Trees in art and nature
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2318/
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Science
In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students use the art of Vincent van Gogh as a point of reference to learn about trees by comparing those in Van Gogh’s paintings to those in nature. After learning about the botany of trees, students create leaf rubbings as a culminating activity, imitating Van Gogh’s use of color. This lesson is part of a curriculum unit titled “Scientific Impressions.”
Students will:
- discuss paintings by Vincent van Gogh
- independently develop a classification method for trees
- create leaf rubbings
- learn about the ways to calculate the age of a tree
ARTSEDGE provides a supply list, suggestions for assessment and extension activities, detailed instructions for completing the lesson, and a link to an interactive slideshow.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- fiction (short stories, novels, fantasies, fairy tales, fables).
- nonfiction (biographies, letters, articles, procedures and instructions, charts, maps).
- poetry (proverbs, riddles, limericks, simple poems).
- drama (skits, plays).
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama selections using self-selected topics and forms (e.g., poems, simple narratives, short reports, learning logs, letters, notes, directions, instructions).
Grade 4
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- fiction (legends, novels, folklore, science fiction).
- nonfiction (autobiographies, informational books, diaries, journals).
- poetry (concrete, haiku).
- drama (skits, plays).
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.07: Compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected and assigned topics and forms (e.g., personal and imaginative narratives, research reports, diaries, journals, logs, rules, instructions).
Grade 5
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
- fiction (tall tales, myths).
- nonfiction (books of true experience, newspaper and magazine articles, schedules).
- poetry (narrative, lyric, and cinquains).
- drama (plays and skits).
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected topic and format (e.g., poetry, research reports, news articles, letters to the editor, business letters).
Science (2005)
Grade 3
- Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of plant growth and adaptations.
- Objective 1.03: Investigate and describe how plants pass through distinct stages in their life cycle including.
- Growth.
- Survival.
- Reproduction.
- Objective 1.03: Investigate and describe how plants pass through distinct stages in their life cycle including.
Visual Arts Education (2001)
Grade 5
- Goal 5: The learner will understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
- Objective 5.05: Recognize selected individual style characteristics of an artist.
