Target audience: University freshmen or sophomores / high school students
Duration of the lesson – two 45-minute sessions
Lesson Plan
Goals:
- to help students understand and appreciate landscape paintings
- to help students develop their English language skills
- to help students develop their critical thinking and learning skills
Objectives:
Culture
- to expose students to a work of American art and help them understand its cultural value
- to help students understand the cultural context that fostered the given artwork
- to allow students to explore the history of the Yosemite area
Language
- to develop students’ reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills through a variety of learning activities
- to allow students to use productively the English language through exploration of cultural context
- to enrich students’ vocabulary by introducing and reinforcing arts related terms
Critical thinking and learning skills
- to help students practice using active learning skills and strategies
- to help students learn to cooperate with others in discussion, group and project work
- to teach students to structure, compare, analyze and evaluate the information through reading, writing, and listening
- to teach students to make predictions and inferences
- to allow students to view the information from different perspectives
- to enhance students’ public speaking skills through presentations of the results of a team project
Step-by-step Procedures
Evocation
Activity # 1 Getting in Touch
Directions
1. Pick up a slip with a part of a Native American proverb.
2. Walk around to find the matching part of the proverb.
3. Make up a group with those who have the same proverb.
A people without a history is - like the wind over buffalo grass
Ask questions from you heart and you - will be answered from the heart
To touch the earth is - to have harmony with nature
When a man moves away from nature - his heart becomes hard
Activity # 2 Associations
Directions
- Look at the portrait of this man. Does his face look familiar to you?
- Study the portrait carefully and try to guess, when and where he might live what he might do for living.
- Share your ideas with the group.
Present the ideas of your group to the class. Collect all the ideas on the board.
This man is now considered one of the greatest landscape artists and his name is Albert Bierstadt.
Activity # 3 Watch – Feel – Think – Share
Directions
1. Choose one of the following presentations with the paintings by Albert Bierstadt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLVwmccO3WQ&feature=related
3:12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGRtQ1z-kss&feature=related
3:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK4VCWwLYws&feature=related
5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3m6GPcb2Zg&feature=related
5:08
2. Watch the paintings. Think about what you felt while watching the paintings? What did they remind you of?
3.In your small group share the impression the paintings produced on you.
4. Sum up and tell the class what impressed your group most of all.
5. Analyze and discuss what, to your mind, the paintings you’ve seen have in common.
Realization of Meaning
Activity # 4 Active Reading
Directions
- Read the text about Albert Bierstadt and his painting Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California, 1865. (chapter 8a, p. 36) at:
http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/downloads/pdfs/Resource_Guide/PA_TeachersResource_Book.pdf
2. While reading the text sum up the information from the text according to the following categories:
- What you’ve learned about the painter
- What you’ve learned about his style of painting
- What you’ve learned about the painting Looking Down Yosemite Valley
- What you’ve learned about the area described in the picture
- What you’ve learned about the history of the West
- What you’ve learned about the U.S. history
Reflection
Activity # 5 Return to Associations
Directions
- Return to your associations connected with the painter’s portrait.
- Discuss how your assumptions have changed after reading the text.
Activity # 6 Imagination Spread
Directions
- Look at the painting again. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of the scene.
Describe the scenery and express your feelings.
Activity # 7 Paragraph Writing
Directions
Write a paragraph about the difference of a piece of art from a good landscape photograph of the same place.
Activity # 8 Making Connections ( Homework : Project Work)
Directions
- Choose one of the research teams to make a project to be presented in the next class:
go to the virtual museum of the city of San-Francisco
at http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/foremoms.html
to study Gold Rush stories of women pioneers or any other issue of your choice
or to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
to explore the history of the Yosemite area
go to http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/hudson-river-school.html
