Art Integration Lesson Plan

Matthew Peterson

Art Integration Lesson Plan

LTC 4240: Art for Children
Lesson Title & Big Idea*: Building a Community: Exploring Nation-Building through
the Arts
Lesson Overview/Summary*:
This lesson integrates visual arts, social studies, and literacy content to help students
learn about landscape artistry and what goes into making a civilization. Students will
explore works from multiple artists that depict a community or city. Students will examine
how different aspects such as color, line, shape, and space give meaning to works of art
and what they can tell us about a community or city. Students will also examine the
aspects of what makes up a civilization such as Specialized Workers, Social Institutions,
Writing/Record Keeping, Advanced Technology, and Arts, Architecture, and Infrastructure.
Students will also identify strong characteristics and risk factors in a civilization such as
having many products to sell to other nations vs. having only a few or being
environmentally conscious vs. allowing unregulated factories and slash and burn
exploitation of natural resources. Students will then take what they have learned and
create a cityscape using a watercolor resist to build their own civilization. Students will
later write about what their art tells the audience about their city and their civilization,
and make a judgement of how well they think their civilization would survive the test of
time.
Key Concepts: What you want the students to know.*
1. Visual Arts:
Students will explore how different aspects of
landscape art give meaning to the piece and tell
the audience about the community they are
viewing
Students will learn about or refine their skill in
using watercolor resist to make a piece of art
2. Social Studies:

Grade Level*: 3rd

Class Periods Required:
4

Essential Questions*:
1. What can we learn about a community or
civilization from how their cities look and what
artists choose to represent?
2. What do we value in our community and how
would this appear in a piece of art about our city?
3. Why are some civilizations/communities
successful and others are not?
4. How would your ideal society look? What would
you value? How would an outsider know your
values when they looked at your city or even just

Art Integration Lesson Plan

Matthew Peterson

Students will learn about the key characteristics of

a civilization
Students will learn about and identify strong
characteristics and risk factors in the creation of a
civilization
3. Literacy:
Students will learn and practice how to present an
argument and support it with evidence from their
artwork and learning

a single building?

Lesson Objectives: What you want the students to do. *

1. Visual Arts:
Students will identify different aspects of landscape art such as shape, color, line, and space
Students will analyze artistic aspects and discuss how they create meaning
Students will use watercolor resist to make an original cityscape
2. Social Studies:
Students will identify key characteristics of a civilization
Students will apply their learning to imagine a new civilization of their own making
Students will determine the viability of their civilization based off of evidence and identify possible risk factors
3. Literacy:
Students will present their thinking by describing their civilization and providing evidence of how this was
represented in their artwork
Students will write persuasively about the viability of their civilization based off of evidence in their artwork
and prior learning
National Core Visual Arts Standards (3-4)
http://tinyurl.com/hndaaa8
1. Visual Arts:
STRAND I: Product/Performance, 3A. Landscape:

Identify & define common vocabulary that connect the

art form with the other identified content areas:
1. Community: A big idea in both art and social
studies related to groups of people and social

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Matthew Peterson

Create an original cityscape. VA 1. FA 1.

STRAND I: Product/Performance, 3C. Create an
original artwork that communicates ideas about
the following themes: Community, Group, Identity
(e.g., family, classroom, groups, scouts, sports
teams). VA 1. FA 1.
STRAND III: Artistic Perceptions (AP), 1A. Compare
different responses students may have to the same
artwork. VA 3. FA 3.
STRAND V: Historical and Cultural Contexts 1B.
Compare and contrast two artworks on: subject
matter, media, use of line, color, shape, and
texture, them, purpose of art in culture, place. VA
4. FA 5.
2. Social Studies:
3-5.E.b Understanding relationships between and
among places: Explain why people living in
different places (cities, suburbs, towns, villages)
and specializing in different ways of making a living
have a need to interact with each other
3-4.A.a Knowledge of basic economic concepts,
being able to explain and use them to interpret
historical and current events: Identify and explain
public goods and services
3-5.F Understanding relationships between and
among regions: Identify examples of different
regions (e.g., urban, rural, recreational area,
wheat-producing region, business district)
3. Literacy:

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

relations between groups of people. People united

through common goals or interests
Cityscape: The visual appearance of a city, often
identified through a skyline. Represented in art
and created through social interactions.
Space: Space refers to area and distance around,
between, and within elements of an artistic piece.
In art, we create the illusion of space. In citys we
need lots of space to build and expand.
Variety: Having many different forms or types. In
art, we often make many different things all within
the same general classification (people, buildings,
plants, objects). This variety gives meaning to the
piece. Likewise, in social studies, civilizations need
a variety of workers, public services, and many
other components in order to function effectively.
Unity: In art unity means all aspects of a piece
come together to make one whole piece that is
more than just the sum of its parts. In the same
way people come together in communities to work
together towards a unified goal/purpose.
Architecture: The art and science of building.
Involved in both art and social studies as it is
needed to plan and construct advanced cities and
urban centers that can hold many people in a
relatively small area.

