Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Subjects: Visual Arts, English–Language Arts, History–Social Science
Time Required: 3–5–Part Lesson
3-4 class periods
Author: J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff

Permissions:
The lesson plan and downloadable materials on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Lesson Overview

Students will discuss the effects of war on families as depicted in a drawing and relief sculpture and re-create an artwork by forming a tableau and making a sculpture for a brave person.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:
• analyze a story about a family depicted in a drawing and symbols depicted in a relief sculpture;
• write sentences using nouns and adjectives about items found in works of art;
• form tableaux based on close observations of an 18th-century drawing;
• make a sculpture for a brave person that demonstrates an understanding of line and shape.

Materials

• Reproduction of The Father's Curse: The Ungrateful Son by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
• Reproduction of Sketch for a Fireplace Overmantel by Francesco Antonio Franzoni
• Background Information and Questions for Teaching about the drawing and relief (click on the thumbnails of the works below)
• Paper
• Pencils
• Self-hardening clay (one four-ounce pack per two students; Crayola® Model Magic® in terracotta would work well) (optional)
• Sculpting tools (i.e., plastic silverware, toothpicks, straws) (optional)

Lesson Steps

Download the complete lesson by clicking on the "download this lesson" icon above.

Additional Resource:
Zoom in and explore Sketch for a Fireplace Overmantel by Francesco Antonio Franzoni.

Zoom in on The Father's Curse: The Ungrateful Son by Jean-Baptsite Greuze and learn about the story depicted in the drawing.

Glossary Terms:
Words in bold on these pages and in the lesson are defined in the glossary for this curriculum (see "For the Classroom" links above).

Standards Addressed

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

Grades K–5

SPEAKING AND LISTENING
K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and text with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
K.4 Describe familiar people places, things, and events, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
1.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audible in coherent sentences.
2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
3.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.).
4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points.
4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.


For more national and California state standards for this curriculum, refer to the charts found in the links at the top right of this page.