Lesson 1 - LearningThroughMuseums

Understanding 

Environments and Values 

Museums And Public Schools 

GRADE 4 

Art Institute of Chicago 

Educate Inspire Transform 

MAPS 


City of Chicago 

Mayor Richard M. Daley


GRADE 4 



MAPS 




CITY OF CHICAGO 

Richard M. Daley 

Mayor, City of Chicago 

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO 

Clare Muñana 

Vice President 

MEMBERS 

Norman R. Bobins 

Dr. Tariq Butt 

Alberto A. Carrero, Jr. 

Peggy A. Davis 

Roxanne Ward 

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

Ron Huberman 

Chief Executive Officer 

Barbara Eason─Watkins, Ed.D. 

Chief Education Officer 

Diane H. Zendejas 

Chief Officer, Office of Language and Cultural Education 

Antonio J. Acevedo 

Deputy Officer, Office of Language and Cultural Education

Table of Contents 

06 Curriculum Overview 

09 Lesson 1 The Southwest: Picturing, Reading, and Writing 

about American Environments 

27 Lesson 2 Oceans and Rivers: Northeast Environments 

47 Lesson 3 People and Environments of the American West 

63 Lesson 4 The Midwest: The City and the Farm 

79 Lesson 5 Choices 

93 Lesson 6 Inferring Values 

105 Lesson 7 How to Read Symbols 

121 Lesson 8 A Visit to the Art Museum 

Art Institute of Chicago • 5

Curriculum Overview 

The Art Institute of Chicago MAPS Curriculum: Understanding Environments and Values 

Lessons That Develop Reading and Writing Skills as Students Interpret Art to Understand 

and Communicate about Important Topics in Science and Social Studies 

Lessons for 4th Grade 

Overview 

Students apply reading and writing skills as they learn about topics represented in 

artworks. The lessons complement the core curriculum in reading, science, social studies 

and writing. 

The lessons emphasize literacy development. Students reinforce reading skills as they 

infer main ideas of works of art and write about what they learn. Activities include 

vocabulary development and art-making in which students communicate the ideas they 

learn through their own drawings. Each lesson includes an Extended Writing question 

based on a relevant reading. Teachers may use the lessons in conjunction with language 

arts or content development. 

The lessons also can be used in conjunction with science or social studies curriculum 

so that students develop content knowledge as well as literacy skills. The topics of the 

lessons match fourth-grade content requirements. 

6 • Understanding Environments and Values

Curriculum Overview 

The Eight Lessons 

Lessons That Develop Literacy as Students Learn about Environments 

These three lessons build reading and writing as students focus on environments, 

aligning with ISAT science requirements and the CMSI curriculum—Earth Features 

and Changes, Land and Water. Those three lessons also correlate with the fourth grade 

social studies focus on geographic regions. 

• Picturing, Reading, and Writing about American Environments 

• Oceans and Rivers: Northeast Environments 

• People and Environments of the American West 

Lessons That Develop Literacy as Students Learn about Themes of Social Studies 

These four lessons apply reading and writing skills as students analyze works of art 

that are related to themes aligned with SCRMA and trade books. 

• The City and the Country 

• Choices 

• Shared Values 

• How to Interpret Symbols: Maps and Images 

Field Trip Guide 

• Reading Art: A Trip to the Art Institute 

This lesson organizes a field trip to The Art Institute of Chicago that accompanies any 

of the other seven lessons. Teachers can choose either a self-guided tour or a docentguided 

tour. 



Lesson 1 

The Southeast: 

Picturing, Reading, and Writing 

about American Environments


The Southeast: Picturing, Reading, and 

Writing about American Environments 

Summary 

In this lesson, students interpret a painting of a plant that requires a warm environment to grow and 

survive. Specifically, they learn about the magnolia, which grows in the southeastern United States. 

Students analyze the ways the climate of a region affects plants and learn about the representation of 

nature in art as they create their own drawings of the plants of a selected environment. The lesson 

will support student literacy skills and can be related to a focus on the science of the environment or a 

social studies unit on regions of the United States. You may want to specifically schedule sessions on 

plants and environments in order to align this lesson with your science curriculum. 

Featured Artwork 

Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819–1904) 

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth, 1885/1895 

Oil on canvas 

Illinois Benchmarks 

Reading 

1.A.2b: 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 

Science 

12.B.1a: 

12.B.2b: 

Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 

Clarify word meaning using context clues and a variety of resources including 

glossaries, dictionaries, and thesauruses. 

Establish purposes for reading: survey materials; ask questions; make predictions; 

connect, clarify, and extend ideas 

Explain how authors and illustrators use text and art to express their ideas 

Make and support inferences and form interpretations about main themes and topics. 

Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies. 

Write for a variety of purposes and for specified audiences in a variety of forms. 

Describe and compare characteristics of living things in relationship to their 

environments. 

Identify physical features of plants and animals that help them live in different 

environments 

Understand how elements and principles combine within an art form to express ideas. 

Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create works of visual art using problem solving, 

observing, designing, sketching, and constructing. 

10 • Lesson 1: The Southeast ‒ Picturing, Reading, and Writing about American Environments

English Language Learner Standards 

Standard 1 Reading: Arrange information on topics gathered from reading. 

Standard 2 Communication: Edit and revise own writing to produce final drafts. 

Objectives 

• Students will interpret a work of art. 

• Students will use expository writing to describe a plant represented in a painting. 

• Students will infer the purpose of an artist or writer in creating a work. 

• Students will create a work of art representing an environment. 

• Students will complete a visual glossary of terms and use those terms in writing. 

Background Information 

The artwork: Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth, 1885/1895 

The artist: Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819–1904) 

Relevant Information 

• Heade’s painting shows a small bunch of magnolia blossoms placed on a velvet ground, as if on 

display. This kind of image is called a still life. 

• Although Heade lived in many parts of North and South America, he spent the last twenty years of 

his life in the southern state of Florida. Wherever he went, Heade liked to paint scenes from nature, 

either as big landscapes or close-up still-life paintings. 

• During his years in Florida, he painted a number of local, or indigenous, flowers in addition to the 

magnolia, including the Cherokee rose and the orange blossom. 

• By showing these flowers close-up and by themselves, Heade tells us that they are important in 

some way and that he wants us to admire them. 

• Heade painted with a style called scientific realism, which means that his goal was to show 

the subject as accurately and true to life as possible, as if you were looking at a photograph or you 

could actually touch or smell the flower. 

• The southern magnolia grows best in rich, moist, well-drained soils in the bottoms and low uplands 

of the Coastal Plains of the Southeastern United States (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/ 

silvics_manual/Volume_2/magnolia/grandiflora.htm) 

You will find additional useful information from the following sources: 

The Art Institute of Chicago Web site 

• Information about Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth: 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/100829 

http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_American/index.html 


Additional Web sites 

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Southern Magnolia: 

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/magnolia/grandiflora.htm 

• Tree of Life Web Project: 

http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html 

• Plant Files Database: 

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2451/ 

Web sites for Students 

• Plants: 

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_main.html 

• Biology of Plants: 

http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/ 

• Plants and our Environment: 

http://library.thinkquest.org/3715/ 

Printed Materials (available in the Art Institute’s Crown Family Educator Resource Center 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/trc/index.html) 

• Barter, Judith A., Kimberly Rhodes, Seth A. Thayer and Andrew J. Walker. 1998. American Arts at 

the Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I. Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson 

Hills Press. 

Day 1: Habitat—Interpreting a Painting in Words 

● Time Allotment 

45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth, 1885/1895 

Materials for each student: 

Copy of Art Reader organizer 

● Advance Preparation 

• Prepare to display the reproduction of Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth the in 

the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Magnolias on Light Blue 

Velvet Cloth. 


● Vocabulary 

blossom 

climate 

detail 

environment 

habitat 

image 

indigenous 

inference 

landscape 

observe 

petal 

realism/scientific-realism 

still life 

● Introduction 

1. Ask students to make two lists: “What I know about plants” and “What I know about 

paintings.” Tell them to keep those lists because they will add more information to them at 

the end of the lesson. 

● Part 1: Reading the Painting 

1. Have students take a close look at Magnolias on a Light Blue Velvet Cloth using the first two 

sections of the Art Reader handout. 

2. After students have completed their Art Reader, begin a discussion by asking students to 

describe what they see or recognize in the image. 

3. Ask them to count how many different blossoms are shown. Have them discuss what is similar 

and what is different among the blossoms in the painting. In what stage of development is each 

blossom? 

4. Ask the students what they think the flowers might smell and feel like. 

5. Explain to the students that the artist painted this to look exactly like the actual flower—as if he 

had used a magnifying glass to examine it carefully—and this is called scientific realism. Ask 

the students to tell why they think it’s called “scientific.” 

6. Explain that the plant grows in the southeastern United States. Ask how it is different from 

flowers that grow in the Chicago environment. Then “think” out loud to infer with students why 

the flower would be so big—what kind of climate it would need (warm and rainy). Point out 

that this is the climate of the southeastern United States where the magnolia grows. Explain that 

the longer the growing season the bigger a plant can get and that most large plants need much 

water. 

7. Ask students how they think the artist felt about the flowers he was painting. Explain that even 

the choice of the flower itself is a clue that the artist likes that type of flower. Point out that the 

artist probably wanted to help people see how special the magnolia is through his painting. 

8. Begin a pictorial word wall. Include terms the students use to describe the overall painting and 

the individual blossoms. Add more words as the lesson continues. Students should illustrate 

the terms. 


Day 2: Interpreting a Poem and a Painting 


45–60 minutes 

● Materials 


Copy of Haiku Reader organizer 

Copy of Haiku Writer organizer (optional) 


descriptive 

haiku 

image 

poetry 

● Procedure 

1. Give students copies of the Haiku Reader. Read the first poem aloud. If students are not 

familiar with this form of poetry, explain that haiku is a short poem that has a special pattern 

and that it originated in Japan, which is a country where they also would see magnolias. Then 

read the second poem aloud. 

2. Ask the students to select one of the poems and to draw a picture, or image, in the box 

provided, showing what the poet has written about in the haiku. 

3. Then have students exchange their drawings and decide which of the two haikus the other 

student drew. Ask the students what words in the poem helped them to decide what it looked like. 

4. Point out that the words the poets use are like the elements the artist uses. The artist used line, 

color, and shape to help us understand what the flower looked like just as the poet used words. 

5. To extend the learning about poetry and images, you may distribute the Haiku Writer and ask 

students to create their own haiku poems. 

Day 3: Reading and Writing about Plants and Places 



● Materials 


Copy of the reading “Plants and Places” 

Copy of Words and Writing organizer 



ecosystem 

habitat 

region 

summary 

● Procedure 

1. Give each student a copy of “Plants and Places” to read. Students can complete the reading 

individually or with a learning partner. 

2. After students complete the reading, ask them to summarize what they have learned. Remind 

them that a summary includes the most important information about a topic. “Think out loud” 

with the students and select information to include in a class summary that you put on the 

chalkboard. 

3. Ask students to identify words to add to the pictorial word wall for this lesson. Then give 

students the Words and Writing organizer to create their own pictorial glossary of important 

words based on today’s activity and those from previous days. They also can use that organizer 

to help pre-write their extended response to the “Plants and Places” reading. 

Day 4: Drawing Nature 



● Advance Preparation: 

If possible, arrange for students to go outside to locate and observe plants they will draw. If not 

possible, then get at least three plants or photos of plants to put on display in the classroom. 

● Materials 


Drawing paper (may be plain white paper) 

Drawing materials (pencils, colored pencils or markers or crayons) 

Copy of Art Planner organizer 


graphic 

line 

planner 

size 

shape 

sketch 


● Procedure 

1. Ask students what they think an artist does when creating a scientifically realistic image like 

Magnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth. Explain that a realistic painting shows something as it is 

in the natural world. 

2. Ask students to choose a plant or part of a plant to draw. Tell them they will draw a realistic 

picture of the plant they select. 

3. Give students time to first sketch out and plan their image with the Art Planner organizer. 

Focus this part of the lesson on planning and problem solving. Explain that this picture 

planner is like the pre-writing they do when they are going to write an essay. 

4. Review the students’ plans before they make their drawings. 

5. After students complete their drawings, ask them to add captions so you can make a plant book 

or display. 

Day 5: Writing about the Chicago Environment 


45 minutes 

● Materials 


Copy of Writing organizer 


essay 

expository 

envision 

● Procedure 

1. Have students use the Writing organizer to pull together ideas and prepare to write expository 

essays about the Chicago environment. Tell them they will be writing about a real place. 

2. After students complete their plans, they should write their essays. Remind them that they want 

their readers to be able to envision the environment they have described so clearly that they 

could even draw a picture based on the essay. 

3. Encourage students to include vocabulary from the pictorial word wall in their writing. 

● Home Connection 

Students can take the Haiku Writer home and create haikus with their family. Each family member 

can choose their favorite flower and then collaborate on a haiku about it. 

● Assessment 

Ask students to explain in their own words the ideas they learned. 

Have students write a guide for other students about how you can show nature in a picture. 


● Expansion Activities 

• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Students make a pictorial nature word book, illustrating 

the terms they have learned. 

• RESEARCH: If students have Internet access, ask them to research and report on 

the environment and other plants of the south. 

• SCIENCE: Ask students to design a plant that would live in the habitat like that of 

the magnolia. 

• WRITING: Have students write a poem or paragraph about how they feel about the painting. 

This activity is adaptable to any painting. 

• FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Have students make a three-column bilingual 

word chart, the word in English, the word in their own language, and a picture. 

• FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: Partner or group students, varying performance 

and skill level and collaborate on activities. 


Lesson 1 Art Reader (1/2) 

ILS25A: I can analyze how an artist uses elements of visual art to communicate. 

