1. Murals and Community
A Lesson in Partnership with Visit Stockton
Visit Stockton
Website: https://www.visitstockton.org/ Phone: (209) 938-1555
K-12 Standards:
● SL.4.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an
organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to
support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Learning Objectives:
● Students will learn about Visit Stockton, an organization dedicated to providing
information on activities to do, places to visit, and community events in Stockton,
CA.
● Students will learn about murals: the different types and their contribution to the
community- and practice using the mosaic technique for a mural of their own.
Materials:
● Colored Construction paper
○ 9inx9in black squares
○ Ripped/torn construction paper (small pieces, and in assorted colors)
● Gluesticks
● Pencils
Vocabulary Covered in Lesson:
● Mural: any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall,
ceiling, or other permanent base
● Fresco: a technique of mural painting done upon freshly laid (“wet”) lime plaster
● Graffiti: art that is written on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and
within public view
● Marouflage: technique for attaching a painted canvas (intended to be a mural) to a
wall using an adhesive that hardens as it dries (such as plaster or cement)
● Mosaic:a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored
stone, glass, or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar covering a surface.
Considerations for Learner Variability:
- A written handout of the assignment
- An exemplar of a sculpture that fits the assignment
Total Time: 60 minutes
Beginning of the Lesson
Time ● Teacher Actions and
Pre-planned Questions
● Student Actions/Learning
Activities
2. 5 min Intro:
● (2 min) Teacher introduces the
“Learning Objectives” and
agenda.
● (3 min) Teacher introduces Visit
Stockton.
● Students are expected to
follow along, noting any
questions they might have.
13 min Hook:
Lesson vocabulary has been pre-written
on a slide that can be shown at the
beginning of the lesson, or potentially
pre-assigned.
Briefly discuss what murals are and the
different types of mural techniques.
Present these questions with images of
famous murals and murals in the
Stockton community
● What is a mural?
● What do murals depict?
● What purposes do murals serve?
● Students are expected to
write down key academic
vocabulary, and respond to
questions either in written or
oral formats.
● Students will view the
images, and answer
formative assessment
questions orally or as
prompted by the teacher. For
the questions, students are
expected to engage either in
a whole-group discussion,
think-pair-share activity, or by
writing down their responses
in their notes.
During the Lesson
5 min Content Delivery:
Instruct students to think about their
community/city/town. What are
different landmarks iconic to the
community (New York City - Statue of
Liberty) ? Different people (Stockton -
Brandon Leake)? Different locations
(San Francisco - The Golden Gate
Bridge? Different foods? (Chicago -
Deep Dish Pizza) Different symbols?
(Los Angeles - Film Camera)
In a whole-group discussion, brainstorm
different things/people/places/symbols
unique to your community.
● Students are expected to
write down and participate in
brainstorming different local
icons unique to the
community.
25 min Engagement:
(5 min) Direct students to choose 1
place/landmark/person/etc. from the
● Students are expected to
write down and/or sketch out
their ideas for a mosaic
3. brainstormed list, and sketch that on the
black piece of construction paper.
(20 min)
Direct students to arrange and glue the
small pieces of construction paper to
create their mosaic mural.
during the 5 minute period.
● Students will use art supplies
to design a mosaic of their
own that responds to the
need/theme of the prompt.
Closing the Lesson:
7 min Sharing and Discussion:
In a Socratic discussion, the teacher will
direct students to show their murals and
describe the inspiration behind them to
the class. Depending on class size, this
can vary from an “all student” activity, to
selecting students randomly, or by
asking for volunteers. Signpost this
section with a call for positive
reinforcement comments from the
class. The teacher should evaluate
students based on their active
participation in the process of
self-expression, and not on any scale
concerning artistic or literary quality.
● Students will be asked to
share their murals to the
class. Students should
explain the intention behind
their design and how it
connects to the overall
theme described in the
prompt.
5 min Reflection:
Direct students to write in their notes (or
discuss in their groups) a response to
this question:
“What does my mural say about my
community to people who are visiting
for the first time?”
● Students write a response to
the question in the prompt.
(Also appropriate for small
group discussion or a
think-pair-share activity with
a partner student.)
4. Visit Stockton One-Pager
About:
Visit Stockton (formally known as Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau) is a non-profit organization
charged with the promotion and marketing of the city of Stockton as a meetings, events, and travel
destination. Their promotional efforts are focused on driving additional tax revenue to the community
to directly benefit the local residents’ quality of life. Visit Stockton believes its residents come first,
and they continually strive to grow resident pride and enhance the image of Stockton. They believe
that a city that residents believe in, will be a city that drives future business investment and converts
visitors into future residents to grow a diverse and talented workforce.
Contact:
● Visit Stockton
● Website: https://www.visitstockton.org/
● Phone: (209) 938-1555 & Toll Free #: 1 (877) 778-6258
Description of activities:
● Visitors Guide: https://www.visitstockton.org/visitors-guide/
● Things To Do: https://www.visitstockton.org/things-to-do/
● Event Calendar: https://www.visitstockton.org/events/
