Greek Mythology in Art

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

Instructional Unit:
This tour focuses on the aesthetic representations of Greek Mythology that will take place mid-way through the Instructional Unit. This will be an exploration of mythology as an attempt by earlier civilizations to explain natural phenomenon by inventing gods and supernatural beings. We will examine the organization of Greek society and its influence on today's society.
Curriculum Unit:
Grade 5
Art, Social Studies

Objectives:
1. The students will be able to create representations of some gods and goddesses.
2. The students will recognize the specific mythological characters and their significance to Greek citizens.

Pre-Visit Activities:
1. The students will learn of Greek mythology through research.
2. They will view the videodisk, The National Gallery of Art , in order to get some broad knowledge of the artwork.
3. After receiving the preview materials from the museum staff, the teacher will make up a worksheet for the students. The worksheet might compromise a list of the more famous gods and goddesses and ask the students to write the name of painting in which they are found. The worksheet might also be a seek and find type -- perhaps asking the title of the painting where the horse with the bleeding head is found, or the statue of the God of the Sea, etc.

On-Site Activities:
1. Students will tour the artwork with a docent to reinforce their knowledge of Greek mythology.
2. Students will be working on a worksheet as they tour. Afterwards, a visit to the gift shop will occur.

Follow-Up Activities:
1. The students will prepare a mini-gallery to share their acquired knowledge with other students.
2.The students will act as docents and present their materials in a workshop format to other grade levels. References and oral language skills will be developed and practiced through this forum.

Appendices:
None

Bibliography:
Blenz-Clucas, Beth. Bring the Museum to the Media Center." School Library Journal. September, 1993. pp. 150-153.
Brown, Laurene and Marc. Visiting the Art Museum. E.P. Dutton. New York. 1986.
Bulfinch's Mythology. Illustrated by Elinore Blaisdell. Thomas Crowell Company. New York. 1962.
Daly, Kathleen N. Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z: A Young Reader's Companion . Facts on File. New York. 1992.
D'aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin. D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. Doubleday. New York. 1962
Low, Alice. Greek Gods and Heroes. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. 1985.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Favorite Greek Myths. Scholastic Inc. New York. 1989.
Russell, William F. Classic Myths to Read Aloud. Crown Publishers. New York. 1989.
Zucker, Barbara Fleisher. Musing About Museums. Book Links. November, 1993. pp.11-20.

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