ILS1B: I can analyze a visual communication (transferable to passages). 

Part One: 

Take a close look at this work of art. Be sure to look for longer than two minutes. In this chart, list 

ten things that you see or recognize. 

1. 6. 

2. 7. 

3. 8. 

4. 9. 

5. 10. 

Part Two: 

In this chart, describe the elements (color, line, size, shapes) of the work of art. 

Element of Art 

Describe How the Artist Used It 

color 

shapes 

size 

line 



Part Three: 

Describe the mood and emotion of the work of art. How does it make you feel? 

Part Four: 

Explain how the artist uses elements of the work of art to make you feel that way. How did the artist 

create this mood? 



Haiku Reader 

ILS2A: I can analyze the literature that communicates ideas from different cultures. 

Here are two haiku poems. A poet wrote them hundreds of years ago. His name is Matsuo Munefusa. 

He wrote them in Japan. A haiku poem uses words in a special way. The poet uses them to help people 

understand and envision their idea. It is a kind of picture that you don’t see on the page. But you see it 

when you read the words and think about what they tell you. 

Directions: 

Read the two poems. 

Then choose one to illustrate (which means draw). Draw a picture that shows what you see when you 

read the poem. Draw the image you think the poet was thinking of. 

Then show your drawing to another student. Ask which poem you drew. 

The old pond. 

A frog leaps in. 

Splash! 

Lady Butterfly 

Perfumes her wings 

By floating 

Over the orchid. 



Haiku Writer 

ILS3C: I can write to communicate in different formats. 

Students at Pocantico School in Sleepy Hollow, New York, wrote these poems. They wrote them in three 

lines. They are haiku poems. 

Directions: 

Read their poems. 

Then write your own haiku poem. 

Write about the Chicago environment or another environment. 

Butterflies hatch. 

Bees drink the juice from 

flowers. 

Bees fly everywhere. 

Butterflies are flying 

Their orange wings touch 

the sun 

They perch on fresh leaves! 

Baseball is starting 

Spring is finally here yes! 

The bees are buzzing. 

By Andrea 

By Jaya 

By Kaydee 

My haiku will be about 

I will put these things in it to help people envision my idea. 

Here is my haiku. 

The first line has five syllables. 

The second line has seven syllables. 

The third line has five syllables. 



Plants and Places 

ILS1C: I can analyze the ideas and relationships in a passage 

Directions: Read this passage. Then answer the questions. 

Plants live in many different environments. Some live in the ocean. Some live in the desert. Plants are 

very important. Every environment needs plants. Animals need them. Many animals eat them. Many 

animals use them to make homes. Some animals make nests in plants. 

When you see a plant you can tell a lot about its environment, or where it lives. If the plant has big 

leaves and flowers, it lives in a warm environment. That plant needs warm sunny days to grow. It needs 

water, too. So that environment will be wet. That is part of the climate. Climate is what the weather is 

all year. It is how warm or cold the place is in winter, spring, summer, and fall. Wind is part of climate, 

too. 

Each state has a state flower. That state flower is a clue to the climate of that state. The state flower 

of Illinois is the violet. That is a small plant. It has little flowers. What is the climate of Illinois? We have 

hot summers. We have long cold winters. Plants start to grow here in spring. In summer most Illinois 

plants grow bigger. Then in fall they lose their flowers. Illinois is a Midwestern state. The magnolia 

could not live in a Midwestern state. It needs a different climate. If you look at the state flowers of 

Midwestern states you will see they have small flowers. The violet also is the state flower of Wisconsin. 

The cactus is the state flower of Arizona. That is a state in the southwestern United States. The 

saguaro cactus lives in the desert. A desert is a climate that has less than 10 inches of rain or snow all 

year. Arizona has a dry, hot climate. The cactus can live there. It has adapted to that hot, dry climate. 

Birds live there, too. Some birds live in the saguaro cactus. They make holes in the side of the plant. The 

Saguaro cactus cannot live outside in Illinois or Florida. It fits the hot dry desert climate. 

The magnolia is a plant that grows in a warm rainy climate. It has very big flowers. The artist Martin 

Heade painted pictures of magnolias when he lived in Florida. Many people think his paintings are 

beautiful. You will find magnolias in Florida and other states of the southeastern United States. You will 

see them in Mississippi. In fact, the magnolia is the state flower of Mississippi. It is the state flower of 

Louisiana, too. 

What is the main idea of this passage? 

Why do you think that is the main idea? 

Extended Response: 

Why is it important to learn about plants? Include information from this passage and your own experience 

in your answer. Write your answer on another piece of paper. 



Words and Writing Organizer: Plants and Places 

ILS1A and ILS3B: I can identify important vocabulary and use it to communicate about a topic. 

Directions: 

List six important words about plants and places. 

Write what each word means. Then draw a picture to show what it means. 

Then use these words to write about this topic. 

Word Explanation Picture 

Write to tell about plants and places. Include information you learned and information you knew. Add 

pictures you draw to help make your ideas clear. 



Art Planner 

ILS26B2D: I can create a work of art. 

Directions: Use this guide to organize and plan your own art making. 

What is the subject or topic of your picture? 

In this box, draw a sketch of what you want your finished picture to look like. Remember to plan for 

and cover the entire surface and all the edges or corners. If you want your work to fill a different shape 

than the box, first draw that shape in the box. 

List the materials you’ll need to make your art. 

Write a description of your picture. 



Writing Organizer 

ILS3B: I can organize a passage that communicates an idea. 

Directions: Use this organizer to plan your writing. 

What is the main idea you want to communicate in your writing? 

What are five things you want your reader to know? 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

What sources will you use to find more facts? 

Make an outline for your writing. 

Introduction: 

Part 1: 

Part 2: 

Part 3: 

Conclusion: 

Use your sources to find more information. 

Then draft your report on another page. Add illustrations that you draw yourself. 




Oceans and Rivers: 

Northeast Environments


Oceans and Rivers: Northeast Environments 

Summary 

In this lesson students learn about the environment of the Northeast, especially the ways people live 

near and with the ocean and rivers of that region. They analyze works of art and then draw and write 

based on what they have learned. 

Featured Artworks 

Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910) 

The Herring Net, 1885 

Oil on canvas 

30 1/8 x 48 3/8 inches 

Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848) 

Distant View of Niagara Falls, 1830 

Oil on panel 

18 7/8 x 23 7/8 inches 


Reading 

1.A.2b: 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

5.A.2a: 

5.A.2c: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 

Science 

12.B.1a: 

12.B.2b: 

Clarify word meaning using context clues and a variety of resources including 

glossaries, dictionaries, and thesauruses. 


connect, clarify, and extend ideas. 

Explain how authors and illustrators use text and art to express their ideas. 


Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan. 

Create a variety of print and non-print documents to communicate acquired information 

for specific audiences. 



Describe characteristics of environments. 

Identify physical features of plants and animals that help them live in different environments. 

28 • Lesson 2: Oceans and Rivers ‒ Northeast Environments

Social Studies 

17.A.2a: Locate, describe, and explain places, regions, and features on the earth. 

18.A.2: Explain ways in which artistic creations communicate about a culture. 

Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 







Objectives 

• Students will define and use vocabulary in expository writing. 

• Students will infer an artist’s or author’s intent for a work of art or writing. 

• Students will create a work of art that communicates about an environment. 

• Students will write to describe an environment. 


The artwork: Distant View of Niagara Falls, 1830 

The artist: Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848) 

The topic: Living near Oceans and Rivers 


• Thomas Cole was born in England but immigrated to America in 1819, when he was 18 years old. 

• He visited Niagara Falls for the first time in 1829. He said, “I anticipated much—but the grandeur 

of the falls far exceeds anything I had been told of them.” 

• For Cole, Niagara Falls became a means for communicating a reverence for pristine, or pure, 

nature, untouched by man. Niagara represented the grandeur and the sacred in the American 

landscape. 

• Yet, this painting presents a nostalgic view of a once pristine natural treasure—Niagara Falls was 

already developed as a tourist destination in 1830. Factories, scenic overlooks, hotels, and tourists 

characterized the surrounding area. 

• The red autumn trees depicted are sugar maples, a tree that can be found throughout New England, 

New York, Pennsylvania, and the mid-Atlantic States. In the painting, they suggest the symbolic 

autumn, or fall, of both the untouched wilderness and the American Indian in the Eastern region of 

the United States. 

• The oncoming storm in the sky brings a threatening tone to an otherwise serene landscape. Like the 

autumn leaves, the dark clouds suggest the coming winter as a symbolic decline, or end. 


• On the cliff Cole posed two Native Americans, one kneeling and another standing, as if in 

reverence of this power of nature. The small size of the figures symbolizes the insignificance of 

man in the grand scheme of the natural world. 

The artwork: The Herring Net, 1885 

The artist: Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910) 

The topic: Living near Oceans and Rivers 


• Winslow Homer was fascinated by the power of the sea. 

• He spent time in New England coastal towns during the 1870s and in 1881 traveled to England and 

a visited a small fishing village near the North Sea. 

• In 1884 the artist moved back to the United States and settled along the Atlantic shore in Prout’s 

Neck, Maine. 

• In his later career, during which he painted The Herring Net, Homer was interested in exploring 

the relationship between man and nature. He began painting hardy fisherfolk and the powerful 

waves of the sea. 

• The Herring Net depicts two anonymous fishermen struggling to pull a net of herring into their 

small boat as it is tossed among the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. 

• Along with halibut and cod, herring were the major catches for the local fisherman and represented 

an important part of the local economy in the northeastern United States. 

• Nature is depicted as dark and stormy. There is a feeling of isolation as the fishermen’s small boat 

is far away from the schooners in the background. 

• Homer depicts the physical exertion required of the fishermen’s task by placing one of the figures 

on the side of the boat to counterbalance the weight of the fish being pulled into the boat. 

• Homer painted the image as if we, the viewer, were also out at sea, experiencing the power of 

the dangerous sea, rather than on dry, stable land. 


The Art Institute of Chicago Web site 

• Further information about The Herring Net: 


• Art Explorer: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: 

http://www.artic.edu/artexplorer/ 

*Search for “The Herring Net” for text, lesson plans, and more. 

• Winslow Homer: The Color of Light (exhibition, 2008): 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/homer/ 

• Further information about Distant View of Niagara Falls: 



• American Art Collection: 



• Winslow Homer in the National Gallery of Art: 

http://www.nga.gov/feature/homer/homersplash.htm 

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Sugar Maple: 

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/saccharum.htm 

• Brief History of the Groundfishing Industry of New England: 

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/history/stories/groundfish/grndfsh1.html 

• World InfoZone: World > The Oceans > The Atlantic: 

http://worldinfozone.com/oceans.php?country=Atlantic 

• The John G. Shedd Aquarium: Educator Resources: 

http://www.sheddaquarium.org/teacherprogram_listings.html#educator_resources 

• Marine Bio: Marine Life: 

http://marinebio.org/ 

• Niagara Falls State Park: 

http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/ 


• National Geographic: Environment > Oceans: 

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/ocean-profile.html 

• Save Our Seas: for Kids: 

http://www.saveourseas.com/minisites/kids/86.html 

• Kids.Net.Au > Encyclopedia > Atlantic Ocean: 

http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/at/Atlantic_ocean 



• The Art Institute of Chicago. American Art Manual. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 

Museum Education, 2008. 

• The Art Institute of Chicago. The Herring Net. Poster Packet. Art Institute of Chicago, Department 

of Museum Education, 2000. 



Hills Press. 


Day 1: Interpreting a Painting 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Herring Net, 1885 

• Map of the state of Maine or the United States 




• Prepare to display the reproduction of The Herring Net in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Herring Net. 


atmosphere 

din 

landscape 

mood 

respect 

reverence 

schooner 

● Procedure 

1. Have students take a close look at The Herring Net and have students complete the Art Reader 

organizer. Make sure that students take at least two minutes (and even up to five minutes) to 

look at the painting before they start to make notes. 

2. After students have completed their organizers, begin discussion by asking them to describe 

what they see or recognize in the image. Explain that the herring is a kind of fish. 

3. Ask students to discuss the mood of the painting. What elements does the artist include to 

create that mood? Ask how the artist uses color to contribute to the mood of the painting. Ask 

what other elements the artist uses to communicate. 

4. Explain that the painting shows a place off coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Make a list of what 

students know about the Atlantic Ocean. Then ask what they see in the painting that they could 

add to the list. Keep track of this list on the chalkboard. 

5. Ask students: What are the people in the painting doing? Are the men fishing for recreation or 

is it their job? What elements in the painting lead you to this conclusion? 

6. Use a map of Maine or the United States to show the state’s long coastline. 


Day 2: Writing about the Ocean 



● Materials 


8 ½ x 11 paper (for Ocean Life Research Report) 

Colored pencils 

List of websites students can use to find information about animal and plant life of 

the Atlantic (see Background Information section) 

Copy of Ocean Research organizer 


• Look for books in the school library about oceans. 

• Make arrangements for library time or computer access for student research activity. 

If computer access is not available for students, print out research materials from the Web 

ahead of time to distribute in class. 


illustrate 

ocean 

research 

habitat 

● Procedure 

1. Discuss the role of the ocean as a habitat. Ask students to list the animals that live in the sea. 

Keep track of the list on the board. 

2. Give students the Ocean Research organizer. It guides them to conduct research about animal 

life in the Atlantic Ocean. Give students a list of Web sites to visit to help focus their research. 

Include sources listed in the Background Information section of this lesson as well as any 

additional sites that are appropriate. 

3. Allow students a short amount of time—approximately 5 minutes—to do some initial research 

before choosing one animal or plant living in the ocean to focus on. Have students use the 

Ocean Research organizer to guide their work and then write an Ocean Life Research Report 

on a separate page. 

