Plan Preparer: Grade Level/ Students: Lesson Title: Time Required: Virginia Standards of Learning: Objectives: Resources/Materials Needed: color

Transcription

1 Arts Critical Thinking Lesson #2 Plan Preparer: Kim George Grade Level/ Students: Fourth Grade, Whole Group Instruction, 25 students Lesson Title: Civil War Art Time Required: 1 hour Virginia Standards of Learning: 4.3 The student will create a work of art that uses themes, ideas, and art forms from the past The student will interpret works of art for multiple meanings The student will formulate questions about works of art. VS.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to g) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives; VS.7 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War Objectives: 1. Given direct instruction about and modeling of art criticism, students will engage in art criticism in small groups and formulate questions to ask the class. 2. Given examples of art that shows Civil War scenes, students will re-create important scenes from the Civil War or their own lives using crayons, colored pencils or watercolors. The purpose of this lesson is to twofold. First, this lesson gets students thinking about and discussing art critically with their peers. Second this lesson allows students to apply their background knowledge about the Civil War to the way they interpret painting. Resources/Materials Needed: 7 color copies of each painting and questions (#2-5), projector or document camera, crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, construction paper, copy of Civil War Artist by Taylor Morrison Instructional Strategies: Introduction: Begin the lesson by reading Civil War Artist by Taylor Morrison aloud to the class. Before you begin reading, explain to students that during the Civil War photographs were still a relatively new development. Although people had the ability to take photos, photos could not capture movement and cameras and equipment was bulky and cumbersome. In addition, newspapers at the time were not capable of printing photographs. However, people still wanted news and pictures of what was happening in the war. Explain that during this time, artists were hired to go out to battlefields and sketch what they saw so that newspapers could print these sketches to provide people with information about the war. Explain to students that even though we might not think of such sketches as art, they are a kind of informative art. Tell students that this book will tell the story of one such artist, William Forbes. (15 minutes) Content Focus: Instructional Input. Explain to students that in addition to sketch artists other artists both during and after the Civil War created art to help remember and understand how the Civil War affected our nation and the lives of our citizens. Tell students that artists create to Explain to students that they will be looking at some depictions of the Civil War and thinking critically about what the artwork shows and represents, as well as how it makes them feel or what it might inspire. Modeling. Show students the painting Lincoln s Drive Through Richmond by Dennis Malone Carter. Explain to students that this painting was done in 1866 and shows Lincoln visiting Richmond, the Confederate Capitol, the day after it had fallen into Union hands. Call student s attention to aspects of the painting that are important such as the symbolism of the

2 flag, the city in the background, the colors used, and the facial expressions of the people in the crowd. Next, ask students Nelson questions about the painting to model how they should respond to questions when they are in their groups. Ask students What do you think the people in the crowd are feeling right now based off their expressions? (Objective) (They look awe struck, excited, inspired.) Ask students What do you notice first when you look at this painting? (Reflective) (I notice President Lincoln in the painting because he looks different than the other people. He seems confident and almost heroic) Tell the students to notice the background of this painting. Ask the students Why did the artist choose to include the city s burnt remains? (Interpretive) (The artist may have wanted to show the realities of war and how destructive it can be) Finally ask students Can you relate this painting to anything you might have seen in your own life? (Decisional) (Maybe students have seen a politician speak before or the teacher can explain that in difficult times people often look to leaders for guidance.) Independent Practice. Next divide students in 4 groups. Give each group a different painting to discuss but give one copy of the same painting and worksheet to each student in an individual group. Instruct students to discuss the questions as a group and come up with one additional question that they would like to ask the class. Have each group chose one or two people to address the class when the class comes back together to discuss. Give students 10 minutes to discuss the questions in their small groups. Bring the class back together as a whole and have each group come to the front of the room and answer the questions that they talked about in their groups as well as pose a question about the painting to the class. Closing: Tell students that they will now have the chance to re-create an important scene from their own life or to show an important event in Civil War history. Give each student paper and let them chose what medium they would like to use to create their artwork. In addition, have each student write a short paragraph describing what is happening in his or her piece of art. Assessment: Formative: While students are working in groups, the teacher will circulate around the room and can observe student discussions and behavior. Summative: While students are presenting their discussions to the class, they can be assessed via a rubric about the quality of their answers. In addition, students are assessed via the artwork they create and their descriptions of their artwork as well as their answer to the multiple choice question which they will answer via exit slip. Differentiation: Visually impaired students will partner up with another student or teacher who will describe what is happening in the painting to the student. Then the student will hopefully be able to participate in a discussion of the work with the rest of their group. Additionally, the teacher can chose the groups beforehand, pairing stronger students with weaker students to ensure that groups stay on task and have meaningful conversations.

