Understanding By Design 1-Page Template
Title: Art Comparison
Stage 1: Desired Results
Understandings
 Students will understand that there are differences between classical artwork and Native
American artwork.
 Students will understand that Native Americans have made significant contributions to the
field of art.





Essential Questions
What symbols do you see in the artwork?
How do you interpret the artwork?
What do you think the artist was thinking
when he or she created the artwork? What
was he or she feeling?
How are the two artworks different? The
same?
Looking at the Native American artwork,
what does it have that the classical artwork
does not?
Knowledge & Skill
 Students need to know how to find symbols
in art and to know what it means to
interpret and artwork. The teacher will
give background information on each
painting so that the students understand the
context.
 Be aware of what personal, social, cultural,
and historical contexts are.
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Students will circle elements in an artwork that show differences between classical and Native
American artworks.
Performance Task Summary
Rubric Titles
 Students will be put in pairs. One partner
will have the classical artwork and one
partner will have the Native American
artwork. Both partners must circle at least
three elements in the artwork that show the
artist’s style or what he or she was trying to
say in the artwork. Each pair must then
discuss the differences and share one
difference with the class.
Self-Assessments
The students circle elements in the artwork and
have meaningful discussions. They will raise
their hand if they need any assistance.
Other Evidence, Summarized
Stage 3: Learning Activities
 Introduction:
Art contains many symbols. A symbol is something that represents, stands for, or suggests an
idea, visual image, belief, action, or thing. For example, a red octagon is a symbol for “stop.” In
addition, a red rose may symbolize love or passion.
Could someone think of another example of a symbol?
Lesson:
1. Today, we are going to compare a classical artwork with a Native American artwork.
(Present the first image of a classical artwork.) The title is “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.
The work was created in 1930 and came out at the start of the great depression, which was a time
in which everyone was struggling with money in America. The work was viewed as the symbol
of a steadfast American spirit.
The Native American artwork is called “Father and Son” and is created by Mac Coyote, a
member of the Navajo tribe. His inspiration comes from God, his wife, and his children. He
uses a lot of nature, animals, and people in his work.
2. Students will be split into pairs and each pair will be given a sheet of paper containing each
artwork that was explained above. One partner will be instructed to circle any symbols in the
classical artwork and one partner will circle symbols in the Native American artwork. Students
will then discuss differences between the two works and will be instructed to have something
ready to share with the class about the differences. Once all the students have finished
discussion, each group will share a difference between the two artworks or any symbols that they
observed in the artworks. If students missed any symbols, the teacher will share them with the
class or suggest differences.
---The woman is dressed in colonial print. The couple is in the traditional roles of men and
women. The man’s pitchfork symbolizes hard labor. The flowers over the woman’s right
shoulder represent domesticity.
Conclusion:
The class will have a discussion based on the following questions:
 What symbols do you see in the artwork?
 How do you interpret the artwork?
 What do you think the artist was thinking when he or she created the artwork? What was he
or she feeling?
 How are the two artworks different? The same?
 Looking at the Native American artwork, what does it have that the classical artwork does
not?
The teacher will initiate a discussion about the contributions that Native Americans have made to
art at the end.
Contributions:
Abstract art
Nature
Symbols
Animals
Spirituality
Shapes and geometric designs