4. Students will include a drawing of their animal in the Ocean Life Research Report. Provide 

colored pencils for students to use. 

5. Once students have competed their Ocean Life Research Report they can present a summary 

of the information to the rest of the class and share their knowledge. Then they can set up an 

exhibit of their drawings with captions that tell what is special about the animal. 

6. Create a pictorial word wall that includes words that students found during their ocean research 

and pictures they draw to illustrate the words. 


Day 3: Interpreting a Poem and a Painting 



● Materials 


Plain white 8 ½ x 11 paper (for their poems) 

Colored pencils 


Copy of Reading with Vision organizer 


communicate 

poet 

vision 

● Procedure 

1. Distribute the Words and Writing organizer. Ask students to work in pairs and list three words 

that they have learned from the first two days of the lesson. Tell them that they will include 

other words when they finish today’s activities. 

2. Distribute the Reading with Vision organizer, which includes a poem. Read it aloud. Then ask 

students to draw the image they “see” as they read the poem. 

3. Ask students what the mood of the poem is. Then ask them how the poet communicates that 

mood. 

4. Relate the mood of this poem to the mood of The Herring Net. How are they similar? How are 

they different? What words used in the poem are illustrated in the painting? 

5. Ask students to add more words to the Words and Writing page and then to use those in a poem 

they write that tells how they feel about the ocean. 

6. Expand the pictorial word wall to include words from today’s activity. 

Day 4: Comparing and Contrasting 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of Distant View of Niagara Falls, 1830 





• Prepare to display the reproduction of Distant View of Niagara Falls in the classroom for 

student viewing. 

• Leave the reproduction of The Herring Net on display. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Distant View of Niagara 

Falls. 


central focus 

compare 

contrast 

message 

mood 

Niagara Falls 

● Procedure 

1. Explain that many artists have painted natural environments and that today students will look at 

another painting that shows a natural scene. Explain that in order to present his opinion about 

nature, Thomas Cole painted Niagara Falls the way it would have looked before it became a 

tourist site. In fact, this once pure natural environment was already changed by people by the 

time he painted this picture in 1830. 

2. Have students take a close look at Distant View of Niagara Falls and complete the Art Reader 

organizer. 

3. After students have completed their organizers, begin discussion by asking students to describe 

what they noticed in the image. 

4. Ask students to discuss the mood of the painting. Ask how the artist used color to create a 

mood. Ask students to identify other elements the artist included to create that mood. 

5. Continue to explore the painting with these questions: 

• What is the subject of the painting? 

• Where are the people in the painting? 

• Are they the central focus of the painting? Why or why not? 

Explain that the two people, one kneeling and another standing, symbolize how powerful 

nature is compared to humans. 

6. Ask students to compare The Herring Net and Distant View of Niagara Falls. How are they 

alike? How are they different? What do you think each painter wanted us to understand? 

What is the message that you understand from each painting? 


Day 5: Reading and Writing about Nature 


45 minutes 

● Materials 


Copy of the reading “Looking at Nature” 


analyze 

infer 

science 

social studies 

● Procedure 

1. Distribute the reading “Looking at Nature.” Students can complete it independently or with a 

partner. 

2. Discuss students’ responses to the questions at the end of the reading. Accept different 

statements of the main idea if students can support them. 

3. Ask students why someone would write this passage. Point out that just as an artist paints a 

picture for a reason a writer writes a passage for a reason. Ask why they think the writer wrote 

this passage about looking at nature. (Answers may include the idea of helping people 

understand how important art is.) 


Ask students to interview family members about the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. 

What animals do they think live there. What can people do to protect the lake and river? 


Have students write an extended response based on what they have learned and what they already 

knew. The Extended Response organizer guides this writing. 


• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Ask students to make pictorial glossaries of the words 

they have learned. 

• WRITING: Students can write a poem or paragraph about how the paintings make them feel. 

• RESEARCH: Students can research bodies of water of the United States, including the Great 

Lakes, to learn more about the animals of those environments. 

• SCIENCE: Students can make food chain charts showing relationships among the plants and 

animals of the ocean. 

• FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: When possible, provide concrete examples of 

vocabulary words (pictures or actual examples) and use drawn images to represent vocabulary 

words. 



and skill level, and collaborate on activities. 





Part One: 



1. 6. 

2. 7. 

3. 8. 

4. 9. 

5. 10. 

Part Two: 




color 

shapes 

size 

line 



Part Three: 


Part Four: 





Ocean Research organizer 

ILS5A: I can locate and collect information about a topic and use it to explain the topic. 

Research is a word that has an important word inside it: search. You will search for information about 

an animal that lives in the ocean. Here are some Web sites you can use to find facts. 

National Geographic: Environment > Oceans: 

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/ocean-profile.html 

Save Our Seas: for Kids: http://www.saveourseas.com/minisites/kids/86.html 

Kids.Net.Au > Encyclopedia > Atlantic Ocean: 

http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/at/Atlantic_ocean 

Start your research by choosing an ocean animal to learn about. Here is a list of some ocean animals 

you could learn about: seal, starfish, whale, herring, dolphin, tuna, penguin, or shark. 

What is your animal? 

Search for answers to questions about the animal you selected. Here are some questions. Add more 

questions of your own. Then look for answers in books and on the Internet if you can use a computer. 

Where does the animal live? 

What does it eat? 

How does it protect itself from being caught by predators? (Animals that eat other animals are called 

predators.) 

Your questions: 

After you get the answers, write an Ocean Life Research Report on a separate page. 

After you finish your report, draw a picture of your animal. 



Reading with Vision 

ILS2A: I can analyze a poem. 

This is a poem about ocean fish. A poet often has an idea when he writes a poem. It is what the poet 

wants people to think about when they read the poem. When you read a poem you should think 

about the idea. You should try to see the idea by thinking about what the poem would look like if it 

were a picture. 

Directions: Read the poem. Then draw a picture that shows what the poet wanted people to understand. 

Poem 

Picture 

Fishes’ Evening Song, 

by Dahlov Ipcar 

Flip flap, 

Slip slap, 

Lip lap, 

Water sounds, 

Soothing sounds. 

We fan our fins 

As we lie 

Resting here 

Eye to eye. 

Water falls 

Drop by drop, 

Plip plop, 

Drip drop. 

Plink plunk, 

Splash splish 

Fish fins fan, 

Fish tails swish, 

Swish, swash, swish. 

This we wish… 

Water cold, 

Water clear, 

Water smooth, 

Just to sooth 

Sleeping fish. 

Write your own poem about a river, lake, or ocean with the Words and Writing organizer. 



Words and Writing organizer 

ILS3B: I can write to explain a topic. 

Directions 

List six important words about the ocean. 

Write what each word means. Then draw a picture to show what it means. 


Next, write “to tell” about this topic. Write a poem that tells how you feel about the ocean. Include 

the words above and both information you have learned and you already knew. Add pictures you draw 

yourself to help make your ideas clear. 



Looking at Nature 

ILS1B: I can analyze a nonfiction passage to identify and support a main idea. 

Directions: Read this passage. Then answer the questions. 

You live in a city, so sometimes it seems as if it is hard to see the natural environment. But you can see 

nature yourself. You can see it in parks. When you look at the natural environment, there are things 

that are hidden. So you need to look carefully. You will see how special it is. 

When you look at nature, you can see patterns. Animals have adapted or changed to live in different 

natural environments. One way they adapted is their coloring. Some animals are the same color as the 

place they live. So it is hard to see them. They aren’t hiding from you. They are hiding from animals that 

would eat them. An animal that hunts other animals is a predator. Even in oceans and lakes, animals 

need to hide from predators. 

Artists show you the world. Some artists show nature in their paintings. They want people to see how 

special nature is. The artists took time to visit a place. They drew what they saw. Then they painted 

pictures. They used colors, lines, and shapes to help people see that special place. 

Long ago there were no cameras. The only way to see nature from faraway places was from 

drawings and paintings. Artists would travel to these places. They would draw the places. They would 

help people learn about those environments. Today you can see other places on TV. But artists still help 

people learn about environments. They use colors, lines, and shapes to help people understand how 

special nature is. 

When you look at a painting you need to look carefully. When you see a painting of nature you 

should ask questions. What does the picture show about the place? What does the artist want me to 

understand? How does the artist want me to feel about nature? You can answer those questions 

yourself. You can find the answers by looking and thinking. 

What is the main idea of the passage? 

What are three reasons you think that is the main idea? Underline the three facts you read that 

tell you that is the main idea. 



Extended Response organizer 

ILS1C: I can write an extended response based on non-fiction content. 

Why is it important for people to learn about oceans and rivers? Write your answer. Use facts 

from what you learned and your own experience in your answer. 

Directions: List five important facts you learned from this lesson. 

What I Learned 

List three facts you already knew about oceans and rivers. 

What I Knew 

On another page, write your extended response. Include facts from this page in your answer. 





People and Environments of 

the American West


People and Environments of the American West 

Summary 

In this lesson, students apply skills of reading to interpret how two different works of art represent the 

western United States. They learn about two art forms—sculpture and painting—and then create their 

own artwork and write a poem to communicate about people in an environment. 


Frederic Remington (American, 1861–1909) 

The Bronco Buster, modeled 1895; cast 1899 

Cast by Henry‒Bonnard Bronze Co. 

Bronze with brown patina 

Marsden Hartley (American, 1877–1943) 

The Last of New England—The Beginning of New Mexico, 1918/1919 

Oil on cardboard 


Reading 

1.A.2b: 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 

Clarify word meaning using context clues. 




Make and support inferences and form interpretations about ideas and topics. 




17.C.2a: Describe how natural events in the physical environment affect human activities. 


Art 

25.B.2: Understand how elements and principles combine within an art form to express ideas. 

25.A.2d: Identify and describe the elements of two‒ and three‒dimensional space, figure‒ground, 

value and form; the principles of rhythm, size, proportion and composition; and the 

48 • Lesson 3: People and Environments of the American West

expressive qualities of symbol and story. 

26.B.2d: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create works of visual art using problem solving, 

observing, designing, sketching and constructing. 




Objectives 

• Students will identify and interpret characteristics of environments represented in a work of art. 

• Students will describe how an artwork relates to a geographic area or culture. 

• Students will compare and contrast works of art. 

• Students will use terms of art interpretation to describe how a work of art communicates ideas, 

feelings, mood, and character traits. 

• Students will analyze how two different artistic media, sculpture and painting, communicate. 

• Students will create a work of art representing a geographic area. 


The artwork: The Bronco Buster 

The artist: Frederic Remington (American, 1861–1909) 

The topic: Living in the Old West 

Relevant Information: 

• Remington’s sculpture of The Bronco Buster shows the fierce and wild movement of a bucking 

horse being tamed by a rugged cowboy. 

• Remington’s work celebrates the West as a place for only the strongest of men. 

• Although he left upstate New York several times to explore the West, his mythical, romantic 

artworks about cowboys, Native Americans, and soldiers are largely the result of his imagination— 

he created them in his New York studio. 

• With America facing increasing urbanization and modernization as settlers moved further 

westward, The Bronco Buster can be seen as an attempt to perpetuate the myth of the Old West— 

that there was still uncharted and wild territory to explore and conquer. 

• Remington was very successful as America’s leading illustrator of life on the western frontier for 

Harper’s Weekly, a magazine that was widely read. 

• He also wrote stories that were published in magazines. The magazines usually included his 

paintings to illustrate the stories. 

• Then he started to work as a sculptor. 

• He began making bronze sculptures because he could reproduce them more easily than paintings 

and sell the reproductions. 


The artwork: The Last of New England the Beginning of New Mexico 

The artist: Marsden Hartley (American, 1877–1943) 

The topic: The Environment of the West 


• Marsden Hartley grew up in the East and often painted pictures of America, including landscapes. 

• The painting The Last of New England—the Beginning of New Mexico uses bold color and line to 

communicate how Hartley feels about the southwestern landscape. 

• Hartley loved the color and light that he found in New Mexico when he moved there from the East 

in 1918. He wrote that he felt like “an American discovering America” and saw the Southwest as 

unspoiled, beautiful, and rejuvenating. 

• The painting does not show the landscape exactly as it is but is from Hartley’s imagination. 

The greenery and tree stumps in the foreground represent the forests of the East leading into the 

vibrant hills of New Mexico in the background, even though these two regions are separated by 

thousands of miles in reality. 


Web sites 

• The Art Institute of Chicago 

Information about The Bronco Buster: 


• Information about The Last of New England—The Beginning of New Mexico: 




• Window on the West: Chicago and the Art of the New Frontier, 1890–1940 (2003 exhibition): 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/window/overview.html 


• Frederic Remington Art Museum: 

http://www.fredericremington.org/index.php 

• Marsden Hartley: American Modern (2000 exhibition): http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/2aa/2aa10.htm 

• Life on the Western Frontier: 

http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/cowboys/essays/front_life2.htm 

• The Great American West (40-minute documentary): 

http://www.hulu.com/the-great-american-west 



• American West: 

http://www.americanwest.com/ 

• Multicultural American West: 

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~amerstu/mw/ 





• The Art Institute of Chicago. American Art and Culture. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 




Hills Press. 

• Barter, Judith A., Sarah E. Kelly, Denise Mahoney, Ellen E. Roberts, Brandon K. Ruud, and 

Jennifer M. Downs. 2009. American Modernism at the Art Institute of Chicago: From World War I 

to 1955. Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press. 

• Barter, Judith A., and Andrew J. Walker. 2003. Window on the West: Chicago and the Art of the 

New Frontier 1890-1940. Exh. cat. Art Institute of Chicago/Hudson Hills Press. 

