’s not a
realistic portrait of the Big, Bad Wolf, but a way of showing all of his character traits at the same
time. This style of art is called “Cubism.” In this style the artist breaks the subject apart into
pieces, takes out parts that aren’t important, and puts the rest of the pieces back together in
interesting ways. The idea is to show the subject, like the Big, Bad Wolf, in many ways at the same
time so we can really understand that subject.
Why is it important to understand the character traits of the Big, Bad Wolf when reading Little Red
Riding Hood? (i.e. it helps us understand the story better, allows us to make good predictions, gives us
an idea of the author’s purpose, helps us compare/contrast this character with another character, etc.).
Is there another character in the story with very similar or very different character traits? (Little
Red Riding Hood is the exact opposite of the Wolf!) Why do you the author used characters with very
opposite traits in this story? (By making Little Red Riding Hood such a good character, it makes the
Wolf look even worse).
Lesson/Activity
Today we will practice identifying character traits. Listen as I read two lines from a Brothers
Grimm fairy tale called “Faithful John,” and try to identify the traits of the character named
Faithful John:
Once upon a time there was an old king who was ill. His very favorite servant was called Faithful
John, and he was called that name because for his whole life he had been very true to his king.
Can you determine Faithful John’s character traits just from these two lines? (i.e. he was faithful,
trustworthy, etc.). How did you decide upon those responses? (the story told us--even his name tells
us his main trait).
In the example above the author told us exactly what the character traits were for Faithful John.
But it’s not always that easy! Sometimes we have to look for other clues in a story in order to
understand a character, like what they say or do, or even what other characters say about them or
how they treat them. We can also look at how a character changes over time—that can tell us a lot
about their traits too.

Now listen as I read a few lines from the Brothers Grimm story called “The Golden Goose,” and try
to identify the character traits of the son:
The oldest son went into the forest to cut wood, and met an old grey-haired man who asked if he
could spare something to eat. The son figured that if he shared his bread he might not have
enough for himself, so he told the old man to get out of his way. The old man looked sad and
somewhat angry, and slowly walked away.
Turn and talk to a partner to see if you can you determine the son’s character traits. After a minute
ask students to share with the whole group. (i.e. the son was stingy, rude, self-centered, disrespectful,
etc.). How did you identify these traits since the author doesn’t use any adjectives to describe the
son? (i.e. based on his thoughts and how he treated the old man). This is an example of how you can
use other clues to determine character traits.
Chart Activity
Pass out the “Character Study” student page and project an image of it using the document camera. One
way to organize your thoughts about a character’s traits is to use a chart. This chart allows you to
think about the clues in a story that help you determine character traits. Today you will use this
chart to identify the traits of a character in a story you are reading now. Model how to fill out the
chart using the character of the Big, Bad Wolf, then challenge students to complete their own chart based
on a character from a story they are reading now. Try to come up with as many character traits as
possible because you will be creating your own cubist portrait of your character, just like the
portrait of the Big, Bad Wolf we saw earlier!
Give students about time to complete their chart. If all students finish, ask a few to share their lists of
character traits.
Part 2
If students did not complete their Character Study student page, give them time to do so. When all
students have finished, ask several students to share their lists.
PowerPoint & Cubism Portrait Activity
Before you use your chart to create a cubist-style portrait, let’s learn a little about that style of art
by looking at the art of Pablo Picasso. Show the Character Traits & Cubism PowerPoint, starting with
the second slide (title page). Explain that all of these paintings are by Pablo Picasso. For slide 9, explain
that students will be focusing on two particular elements of art for this project, shape and color. Write the
words “geometric” and “organic” on the board.
Shapes can be geometric, such as circles, squares, triangles. Or shapes can be organic, which
means freeform and curved, like the clouds and flowers. Think carefully about which shapes you
choose for your portrait, since geometric and organic shapes can represent very different kinds of
character traits. Turn to your partner and discuss what character traits a triangle and a cloud
shape might represent. Have a few students share their answers, i.e. a very pointy triangle might
represent a smart (“sharp”) character; a cloud shape could represent that a character is a “softie.” Record
these on a wall chart that can remain in the room as a resource for students as they create their portraits.
For slide 10, write the words “hue,” “intensity,” and “value” on the board.
Color has three properties:
hue: the name of the color, such as red or violet
intensity: the brightness of a color; a pure yellow is bright, but adding a little violet would make
the yellow less bright and more dull
value: the darkness or lightness of a color, such as dark blue vs. light blue

