Activity 01
Gallery Walk: Style Spotters
Print 6-8 images of Baroque and Rococo works and place them around the room. In pairs, students spend 3 minutes per image noting three key characteristics like lighting or motifs on sticky notes. Pairs then regroup to create a class chart differentiating the styles.
Differentiate between the key characteristics of Baroque and Rococo art.
Facilitation TipDuring the Gallery Walk, place images close enough so students can observe details but far enough apart to prevent crowding and allow focused note-taking.
What to look forProvide students with two images, one Baroque and one Rococo. Ask them to write one sentence identifying the style of each image and list two visual characteristics that helped them decide.
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Activity 02
Sketch Duel: Baroque Drama vs Rococo Play
Provide prompts like a religious scene for Baroque and a garden party for Rococo. Individually, students sketch for 10 minutes using style guides. In small groups, they swap sketches, identify elements, and explain choices.
Analyze how Baroque art was used to convey religious fervor and political power.
Facilitation TipFor the Sketch Duel, provide thick and thin markers in limited colors to emphasize the contrast between Baroque drama and Rococo delicacy.
What to look forDisplay a slide with key vocabulary terms. Ask students to write a brief definition for two terms and provide an example of where they might see that element in art or architecture.
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Activity 03
Critique Carousel: Ornament Overload
Display Rococo interior images at stations. Small groups rotate every 5 minutes, critiquing ornamentation's effect with prompts on balance and mood. Each group adds one pro and one con to a shared poster.
Critique the use of ornamentation in Rococo interiors and paintings.
Facilitation TipIn the Critique Carousel, assign specific roles to each group member (e.g., scribe, presenter, timekeeper) to ensure balanced participation during rotations.
What to look forStudents sketch a simple scene or object, then swap with a partner. One student adds exaggerated light/dark contrast (Baroque influence), the other adds delicate, swirling lines and pastel colors (Rococo influence). Partners then discuss how the additions changed the mood and style of the original sketch.
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Activity 04
Power Pose: Baroque Propaganda
Whole class views key Baroque works. Students in pairs pose dramatically to mimic figures, photographing for analysis. Discuss how poses convey power, then vote on most effective examples.
Differentiate between the key characteristics of Baroque and Rococo art.
Facilitation TipDuring the Power Pose activity, have students use a timer to hold their poses for 10 seconds, then quickly switch, reinforcing the performative nature of Baroque art.
What to look forProvide students with two images, one Baroque and one Rococo. Ask them to write one sentence identifying the style of each image and list two visual characteristics that helped them decide.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teach this topic through layered comparisons that build from observation to analysis to critique. Start with visual exposure, then scaffold structured tasks that require students to manipulate elements of each style. Avoid overwhelming students with too many terms at once; instead, introduce vocabulary (e.g., chiaroscuro, arabesque) as they encounter the concepts in activities. Research shows that kinesthetic tasks, like sketching with constraints, solidify understanding better than lectures alone.
Students will confidently identify Baroque and Rococo styles, articulate the purposes behind each (religious fervor, political power, aristocratic escapism), and critique the role of ornamentation. By the end of the activities, they should use visual evidence to support their analyses and discuss the historical contexts that shaped these movements.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Sketch Duel, watch for students who assume Baroque and Rococo art are interchangeable forms of decoration.
Use the paired sketches as evidence to redirect them: have students label each sketch with style-specific terms and compare their notes side-by-side, noting how Baroque emphasizes contrast and scale while Rococo uses softness and asymmetry.
During the Critique Carousel, some students may dismiss Rococo as shallow or purely decorative.
Assign groups a prompt like, ‘Does Rococo reflect a specific social role?’ Have them use the carousel’s collective notes to debate this, citing examples from the images they critiqued.
During the Power Pose activity, students may overlook Baroque art’s dual purposes of religious and political messaging.
After posing, ask each group to write one sentence connecting their pose to either a religious scene or a political statement, then share with the class to highlight the movement’s broader applications.
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