Day 1–2: Interpreting a Mood in a Painting 


two days, 45 minutes each day (or two 45-minute segments in one day) 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Last of New England—The Beginning of New Mexico, 1918/1919 

• Reproduction of The Herring Net, 1885 * 

• Reproduction of Distant View of Niagara Falls, 1830 * 

* Reproductions of these two paintings are included in Lesson 3 of the MAPS Curriculum about 

the Northeast. 


Paper for writing and to make a chart 

Paper, scissors, and glue sticks for students to make a “word picture” 



• Prepare to display the reproduction of the painting The Last of New England—The Beginning 

of New Mexico as well as reproductions of The Herring Net and Distant View of Niagara Falls 

in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Last of New England— 

The Beginning of New Mexico. 


adjective 

compare 

contrast 

environment 

express 

interpret 

mood 

Southwest 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Interpret 

1. Ask students what they know about the western United States. 

2. Then ask what they would put into a painting to show it. 

3. Display The Last of New England—The Beginning of New Mexico. Ask students what they 

notice first. 

4. Ask students to identify what they think are important parts of the painting, such as the clouds 

or hills, and discuss why the artist might have painted them the way he did. 

5. Explain that the artist exaggerated lines and colors in order to express his feelings about the 

landscape with the painting. 

6. Ask how the painting makes them feel. Explain that a painting has a mood just as a story or 

poem does and that the artist paints it in ways to emphasize that mood. 

7. Have students make a “word picture” of the painting. Students should write adjectives and 

nouns on small pieces of paper and then place them on a sheet of paper on which they construct 

the painting with words such as “white,” “billowing,” and other adjectives that describe the 

clouds, or “curved,” “brown,” “striped” and other words that describe the landform. 

Part 2: Compare and Contrast 

1. Explain that the artist painted this after he moved from the East of the United States to the 

Southwest. 

2. Next, ask what the environment in the Northeast is like. Display the two paintings from 

Lesson 3 about the Northeast and have students identify specific characteristics of 

the environment. Ask what the mood is of each of the paintings—and what the artists included 

in order to express that mood. They can refer to specific details in the paintings or to the way 

the artists used color, line, or any other artistic element. 


The Herring Net 

Mood: _____________________________________ 

Elements the artist used to communicate mood: 

Distant View of Niagara Falls 

Mood: _____________________________________ 

Elements the artist used to communicate mood: 

3. Make a two-column chart on the chalkboard with two headings: Southeast and Northeast. 

Ask students to make the same chart on paper and work with a partner, listing or drawing 

features of the environment represented in the artworks. 

4. Ask students to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the two environments based on 

the paintings and their chart. 

Day 3–4: Communicating with Sculptures 


2 days, 45 Minutes each day (or two 45-minute segments in one day); second segment may take 

60–75 minutes if students create sculptures. 

● Note 

Preview the lesson and decide if your class will create sculptures or not. If so, then prepare 

modeling clay in different colors, providing at least a half a pound for each student’s use. If not, 

the materials listed below will be sufficient for this portion of the lesson. 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Bronco Buster, modeled 1895; cast 1899 


Copies of Art Reader, Landscape Maker, and Sculpture Planner organizer 

Image of The Bronco Buster for use in small groups (color copies are fine) 

Copy of the reading “The Environment of the West” 


• Prepare to display the reproduction of The Bronco Buster in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Bronco Buster. 


action 

character trait 

inference 

main idea 

medium 


perspective 

scale 

sculptor 

sculpture 

shape 

two-dimensional 

three-dimensional 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Interpreting a Sculpture 

1. Explain that reading a sculpture is like reading a painting. The viewer, or “reader,” uses 

information to make inferences and analyzes both the parts and the whole. 

2. Introduce The Bronco Buster as a sculpture. Explain that the students are seeing a photo of the 

sculpture but can see the real sculpture at the museum. 

3. Explain to the students that sculpture and painting are different forms, or mediums, of art. Each 

medium has different characteristics, but one of the main differences between these two is that 

paintings are two-dimensional and sculptures are three-dimensional, so the painter has to think 

about us seeing their art from just one side, or perspective, while the sculptor has to think about 

how it will look from different perspectives. 

4. List with students the things a sculptor would think about before making a sculpture of a 

person. If students do not suggest it, then add the following: main idea, character traits, and 

position or action. 

5. Point out that the sculptor also thinks about scale, line, color, and other elements of art. 

6. Distribute the Art Reader graphic organizer. Ask students to complete it individually then pair 

to share with another student. Then, as a class, share what students have noticed, referring to 

parts 1 and 2 of the Art Reader. 

7. Explain that The Bronco Buster shows us a particular type of work that people did when they 

settled the West, taming horses. Share information with students from the Background 

Information section as appropriate. 

8. Continue to discuss the sculpture by asking students to describe the person, animal, and action 

in the sculpture and to consider how this is communicated in a sculpture as contrasted with a 

painting. 

9. Remind students that painters and sculptors can create a mood with things like line, color, 

shapes, and scale. Ask what mood they feel when they look at this sculpture and how they 

think the sculptor communicates that mood. They should refer to parts 3 and 4 of the Art 

Reader. 

Part 2: Contextualizing a Sculpture 

1. Ask students to infer what they think the environment of The Bronco Buster would have 

looked like. 

2. List what students say would be part of that environment. 

3. Then distribute “The Environment of the West.” After students read it, ask them to add more 

information to their list about the environment. 


4. Distribute the Landscape Maker organizer. Ask students to use it to plan and then draw what 

they think you would see in a landscape that The Bronco Buster could have been part of. 

5. Give students a copy of the Sculpture Planner organizer to work on. Explain that their sculpture 

can be of any person or animal included in the reading “The Environment of the West.” It also 

can be of a person or animal they know based on their prior experience about the West. If time 

permits, have students actually make the sculpture. 

6. As homework, ask students to complete the drawing activities from the “See What You Read” 

portion of the “The Environment of the West” reading; explain that they will be drawing a 

picture showing the way it ‘was’ and a picture showing the way it is. 

Day 5: Word Pictures 



● Materials 


Copy of Poem Writer organizer 


envision 

image 

poet 

poetry 

● Procedure 

1. Remind students that poems, like paintings and sculptures, are art forms. Using the Poem 

Reader organizer, ask students to write a poem based on one of the three paintings or one 

sculpture they have learned about in the lesson. They should write their poem so that it 

includes vivid language that would help other students figure out which of the artworks they 

are presenting in their poem. 

2. Explain that their poem should help a reader envision a place, person, event, or idea. 

3. Encourage students to collaborate on their poems with a partner, each contributing to the 

other’s poems. 

4. Have students share their poems by having a read-aloud “poetry slam.” Then after each is 

read, students infer which artwork the poem represents. 


Ask students to watch for programs on television that present natural environments. Students 

should discuss the environments with their family to answer a big question: how is that 

environment different from Chicago? 



Ask students to make a guide of how to “read” a sculpture, painting, or poem. Their explanation 

should include a comparison of how the “readings” of each art form are alike, as well as how 

each one requires the “reader” to look out for specific characteristics. 


• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Ask students to make a glossary of terms related to 

sculpture. Their glossary should include many terms that also would be found in a glossary 

about reading a painting, but should include additional terms such as three-dimensional. 

• WRITING: Ask students to write about the scene in The Bronco Buster from the point of view 

of the cowboy. They should tell what he was feeling and how difficult the work was. 

• RESEARCH: Have students conduct research about the West and write a paragraph about what 

they have learned. Students can share their paragraph with the class. To guide the research, 

make a K-W-L chart: list what students know; list topics they want to learn more about; then 

when they finish their research and write their paragraphs, they share it with the class 

(for the L). 

• SCIENCE: Ask students to create sketches of different environments like those included in this 

lesson. For example, they could make a sketch of the tundra or a rainforest. Encourage them 

to use things like line, color, form, and scale to help communicate both their knowledge of and 

feelings about the environment. 


vocabulary words (pictures or actual examples) and allow them to use drawn images to 

represent vocabulary words as well. 







Part One: 



1. 6. 

2. 7. 

3. 8. 

4. 9. 

5. 10. 

Part Two: 




color 

shapes 

size 

line 



Part Three: 


Part Four: 





The Environment of the West 

ILS1B: I can analyze a text to compare and contrast different situations. 

Long ago, the western part of the United States was open land. Today, where you see highways 

there were no roads. The land was hilly. There were great mountains. There were enormous fields, 

called plains. The bison, or buffalo, lived there. They roamed wherever they wanted. Eagles flew above 

the land. In summer it was hot and dry. In winter, it was windy. Parts of the environment were desert 

and so dry that only cactus could grow well. Snakes and lizards lived in the desert. They would come 

out at night when it was cooler. During the day they slept. 

For many years, Native Americans had lived in these lands. They had farmed. They had hunted 

animals. They had built homes. Some Native Americans built homes out of a kind of brick. They made 

the bricks from clay. They put them together into thick walls. Those walls would keep the homes cool 

during the day. They would keep the heat inside at night. When the sun went down, the desert would 

become cold. So it was good to have a way to keep heat inside. 

Settlers from the East came to this environment. They brought tools. They arrived in covered 

wagons. Oxen pulled the wagons. When the settlers came to a place where there was water, they 

would stop. They would camp there. Sometimes they chose to stay where they camped. They set up a 

small village. They would start to farm. They would hunt, too. 

Some people started to build ranches in the West. They would raise herds of cattle. The cowboys 

who worked for the ranch would ride with the cattle. They would watch over them. They might have 

a dog to help them. The dogs would help to herd the cattle. The land was wide open. The cattle might 

go for many miles to find grass to eat. The cowboys would herd them to places to get water, too. They 

were grown men, but they were called boys. They were called cowboys because they took care of the 

cows. They worked hard every day. They would get up early in the morning to start to herd the cattle. 

There was no rest until sundown. 

The cowboys had to protect the cows from predators, including wolves and coyotes that might 

come after the cattle at night. The cowboys might have to get up in the night to scare the predators 

away. 

Living in the West used to be all about living with nature. Today, you will see big highways. You’ll 

still see the mountains and the rivers. And herds of cattle still live on the ranches. But the cowboys 

today have trucks and motorcycles. The natural environment has stayed the same. Ways of living and 

working there have changed. 

See What You Read 

Draw a two-part picture. 

In part one, show what the West used to look like. In part two, show what it looks like today. 



Landscape Maker 

ILS26B2d: I can plan and create a sketch that communicates an idea. 

Directions: Use this page to plan and sketch a drawing of a landscape. A landscape is a picture of an 

environment. It shows the plants, including grasses, flowers, trees, and bushes, as well as the land, and 

it may show water and the sky, too. In your drawing, you will show the landscape that people would 

have seen in the West when the sculptor made The Bronco Buster. 

What will you include in your landscape to show the environment? 

Kinds of Plants Kinds of Land (can include bodies of water) The Sky 

Draw your sketch here. If you have time, you can paint the landscape, adding color to show more about 

what the environment looks like. 



Sculpture Planner 

ILS26B2d: I can plan a sculpture that communicates an idea. 

Just like painters, sculptors think about what they want people to understand when they make art. 

What person or animal will your sculpture show? 

What traits do you want people to understand from the sculpture? For example, you might select 

bravery for a person or strength for an animal. 

Sketch your sculpture here. Show what you want people to see when they look at it from three 

different views. 

From the Front From the Side From the Top 



Poem Writer—Write a Poem Based on a Painting 

ILS3C: I can create a poem based on a work of art. 

Choose a painting: 

(title) 

Write words that say what you think about the painting. What do you see? What do you like? 

Write one word in each box. 

What do you think the artist wants you to understand when you look at the painting? 

POEM 

Write a poem about the painting. 



The Midwest: 

The City and the Farm


The Midwest: The City and the Farm 

Summary 

In this lesson, students complete extended responses and descriptive paragraphs as they learn to “read” 

a painting, applying skills of reading to interpret paintings that represent urban and rural life. They 

develop critical thinking skills as they infer and support the main idea of a painting. They compare and 

contrast urban and rural life and summarize differences and then create their own images and writing 

to communicate what they have learned. 


Alson Skinner Clark (American, 1876–1949) 

The Coffee House, 1905 

Oil on canvas 

38 x 30 inches 

Grant Wood (American, 1891–1942) 

American Gothic, 1930 

Oil on beaver board 

30 ¾ x 25 ¾ inches 


Reading 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 




Make and support inferences and form interpretations about main ideas, themes, 

and topics. 




18.A.2: 

Explain ways in which artistic creations communicate about a culture. 

Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 




64 • Lesson 4: The Midwest ‒ The City and the Farm




Objectives 

• Students will infer and support the main idea of a painting showing an urban scene. 

• Students will infer and support the main idea from a passage about urban life. 

• Students will compare and contrast paintings that represent urban and rural life. 

• Students will analyze how an artist uses techniques to communicate an idea. 

• Students will write an extended response about a painting and passage. 

• Students will plan and create a poem and a picture representing urban life based on their experience. 


The artwork: The Coffee House 

The artist: Alson Skinner Clark (American, 1876–1949) 

The topic: The City and the Farm 


• Alson Skinner Clark was a native Chicagoan, but also worked in and painted urban scenes of Paris 

and London. In 1905, when he painted The Coffee House, he was part of a trend in Chicago and 

other major urban centers in America to capture a city’s unique identity. 

• The Coffee House shows people crossing over the State Street Bridge in Chicago. The viewer is 

looking south. 

• The painting depicts warehouses rather than a coffee shop. At the time Clark painted it in 1905, 

there were warehouses along the river for storage of goods, including coffee, reflecting Chicago’s 

heavily industrial character. 