Think carefully about which colors you choose for your portrait, since the hue, intensity, and
values of colors can represent very different kinds of character traits. Turn to your partner and
discuss what character traits dark blue and light blue might represent. Have a few students share
their answers, i.e. dark blue could represent evil; light blue could represent a youthful male. Record these
on a wall chart that can remain in the room as a resource for students as they create their portraits.
For slides 11 – 13, ask students to look closely at Picasso’s art and identify how he used shapes and
colors to reveal character traits about the subjects; encourage them to use the terms geometric, organic,
hue, intensity, and value (i.e. for slide 11, Three Musicians, the colors have intensity/brightness which
might represent cheerful people; for slide 12, Dora Maar au Chat, the almost geometric, sharp shapes of
her fingernails might represent a hint of evil; for slide13, Weeping Woman with handkerchief, the organic,
teardrop shaped eyes might represent grief and sadness).
Slides 14-17 are student examples of cubist portraits, as well as another artist’s work. Students can
analyze the shapes and colors of the cubist-style portraits to determine character traits.
For slide 18, review the rubric for this project.
Now, using the character traits you recorded on your chart, you will create your own cubist-style
portrait for that character! You will have many materials to choose from, including different types
of paper, magazines, paint, colored pencils, and markers. Remember to carefully choose the
shapes and colors to represent the character traits.
When you finish your portrait, you must write an explanation of your portrait. Your explanation
must include the title of the book you are reading, the character you represented, and an
explanation of your choices of shapes and colors, and how these represent your character’s
traits.
You will present your portrait to the class, describing the traits and the ways you represented
them.
Allow students adequate time to complete their cubist portraits. If all students finish, ask each student to
share their portrait and written description.
Part 3
If students did not complete their cubist portraits and written explanations, allow them time to do so now.
Also allow time for each student to share their portrait and writing with the class.
Wrap-Up
After students complete their portraits and written explanations and presented them to the class, ask
reflection questions like the following:
About their portraits:
• Was there a character trait that more than one student chose to use in a portrait?
• If so, what was this character trait, and was it represented the same way by different
students? Why or why not?
• Why do you think some character traits were shown by more than one student?
• Were there any traits that were difficult to represent with your cubist portrait? Explain.
• Did making a cubist portrait help you to understand character traits better? Why or why
not?

About the visual art objectives:
• Were the cubist portraits easy or difficult to create? Explain.
• Were the cubist portraits your classmates created easy or difficult to understand in terms
of character traits? Explain.
• Is Cubism a good way to show character traits? Why or why not?
• How would you explain Cubism to someone who knew nothing about it?
About the language arts objects:
• Why is it important to understand the traits of the characters in the stories you read?
• Was it easy or difficult to identify your character’s traits using the chart? Explain.
• How are characters created by an artist and characters created by an author similar or
different?
• Next time you read a book, what types of clues will you use to help you better understand
a character’s traits?
.
Daily Assessment
Have student review their portrait using the project rubric that you project onto the screen (last slide of the
PowerPoint).
Teacher Reflection
How did this lesson work—what went well and what did not?
What would you do differently next time?
Based on the student outcomes from this lesson, what would be your next steps?
Attachments
PowerPoint
Character Study student page
Date Created: 11-9-11
Originator: Jeff Fessler (based on a lesson by Kari Ratka)
Owner:
Last Modified:
Last Modified By:

Character Study
My book: ______________________________________________________________________________________
My character: __________________________________________________________________________________
What does the character SAY that gives a clue to character traits?
Looking at what you’ve
written in the boxes to the
left, list the traits of your
character:
1.
What does the character DO that gives a clue to character traits?
2.
Does the character make GOOD or BAD choices?
3.
How does the character affect other characters in the story?
4.
What are the words used over and over to describe the character?
5.
What items associated with the character say something about his/her
character traits?
6.
How does the character change in the story?
7.

PowerPoint
Slide 1
Jeff Fessler, American.
Stora, Stygga Vargen, 2011
This is the cubist version of the Big, Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood.

Slide 2
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Jacqueline Rocque, 1957
Cubism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacqueline Roque (February 24, 1927 – October 15, 1986) was the second wife of Pablo Picasso
and his frequent model. Picasso spent the last 20 years of his life with Roque, during which time
he created more than 400 portraits of her. [1] They had no children.
Life
Before meeting Picasso, she was a saleswoman at Madoura Pottery in Vallauris, where Picasso's
ceramic works were created. After Pablo Picasso separated from Françoise Gilot, they began
their relationship. They married in Vallauris on 2 March 1961. Roque's image began to appear in
Picasso's paintings in May 1954. These portraits are characterized by an exaggerated neck and
feline face, distortions of Roque's features. Eventually her dark eyes and eyebrows, high
cheekbones, and classical profile would become familiar symbols in his late paintings.