to learn more about The Hudson River School, Thomas Cole and Frederic
Edwin Church
or to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albert_Bierstadt
to explore the life of Albert Bierstadt
- Team 3 – Environmentalists –
go to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
or to http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/photographs.htm
http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/national_park.html
to learn more about the beauty of t the Yosemite areatoday and its protection
HANDOUTS
Handout #1
Activity # 1 Getting in Touch
Directions
1. Pick up a slip with a part of a Native American proverb.
2. Walk around to find the matching part of the proverb.
3. Make up a group with those who have the same proverb.
A people without a history is |
to have harmony with nature |
will be answered from the heart |
like the wind over buffalo grass |
To touch the earth is |
When a man moves away from nature |
Ask questions from you heart and you |
his heart becomes hard |
Handout #2
Activity # 2 Associations
Handout #3
Activity # 3 Watch – Feel – Think – Share
Directions
1. Choose one of the following presentations with the paintings by Albert Bierstadt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLVwmccO3WQ&feature=related
3:12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGRtQ1z-kss&feature=related
3:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK4VCWwLYws&feature=related
5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3m6GPcb2Zg&feature=related
5:08
2. Watch the paintings. Think about what you felt while watching the paintings? What did they remind you of?
3.In your small group share the impression the paintings produced on you.
4. Sum up and tell the class what impressed your group most of all.
5. Analyze and discuss what, to your mind, the paintings you’ve seen have in common.
Handout #4
Activity # 4 Active Reading
Directions
- Read the text about Albert Bierstadt and his painting Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California, 1865. (chapter 8a, p. 36) at:
http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/downloads/pdfs/Resource_Guide/PA_TeachersResource_Book.pdf
Vocabulary list:
to venture (verb) - to brave the dangers of (something) -
oòâàæèòüñÿ, ðåøèòüñÿ; îñìåëèòüñÿ
stagecoach (noun) - a large four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle formerly used to
carry passengers -
(ìíîãîìåñòíàÿ) ïî÷òîâàÿ êàðåòà, äèëèæàíñ (äëÿ ðåãóëÿðíîé
ïåðåâîçêè ïàññàæèðîâ è ïî÷òû)
comparable (with) (adjective) - able to be compared (with) –
ñîïîñòàâèìûé, ñîèçìåðèìûé
claim (noun) - an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due –
òðåáîâàíèå, ïðèòÿçàíèå
canvas (noun) - a painting on this material, esp. in oils –
êàðòèíà íà õîëñòå
trapper (noun) - a person who traps animals, esp. for their furs or skins -
îõîòíèê, ñòàâÿùèé êàïêàíû
settler (noun) - a person who settles on a new territory -
êîëîíèñò, ïîñåëåíåö
climax (noun) - a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work -
êóëüìèíàöèÿ
landscape (noun) - a painting, drawing, etc., depicting natural scenery –
ïåéçàæ
to dwindle (verb) - to grow less in size -
óìåíüøàòüñÿ
insignificance (noun) – littleness, unimportance -
íåçíà÷èòåëüíîñòü; íè÷òîæíîñòü
non-indigenous (adjective) – not originating (in a country, region, etc.) -
íåìåñòíûé, ñî ñòîðîíû
to exaggerate (verb) - to regard or represent as larger or greater, more important or
more successful, etc., than is true -
ãèïåðáîëèçèðîâàòü, ïðåóâåëè÷èâàòü
haze (noun) - obscurity of perception -
çàòåìíåíèå; íå÷¸òêîñòü (î÷åðòàíèé, ïðåäìåòîâ)
frontier (noun) - the edge of the settled area of a country -
Ôðîíòèð (íîâûå çåìëè íà çàïàäå ÑØÀ)
to embody (verb) - to give a tangible, or concrete form to (an abstract concept) -
îëèöåòâîðÿòü (÷åì-ë.) ; çàêëþ÷àòü â ñåáå (êàêóþ-ë. èäåþ)
to lament (verb) - to feel or express sorrow, or regret (for or over) -
ñîêðóøàòüñÿ; ãîðåâàòü
2. While reading the text sum up the information from the text according to the following categories:
- What you’ve learned about the painter
- What you’ve learned about his style of painting
- What you’ve learned about the painting Looking Down Yosemite Valley
- What you’ve learned about the area described in the picture
- What you’ve learned about the history of the West
- What you’ve learned about the U.S. history
Handout #5
Activity # 7 Paragraph Writing
Directions
Write a paragraph about the difference of a piece of art from a good landscape photograph of the same place.
