American Identity Jennifer Hankes Daniel Webster Elementary 8th Grade Language and Visual Arts and Social Science

Archibald J. Motley, Jr. ( ) Self-Portrait, 1920 Oil on canvas; 30 1/8 X 22 1/8 in. The Art Institute of Chicago

Archibald J. Motley, Jr. Nightlife, 1943 Oil on canvas; 36 x 47 3/4 in. The Art Institute of Chicago

Key information & ideas about the artworks that informed the lesson:  Self-Portrait--wanted to show he was an artist and a gentleman  Painted during the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance  Negative stereotypes and few opportunities existed for African Americans in art during this time

Goals for Lesson--what I wanted students to learn:  Artists tell stories through the images in their work  Stereotypes influence how we see others and ourselves  What does it mean to be an American?  One can express his/her identity through texts and illustrations

A few major learning activities:  Close Read: Formal analysis of Self-Portrait  Research the artwork, artist, and time period  Compare and contrast two different paintings (Self- Portrait and Nightlife)  Compose a narrative to accompany Nightlife  Create a self-portrait

Short Story to accompany to the painting Nightlife

Poem written to accompany the painting Nightlife

Self Portrait

Self-Portrait

What my students learned: “Paintings tell a story.” –Andrenetta “Painting yourself is hard to do.” – Ronald “I learned that paintings can be based on true events.” –Renita “His painting [Archibald Motley’s Self- Portrait] tells a lesson about not to judge others by how they look.” –Tachetti

What I learned:  Lack of art experience and exposure in elementary education.  Visual arts are easily integrated into language arts.  American art is a great tool to grab students’ interest into a historical time period.