Slide 3
Cubism
Invented in early
1900s
by
Pablo Picasso &
Georges Braque
Pablo Picasso:
• Born in Spain
• showed artistic talent at a very early age
• first words said to have been spoken were to ask for a pencil
• father was an art teacher; by age 15 was accepted at art academy
• produced more art in more different media than any other artist
• together with Georges Braque began Cubism style of art
• influenced by African tribal art.
• Went through different periods in his art styles: early, Blue and Rose, Classical, Cubism,
"Guernica", and portraits.

Slide 4
How Picasso
painted first…
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Portrait of Gertrude Stein,
1906
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
"For me, it is I, and it is the only reproduction of me which is always I, for me." Thus
wrote Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) in 1938. For Stein, this painting was proof of her
irrevocable link to Picasso, whom she would come to regard as the greatest artist of her
time. She saw the painting as a collaboration between two emerging giants: a twentyfour-year-old
Spanish painter and a thirty-two-year-old American writer, two expatriates
in Paris, each as yet unrecognized but both destined for greatness.
They met after Stein had acquired several of his pictures. Although Picasso usually
worked quickly, there were many sittings throughout the winter of 1905-6. The figure
remained the same, but the head was repainted at least three times, evolving from a full
profile to the nearly frontal view of the final state.

Slide 5
and just a few
years later….
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Portrait of Daniel-Henry
Kahnweilier, 1910
Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (25 June 1884 - 11 January 1979), born in Germany, was an art
historian, an art collector and one of the premier French art dealers of the 20th century. He
became prominent as an art gallery owner in Paris beginning in 1907 and he was among the
first champions of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Cubism. [
-from Wikipedia

Slide 6
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Polichinelle with Guitar
Before the Stage Curtain,
1919

Slide 7
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Marie-Therese Walter, 1937
Marie-Thérèse Walter (July 13, 1909 – October 20, 1977) was a French love interest and model
of Pablo Picasso from 1927 to about 1935, and the mother of his daughter, Maya Widmaier-
Picasso. In Picasso's paintings, Walter appears as blonde, sunny and bright, in contrast to his
darker portrayal of Dora Maar, whom Picasso painted as the tortured "weeping woman".
Picasso supported Marie and daughter Maya financially, but he never married Marie.
On 20 October 1977, four years after Picasso's death, Marie-Thérèse committed suicide.
In 2004, Maya's son and Marie-Thérèse's grandson, Olivier Widmaier Picasso, published a
biography of his famous grandfather titled Picasso: The Real Family Story.
-from Wikipedia

Slide 8
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Femme a La Fesille, 1938

Slide 9
Elements of art
to look for:
shape
geometric
organic

Slide 10
Elements of art
to look for:
color
hue intensity value
bright
yellow
dull
color name brightness light or dark

Slide 11
Pablo Picasso,
1881-1973,
Spanish.
Three
Musicians,
1921
Three Musicians is the title of two similar collage and oil paintings by Spanish artist Pablo
Picasso. They were both completed in 1921 in Fontainebleau near Paris, France, and exemplify
the Synthetic Cubist style.
Each painting features a Harlequin, a Pierrot, and a monk, who are generally believed to
represent Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Max Jacob, respectively. Apollinaire and Jacob,
both poets, had been close friends of Picasso during the 1910s. However, Apollinaire died of the
Spanish flu in 1918, while Jacob decided to enter a monastery in 1921
-from Wikipedia

Slide 12
Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973,
Spanish.
Dora Maar au Chat, 1941
Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat) is a 1941 painting by Pablo Picasso. It depicts Dora
Maar, the painter's love interest, seated on a chair with a small cat perched on her shoulders.
This work is one of the world's most expensive paintings.
History
The canvas (50 ½ by 37 ½ inches / 128.3 cm by 95.3 cm) was one of many portraits of Dora
Maar painted by Pablo Picasso over their nearly decade-long relationship. Picasso fell in love
with the 29-year old Maar at the age of 55 and soon began living with her. This painting was
done during the year 1941, when the Nazis were occupying France. In the 1940s, the painting
was obtained by Chicago collectors Leigh and Mary Block. They sold the painting in 1963 . After
that, the painting was never shown until the 21st century.
During 2005 and 2006, Dora Maar au Chat, then owned by the Gidwitz family of Chicago, was
shown worldwide as part of Sotheby's exhibitions in London, Hong Kong and New York. It came
up for sale in an auction of Impressionist/Modern works held at Sotheby's on May 3, 2006 in