Handout #6
Activity # 8 Making Connections ( Homework : Project Work)
Directions
- Choose one of the research teams to make a project to be presented in the next class:
go to the virtual museum of the city of San-Francisco
at http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/foremoms.html
to study Gold Rush stories of women pioneers or any other issue of your choice
or to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
to explore the history of the Yosemite area
go to http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/hudson-river-school.html
to learn more about The Hudson River School, Thomas Cole and Frederic
Edwin Church
or to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albert_Bierstadt
to explore the life of Albert Bierstadt
- Team 3 – Environmentalists –
go to http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
or to http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/photographs.htm
http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/national_park.html
to learn more about the beauty of t the Yosemite areatoday and its protection
REFERENCES
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLVwmccO3WQ&feature=related
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGRtQ1z-kss&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK4VCWwLYws&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3m6GPcb2Zg&feature=related
5. http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/downloads/pdfs/Resource_Guide/PA_TeachersResource_Book.pdf (p.36)
6. http://gallerix.ru/album/Albert-Bierstadt/pic/glrx-389736938
7. http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/foremoms.html
8. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
9. http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/hudson-river-school.html
10. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Albert_Bierstadt
11. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yosemite_National_Park
12. http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/photographs.htm
13. http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/national_park.html
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
GLOSSARY
to venture (verb) - to brave the dangers of (something) -
oòâàæèòüñÿ, ðåøèòüñÿ; îñìåëèòüñÿ
stagecoach (noun) - a large four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle formerly used to
carry passengers -
(ìíîãîìåñòíàÿ) ïî÷òîâàÿ êàðåòà, äèëèæàíñ (äëÿ ðåãóëÿðíîé
ïåðåâîçêè ïàññàæèðîâ è ïî÷òû)
comparable (with) (adjective) - able to be compared (with) –
ñîïîñòàâèìûé, ñîèçìåðèìûé
claim (noun) - an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due –
òðåáîâàíèå, ïðèòÿçàíèå
canvas (noun) - a painting on this material, esp. in oils –
êàðòèíà íà õîëñòå
trapper (noun) - a person who traps animals, esp. for their furs or skins -
îõîòíèê, ñòàâÿùèé êàïêàíû
settler (noun) - a person who settles on a new territory -
êîëîíèñò, ïîñåëåíåö
climax (noun) - a decisive moment in a dramatic or other work -
êóëüìèíàöèÿ
landscape (noun) - a painting, drawing, etc., depicting natural scenery –
ïåéçàæ
to dwindle (verb) - to grow less in size -
óìåíüøàòüñÿ
insignificance (noun) – littleness, unimportance -
íåçíà÷èòåëüíîñòü; íè÷òîæíîñòü
non-indigenous (adjective) – not originating (in a country, region, etc.) -
íåìåñòíûé, ñî ñòîðîíû
to exaggerate (verb) - to regard or represent as larger or greater, more important or
more successful, etc., than is true -
ãèïåðáîëèçèðîâàòü, ïðåóâåëè÷èâàòü
haze (noun) - obscurity of perception -
çàòåìíåíèå; íå÷¸òêîñòü (î÷åðòàíèé, ïðåäìåòîâ)
frontier (noun) - the edge of the settled area of a country -
Ôðîíòèð (íîâûå çåìëè íà çàïàäå ÑØÀ)
to embody (verb) - to give a tangible, or concrete form to (an abstract concept) -
îëèöåòâîðÿòü (÷åì-ë.) ; çàêëþ÷àòü â ñåáå (êàêóþ-ë. èäåþ)
to lament (verb) - to feel or express sorrow, or regret (for or over) -
ñîêðóøàòüñÿ; ãîðåâàòü
POWER POINT SLIDES
(see separate files) |
