Changes in a democratic society (Lesson 3 of 3)

This lesson is a follow-up to Changes in a Democratic Society, Lessons 1 and 2. Students will reflect upon and respond to a sculpture by Auguste Rodin, "Monument for the Defense of Paris." Permission has been granted by Ackland Art Museum to use the following sculptures: "Monument for the Defense of Paris" (Auguste Rodin) and "Wisdom Supporting Liberty" (Aime-Jules Dalou).

A lesson plan for grades 8–12 Social Studies

By Karen Wagoner

Learn more

• Change in a democratic society (Lesson 1 of 3) This lesson will demonstrate how art can imitate society. Students will learn about democracy in America through an examination of and a Paideia seminar on "The Sword of Damocles," an oil painting by British painter Richard Westall. This lesson should be used after a study of colonial times in America and through the American Revolution.
• Changes in a democratic society (Lesson 2 of 3) This lesson is the post-seminar activity to follow Changes in a Democratic Society, Lesson 1. Students will participate in tiered assignments reflecting on the Westall painting, "The Sword of Damocles," and the prior day's Paideia seminar on that painting.
• WebMuseum: Rodin, Auguste This website provides a brief biography of Auguste Rodin and his works.
• Rodin Sculpture From the Ackland Museum of Art, Rodin's "Project for a Monument to the Defense of Paris". This will provide detailed information about this piece of art.

Related pages

• Change in a democratic society (Lesson 1 of 3): This lesson will demonstrate how art can imitate society. Students will learn about democracy in America through an examination of and a Paideia seminar on "The Sword of Damocles," an oil painting by British painter Richard Westall. This lesson should be used after a study of colonial times in America and through the American Revolution.
• Changes in a democratic society (Lesson 2 of 3): This lesson is the post-seminar activity to follow Changes in a Democratic Society, Lesson 1. Students will participate in tiered assignments reflecting on the Westall painting, "The Sword of Damocles," and the prior day's Paideia seminar on that painting.
• The Craft Revival and economic change: In this lesson plan, originally published on the Craft Revival website, students will interpret photographs and artifacts as representations of western North Carolina’s economy at the turn of the century. They will also analyze historical census data and produce a visual web that will represent the changing nature of the economy of western North Carolina.

Related topics

• Learn more about American Revolution, American history, Auguste Rodin, North Carolina, academically gifted, arts, democracy, government, history, sculptures, and social studies.

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This lesson is the third in a series of three. The other lessons are “Changes in a Democratic Society Lesson 1” and “Changes in a Democratic Society Lesson 2.”

Learning outcomes

Concept Goal

• Students will use information from primary and secondary sources to reflect on the formation of American democracy.
• Students will understand and appreciate the American system of government.
• Students will examine artwork which reflects the theme of democracy.

Content Goals

• Students will understand the history of democracy in the U.S.
• Students will investigate the framework of the Constitution as the scaffold of democracy.
• Students will identify the key components in the Constitution which established democracy.

Process Goals

• Students will develop reasoning skills in Social Studies.

Content Outcome

• Learners will identify implications of democratic change.
• Learners will examine how democracy requires change to persist or endure to meet the changes in society.
• Learners will investigate how change in a democracy is caused by the influence of individuals and groups.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1-2 Days

Materials/resources

• Research materials in the media center and online
• U.S. History textbook
• Selected art work from Ackland Art Museum
• Online museum sites
• Online sites displaying specific war monuments

Technology resources

• Computers with Internet access
• PowerPoint

Pre-activities

Students should have participated in the pre-seminar activities in Changes in a Democratic Society, Lessons 1 and 2 of 3.

1. To introduce this lesson, select a student to look at a picture of Rodin’s “Thinker”. Then the student should assume the same pose.
2. Have the class identify the statue and the artist from their common knowledge.
3. As a class, generate a “Know, Want to Know, and Learn” (KWL) chart on Rodin (See “Supplemental Resources/Information for Teacher” for explanation on how to do a KWL chart).

Activities

1. The class will be divided into tiered instruction groups by the teacher. The attached discussion sheets will be used.
2. Tier I students will respond to the sculpture as they discuss theTier I handout in their group. The questions will be written on the handout by the group. Next, the group can put their first two questions into two or more PowerPoint slides to make a group presentation to the class.
3. Likewise, Tier II will use the Tier II handout to work in a group to answer the handout. Then that group will put their first two questions into two or more PowerPoint slides to share with the class.
4. Tier III will be for students who need more in-depth study. They will work as a group on the Tier III handout. Tier III will also include research on the North Carolina Vietnam Memorial Monument (click on the picture). Tier III students will put their first two questions into at least two PowerPoint slides.
5. The teacher will take up the graphic organizer to compare and contrast the two monuments in question number 5. If desired for the Tier III group, the teacher may reference “Wisdom Supporting Liberty” in the attached Rodin PowerPoint and make a comparison with it as well as an example to assist the group.

Assessment

Teachers will use the Checklist to assess student performance, which focuses on student participation in cooperative group work.

Students may also be given a checklist for their group to do a self evaluation of their work.

The teacher will need to come back to the KWL chart at the conclusion of the lesson to culminate the activity. The teacher could then solicit additional responses for information the class still wants to learn. This could be a springboard for an independent study for the high ability learner who wishes to pursue the subject in more depth.

Supplemental information

The KWL chart includes a list of class contributions regarding what they already know about Rodin. These can be written on a large sheet of paper or overhead transparency. Next, the class tells what they want to know about the sculptor. This chart is used again as an assessment tool to tell what they have learned at the end of the study.

Have the students examine the “Project for a Monument for the Defense of Paris” as located in the Rodin PowerPoint. Please begin with this source so the students are able to make their own discoveries before reading what the art historians have to say.

Comments

Our students had a class of 45 minutes to work in the computer lab. Several students in the groups were not comfortable with PowerPoint. As a result, maintaining focus and engagement on the task at hand were more challenging. The teacher structured the groups to provide balance. An additional day in the lab could have provided the “luxury” of bringing students up to speed on the mechanics of PowerPoint. We could have also done slides in the presentation on different computers and merged them into the group presentation.

Students learned some of the fine points of group collaboration. Several students wanted another lesson on PowerPoint. They learned that it was important to stay on task.

While a few students did not want the teachers to lecture as much, the majority benefited from additional didactic instruction. The class realized that a trip to the Ackland would have enhanced the learning experience. Actually seeing the sculpture would offer a clearer understanding and a better appreciation of the artwork. A student wrote, “We had a long, deep discussion on how we felt about the situation. I learned a lot about my partner.” Another student observed, “I learned about seeing a sculpture beyond the surface, such as seeing the anger and fear in the Spirit of War sculpture.” One student summed it up beautifully: “I learned that statues can say a lot more than they seem to.”

More computer time and training for students on PowerPoint is crucial. During our online research, we discovered that a few students did not have permission to be on the Internet. Thus, we needed alternate research materials for them. Depending on the maturity level and make up of the class, even smaller groups might be more productive. It was affirming for the teachers to see the students take charge of their learning and to step up to the plate for some higher level thinking skills. Many of them needed the encouragement to utilize the lesson plan. With individual effort, peer interaction, and teacher support, the integration of art, technology, and Social Studies became a reality.

This unit was developed during and following summer institutes at William and Mary on Curriculum for High-Ability Learners and at LEARN NC for integrated curriculum using visual art through the Ackland Art Museum.