Art in Colonial America: Paintings and Crafts

The National Gallery of Art
4th and Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20565
(202)842-6249 (Educational Tours)

Instructional Unit:
This instructional unit is designed for fourth grade students combining both Art History, Art Appreciation and Social Studies in a unit on "Colonial Life in America."

Curriculum Unit:
Grade 4
Art, Social Studies

Objectives:
1. Students look at art critically and discuss art they have made, art made by their peers, and art made by recognized artists.
2. Students add to their art vocabulary and use it accurately to discuss art.
3. As stated in the Social Studies Program of Studies for fourth grade: students will "examine several aspects of culture in various periods of Virginia's history and show how these aspects of culture reflect the ideas of the people."

Pre-Visit Activities:
1. Consult the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design which includes several slide presentations on different forms of Colonial American art: toys, quilts, paintings, etc...available to schools.
2. Emphasize the works of John Singleton Copley and Edward Hicks while comparing and contrasting their styles.
3. Bring into the classroom examples of folk art.

On-Site Activities:
1. Upon visiting the National Gallery of Art, focus the visit on artists who portray colonial life in America and other examples of folk art.
2. Develop a list of questions and interactive techniques a docent could use to keep the children occupied and interested.

Follow-Up Activities:
1. Have students look at a piece of folk art and point out specific details. Have students design a piece of folk art by themselves: a weather vane, a quilt, a sampler, or a china pattern for instance.
2. Ask the students to write or tell a story about some form of folk art. Have them imagine the person who created it and why they might have done that.
3. Look at a painting of a farm and describe what it was like to live on the farm.
4. Describe the thoughts that an artist might have had when he/she did a specific work.

Appendices:
None

Bibliography:
National Gallery of Art Guide

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