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Matthew Peterson

W.3.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts,

supporting a point of view with reasons
RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between
particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g.,
comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a
sequence). Delineate and evaluate the argument
and specific claims in a text, including the validity
of the reasoning as well as the relevance and
sufficiency of the evidence
W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults,
produce writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task and purpose

Content Areas Integrated*:

1. Visual Art (Inspiration Artists: Ivan Aivazovsky and
Chankerk)
Students will examine landscape art and the
elements that make up a cityscape. They will
specifically look at how artistic details give
meaning/story to the art and help the viewer to
know things about the society or people they are
seeing.
2. Social Studies:
Students will explore the aspects of what makes up
a civilization and what cities need to function and
succeed. They will use this knowledge of
specialized workers and public services/goods to
help imagine and create their own civilization.
3. Literacy:

Lesson Activities & Procedure(s) (please be very

specific):
Day 1:
1. Students will review the artistic terms shape, color,
line, and space and how artists use them.
2. Students will be shown two paintings, Jalan Besar by
Chankerk and Coffee house by the Orkaty mosque in
Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky. No identifying
information about the artists or artwork will be provided.
3. Both paintings will be simultaneously analyzed using
a VTS design. If needed, time can be spent looking at
each individual painting and then looking at both
paintings together. Students will be prompted: What do
you think this means? What do you think this says about
the city or civilization we are seeing a piece of? Why do

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Matthew Peterson

Students will write about their art and their

civilization giving evidence to support whether their
civilization would prosper or implode based on what
they have learned.

you think that?

4. We will transition to discussing the characteristics of
civilizations. Students will brainstorm with groups of 3-4
potential concepts that make up a civilization.
5. Students will share their ideas and create a
collaborative list. Teacher will discuss Specialized
Workers, Social Institutions, Writing/Record Keeping,
Advanced Technology, and Arts, Architecture, and
Infrastructure in more detail, and identify the terms
public goods and services through a PowerPoint.
6. Students will come up with examples for each
characteristic (during presentation)
7. Students will be given pre-writing graphic organizer
and begin working on it.
8. Students will complete exit slip (HW will be to keep
thinking about your civilization)
Day 2:
9. Students will finish their graphic organizers and share
their thoughts with a peer.
10. Students will create their cityscapes for their
civilizations (using water-color resist) paying specific
attention to details that they noted in pre-writing
Day 3:
11. Teacher will fully explain the writing component and
give example of how to support your thoughts with
evidence from your picture.
12. Class will collaboratively examine the

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Matthew Peterson

rubric/checklist
13. Students will write their summative
reflections/descriptions of their civilizations
14. Students will share their writing with a peer and
provide constructive feedback. Students will work to
improve their pieces
Day 4:
15. Students will share their final products with each
other through a museum walk-about. Graphic Organizer,
Artwork, and Writing will be showcased.
16. We will close with a discussion of how students
cities could potentially work together and whether or
not that would be beneficial/increase chances of
survival. Students can then organize their cities into
groups by putting pictures next to each other. This
process is reminiscent of how early nations of city-states
operated.
*This project could take less than 4 days if multiple
content area times were integrated (art for the creation
of the water resist and writing for the summative writing
piece). Likewise, the museum walk-about would
probably take less than a full class period (20 minutes or
so including the discussion).
Anticipatory Set (Gaining Attention)*: Students will
engage in a Visual Thinking Strategies session on
cityscape works by two different artists. The works
(Coffee house by the Orkaty mosque in Constantinople &

Closure (Reflecting Anticipatory Set): Students will

participate in a museum walk-about where they will
share their cityscapes and accompanying writing.
Students will be asked to think about which

Art Integration Lesson Plan

Matthew Peterson

Jalan Besar) present two contrasting scenes of cities and

civilizations that students can examine, compare, and
contrast.

civilizations/cities could help their own cities. For

example, if Johns city makes a lot of games but needs
food, and my city likes games and has a lot of food, our
two cities could benefit by working together. This can be
used to prompt discussion of how the United States is
reliant on a complex system of imports and exports to
get students
favorite things in stores all over the world. Students will
have the opportunity to share their thoughts and
learning in a class discussion after the museum walk.

