The Arts and Nature

Social Studies American History Westward Expansion to 1850 The Arts and Nature
Students analyze a portrait of a Choctaw chief to predict how the artist felt about the chief. Then they view paintings from the Hudson River School and describe how they all celebrate the beauty of America’s landscape. Next they examine drawings from Audubon’s Birds of America project and draw a conclusion about how the art of the period reflected the national spirit. Finally, they listen to a vintage recording of “Home, Sweet Home” and compare the lyrics to the visual art of the period.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Here are the teacher pack items for The Arts and Nature:

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Overview

In this experience, students analyze a portrait of a Choctaw chief to predict how the artist felt about the chief. Then they view paintings from the Hudson River School and describe how they all celebrate the beauty of America’s landscape. Next they examine drawings from Audubon’s Birds of America project and draw a conclusion about how the art of the period reflected the national spirit. Finally, they listen to a vintage recording of “Home, Sweet Home” and compare the lyrics to the visual art of the period.

If you have access to leveled readers about any of the artists of the Hudson River School or about John James Audubon, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 40–50 minutes

Vocabulary words:

  • portrait
  • realistic
  • landscape
  • scenery
  • prominent

Objectives

  • Identify examples of art from the period before the Civil War.
  • Explain how the art reflects the American identity of the period.


Engage


There are many ways to learn about people from other cultures or historical periods. You can read about them in history books or in storybooks. You can watch movies about them. You can visit museums, or you can even travel to other places to meet people from other cultures. In this experience, you will learn about the culture of the 19th century in the United States by looking at some art and listening to music.

Objectives

  • Identify examples of art from the period before the Civil War.
  • Explain how the art reflects the American identity of the period.


portrait of an Indian chief

Mó-sho-la-túb-bee, Chief of the Choctaw Tribe, by George Catlin, 1834


Describe the painting shown above. Based on what you see, how do you think the artist felt about the Indian chief in the portrait?

Post your answer

Discuss student responses, emphasizing that the answer is subjective.

George Catlin was born in Pennsylvania in 1796. He studied art and became a noted portraitist. He traveled extensively throughout the United States, painting portraits and scenes of various Indian tribes. He made a mission of capturing their culture for future generations.


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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Westward Expansion to 1850 Unit.
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Social Studies American History Westward Expansion to 1850 The Arts and Nature
The Arts and Nature
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Social Studies American History Westward Expansion to 1850 Territorial Expansion
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