• It is wintertime. There are ice floes in the river and snow on the ground communicating the cold 

weather. 

• The smoke from factories and the thick clouds darken the sky and the size of the buildings creates 

heavy dark shadows. The overall appearance of the painting is dark and dirty, despite a small bit of 

sunshine that manages to break through the clouds. 

• It is hard to see many details about the people crossing the bridge, but some of them are 

well-dressed. They may be coming from the new department stores such as Marshall Field’s just 

south of this area on State Street. 

The artwork: American Gothic 

The artist: Grant Wood (American, 1891–1942) 

The topic: The City and the Farm 


• Grant Wood was born and spent much of his life in Iowa. 


• His paintings of life in the Midwest are well known and part of an art movement called Regionalism. 

Regionalist painters nostalgically recorded America’s rural areas and small towns, especially 

in the Midwest and South, during a time of rapid industrialization and urban growth for the country. 

The painters intended their images to be a positive force in an age of economic depression. 

• Painted in 1930, the painting shows a man and woman (likely a farmer and his daughter) posed in 

front of a farmhouse in rural Iowa. The architectural style of the house is called Carpenter Gothic, 

which partially explains the title of the painting. “Gothic” refers to a period in the late Middle Ages 

characterized by the use of the pointed arch, as seen in the second story window of the house 

behind the couple. 

• Although we cannot see the actual farm land, a portion of a red barn and the man’s overalls and 

pitchfork suggest that these are farm folk. A church steeple far in the background reminds the 

viewer of the religious values of many rural Americans. 

• The serious expressions on the faces of the figures suggest they are unhappy, but are more likely 

a reference to the common practice of early photographs, which had a long exposure time. It was 

very hard to hold a smile for such a long time, so many people didn’t. 

• The painting also includes many playful elements and patterns. For example, the rounded trees 

match the rounded frames of the man’s glasses, and the brown and white design on the woman’s 

apron are similar to that on the window curtain above her. By adding these playful touches, Grant 

Wood helps us see that these two people were not as unhappy as their faces might suggest. 


Web sites 


Information about American Gothic: 


http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_5.shtml 

• Information about The Coffee House: 





• Terra Foundation for American Art: Grant Wood: 

http://terraamericanart.org/collections/code/emuseum.asp?XXX_QS_XXX&newvalues=1&rawsea 

rch=constituentid/,/is/,/32/,/false/,/true&newstyle=single&newprofile=people&newsearchdesc=Gra 

nt%20Wood&newcurrentrecord=1&module=people 

• Lesson Plan for teaching about the Carl Sandburg poem “Chicago” (1916): 

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=678 

* This lesson includes photos to compare and contrast with “The Coffee House.” 

• Chicago History Museum Web site: 

http://www.chicagohs.org/ 






• The Art Institute of Chicago. American Art and Culture. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 



The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I. Art Institute of Chicago/ 

Hudson Hills Press. 




Days 1–3: Comparing and Contrasting a Painting and a Place 


three days, 45 minutes each day (or three, 45-minute segments in one day); based on student work 

patterns, the extended response activity on day three may take 45–60 minutes. 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Coffee House, 1905 



Copy of Main Idea Interpreter organizer 

Copy of Extended Response organizer 


• Prepare to display the reproduction of The Coffee House in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Coffee House. 

• Preview the lesson and decide whether or not to use photos of Chicago in the early 1900s from 

the lesson plan for teaching about the 1916 Carl Sandburg poem “Chicago” (http://edsitement. 

neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=678). If you decide to utilize the photographs, then you 

should add an activity in which students compare and contrast a photograph with The Coffee 

House. 


infer 

interpret 


main idea 

mood 

scale 

technique 

urban 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Reading a Painting 

1. Show students The Coffee House by Alson Skinner Clark. Explain that it is called The Coffee 

House not because it shows a coffee shop but warehouses to store manufactured products, like 

coffee. 

2. Ask students to describe what they see in the image. What do they notice? 

3. Give students the Art Reader organizer to complete in think-pair-share structure. Guide students 

to complete each part so that they make notes individually on the Art Reader, then pair 

with a partner, and then share as you guide a class discussion. 

4. Emphasize the use of techniques, such as the way the artist chooses to use color, line, or shape, 

to create a mood. First, ask students what mood they inferred. Then discuss how the artist used 

these elements (color, line, shape, or scale) to create that mood. 

Part 2: Inferring the Main Idea and Charting an Extended Response 

1. Explain that interpreting a painting is like interpreting a poem or story. You need to take time 

to think about what the painter included and then think about what the painter wants you to 

understand. 

2. Guide students to infer one main idea, which is a part of their interpretation, from the painting. 

Point out that you can infer the main idea of a story or poem by noticing what the writer 

emphasizes. 

3. Have students complete the Main Idea Interpreter in think-pair-share structure. Also ask them 

what title (besides The Coffee House) they might give the painting that would tell its main idea. 

4. Give students the Extended Response organizer and explain that The Coffee House was painted 

more than 100 years ago. Ask them to prepare a compare and contrast Extended Response 

Chart based on the painting and their own experience. 

5. Have students keep their charts to use to write the extended response on Day 3 of the lesson. 

Part 3: Writing an Extended Response Based on a Painting 

1. Students use their charts from the previous day to write the extended response. 

2. Students exchange their extended responses and underline the information that the other 

students included from the painting and circle the information that students included from their 

experience. 


Days 4–5: Comparing and Contrasting the City and the Farm 


two days, 45 minutes each day (or two, 45‒minute segments in one day) 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of American Gothic, 1930 


Copy of Mood Reader organizer 

Copy of Compare and Contrast organizer 


• Prepare to display American Gothic and The Coffee House in the classroom for student 

viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about American Gothic. 


comparison 

conclude 

contrast 

descriptive writing 

gothic 

main idea 

rural 

summarize 

● Procedure 

Part 1 

1. Ask students to look at American Gothic and fill in the Art Reader organizer. They should fill 

out just the first two parts of the Art Reader. Then have students share their observations. 

2. Explain to them that the painting was made in 1930 and shows the kinds of people who lived 

in rural America almost 100 years ago. The artist grew up in rural Iowa and painted things that 

reminded him of that time. Ask them to list the things that are rural in the painting. 

3. Rather than have students finish the second half of the Art Reader, have them use the Mood 

Reader organizer to infer the mood of the painting American Gothic. 

4. As a class, compare and contrast the mood of the two paintings—The Coffee House and 

American Gothic. 

5. Ask students to infer what message about rural life that the artist, Grant Wood, was 

communicating. 


Part 2 

1. As a class, list some of the ways that the two paintings are alike. For example, they both show 

people. They both show a place. 

2. Then ask students to complete the Compare and Contrast organizer in pairs. 

3. Ask students to summarize what they conclude as a pair: are the two paintings more alike or 

more different—and why? 

Day 6: Descriptive Writing and Drawing 



● Materials 


Copy of Expository Writing organizer 

8 ½ x 11 paper for expository paragraph 


communicate 

descriptive 

expository 

main idea 

mood 

● Procedure 

1. Explain that students themselves will be the communicators in this session. 

2. Each student uses the Expository Writing organizer to plan a paragraph that describes a place, 

urban or rural. 

3. Students write the paragraphs and exchange them. Then students who receive the paragraphs 

underline the words and phrases that help them “see” the place the other student describes. 

4. Then each student draws a picture that illustrates his or her paragraph. 

5. You can create an exhibit of the students’ paragraphs and drawings on a bulletin board in the 

hallway so the entire school learns from your students. 


Students make a “Family Places” drawing collection. Students draw their current community. Then 

they draw places their family has lived in the past. They base these drawings on descriptions that 

their family members give them or photos of their family in the past. 


Students write a guide to comparing and contrasting a painting and a place. 



• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Have students make an illustrated glossary for urban and 

rural. First, they list words that are important to each type of region, such as factory or farm. 

Then they draw pictures to show those parts. 

• WRITING: Students write poems about the city of Chicago. They can use the Expository 

Writing organizer to prepare their poem. 

• RESEARCH: Students research Chicago’s past. They will find stories about Chicago in the 

past at the Chicago History Museum Web site (http://www.chicagohs.org/). 

• SCIENCE: Students can make a technology timeline for cities and farms, listing inventions 

that have changed ways of living and working in both places. 










Part One: 



1. 6. 

2. 7. 

3. 8. 

4. 9. 

5. 10. 

Part Two: 




color 

shapes 

size 

line 



Part Three: 


Part Four: 





Main Idea Interpreter 

ILS1B: I can identify and support the main idea in an artwork—transferable to a text. 

A painting has a main idea. The artist uses pictures to tell you that idea. You need to infer the main 

idea. You look at the whole painting. Then you figure out the artist’s main idea. 

Look closely at the painting. What do you think the main idea is? Write it in the circle. 

Then in the boxes put the parts of the painting that show you what the main idea is. You can draw 

them or name them in the boxes. 



Extended Response Organizer 

ILS1B: I can write an extended response based on a painting and my knowledge. 

The painting The Coffee House shows Chicago in 1905. Is Chicago today like Chicago in 1905? 

To answer, use this chart. You will write an extended response based on what you put in your chart. 

Ways Chicago Today Is Like Chicago in 1905 

What I see in the painting that is 

the same as today. 

Ways Chicago Today Is Different 

from Chicago in 1905 

What I see in the painting that is different. 

What I know is the same in my experience 

as it was then. 

What I know is different from my experience. 

What my answer will be: 

Chicago today is a lot like Chicago in 1905. 

Chicago today is very different from Chicago in 1905. 



Mood–Reader 

ILS25A2d: I can analyze an artist’s use of elements to communicate. 

Artists use techniques to give their paintings a mood. They use color. They use shades of colors. 

They use lines. They use size and scale. They use details. 

Directions: Look closely at the painting. Infer what you think the mood is. Then tell what the artist 

did to show that mood. 

Painting: 

My inference—I think the mood is 

List things the artist did to help show that mood in the painting. 

What the Artist Did 

How It Helps Show that Mood 



Compare and Contrast Organizer 

ILS1B: I can compare and contrast. 

Directions: 

Use this chart to list ways that the two paintings are alike and different. 

We started the chart for you. 

Think about what you see in the paintings. 

Think about how the artist used techniques to paint them, too. 

The Coffee House 

How it is Different from 

American Gothic 

It shows a city. 

How They Are Alike 

Both paintings show what a 

place looks like. 

American Gothic 

How It is Different from 

The Coffee House 

It shows a farm. 



Expository Writing Organizer 

ILS3B: I can organize and write a paragraph. 

An expository writer uses words to explain or describe something. 

Directions: Use this page to organize an expository paragraph. 

Your paragraph will tell what someone would see if they saw a place. 

First, choose the kind of place you will describe: rural OR urban 

What is the main idea of your paragraph? What do you want people to understand about this kind of 

place? 

Then list parts of the place you will include in your paragraph. 

Part 

Adjectives 

Then for each part, list adjectives you will use to help people see what you are telling about the place. 

Then decide how you will start your paragraph. 

I will start by explaining 

Then decide how you will end it. 

I will end by telling 

Then write your paragraph on a separate sheet of paper. 

Then draw a picture to illustrate it. Show in your drawing the parts you tell about in your sentences. 



Choices


Choices 

Summary 

In this lesson, students learn how to interpret the ideas expressed in an artist’s representation of 

contemporary life using skills that they also would apply when reading a text. The focus is a painting 

about the Great Migration, when African Americans chose to move to the northern part of the United 

States in search of improved working and living conditions. Students infer the motives of persons in a 

painting and analyze the context of the situation. They apply writing skills to explain their insights. 


Walter Ellison (American, 1899–1977) 

Train Station, 1935 

Oil on cardboard 

8 x 14 in 


Reading 

1.A.2b: 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 

Clarify word meaning in a glossary. 








17.A.2b: Use maps to gather information about people and places. 

17.C.2b: Describe the relationships among location of resources, population distribution and 

economic activities. 


Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 




80 • Lesson 5: Choices




Objectives 

• Students will analyze how visual art can communicate ideas. 

• Students will infer motives based on an analysis of a painting and its context. 

• Students will infer the main idea of a painting. 

• Students will use maps to imagine their own potential migration and the reasons behind these desires. 

• Students will locate and organize information about the Great Migration. 

• Students will explain migration in terms of resources and quality of life. 

• Students will create art based on their research and personal choices. 


The artwork: Train Station, 1935 

The artist: Walter Ellison (American, 1899–1977) 

The topic: Choices 


• Walter Ellison’s painting Train Station shows African American and white travelers at a station 

bound for different cities. 

• Between 1910 and 1970 more than six million African Americans moved from the South to cities 

in the North to find better jobs and opportunities. This large movement of people is called the Great 

Migration. 

• Many came to live and work in Chicago, including Walter Ellison, who came to Chicago from 

Georgia in the 1920s. In fact, the station in the painting may be based on the station in Macon, from 

which Ellison likely departed for the North. 

• Train Station is divided into three sections by two large columns located in the foreground, or area 

closest to the viewer. These columns prevent African American and white passengers from 

mingling. Ellison used them to visually represent one of the themes of the painting, which is 

the impact of the segregation. 

• In the middle ground of the painting to the right, we see an African American woman enter an area 

labeled “Colored.” In the South, under segregation, blacks and whites were not able to use the same 

public facilities like water fountains, bathrooms, and restaurants and did not have equal access to 

educational and professional opportunities. Discriminatory laws called Jim Crow laws severely 

restricted opportunities for African Americans. 

• On the left, white passengers board trains traveling to vacation destinations in the South such as 

Miami and West Palm Beach. On the right, African American passengers wait for trains going north 

to cities like Chicago, New York, and Detroit. 