Formative
Assessment
strategy:
Formative
Assessment will take place through the use of an exit slip
at the end of the first day. Students will fill out a quick 3
question quiz that is not for a grade. Students will be
asked to identify the major aspects of civilization, define
and give examples of public services and public goods,
and write down an idea for what their own civilization is
going to look like. This formative assessment will allow
the teacher to make sure that students understood
aspects of cities/civilization and will be able to
successfully incorporate these into their artwork.

Summative Assessment strategy*: Students will be

formally assessed through their writing piece at the end
of the lesson. Expectations will be laid out (using a
rubric) that students will describe their civilization and
provide evidence for these characteristics from their
artwork. Students will also be expected to make specific
reference to the characteristics of civilization and to
present an informed prediction on how well their
civilization could stand the test of time. Students will be
assessed on how well they meet these criteria.

What student prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon?

Students will need to draw on their prior knowledge of how to support an opinion with evidence. While this will be
modeled briefly, it is not the focus of this lesson. Students will also need to use their knowledge of how to use
specific details from an image to make meaning. This is a skill students work on (gathering information from
pictures) through much of 1st and 2nd grade. Students will be expected to use this skill to support their arguments in
the final writing piece.

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Matthew Peterson

How will you engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this lesson?
This lesson is designed to be very imaginative and exploratory. The focus of the lesson is an excellent What If?
Question: If you could make an entirely new civilization, what would it look like? This allows students to be very
creative in thinking about what they enjoy about our society and what they dont like. For instance, students could
decide that in their civilization school would be abolished. However, then they would have to consider the
implications of no one being educated in their city. How would they keep records or know how much to pay
someone for a good or service.
How will this lesson allow for/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
Students are faced with the task of designing an entire civilization and all the problems that accompany that.
Obviously the process is greatly oversimplified so as not to be overwhelming, but still students are required to
examine questions with no 100% right answer. Students might solve problems as (relatively) simple as, what do
people in my city like to do? To as complex as, how should we keep people in the city safe. All of these imaginative
problems can only be solved by the student thinking and examining what they think should be done in this
situation. Students later have to examine potential consequences of their decisions when they write about the
civilizations viability.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning?
This lesson builds in a nice progression so that students must routinely reflect on what they have learned in order to
progress to the next step. First students examine cityscapes and artistic aspects that give them meaning. Then
students look at characteristics of civilizations and what cities need to function. Students must then synthesize this
information to imagine and artistically create their own city. Finally, students must reflect on everything they have
learned in a novel format by writing about their city and judging its viability.
How will you adapt the various aspects of the lesson to differently-abled students?
To ensure that all students are able to plan effectively, students will be given a graphic organizer pre-writing activity
that asks them to identify the major aspects of their civilization (as discussed in class). Students will then have a
time to share their pre-writing with a peer and provide constructive feedback. This will allow students who struggle
with planning ahead to receive support they need.

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Matthew Peterson

EL students will be supported by this group work, but also by explicit modeling of how to support your opinions with
evidence. It is especially important to be conscious in how we group ELs to ensure that their voices are heard and
valued. Likewise, ELs could be asked to share what cities in their home country are like (if they have been in them
or remember them).
Students who finish early will be challenged to create a map of their city where they can add more details about
public services and goods. Likewise, these students can explore digital means of creating cities such as simplified
architecture programs or Minecraft (depending on student accessibility to these programs)
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work?
Students will have the chance to conference with their peers twice, once before creating their artwork but after
having outlined their civilization, and once after having completed the summative writing piece, but before the
museum walk-about. This peer conferencing helps students to refine their ideas and revise their written work before
turning it in, as well as improving their understandings.
What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning in this lesson?
The two revision activities listed above are opportunities to share. Likewise, students will end the lesson with a
museum walk-about and class discussion; allowing them to share their finished pieces. Lastly, students will share
their thoughts often throughout the lesson, both in the VTS discussion and while examining characteristics of
civilizations (by providing examples).
Lesson Resources/References (please be very specific by providing links, authors, titles, etc.):
http://www.chanhampegalleries.com/contemporary-asian-landscapes/
Information on and artistic works by Chankerk
https://theartstack.com/artist/ivan-aivazovsky/coffee-house-ortakoy-m
Information on and artistic works by Ivan Aivazovsky

Art Integration Lesson Plan

Matthew Peterson

MO State Standards App (Powered by Mastery Connect)

Source for Missouri State Standards

* Include this information during your final presentation.

References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining
%20Arts%20Integration.pdf