Use inquiry in visual art to extend understanding of identity (e.g., examine how pop culture trends such as clothing design, hair styles, and visual images in mass media influence youth identities):

• Generate key questions to guide inquiry in visual art (e.g., How could we visually represent the uniqueness and distinguishing attributes of different peer group identities?).
• Summarize and focus knowledge of topic to determine information needs.
• Generate additional relevant questions for deeper exploration.
• Use the Internet and other sources (e.g., print, digital, community) to gather ideas for visual art.
• Explore the central questions and ideas visually (e.g., How could we communicate visually that each peer group has a distinct identity but also share common concerns? In what ways do graffiti artists represent their identities? How could this mural or installation represent the diverse identities of students in our school?).
• Expand on ideas in reflective records such as visual journals, blogs, and video or audio recordings.

Investigate how a single idea can be developed in many ways and directions (e.g., How many different ways could we represent visually the idea of individual isolation or exclusion from a peer group?).

Recognize valuable accidents in explorations and put them to use when appropriate.

Demonstrate self-awareness in decision making about own choices of media, techniques, and subject matter.

Reflect, analyze, and make connections between the original topic or inquiry question and subsequent visual art explorations.

Reflect on how images, elements of art, and principles of composition can be organized to convey meaning and express identity in visual art (e.g., What messages or ideas does our art work convey about identity?).