• The center section shows African American porters, or railroad employees who carry travelers’ 

bags, assisting white passengers and directing an African American passenger to the trains heading 

north. 


• In Train Station, Walter Ellison uses trains to symbolize movement towards a brighter future and 

hope for prosperity, a device several other African American artists (such as Jacob Lawrence) were 

using as well. 


Web sites 


Further information about Train Station: 


http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_AfAm/pages/AfAm_4.shtml 

http://www.artic.edu/webspaces/museumstudies/ms242/portfolio5.shtml 


• Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories 

http://whitney.org/www/jacoblawrence/ 

• Lesson plan on Migration and Emigration: 

http://www.moma.org/modernteachers/lesson.php?lessonID=64 

• Migration: The African American Mosaic: 

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam008.html 

• Migration Information Source: 

http://www.migrationinformation.org/ 

• U.S. State Department’s Population, Refugees and Migration website: 

http://www.state.gov/g/prm/ 



• The Art Institute of Chicago. African American Art. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 


• The Art Institute of Chicago. Art on the Move. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum 

Education, 1996. 

• The Art Institute of Chicago. Telling Images: Stories in Art. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 


• The Art Institute of Chicago. Train Station. Poster Packet. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 






Day 1: Interpreting a Painting 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of Train Station, 1935 




• Prepare to display the reproduction of Train Station in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Train Station. 


background 

composition 

emotion 

foreground 

Great Migration 

living conditions 

middle ground 

migration 

segregation 

subject matter 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Reading the Painting (20 minutes) 

1. Have students take a close look at Train Station using the first two sections of the Art Reader 

organizer. Make sure that they look at the painting for at least two minutes before they start 

writing. 

2. Ask students to share what they see in the painting. 

3. Ask the students to describe the people. What are they doing? Wearing? Why do you think 

(infer) they are traveling? Is there a mood or emotion that you feel is shown in this painting? 

Ask students to identify things in the painting that support their comments. (They may use the 

second half of the Art Reader to help with this set of questions). 


4. Make a three-column chart on the chalkboard. Then ask students to list what they see in each of 

the three parts of the painting that are divided by the columns. They should try to read the signs 

in the station and identify the different destinations for the trains. 

5. Ask students what is similar and what is different between the two sides of the painting. Ask 

them to infer what the artist is communicating on each side. 

Part 2: Connecting Art and Context (20 minutes) 

1. Introduce information about the Great Migration from the Background Information section of 

the lesson. 

2. Explain that a picture’s composition involves the way in which the artist arranges the people, 

places, and things in the image. Point out the foreground, middle ground, and background. Also 

point out that the columns and the details of the people in each section of the composition also 

help someone understand what is going on in the painting. 

3. Then ask students to infer who would be migrating in the painting—the people on the left or 

the right? Why? 

4. Ask students to infer the emotions of the people in the painting. First, they should identify the 

person by describing where he or she is located in the painting and what the person is doing, 

and what clothing he or she is wearing. Then ask them to infer the person’s feelings based on 

what the person is doing and where the person is located in the painting. 

Part 3: Vocabulary Development (5 minutes) 

1. List key words that students have used to discuss the painting, such as foreground and 

migration. Ask each student to start a vocabulary glossary of important words as homework. 

2. Also for homework, ask students to write about what they learned about the artwork, writing 

one sentence for each word from their glossary. 

Days 2–3: Relating Art and Context 


two days, 45 minutes each day (or two, 45-minute segments in one day) 

● Materials 


Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nettie Lee Love, the Great Migration North, 

by Patricia C. McKissack. 

Illustration Planner 

Pencils and paper to sketch 


• Keep the reproduction of Train Station on display in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Preview Color Me Dark, and identify sections you want to highlight with students. Choose a 


section that deals with the narrator’s life in the South. Choose another section that tells about 

her journey. Plan to read aloud from sections. 


feelings 

decision 

expectation 

illustration 

narrative 

voice 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Learning about Migration 

1. Distribute copies of Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North. 

2. Read a section aloud and ask students: “Whose voice do you hear?” “Why do you think the 

author wrote this way?” “What do you expect the other parts of the book to tell you?” 

3. Ask students to read a few more pages independently and to pair and share what they learned 

about: the situation in the South; the decision Nellie Lee Love made; and what her expectations 

were for her life in the North. 

4. Facilitate a discussion on Nellie’s life in the South and her travel to the North. 

Part 2: Connecting Passages and Paintings 

1. Ask students how the book and the painting are alike. 

2. Ask them to identify an important idea from the book. 

3. Ask if they think they can see the same idea in the painting—and how the artist communicates 

it (through composition and other details). 

4. Discuss how an illustration can help people understand ideas in a book. 

5. Ask students to draw a sketch of an idea that they understand from reading the book. Tell them 

to use the Illustrator Planner to plan the drawing. 

Days 4–5: Synthesis 


two days, 45 minutes each day (or two, 45 minute segments in one day) 

● Materials 


Art Planner 

“One Way Ticket” by Langston Hughes 

Letter Writing Organizer 



• Keep the reproduction of Train Station on display in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Preview “One Way Ticket” by Langston Hughes, and identify sections you want to highlight 

with students. Plan to read the poem aloud. 


change 

destination 

journey 

sequence 

theme 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Illustrating a Journey 

1. Explain that the people traveling north in the painting did not just make a trip. They were 

making a journey. Emphasize that this journey is about change, that when the travelers reach 

the destination their life is different. 

2. Ask students to choose one person from the painting and draw a picture of where they think 

s/he will be going and how their life will be there. Give them the Art Planner to prepare their 

drawing. 

3. Ask them to write a caption for their artwork. 

Part 2: Communicating in a Poem 

1. Read the poem “One Way Ticket” aloud. Ask how it is like the painting Train Station. (You 

might explain that the artist who painted Train Station also illustrated works by the poet 

Langston Hughes, who wrote about the Great Migration and other important themes and events 

in African American history.) List ideas that the painting and the poem both communicate. 

2. Ask students to write a letter that the person they have chosen in the painting might have written 

to relatives after they reached their destination. They can use the Letter Writing organizer to 

plan their letter. 


Ask students to interview family members about journeys they have made or know about in which 

people migrated. Students can write narratives and illustrate those family journeys. 


Ask students to write an extended response about what they have learned from this lesson. Ask 

them to respond to this question: 

• Based on what you learned and your own ideas, why was the Great Migration important to 

many people in the United States? 

Ask students to write a guide to interpreting a painting. Ask them to use the following questions to 

help develop the contents of their guide: 


• What kinds of things do you notice? 

• What kinds of questions do you ask yourself? 


• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Students make a “painter’s” vocabulary chart, 

including words the painter thinks about when preparing to paint, such as subject, represent, 

symbol, color, line, foreground. 

• WRITING: Students write what people in the painting might have said to each other during 

their journey. 

• RESEARCH: Students can research more about the Great Migration and the work of the artist 

Jacob Lawrence. 










Part One: 



1. 6. 

2. 7. 

3. 8. 

4. 9. 

5. 10. 

Part Two: 




color 

shapes 

size 

line 



Part Three: 


Part Four: 





Illustration Planner 

ILS25B: I can plan and create an illustration to communicate an idea. (Transferable to ILS3B—writing) 

Directions: Use this page to plan and sketch a drawing. Your drawing will show an idea you learned 

from a book. 

What is the idea? 

What will you include in your drawing to show it? This is like including information in a paragraph to 

help someone understand the main idea of your paragraph. 

What I Will Include 

Why—How It Will Help People See My Idea 

Draw your sketch here. 



One Way Ticket 

One Way Ticket 

By Langston Hughes 

1947 

I pick up my life 

And take it with me 

And I put it down in 

Chicago, Detroit, 

Buffalo, Scranton, 

Any place that is 

North and East? 

And not Dixie. 


And take it on the train 

To Los Angeles, Bakersfield, 

Seattle, Oakland, Salt Lake, 

Any place that is 

North and West? 

But not South. 

I am fed up 

With Jim Crow laws, 

People who are cruel 

And afraid, 

Who lynch and run, 

Who are scared of me 

And me of them. 


And take it away 

On a one-way ticket? 

Gone up North, 

Gone out West, 

Gone! 



Letter Writing Organizer 

ILS3B: I can write to communicate an idea. 

Directions: Use this organizer to plan your writing. 

To whom are you writing? 

What do you want them to understand? 

What information and examples will you include? 

How will you start your letter? 

How will you end your letter? 

Now write your letter on another page. 



Inferring Values


Inferring Values 

Summary 

In this lesson, students apply skills of language arts to infer values represented in art. They write and 

draw to communicate about values. They examine works of art from different countries to infer values 

that the art communicates. They find that while each culture is different there are common core values 

that cross cultures and time periods. The lesson develops language arts skills and social studies content 

and can be an opportunity to support social-emotional learning about the importance of values. 


Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957) 

The Weaver, 1936 

Tempera and oil on canvas 

26 x 42 in 

Charles Wilbert White (American, 1918–1979) 

Harvest Talk, 1953 

Charcoal drawing 

66.1 x 99.2 cm 

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926) 

The Child’s Bath, 1893 

Oil on canvas 

39 ½ x 26 in 


Reading 

1.B.2a: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2b: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 








18.A.2: 

Explain ways in which artworks communicate about a culture. 

94 • Lesson 6: Inferring Values

Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 







Objectives 

• Students will compare and contrast different artworks. 

• Students will identify the main idea in a painting. 

• Students will analyze how authors and artists use elements of their art to communicate values in a 

work of art or writing. 

• Students will identify the values of a culture represented in an artwork. 

• Students will create their own drawings to communicate their values. 


The artwork: The Weaver 

The artist: Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886–1957) 

The topic: Inferring Values 


• Diego Rivera’s paintings emphasize the dignity of farmers and laborers. Many of his works were 

large murals that were publicly displayed for everyone to see. They were meant for the common 

people to celebrate their importance. 

• In the years following the Mexican Revolution, he began to paint such works in both Mexico and 

cities in the United States, such as New York, Detroit, and San Francisco. 

• The Weaver is a smaller painting with a theme similar to many of Rivera’s murals. He wanted to 

promote native Mexican traditions such as weaving and spinning, and grinding of corn for tortillas. 

His figures celebrate the skill and grace of such traditional art forms and crafts. 

• There is not very much in the room with the woman weaving. Rivera has focused on her pose, her 

loom, and her intense concentration on her work. The colors used highlight her presence and her 

work. She is not only the subject matter, but she is important and she is heroic. 

• Rivera’s artworks are like windows into Mexico; you can learn about the culture, heritage, 

conflicts, and values that are central to its history. 

The artwork: Harvest Talk 

The artist: Charles Wilbert White (American, 1918–1979) 




• Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, White was gifted as a child and studied art at settlement 

house art classes as well as at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

• He lived in Mexico for a while in the 1940s and was inspired by Diego Rivera, who painted the 

struggles and dignity of workers. 

• By depicting images of ordinary black men and women, White communicated his experience of the 

courage and morality of African Americans. He said, “I’ve only painted one picture in my entire 

life… I see my totality of 300 years of history of black people through one little fraction … 

a family … my family… I don’t try to record it, but use it symbolically to make a broad universal 

statement about the search for dignity … the history of humanity.” 

• This artwork shows two southern rural farmhands as they sharpen a scythe in silence during fall 

harvest. Their powerful figures recall those of revolutionary Mexican murals, and are made more 

imposing by their placement so close to the front of the picture. 

• Through the use of powerful lines, shading, and scale, White has portrayed heroic and beautiful 

human forms. He shows how strong the workers are and that their work is important. He shows 

their dignity, their strength, and their commitment. 

The artwork: The Child’s Bath 

The artist: Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926) 



• Mary Cassatt was born and raised in Pennsylvania but spent much of her adult life as a painter in 

France. 

• The Child’s Bath shows the subject matter for which Cassatt is most famous: woman and child. 

• Here, we see a woman bathing a young girl’s feet in a basin of water as she rests on the woman’s 

lap. 

• Although it is clear that a woman is bathing a child, we are not exactly sure where the bath is 

taking place. By noticing the patterned rug and sofa in the background, we can hypothesize that 

they are not in a bathroom but more likely a sitting room or bedroom. This was common during 

the time this painting was made. 

• In addition to images of bathing, Cassatt’s art depicts children being dressed, read to, and held. 

This focus on the intimate moments between women and children coincides with the era’s social 

and scientific views on raising children properly and tending to their health. 


Web sites 


Information about The Weaver: 


• Information about Harvest Talk: 



• Information about The Child’s Bath: 


http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Impressionist/pages/IMP_6.shtml 

• Art Explorer: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: 

http://www.artic.edu/artexplorer/ 

*Search for “The Child’s Bath” for text, videos, lesson plans, and more. 



• The Art Institute of Chicago. African American Art. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 




The Art Institute of Chicago. Harvest Talk. Poster Packet. Art Institute of Chicago, Department of 





Day 1: Inferring Values 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Weaver, 1936 


Copy of Inferring Values organizer 


• Prepare to display the reproduction of The Weaver in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Weaver. 

• Decide whether you want to include other works of art that are included in other lessons. While 

they are aligned specifically with activities and outcomes for the other MAPS lessons, they also 

can be used with this lesson because students can infer the values represented in those other 

paintings as well as the three featured in this lesson. 



dignity 

infer 

loom 

respect 

subject 

techniques 

value 

● Procedure 

1. Discuss the concept of values with students, and make a list of values they believe are 

important. (Note: “Value” may also refer to the degree of light or dark in a color. In this 

lesson, the more general meaning of “values” as a set of principles or standard of behavior will 

be used.) 

