Time Zone
Developed By
Shauna McCabe
Suggested Length
Four 50 minute lessons
Suggested Grade Level(s)
Eight
Subject Areas
Social Studies, Visual Arts, Science
Overview
In this basic introduction to the analysis of visual images, students will engage
with art images to discover historical information. Each student will select a year
from history and create an exhibition of images, ideas, developments, and events
associated with that period of time.
Links to Curriculum Outcomes
Students will (be expected to)
 understand the way factors of historical and cultural context give meaning
to a work of art (social studies)
 analyse artistic responses to historical situations; compare contemporary
expression and historical (social studies)
 communicate interpretations of a work of art supported by visual analysis
and research (visual arts)
 use art styles and the work of a variety of artists to connect contexts of
time, place, and community (visual arts)
 document scientific and technological developments and discoveries
associated with a particular time period, and understand their impact on
the present (science)
Links to Telling Stories: Themes / Key Words
 subject
 portrait
 style
Art Works
 A View of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Looking Down Central
Street From Willow Avenue, George Ackermann, CAG 78.24
 The Yankee Gale, George Thresher, CAG 64.6.2
 The Grave of Boyd Carpenter 1916, Somme Front, Jack Turner, CAG
80.2.7
Lesson #1: A Year in Review
Objective
Selecting the year they will focus on, students will engage in
preliminary research to determine the basic social and cultural
context of the time period.
Materials
 Computers with internet access
 General research resources – encyclopedias, almanacs
 Paper and writing tools
Activities
1. With the class, review the art works in this section and ask students
to speculate about what happened during the year in which one of
the works was created. For example, The Yankee Gale reflects not
only a ship in distress, but refers to a significant storm that took
place in 1852 and the importance of shipbuilding at that time.
Contributed ideas could be recorded on the board or a flip chart or
overhead. Discuss with students the reasons for their suggestions,
and how an art work reflects the social context in which it was
made.
2. Chose a recent year and have students consider how one year in
their own life offers a glimpse of a cross section of developments in
science, technology, culture, and society. Suggest how any other
year in history provides the same lens on the past, yet will require
the students’ detective work as it is out of the realm of their
perception.
3. In this first research session, students should be instructed to
determine significant events, figures, and movements that are
associated with the year they have selected. Brainstorm with
students how best to develop a basic preliminary list which they can
refine later.
4. Students should be guided to use the internet and search engines
such as “Google” or “Yahoo”. They should type in their year in order
to begin to develop ideas, practicing note taking as they build their
list.
5. Encourage students to find at least ten famous figures; ten social,
political, or historical events; and ten scientific or technological
developments that were in the news / took place during that year.
Now have students go back to the search engine and type in the
year along with the word “art.”
6. Students now develop a preliminary list of art styles and artists
associated with their year, locating at least ten art works created in
that year for potential use in their exhibition.
Lesson #2: Introduction to Art Styles
Objective
Students will be introduced to basic periods and styles of art
production.
Materials
 Index cards
 Various reproductions of art images illustrating a variety of art styles
 Computers
 Art history resource books
Activities
1. Look at the art works in this section and review with students how
each reflects a distinctive art style: topographical maps,
impressionism, and photography.
2. Organize students in groups of two or three and give each group an
index card already marked with the name of an art style or period:
Byzantine era, The Renaissance, The Dutch School, Rococo,
Impressionist Painting, Cubism and Abstract Expressionism, Greek,
Roman, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern (19th cent.), and Modern
(20th cent.) Art.
3. Have students develop definitions of the term and period on their
cards, using art history books, encyclopedias, etc. to determine
what characterizes art of that period.
4. For further research, they can use such web-based image
resources as:

The Art History Browser
http://www.ariadne.org/studio/michelli/browser2.html

World Wide Web Virtual Library: History of Art
http://www.chart.ac.uk/vlib/

Art Images by Period
http://lib.haifa.ac.il/www/art/images_by_period.html
5. Have students report back to the class orally. After they have
completed their presentations, present the selection of art historical
images you have gathered and have them determine what period
each likely came from.
Lesson #3: Selecting Pieces for the Exhibition
Objective
This lesson takes initial research accomplished in Lesson #1 and
the knowledge gained in Lesson #2 to another level, asking
students to select from and build upon the list they already have.
Students will refine their ideas and selections and clarify
relationships in preparation for presenting them.
Materials
 Computers with Internet and printers
 Research materials
Activities
1. Students will assemble materials for the creation of their exhibition,
gathering images, words, and ideas associated with their year.
2. Have students go back to their initial list and do further research to
find images and information that can be presented in the creation of
their “Time Zone”.
3. From their initial list of ten items in each category, emphasize that
they should select at least five technological / scientific
developments, five figures, five key cultural and social events and
five art works they feel are representative.
4. As students are directed to search for images and information,
emphasize that different kinds of information come from different
sources. Many pieces of information may come from the Internet.
Newspapers, encyclopedias, magazines, art galleries – all may be
sources of specific types of information and images.
Ideas for Assessment
Observe students’ developing ability to consult various sources and to organize
their research.
Lesson #4: Time Zone: The Exhibition
Objective
Extending the idea of art as a source of historical information,
students will present a range of art work associated with a
particular year in history, creating links to scientific, technological,
social, and cultural developments in that year to create a sense of
the context for art production.
Materials
 Bristol board for each student
 Glue
 Markers
 Pens
 Index cards
Activities
1. Students should assemble their exhibition in the form of a collage,
prominently featuring their selected year and placing their art works
in the context of events, figures, and developments that took place
at the time.
2. To demonstrate their research, in their role as curator, students
should produce a brief caption for their collage exhibition,
describing their impression of the year and its wider significance in
social, scientific, and art history.
Ideas for Assessment
Students should have a balanced presentation, focusing on the art of the time
and its relationship to social, technological / scientific, and cultural events of the
time.
Using whole class discussion and / or individual journal responses, have
students reflect on the impact of their chosen year on the present day.