Curruiculm Objectives/Suggested Activities

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES/SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Following are suggestions for classroom activities and research projects. In parenthesis you will find coordinating Benchmarks from the Louisiana Department of Education’s State Standards for Curriculum Development:

GEOGRAPHY/SCIENCE:

• The map of Europe has changed numerous times since the beginning of the 20th century. Research the countries in Europe that were either created or dissolved after World War I and World War II. Compare a map from 1900 to a map of present day. (G-1A-E2; G-1C-E6; G-1B-H1, H4; G-1C-H4, H6, M7)

• On a map of Europe and North America, denote the major bodies of water and discuss each type. What are the major rivers that run through each continent? What cities are near these major water ways? Compare those cities and rivers in Europe to the Mississippi River and major cities in the United States. On a smaller scale, draw a map of City Park. Include in your map the lagoons, walkways and roads and the outdoor activity sites. (G-1B-E1; G-1B-M2, M3)

• Research the various climates, vegetation and resources of different countries like France, Belgium and Italy. Compare and contrast your findings to the climates, vegetation and resources of the United States. (G-1B-E4; G-1C-E2, E4; G-1D-E4; G-1B-H1, H3)

• Compare the populations of Paris and New Orleans from the 1920s. What are their populations today? What are the similarities and differences in both cultures? (G-1B-E2; G-1C-M3, M4; G-1C-H2)

LANGUAGE ARTS:

• Write a descriptive interpretation of Magritte’s and Moore’s sculptures from the image list. (ELA-2-E1, M1, H1, H5, ELA -7-E4, M4, H4)

• Research the mythology behind Renoir’s Venus Victorious. Retell the story in contemporary language. (ELA-2, ELA-5, ELA-6)

• Research and write a report on a twentieth century art movement. (ELA-2)

MATHEMATICS:

• Calculate the distance between Zurich and Paris, Moscow and Munich, New York City and Paris, and New York and New Orleans in both miles and kilometers. What is the shortest distance to travel to these places? Draw a graph to display the distances between all cities.

(N-4-E, M, N-6-E, M; M-1-E, M; M-4-E; M-5-M)

• Use the map of the Sculpture Garden and choose a set of four sculptures located near each other. Walk the distances between your four sculptures using the heel to toe method. Measure your foot and calculate the distances between all sculptures. Compare the distances and give ratios for all sets of combinations. (M-1-E, M-3-E, M-2-M, M-6-M, M-3,H)

• Find the average yearly temperature in degrees Fahrenheit of the five cities listed above and convert the temperature to Celsius. (M-1-E; M-4-E; M-5-M)

• Look at Lipchitz’ Sacrifice III and George Rickey’s Four Oblique Lines from the image list. Compare and contrast the lines and shapes. Discuss the ways in which the shapes in a sculpture affect the overall composition. How do the shapes convey movement? (G-1-E, H, G-2-M)

SOCIAL STUDIES:

• Write a brief history of the life of an avant garde artist in Europe during World War II. (H-1D-E1, E3; H-1A-M2; H-1C-M17; H-1C-H10)

• Discuss why the Dada movement was spawned by the effects of World War I. (C-1D-H1; H-1D-E3; H-1A-M2; H-1C-M17)

• How did the governments change in the countries of Europe during and after World War I? World War II? Draw a map of the countries in Europe for each of these periods. Include the capitals, major rivers, mountain ranges, languages, dominant religions and major industries and crops. How did the changes affect people? Which artists chose to leave Europe for the United States and why? (G-1A-E3, M2; G-1B-E1, E2, E3, E4; G-1C-H2, H4, H5; C-1A-E6, M2, H2; H-1C-M17; H-1C-H13, H14, H15)

• How did the Jewish population in Germany, France, and Italy change before and after World War II? What other countries had a dramatic shift in Jewish population? Discuss the holocaust in Europe. What other groups were singled out by the Nazis? (G-1C-E3; C-1C-E1, M1; H-1A-M6; H-1C-M17; H-1B-H13; H-1C-H13)

• What was the American involvement in World War I and II? Research your family history to find relatives who were involved in either of the two wars. How did the wars affect the civilians living in the U.S.? What writers or artists were involved in the wars? (C-1C-M2, M3, H1, H2; C-1D-M3; H-1B-M16, M17; H-1C-M17; H-1B-H10, H11, H13; H-1C-H13)

• What are some of the major technological inventions of the 20th century? How had this progress affect society? How did artists express the changes in technology in their writings and art? (H-1D-E2; H-1C-M17)

• Discuss and research the Great Depression. How did it affect not only artists but the general population in America? Take a tour of City Park and other areas in New Orleans that were redesigned during the Great Depression. (H-1C-E1, E3; H-era 8)

VISUAL ARTS:

• Keep a pencil and a pad of paper by your bed. After having a dream, jot down the dream as you best remember it. Transform the dream into a visual image. (Benchmarks 2, 7, K-12)

• What art styles developed at the same time as Surrealism in Europe and the US? Make a painting in the style of Surrealism and two other styles that developed at this time. (Benchmarks 1, 4, K-12)

• Create a sculpture using only the basic shapes of a cone, sphere, and cube. (CE-1VA, Benchmark 3)

• Twentieth century artists such as Bourgeois and Segal found new ways to express emotions through form. Construct a painting or sculpture to express anger, joy, sadness, or fear. (HP-3VA, CA-4VA)

• Discuss abstraction versus realism. Paint or draw a realistic landscape or still-life. Create the same subject in the style of De Staebler, Butterfield, Chadwick and Moore. (CE-1VA-H4)

• Listen to three types of music such as Classical, Jazz and Rock. Choose a subject and draw three different artworks with each style of music. How does the music change your emotion? How does your artwork change with each music style?

• As a class project, design gates for the front of your school. What kind of symbols would you include? Use Scott’s Spiritgates near the entrance of the Sculpture Garden as an inspiration.