This is a collection of lessons for the classroom created by teachers and librarians for other teachers and librarians based on objects in the NEH’s Picturing America collection. By bringing high-quality reproductions of notable American art into public and private schools, libraries, and communities, “Picturing America” gives participants the opportunity to learn about our nation’s history and culture in a fresh and engaging way. The program uses art as a catalyst for the study of America—the cultural, political, and historical threads woven into our nation’s fabric over time.
Lessons from “Picturing America” Workshop
Lessons in this group
Ladders in Art and Literature
Middle School (6–8)Students will understand that the history of civil rights is both long and complex, with ideas intertwining, growing and becoming increasingly powerful over time.Voting and Representation in Democracies
Middle School (6–8)Students will understand that the quest for liberty and representation in democracies is a world-wide struggle that has been ongoing since the birth of democracy itself.Voter Rights
Elementary (K–5)Students will understand that a group of people often come together to serve a common cause and that a group banded together with a particular purpose is more powerful than the individuals alone.The Great Migration: A Look at A Raisin in the Sun and the Artwork of Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden
High School (9–12)Students will understand the impact of The Great Migration through an examination of literature and artwork.The Four Freedoms
High School (9–12)Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address was Rockwell’s inspiration for the “Four Freedoms” paintings and that the paintings serve other purposes beyond illustrating Roosevelt’s four freedoms.The Brooklyn Bridge: This is Not a Bridge!
Middle School (6–8)Students will compare and contrast representations of the Brooklyn Bridge from a photograph by Walker Evans, a painting by Joseph Stella, and a poem by Walt Whitman.The American West: Myth vs. Reality
High School (9–12)Students will understand that what we think we know about Native Americans in the late 19th century isn’t always truly representative of what happened.Picturing Our First President
Elementary (K–5)Through art and literature students will explore George Washington’s life and accomplishments. They will begin to understand the esteem in which his fellow citizens held George Washington during his lifetime, and the ways in which our first president was honored and remembered after his death.Paul Revere’s Ride: the Story, the Hero, the Truth (high school)
High School (9–12)In this lesson students will read Revere’s own words about his famous ride and compare it to the Longfellow’s poem and Grant Wood’s painting to discover the fact and fiction in each. Students will discuss why the poet and artist might have added fiction to their pieces.George Washington, the American Cincinnatus
Middle School (6–8); High School (9–12)Students will examine Gilbert Stuart’s Lansdowne portrait of George Washington and a variety of other images to discover which of his character traits they illustrate. Students will also read Washington’s resignation address and compare him to Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus.Just Sit and Watch the River Flow
High School (9–12)Students will understand that the landscape is fluid and changes over time due in part to nature and also to the influence of human activity.Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Peaceably Assemble
Middle School (6–8)Students will understand that photographs and paintings show the ideas of freedom of speech and the right of people to peaceably assemble.American Migrations
High School (9–12)Throughout our nation’s history, migrations from one area to another within the country have occurred. In this lesson students will examine and compare two migrant populations through artwork, song, poetry, and primary written sources.Adaptations for Survival
Middle School (6–8)Students will look at John James Audubon’s painting of the American Flamingo and make a list of adaptations the flamingo has made to survive in its habitat.19th Century American Landscape Painting
Elementary (K–5); Middle School (6–8); High School (9–12)Students will understand that the American landscape is in transition in the mid 19th century and that artists are thinking about and documenting the way it is changing.“Migrant Mother and Children” by Dorothea Lange and “Out of the Dust” by Karen Hesse
Elementary (K–5)Students will investigate Dorothea Lange’s photo, “Migrant Mother,” to discover what people in the 1930s saw in this photo that made them empathize with the plight of migrant workers.The Truth Behind The Last of the Mohicans
High School (9–12)Students will examine this image of Uncas from James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, The Last of the Mohicans, for evidence of stereotyping. They will also read primary and secondary sources for more accurate information, and create their own version of Uncas in words or pictures.Paul Revere’s Ride: the Story, the Hero, the Truth (elementary)
Elementary (K–5)Students will examine Grant Wood’s painting, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” for hints about the story depicted in the painting. They will then glean more of the story from excerpts of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.