1. Ava Foreman Smyser School Social Studies 8 th Grade Hunter Mountain, Twilight

2. Sanford Robinson Gifford Hunter Mountain, Twilight, 1866 Oil on Canvas Terra Foundation For American Art Can be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago

3. Key Ideas About the Artwork That Informed the Lesson Life after the Civil War Development of America’s West Destruction of the natural wilderness

4. I Wanted the Students To:  Begin developing an art vocabulary  Be able to “read” a painting to gather insight into the work and the artist  Be exposed to art and develop an appreciation for it

5. A Few Major Learning Activities:  Do a close read of the painting  Complete an outline  Answer a questionnaire  Read handouts about the artist, painting, and the historical context  Organize the information  Write a prose poem  Create a landscape similar to Gifford’s Hunter Mountain, Twilight

6. Outline of Painting

7. Questionnaire

8. Triangular Organizer

9. Prose Poem

10. Student Created Landscape

11. What My Students Learned:  Art is a reflection of history and society  Artists create mood through their use of color  Artists present their viewpoints in their work  How to go about doing a close read  Some have begun to develop a better appreciation for art

12. What I learned:  Students are receptive to art  Students can gather meaning and understanding from works of art with guided direction and background knowledge  I learned that incorporating works of art into my curriculum enhances content material of a subject