Lesson 3: Color Aversion- Letter or Poem

1. If this color was a person, what would you want to say to its face?
2. How has this color "bothered" you, and why are you finished letting it do that?
3. What does "moving on" look like in your art?

Personification: Giving human qualities or a "voice" to a non-human thing (the color).

Closure: The act of finishing or resolving an emotional experience.

Dialogue: A conversation between two "sides" (the artist and the color).

Resilience: The ability to move through something difficult and keep going.

VA:Re9.1.HS1: Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art (evaluating their own emotional response).

VA:Cr3.1.HS1: Reflect on, re-engage, and revise personal artwork (re-engaging with the "aversion" to find a resolution).

Language Arts: Apostrophe—a literary device where a speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea/object.

Social Studies: Understanding the "Resolution" phase of historical conflicts or social movements.

Description: Using the "Aversion List" from the previous day, students will write a formal "Break-up Letter" or a poem to their color. They will tell the color why it makes them uncomfortable but end the writing with a "power statement" about moving on. They may "seal" the letter by painting a final, calm stroke of a new color over the edge of the page.

Purpose: To practice self-advocacy and emotional closure through creative writing.

DOK Level: Level 4 (Extended Thinking) – Students must synthesize their past associations with a forward-looking plan for emotional change.

Restorative Justice: The practice of "Letter Writing" to process harm and move toward healing.

Psychology: "Empty Chair" therapy techniques where people talk to their stressors to gain control.

"I have to be mean to the color." (Correction: You are being honest with the color, not necessarily mean. You are just setting a boundary).

Writing Support: Provide a "Fill-in-the-Blank" Letter Template (e.g., "Dear [Color], You always remind me of [Blank]... but today I am choosing [Blank] instead.").

Communication: Use Sentence Starter Strips or an AAC folder titled "Moving On" with icons for Bye-Bye, New, Change, Peace.

Physical: For students with limited writing endurance, allow them to create a "Poem Collage" by cutting out words that match their feelings and gluing them down.

• Creative Expression: The student will produce a completed journal entry that addresses the color as a "character."

• Boundary Setting: The student can point to the part of their writing where they said "Goodbye" or "Move on" to the uncomfortable feeling.

• Affective Shift: The student demonstrates a calm or "ready" demeanor when transitioning from the "Ugh" color to their next preferred project.

Materials: Expressive Art Journals, envelopes (to "hide" or "seal" the letter if desired), glue sticks, various colored pens/pencils