2. Explain that in this lesson they will infer the values that an artist represents in a work of art. 

3. Display the reproduction of The Weaver and distribute the Inferring Values organizer. Students 

can complete it individually or with a partner. (You may want to use the first two sections of 

the Art Reader organizer to get students familiar with the painting before they work on the 

Inferring Values organizer). 

4. Ask students what they have inferred—what values does the painting communicate? 

5. If students do not identify the value of the dignity of work, suggest it. Explain that all work is 

important, and therefore every worker should be respected and have dignity. Explain that the 

weaver is working carefully, with dedication and skill. Ask them to find information in the 

painting that supports the idea that the dignity of work is an important value of the weaver. 

6. Explain that the artist shows the weaver performing one of the traditional crafts and practices 

of Mexico, his home country. He is proud of her work and wants to communicate that to the 

viewer of his paintings. 

7. Discuss techniques used by the artist to show that work is important to the weaver. 

For example, where does the artist position the weaver and her loom? What is she looking at? 

Why? 

8. Infer with the students what the weaver might be thinking as she weaves. 

Day 2: Comparing Values Across Cultures 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of Harvest Talk, 1953 


Copy of Inferring Values organizer 



• Prepare to display the reproduction of Harvest Talk in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Harvest Talk. 


compare 

culture 

diversity 

evidence 

scythe 

● Procedure 

1. Provide background information about Harvest Talk that you think is relevant for the students 

to interpret it. Include the information about the context—that it shows two workers 

sharpening a scythe, or curved blade, which they use to cut the tall grasses in the field at 

harvest time. Explain to them that this was painted during a time in America when African 

Americans were fighting for their civil rights and facing discrimination. 

2. Ask students what they think the two workmen might have said to one another, or what their 

talk might have been about. 

3. Ask students to use the Inferring Values organizer to identify values represented by Harvest 

Talk. 

4. Then discuss with the students the values they inferred. Accept any values that students 

identify with evidence, and emphasize that an artwork can communicate different values to 

different people. 

5. If the students do not suggest it, then explain that this artwork also is about the dignity of work. 

Tell students that the dignity of work was the main idea that Charles White wanted to 

communicate through the artwork. Ask them to identify evidence of that value in the work. 

6. Explain that you are pointing out the dignity of work as a value to show that some values are 

shared by different cultures since they saw the same value in The Weaver. 

Days 3–4: Core Values 


two days, 45 minutes each day (or two, 45-minute segments on one day) 

● Materials 

• Reproduction of The Child’s Bath, 1893 


Copy of Inferring Values organizer (optional) 

Copy of Picturing Values organizer 

Copy of Writing to Communicate Values organizer 

Colored Pencils (optional for Picture Values organizer) 



• Prepare to display the reproduction of The Child’s Bath in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about The Child’s Bath. 


children 

represent 

responsibility 

society 

● Procedure 

Part 1: Identifying Core Values 

1. Ask students to infer the values represented in The Child’s Bath. 

2. You may distribute the Inferring Values organizer or have students complete this interpretation 

in small groups or as a class since they already will have analyzed two artworks using the same 

guide. 

3. Discuss the students’ insights based on the painting. 

4. Students should infer that caring for children and human relationships are valued. Point out 

that in every society children have a special position, that parents and other caregivers have 

responsibility for their care. 

5. Explain that there are values that are important to every culture. We already saw that the 

dignity of work can be a shared value across cultures. So can the value of caring for children. 

Part 2: Communicating Values in Pictures 

1. Distribute the Picturing Values organizer. Ask students to identify a core value that they 

believe that they share with other cultures. Then have them plan and draw a picture to show 

that value. 

2. Distribute the Writing to Communicate Values organizer and have students complete their work 

individually. Then, have them pair to share about the values they want to share about with third 

grade students. 

3. Set up an exhibit of student pictures and writing. 


Ask students to make a values coloring book for a younger child. They start by choosing a few 

values and then draw outlines of pictures that represent the values they have chosen. Then they can 

work with a younger sister or brother, cousin, or friend to help them color in the outline and talk 

about the values that the pictures show. 


Ask students to make a guide to inferring values from a painting. They should include steps such 

as looking at the picture to see what it includes; looking for things people are doing; inferring how 

carefully they are doing them; inferring why they are doing them. 



• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Students can create a picture that illustrates important 

values, a visual word wall of values that are essential for social emotional development. 

• WRITING: Students can write a poem that communicates a core value. 

• RESEARCH: Students can research values represented visually by different cultures. That can 

include, for example, researching the Adinkra symbols of the Asante people of West Africa 

(http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm). 

• FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Involve students in creating charts that represent 

values in three languages: their own home language, English, and an icon or drawing. 





Inferring Values 

ILS1B: I can infer values. 

You can tell what a person’s values are from what the person says and does. You also can infer the values 

of a person that an artist paints. 

Directions: Use this chart to tell the values that you see in a work of art. 

What I See ‒ Literal 

Value I Infer 

What is the person doing? 

What is the person looking at? 

What is the person wearing? 

What is in the place where the person is? 

What else do I notice? 

What else do I notice? 

What do you infer the artist wanted you to understand about this person’s values? 



Picturing Values 

ILS26B: I can communicate values through a picture. 

Directions: Choose a value that you think is very important. Then think of a way you could show it in 

a picture. Include people in your picture. 

Plan it here. 

What is the value? 

Who will you include? 

Person What will the person be doing? How will the person look? 

Place 

Describe the place. 

Draw or sketch the place and the people here. If you have time, you can color the picture to show your 

ideas even more clearly. 



Write to Communicate Values 

ILS3C: I can communicate an idea in a speech. 

Directions: Write a short speech or letter about a value that you think is very important. It is a 

speech or letter you will give to third grade students. 

Value: 

Why I think it is important to everyone: 

How I will start my speech: 

Examples I will use to explain why it is important: 

How I will end my speech: 

Write your speech. 

Then read it aloud or send it as a letter to the third grade class. 

Then make a drawing or poster showing your ideas. 



How to Read Symbols


How to Read Symbols 

Summary 

In this lesson, students learn how both artists and mapmakers use lines, symbols, and color to 

communicate. They apply skills of classification and inference to interpret two works of art that 

represent places through specialized maps. They describe a place they know from a story or 

experience. Then they use symbols to design a map to show that place. 


Artist unknown (United States, Indiana) 

Bedcover Entitled “Map”, c. 1920 

Cotton with ink drawings and lettering 

74 ¼ x 89 inches 

Artist unknown (Europe or United States) 

Hanging Entitled "Map of the Middle West", 1931 

Linen embroidered with wool and silk yarns 

21 ¾ x 34 ½ inches 


Reading 

1.B.2b: 

1.C.1d: 

1.C.2e: 

1.C.2f: 

Writing 

3.B.2a: 

3.C.2a: 

Use description, compare/contrast of nonfiction texts to improve comprehension. 

Summarize content of reading material. 


Connect information presented in tables, maps and charts to text. 




17.A.2b: Use maps to gather information about people, places and environments. 


Art 

25.B.2: 

26.B.2d: 




106 • Lesson 7: How to Read Symbols




Objectives 

• Students will identify and explain the meaning of symbols used in artistic representations of maps. 

• Students will compare and contrast two different maps. 

• Students will define and use vocabulary in expository writing explaining the use of symbols. 

• Students will draw maps of fictional or actual places, using symbols to communicate features. 


The artwork: Bedcover Entitled “Map”, c.1920 

The artist: Unknown. Made in Indiana, United States 


• Textiles, or objects primarily made of natural or synthetic materials, are all around us—we wear 

them as clothes, use them to cushion our chairs, beds and sofas, and even display them as art. 

• Bedcover Entitled “Map” illustrates a full-scale map of the United States of America in the early 

1900s. If we count the states, we notice that 48 are listed. In addition, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba 

are included as well as the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. 

• When we view this work of art it is clear that we are looking at the United States and its 

neighboring countries because we can recognize the shapes that identify the geographic borders of 

each state and the entire country. This makes the map accurate, or true to life. 

• The artist uses color as a symbol to provide additional information about the map: states’ names 

are sewn, or embroidered, in black, while the paths of rivers appear in blue and travel routes are 

stitched in brown thread. 

• By presenting the map as a bedcover, the artist gives us clues about its potential uses and how art 

can be integrated in our everyday lives. Bedcover Entitled “Map” not only offers geographic 

information, but it provides warmth and comfort as an everyday object and it showcases the artist’s 

skill in the decorative arts. 

• It is safe to assume that the person who made Bedcover Entitled “Map” was probably not a 

professional cartographer, or a person who makes maps on paper, but someone who used maps as 

inspiration. Many artists have used maps as source material, producing both literal interpretations 

of place and fantastic scenes of imaginary lands. 

The artwork: Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West”, 1931 

The artist: Unknown. Made in Europe or the United States 


• The embroidered Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West” features the states of the Midwest 

region. 


• Unlike Bedcover Entitled “Map”, this textile provides specific details relating to each state in the 

Midwest. The artist uses a series of symbols that represent facts and observations about the people, 

climate and natural resources specific to the area. Here, we learn about the native plants and 

animals, industries, popular modes of transportation, architecture, communities, and fashion of 

the time and from the region. 

• Similar to Bedcover Entitled “Map”, the artist has used color to identify specific elements of the 

map: state borders and names appear in black and rivers and lakes are in blue. This use of color is 

an example of the universal language of maps. 

• The inclusion of resources and its focus on the Midwest region also classify Hanging Entitled 

“Map of the Middle West” as a thematic and resource map because it reflects common themes or 

ideas associated with the region and highlights its specific resources. 


Web sites 


Information about Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West”: 


• Information about Bedcover Entitled “Map”: 



• Map Quilts by Leah Evans: 

http://leahevanstextiles.com/ 

• Enchanted Learning.com—United States: Facts, Maps and State Symbols: 

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/ 

• Map Symbol Library: 

http://www.map-symbol.com/sym_lib.htm 

• Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago MAPS: Finding Our Place in the World 

(exhibition, 2007-2008): 

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/index.html 

• Color Landform Maps: 

http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/states.html 

• National Geographic Map Collection: 

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps/print-collection-index.html 




• The Art Institute of Chicago. Bedcover with Cigar or Tobacco Box Rectangles. Poster Packet. Art 

Institute of Chicago, Department of Museum Education, 2001. 

Day 1: Applying Reading Skills to Interpret Visual Symbols 



● Materials 

• Reproduction of Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West”, 1931 

• Reproduction of Bedcover Entitled “Map”, c. 1920 

• Chart paper or chalkboard (you will need to use this chalkboard section throughout the three 

days of the lesson) 


Copy of Art Chart: Symbols organizer 

Copy of Symbols Show and Tell organizer 


• Prepare to display the reproductions of Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West” and 

Bedcover Entitled “Map” in the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Hanging Entitled “Map of the 

Middle West” and Bedcover Entitled “Map.” 


accurate 

compare 

contrast 

infer 

interpret 

map 

represent 

symbol 

textile 

● Procedure 

1. Write the heading “What We Know about Symbols” on a sheet of chart paper or the 

chalkboard. Ask students what they know about symbols and list their responses. Explain that 

you will add more as they learn. 

2. Ask students to look closely at the two works of art for five minutes. Then give them the Art 


Chart: Symbols organizer. They can work in pairs or individually to complete the observation 

section at the top. 

3. Introduce information discussing the type of art (textiles) and its purpose (a map). 

4. Ask the students to list two ways the textile maps are alike and different—the bottom half of 

the Art Chart. 

5. Discuss how and why people make and use maps to show important features of a place. 

6. Ask students to infer why the people who made these maps made them the way they did. 

7. Ask the students to analyze the maps. What do the colors, words, images, and shapes represent 

in the two works? What do they symbolize? What do the student infer that the symbols show 

about the United States? 

8. Then give students the Symbols Show and Tell organizer to complete with a partner. 

9. Conclude the session by adding students’ statements to the “What We Know about Symbols” 

list. 

Day 2: Analyzing and Inferring Ideas from Symbols 


45-60 minutes 

● Materials 


Copy of the reading “Symbols, Maps and Art” 

Copy of the Summarize What you Learned organizer (this is optional; it can be used to 

organize the Extended Response) 


artist 

comparison 

contrast 

mapmaker 

map key 

summarize 

● Procedure 

1. Explain that a summary is a way of telling the most important parts of something. 

2. Guide students to make a class summary of what they learned from the first day of the lesson. 

3. Give each student a copy of the reading “Symbols, Maps, and Art.” Students can complete the 

reading and related questions independently or with a learning partner. 

4. Discuss what students learned and prepare another class summary of this session’s learning. 

5. Add more notes to the “What We Know about Symbols” list. 


Day 3: Communicating about Places with Symbols 



Note: Preview the lesson and decide if you want to expand the map-making activity by providing 

additional materials such as yarn and tape to physically connect points on a map or add borders. If 

not, the materials listed below will be sufficient for this portion of the lesson. 

● Materials 


Plain white 8 ½” x 11” paper 

Pencil 

Colored markers, pencils, or crayons 

Copy of Pre-Planner organizer 

Copy of Map Maker organizer 


Fiction or non-fiction texts that include descriptions of a place (you may use books from the 

SCRMA or another series or trade books from the classroom or school library) 


• Prepare to display the reproduction of Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West” in 

the classroom for student viewing. 

• Review the Background Information section of this lesson about Hanging Entitled “Map of 

the Middle West.” 


compare 

contrast 

fiction 

map key 

plan 

● Procedure 

1. Demonstrate how to make a map by making one on the chalkboard. Choose a familiar place to 

map. It can be a real place or a fictional place such as a place they read about. 

2. First, list things you want to show about the place. Remind students of the kinds of things that 

Hanging Entitled “Map of the Middle West” shows about the United States. Then ask students 

to suggest symbols that could stand for those parts. 

