Merry Ostheimer
Understanding History and Society through Images, 1776-1914 Prospectus
Taking a Close Look at Pirates and Mothers
June, 2014
Introduction
West Park Place Elementary School is a diverse school uniquely located by the
University of Delaware. With an enrollment of about 370 students, West Park Place is
one of several suburban host sites for students in the English as a Second Language
program, Delaware Autistic Program, and REACH (Realistic Educational Alternatives
for Children with Disabilities). West Park Place, in partnership with the University of
Delaware, provides English language instruction and support to students representing
over 25 countries and languages around the world. Our demographics are diverse with
approximate reports of 20% African American, 26% Asian, 46% White, and 4% Hispanic
children (DE Department of Education, 2014). Other characteristics show 29% of
students are English Language Learners, 6% are identified Special Education students,
and 47% are from low-income families.
The West Park Place staff is committed to helping children achieve and demonstrate
growth in all academic areas. Professional Learning Communities meet weekly to
collaborate and analyze student data, set goals, monitor progress, and plan flexible
instruction that aligns to Common Core State Standards. In my 3rd grade classroom last
year, I taught Math, Writing, Science, Social Studies, and Reading to 20 third graders. Of
my students, 30% were ELL learners, 10% were Special Education learners, and 45%
came from low-income families.
My students coming from low-income families face the challenge of reading literature at
a growing rate of complexity and independence by the end of the school year. There are
few opportunities to help learners with weak critical thinking skills. Asking questions,
researching facts, discussing related topics, connecting learning with life experiences, and
promoting empathy are ways to build critical thinking skills.
Rationale
West Park Place Elementary School is emphasizing close reading to improve
comprehension among our learners. As the teacher and class read passages together, there
is discussion that encourages deep thinking about subjects and reflection about how the
topic relates to students’ experiences. Being curious and asking question serves to engage
students which in turn leads them to achieve greater understanding of the content.
Just imagine taking close reading to another medium. Students will take a break from
reading text and dive into seeing a variety of mediums thus refreshing their minds with
artwork. As the class learns how to see art, students will be exposed to culture and
history. Taking a close look at manmade images, students will learn about the
circumstances that took place at the time the art was created. Emphasis will be on:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Nature and Simplicity
Society’s Elegant Gatherings
Everyday Art
Loyalists vs. Rebels
Westward Expansion in the United States
The Industrial Revolution
Landscape Paintings
Modernity
Overarching Understandings and Questions to Keep in Mind for the Development
of the Unit
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that:
•
•
•
•
•
•
artists use their own experiences when they paint.
artists use their own imagination to establish visual images of characters from
books.
artists tend to pass judgement or try to persuade.
when you look at art, you may be able to see another person’s point of view.
when you create art, your art may reflect your emotions.
there are great American painters that are from Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Common Core State Standards
SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2
topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media.
SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify
comprehension, gather information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing
about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g.
because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement
or section.
Readings for Research
Connor, Jane, and Jennifer Kalis. Mary Cassatt: family pictures. New York: Grosset &
Dunlap, 2003.
Nemerov, Alexander. The Boy in Bed: The Scene of Reading in NC Wyeth’s Wreck of
the “Covenent,” 2006.
Nochlin, Linda. Women, art, and power: and other essays. New York: Harper & Row,
1988.
Pyle, Howard, and Jeff A. Menges. Pirates, patriots, and princesses: the art of Howard
Pyle. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2006.
Artwork
Mary Cassatt
Little Girl in the Blue
Armchair
In the Loge
The Tea
The Young Mother
Children Playing on the
Beach
Young Mother Sewing
Howard Pyle
Walking the Plank
Marooned
We Started to Run Back to
the Raft for Our Lives
The Buccaneer Was
Picturesque Fellow
Captain Keitt
NC Wyeth
The Alchemist
The Giant
America in the Making
Wreck of the “Covenent”
Other Artwork
Year
Artist
Happy Arcadia
1895
WS Gilbert and Frederic Clay
Cornard Wood
1748
Thomas Gainsborough
The Penny Wedding
1818
Sir David Wilkie
Pigeon’s Egg Head (The Light)
1837-39
George Catlin
Going to and Returning from
Washington
The Deplorable State of America
1765
John Singleton Copley
The Death of General Warren at the
1775
Job Trumbull
The Death of General Wolfe
1770
Benjamin West
Benjamin Franklin
1789
Charles Wilson Peale
George Washington
1796
Gilbert Stuart
George Washington
1794
Adolph Wermuller
George Washington
1832
Horatio Greenough
Raphaelle and Titian Peale in a
1795
Charles Willson Peale
The Artist in His Museum
1822
Charles Willson Peale
Phyllis Wheatley
1773
Scipio Wheatley
Battle of Bunker’s Hill
Trompe I’oell