3 Resources: Carter, Denis Malone. (1865). Lincoln s Drive Through Richmond [painting]. Chicago History Museum. Retrieved from Crowe, Eyre. (1853) After the Sale: Slaves Going South from Richmond [painting]. Chicago History Museum. Retrieved from Katz, Hary. (2012). Civil War Battlefield Art. National Geographic. Retrieved from Langsdorf, Suzanne Schweig. (1940). Col. Robert G. Shaw Dying at the Battle of Fort Wagner [painting]. DuSable Museum of African-American History. Retrieved from Morrison, Taylor. (1999). Civil War Artist. New York, New York: Walter Lorraine Books. Phillippoteaux, Paul D. ( ). General Grant at Fort Donelson [painting]. Chicago History Museum. Retrieved from The Civil War in Art: Teaching & Learning Through Chicago Collections. (2012). Terra Foundation for American Art. Retrieved from Unknown. (1865). Patriot Mother at Her Son s Grave [illustration]. Retrieved from Name: Exit Slip Which of the following is not true regarding Civil War art? a.) During the Civil War artists were hired to sketch battle scenes. b.) Most Civil War art was based off photos taken during battles. c.) Artists created Civil War art both during and after the actual war. d.) Artists created Civil War art to help remember and understand a difficult time in our nation s history.

4 Paintings Needed for Art Criticism: 1. Lincoln s Drive Through Richmond (1865) Denis Malone Carter (Use this painting for modeling)

5 2. After the Sale: Slaves Going South From Richmond (1853) Eyre Crowe Important Information: This painting was painted in 1853 before the Civil War even began. However, it is important to Civil War history because it shows one of the most horrible and inhumane practices that indirectly led to the Civil War. This painting shows slaves being sold and families being torn apart. Questions: 1. What do you think is going on in this painting? Why is the woman in the blue in the center handing her child to the man in the red coat? (Objective) 2. How would you feel if you were in the same position as some of these people who were being separated from their families and sold? (Reflective) 3. Notice the American flag in the upper right corner, why do you think the artist chose to include it in this painting? (Interpretive) 4. What do you think the artist is trying to say about slavery with this painting? Would he be for or against the practice of slavery? (Decisional)

6 3. Col. Robert G. Shaw Dying at the Battle of Fort Wagner (1940) Martyl (Suzanne Schweig Langsdorf) Important Information: This mural depicts many African-American soldiers charging forward at the battle of Fort Wagner. Colonel Robert G. Shaw is shown in the bottom right corner. These men belong to the Union s 54 th Massachusetts, United States Colored Troops. Questions: 1. What does the landscape in this painting look like? Does it look realistic to you? (Objective) 2. What is the first thing you notice when looking at this painting? (Reflective) 3. What do you think the man with the sword in the left side of this painting is doing? (Objective) 4. Although the painting is titled Col. Robert G. Shaw Dying at the Battle of Fort Wagner, Colonel Robert G. Shaw is only shown in the bottom corner of the painting away from the main scene. Why do you think the artist decided to paint in this way? (Interpretive) 5. What do you think this painting is trying to tell us about fighting in a battle? (Decisional)

7 4. Patriot Mother at Her Boy s Grave (1865) Artist Unknown Questions: 1. What do you think is going on in this photo? (Objective) 2. Why do you think this woman is dressed the way she is? Have you seen people dressed this way before, when? (Reflective) 3. Do you think this woman is a Union Mother or a Confederate Mother? Does it matter? (Decisional) 4. Why do you think the artist decided to create this illustration? (Interpretive) 5. What message do you think the artist is trying to send about war? (Decisional)

8 5. General Grant at Fort Donelson ( ) Paul D. Phillippoteaux Important Information: This painting shows Union General Ulysses S. Grant seated on horseback in the center. This painting shows the battle at Fort Donelson. During this battle the Confederate soldiers launched a surprise attack on Union Soldiers that resulted in many deaths. But Grant would not let his troops give up and launched a counterattack that led the Union to victory. Questions: 1. Besides General Grant, what else do you see in this painting? (Objective) 2. What do you notice about the setting of this painting? (Reflective) 3. This painting is not a portrait, but it does feature General Grant. What do you think the artist wanted to show about General Grant? (Interpretive) 4. Did this artist do a good job showing the reality of war? Do you think this painting is realistic? (Decisional).