Integrating Art into a Social Studies Lesson on the Civil War (Task Three)

Works Referenced:

Jacob Lawrence, Forward
www.ncartmuseum.org/artnc

Jacob Lawrence:  Exploring Stories (Lesson Plan)
http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/art/index.html

     One of my favorite social studies units is on the Civil War.  I've put a lot of time, effort, and money into collecting materials and creating lessons that will guide my students through this time period.  During my recent exploration of the North Carolina Museum of Art's website I discovered a work of art I'd like to include in my unit.  A lesson plan was already created created for this work, but I need to make a few changes in order for it to meet my needs.
     The work of art I chose was " Forward" by Jacob Lawrence.  This piece shows Harriet Tubman guiding escaping slaves as they make their way north to freedom.  I believe Lawrence's painting would add value to the section of my unit on the Underground Railroad and also give me the opportunity to review descriptive words and have students write letters from different perspectives.
     Throughout the unit, I read the novel Elijah of Buxton aloud to the class.  We discuss how the novel ties in with our current learning and make connections on a daily basis.  When I reach the section of the unit that deals with the Underground Railroad the class reads books such as Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, Follow the Drinking Gourd, and Henry's Freedom Box, and biographies on Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.  I plan the read aloud so that we reach a point in Elijah of Buxton where the main character discovers the escaped slaves hiding in the woods at about this point in the social studies unit.  This is where I would introduce Lawrence's painting.
     I'd first take a moment to review what we have learned about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman.  I'd ask my students to describe how they would feel if they were escaping slaves or Harriet Tubman leading the slaves to freedom.  I'd than hand out a black and white outline of "Forward" and explain that the picture represents the story of Harriet Tubman. I'd allow my students to color the outlines as they pleased.  Once all the outlines are filled in with color, I'd ask students to share the pictures with their classmates and explain why they chose the colors they used.  I'd then share Lawrence's painting and guide the class as we discussed his choice of color.  We would compare the students' use of color to Lawrence's and discuss how his choice impacted our reaction to his piece of art.  This will also allow me a chance to review the literary term mood and we can discuss how authors and painters can communicate mood. (One paints with words, the other paints with a paintbrush).
     I'd like to integrate lessons on mood, use of color, and grammar by using a writing activity involving descriptive words.  I'd ask students to call out adjectives and adverbs that pop in their minds as they view Lawrence's "Forward".  These words are placed on a class bubble map.  The students will then complete a fill-in-the-blank, Mad-Libs type activity where they fill in a story worksheet about the painting's topic with adjectives and adverbs that will help create the proper mood the artist is trying to share.  Students will share their stories with their classmates, and a discussion will be held comparing how an artist uses a brush and paint and how a writer uses descriptive words to emphasize actions or character traits to create mood in a work.  Students' ideas are recorded on a Venn diagram so they can see how writers and authors are alike and different.
     To complete the lesson, students will be asked to paint a picture in the same style as Lawrence.  The topic of their painting will be a scene from Elijah of Buxton where the escaping slaves are welcomed to the town of Buxton.  The students will write a letter home from the viewpoint of one of the former slaves, explaining what happened and how they felt during the events.  The paintings and letters will be displayed together so students can compare the moods of both pieces.