3. Make a map key. Put the symbols in the key and note what they represent. 

4. List different places students can represent with maps. Set up the list in two columns, fictional 

and real. Ask students to suggest places. 

5. Give each student the Pre-Planner organizer. Ask them to choose a place to show in their map. 

They can work individually or with a partner. They should complete the Pre-Planner first and 

then create the map. Encourage students to be creative. 


6. Ask students to explain their maps to other students. They can do so in a class session or by 

writing a caption that you post with the map on a bulletin board. They may also want to 

include a map key to help others understand the symbols they use in their maps. 


Students can bring small objects from home such as cookie cutters, small toys, or plastic utensils to 

contribute to serve as sources for generating symbols. They can also complete their projects if they 

were not able to finish them. 


• Ask students to write about what they have learned about symbols. Start this writing with the 

Words and Writing organizer. You also can assess with the Summarize What You Learned 

organizer. 


• VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: In addition to using the Words and Writing organizer, 

students can create a pictorial word wall. 

• WRITING: Students can write a poem or paragraph about how they feel about the two textiles. 

(This activity is adaptable to any painting.) 

• RESEARCH: Students can research different states and make their own map of the Midwest, 

using symbols to show important features of each state. 

• SCIENCE: Students can make a habitat map, creating symbols that represent the features of 

the habitat. 


vocabulary words (pictures or actual examples) and allow students to use drawn images or 

gestures to represent vocabulary words as well. 


and skill level, to collaborate on activities. 



Art Chart: Symbols 

ILS25A: I can identify symbols. (Transferable to 1B) 

Directions: Look at each of the two maps. 

Then list what you see in each one. List 5 things you notice for each one. 

Map 

Map of the Middle West 

1 1 

2 2 

3 3 

4 4 

5 5 

Compare: 

How are the two maps alike? Tell two ways they are alike. 

Contrast: 

How are the two maps different? Tell two differences. 

A symbol is something that stands for something else. It represents something. 

Look at both maps to see what symbol they use for water. It is the color blue. Look at both maps to find 

another symbol they both use for the same thing. 

What is the symbol? 

What does it represent? 



Symbols Show and Tell 

ILS25A: I can analyze and use symbols. (Transferable to 1B) 

Directions: Find symbols in the two maps. 

List the symbol by drawing it or describing it. 

Then tell what it represents—what it stands for. 

Symbol 

What It Represents 

What symbols would you use to show something important about Chicago? 

First, list what you would want people to understand. 

Then think of a symbol you would use to show that on a map of Chicago. 

What a Chicago Map Should Show 

Symbol I Would Use to Show It 



Symbols, Maps, and Art: Read to Learn 

ILS1B: I can compare and contrast based on information in a text. 

Directions: Read this passage. Then answer the questions on another piece of paper. 

Mapmakers use symbols. A mapmaker uses lines to show things. Those lines may represent streets. 

They could stand for borders. A border divides two places. On a map of the United States you see lines 

that divide the states. Those are borders. Usually they are shown in black. Mapmakers use other colors 

as symbols. They use blue to show water. They also use pictures as symbols. The mapmaker may put a 

picture of an airplane. That would show an airport. They could put a train. That would show a train 

station. 

Many artists use symbols. A painter may put a dark cloud in a painting. That dark cloud stands for a 

problem. A painter may use color as a symbol. The painter may use yellow to show happiness. A painter 

may use gold to show a person is rich. The painter may put a rainbow in a painting. That rainbow is a 

symbol. It shows that the storm is over. 

There are some maps that are art. They show places. They are special maps. Artists make them. 

About 100 years ago an artist made a bedcover. It was made for people to use. It was special. It was not 

like most bedcovers. The artist sewed it as a big map. It showed the United States. The artist used black 

thread to show borders. The artist used brown thread to show routes. Routes are ways people travel 

between places. You have a route you take to school. The bedcover map showed routes people traveled 

across the United States. 

There is another cloth map called Map of the Middle West. Art that is on cloth is called textile. 

This textile shows some of the states. It uses blue to show water. It uses black to show borders. It uses 

pictures to show what is special about these states. It has a corn plant on Illinois. Illinois farms grow 

corn. That plant is a symbol. It shows that corn is important. It has other symbols. It shows many things. 

People learned from it. It shows what is important in the states included in this map. 

When you paint a picture, you can use symbols. You can use colors to show feelings. You can use 

symbols to show ideas. You could paint a dove. A dove is a bird. When people see a dove they think 

about peace. You could paint a rainbow. That would show happiness. You could paint a big sun. That 

could show happiness, too, or warmth. 

You could paint a map of the United States. You could use color to show climate. You could paint 

states with cold climates gray. You could paint warm states red. People could learn from your map. You 

could add more symbols. You could show many facts with pictures. It would be a map. And it would be 

art, too. 

Write a Comparison/Contrast Paragraph 

Answer these questions: How are maps and paintings alike? How are they different? 

Extended Response 

Based on what you read and what you knew, why do you think it is important to understand symbols? 

Give an example of why it is important in everyday life. Give an example of why it is important in art. 



Summarize What You Learned about Symbols 

ILS5A: I can summarize. 

Directions: List three important facts you learned about symbols from the reading. 

Write them in your own words. 

What I Read 

A summary tells what is important about a topic. Write a one-paragraph summary about symbols. 



Pre-Planner: What will your map show? 

ILS26B: I can plan the use of color and symbols to communicate. 

Directions: Use this page to plan a map of a real place or a place in a story. 

What place will you show? 

What do you want someone to understand by looking at your map? 

List what is important about the place in the left column. Tell how you will show it in the right column. 

What Is Important about the Place? 

How I Will Show It 

How will you use color as a symbol? 

What other symbols will you use? 



Map Maker 

ILS17B: I can use a map to communicate about a place. 

Directions: Give your map a title. Put symbols you will use in the key. Draw each symbol. Write words 

that tell what it means. Then use the rest of the page to show the place. 

Title: 

Key 

Symbol 

What it means 



Words and Writing Organizer: Symbols 

ILS5A: I can write to communicate about a topic. 

Directions: We put one word on the chart. List 5 other important words about the topic. 

Write what each word means. Then draw a picture to show what it means. Then write about what you 

know about symbols. Use another page for your writing. 


symbol 

Write to tell about symbols. Explain how people use them. Include examples of different symbols. Use 

your words in your writing. 




A Visit to the Art Museum


A Visit to the Art Museum 

Summary 

In this lesson, students visit the art museum to view works of art from the MAPS curriculum. 

The lesson prepares them for the visit and provides a structured activity to enhance learning in the 

classroom after the visit 1 . Students learn vocabulary and skills necessary to read works of art and will 

write an expository essay. Students will see art from a variety of geographical regions and cultures and 

design a museum of their own based on their experience. 


Teacher-guided museum visit: 

The teacher works with the Art Institute staff liaison to select works of art for students to view in 

the museum. Works of art included in the MAPS curriculum are recommended. 

Docent-guided museum visit: 

Docents offer an “Art from Many Places” tour that introduces students to works of art from 

different parts of the world and different time periods. Teachers should notify docents ahead of 

time by phone that they are using the MAPS curriculum and to be sure to include some artworks 

from the MAPS lessons in the tour. 


Reading and Writing 

1.B.2a: Establish purpose for reading: survey materials; ask questions; make predictions; 


1.B.2c: Continuously check and clarify for understanding (eg. In addition to previous skills, 

clarify terminology and seek additional information). 

1.C.2b: Make and support inferences and form interpretations about main themes and topics. 

1.C.2e: Explain how authors and illustrators use text and art to express their ideas (e.g., points 

of view, design hues, metaphor). 

3.B.2a: Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies (e.g., mapping, 

outlining, drafting). 

3.C.2a: Write for a variety of purposes and for specific audiences in a variety of forms 

including narrative (e.g., fiction, autobiography), expository (e.g., reports, essays), 

and persuasive writing (e.g., editorials, advertisements). 

5.A.2a: Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan. 

1 Ideally, this lesson should come later in the school year, after the students have covered the four regions of the United States. 

If accomplished in sequence, students may have the opportunity to see some of the works of art in the museum they have learned about 

in the classroom. However, the lesson is broadly conceived and can work at any point in the school year. 

122 • Lesson 8: A Visit to the Art Museum

5.C.2a: 

5.C.2b: 

Create a variety of print and non-print documents to communicate acquired information 

for specific audiences. 

Prepare and deliver oral presentations based on inquiry or research purposes. 


18.A.2: 

Explain ways in which language, stories, folk tales, music, media and artistic creations 

serve as expressions of culture. 

Art 

25.A.1d: Identify the elements of line, shape, space, color, and texture; the principles of 

repetition and pattern; and the expressive qualities of mood, emotion and pictorial 

representation. 

25.A.2d: Identify and describe the elements of two- and three-dimensional space, figure/ground, 

value and form; the principles of rhythm, size, proportion and composition; and the 

expressive qualities of symbol and story. 

25.B.2: Understand how elements and principles combine within an art form to express ideas. 

26.A.2e: Describe the relationship among media, tools/technology and processes. 

26.B.2d: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create works of visual art using problem solving, 


27.B.2: Identify and describe how the arts communicate the similarities and differences among 

various people, places, and times. 




Objectives 

• Students will understand the art museum and its purpose. 

• Students will experience original works of art. 

• Students will engage in close looking and discussion about works of art from a variety of 

geographical locations and cultures. 

• Students will reflect on what they experienced at the museum and relate it to their own lives. 

• Students will design and write about a museum in which to display a personal collection. 


All field trips to the Art Institute must be scheduled online (http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/tours/ 

index.html). Teachers have two options when registering for a tour: they can have a museum 

docent-guided tour or they can lead their own, teacher-guided tour. 

For docent-guided tours, the assigned docent will call the teacher approximately two weeks in 

advance of the tour date to discuss curricular needs and any other details. At this time, teachers must 

identify themselves as part of the MAPS program. 


For teacher-guided museum tours, you must consult with the MAPS staff liaison at the museum to 

plan your tour. He/she will help you select works of art to view, plan a path through the museum, and 

organize related activities. 

For additional information about works of art in the museum’s collections and planning a visit with 

students, the Art Institute’s website has various resources: 

General website: 

www.artic.edu/aic 

Student Programs: 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/tours/index.html 

Teacher Programs: 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/teachers.html 

Search the museum’s collections: 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/ 

Classroom lesson plans and museum self-guides: 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/trc/lessonplans.html 

On-line modules (including videos): 

http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/onlinelearning/index.html 

Additionally, the Crown Family Educator Resource Center (http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/trc/ 

index.html) at the Art Institute has a library of printed and electronic resources about the museum’s 

collection to help you plan a museum visit or additional classroom activities. 

Day 1: Preparing to visit the museum 


45 minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproductions of artworks (select from works from the MAPS curriculum that you plan to see 

when you visit the museum) 

• Video “Your Museum Visit” 


• Prepare to show the video “Your Museum Visit.” 

• Register for a student tour to the Art Institute online and review Background Information 

section of the lesson. 



museum 

collect 

collection 

display 

docent 

gallery 

label 

original (artwork) 

preserve 

● Procedure 

1. Explain to students that a museum is a place that collects, preserves, displays, and studies 

important things from human history. For example, the Shedd Aquarium collects, preserves, 

and displays sea life, and the Field Museum collects, preserves, and displays things like 

fossils and artifacts from natural history. The Art Institute of Chicago is an art museum, which 

collects, preserves, and displays original works of art such paintings, sculptures, drawings and 

photographs made by artists from all around the world and different periods of time. 

2. Ask students if they or members of their family have collections of their own. What kinds of 

things do they collect? Make a list of on the chalkboard of student responses. How do they 

protect their collections? How do they display their collections? Do they have them set up in 

their bedroom or stored and shown to people only on special occasions? 

3. Have students view “Your Museum Visit.” 

4. After the video is over, review important information about the visit with your students and ask 

them to talk about what they are most looking forward to seeing or doing in the museum. 

Day 2: Field Trip to the Museum 


3‒4 hours 

● Procedure 

You know best what procedures your school has for taking field trips regarding permission slips, 

buses, and other details. Be sure to arrive at your scheduled time and a greeter will meet you at the 

student entrance to the Art Institute. Remind students of the rules in the museum: 

• the art is for looking, not touching 

• no food, drink, or gum 

• walk, don’t run 

• stick together 

• use inside voices 

• pencils only 


Day 3: Reflection about Field Trip 


45 Minutes 

● Materials 

• Reproductions of MAPS (or other) artworks seen in the museum 

• Colored pencils (for museum drawing) 


Copy of My Museum organizer 


museum 

collection 

● Procedure 

1. Ask students to describe their experience at the Art Institute. Ask: what did you see? Whom 

did you speak to? What did we do? Discuss both artworks that they saw in the museum as 

well as the environment: what did the building look like? How big was the museum? Who 

were some of the other people you saw at the museum? 

2. Review the list from the first day of the lesson of the things that students and their families 

collect. Distribute the My Museum organizer and have students answer the questions about 

creating a museum of their personal collections. They should draw a picture of their museum 

and may use colored pencils to enliven it. 

3. Have students pair to share about their museums and then share out with the class. Display 

their work around the classroom to create a class exhibit. 



My Museum 

Directions: Use this sheet to help you plan your museum. 

What kinds of things are in your museum? 

How do you take care of the objects in your museum? 

Where is your museum located? 

What is the name of your museum? 

Who might visit your museum? 

Use the box below to sketch the front of your museum and the surrounding area. 





Understanding 

Environments and Values 


MAPS

Lesson 1 - LearningThroughMuseums

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