New York and making it the second-highest price ever paid for a painting at auction. An
anonymous Russian [1] bidder present at the New York auction won the work with a final bid of
US$95,216,000, well exceeding the pre-auction US$50 million estimates.
Descriptions of painting
Dora Maar au Chat presents the artist's most mysterious and challenging love interest regally
posed three-quarter length in a large wooden chair with a small black cat perched behind her in
both an amusing and menacing attitude. The faceted planes of her body and richly layered
surface of brushstrokes impart a monumental and sculptural quality to this portrait.
The painting is also remarkable for its brilliance of color and the complex and dense patterning
of the model's dress. The powerful figure is set in a dramatic, yet simple setting composed of a
vertiginously inclined plane of wooden floorboards and shallow interior space that is arranged
in a manner reminiscent of Picasso’s earliest manipulations of space in a cubist manner.
The luminous Dora Maar au Chat was painted in 1941, at the beginning of the Second World
War in France , and is one of Picasso’s most valued depictions of his love interest and artistic
companion. Their partnership had been one of intellectual exchange and intense passion—Dora
was an artist, spoke Picasso’s native Spanish, and shared his political concerns. She was an
intellectual force – a characteristic that both stimulated and challenged Picasso and her
influence on him resulted in some of his most powerful and daring portraits of his 75-year
career.
Maar was one of the most influential figures in Picasso’s life during their relationship and she
also became his primary model. During the occupation of Paris by the Nazis, and as tension
mounted in their relationship, the artist would express his frustration by furiously abstracting
her image, often portraying her in tears. Picasso once likened Maar’s allure and temperament to
that of an “Afghan cat”, and the cat in this picture is laden with significance. In the history of art,
the pairing of cats and women was an allusion to feminine wiles.. It is also interesting to
consider that the artist has paid particular attention to the sharp, talon-like nails on the long
fingers of his model. In life Maar’s well-manicured hands were one of her most beautiful and
distinctive features, and here they have taken on another, more violent characteristic.
In addition to being a rare, three-quarter length portrait of Dora Maar, the present work is also
a generous and painterly composition with an extraordinary attention to detail. The artist used
an extraordinarily vibrant palette in his rendering of the angles of the chair and the patterning
of Maar’s dress. The most embellished and symbolic element of the sitter’s wardrobe in this
picture is her hat, Maar’s most famous accessory and signifier of her involvement in the
Surrealist movement. Ceremoniously placed atop her head like a crown, it is festooned with
colourful plumes and outlined with a band of vibrant red. Larger than life, an impression
enhanced by her vibrant body that cannot be confined by the boundaries of the chair, Maar
looms in this picture like a pagan goddess seated on her throne.
-from Wikipedia

Slide 13
Pablo Picasso,
1881-1973,
Spanish.
Weeping
Woman with
Handkerchief,
1941
This stylized yet deeply moving image of a crying woman is part of a series of works that Pablo
Picasso painted in 1937. Collectively, the series is known as “The Weeping Women.” They were
made during and after the time Picasso painted “Guernica,” his epic mural provoked by the
devastation of the Civil War taking place in Picasso’s native Spain. This woman’s tears are
reminders of the innocent victims of battle. The scarf over her head - called a mantilla -
identifies her as a Spaniard.
To depict the suffering and pain of his figures, Picasso developed various stylistic elements.
Notice how her tears seem attached by strings to eyes shaped like teardrops. The billowy white
shape to the left, almost a caricature, represents a handkerchief pressed to the woman’s face.
Every detail has been manipulated to maximize the impression we have of an emotional
intensity that realism would be incapable of communicating.
-from LACMA

Slide 14
example
of
student
work

Slide 15
example
of
student
work

Slide 16
example
of
student
work

Slide 17
example
of
another artist’s
work
Sandra Silberzweig

Slide 18
Target: I can create a portrait in the cubist style that shows my
understanding of the art elements of color and shape, and that
shows my understanding of character traits.
KEEP TRYING ALMOST THERE ON TARGET WAY BEYOND
• I don’t recognize
these art
elements, the
style of cubism, or
the traits of my
character.
• I can explain the
art elements and
cubism, but I
haven’t used
them to show the
character traits in
my portrait
•I can define and
identify the art
elements and
cubism, and used
them to focus on
the character
traits in my
portrait.
•I used the art
elements and
cubism in a
completely new
and innovative
way in my
character trait
portrait.
Source: Kari Ratka, Berkshire Elem.