Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Subjects: Visual Arts, History–Social Science
Time Required: 2–Part Lesson
2-3 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 analyze art elements and symbolism on a 17th-century cabinet and create cardboard cabinets using symbols to convey a message.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:
• compare and contrast the lines, shapes, colors, and function of a 17th-century cabinet with contemporary cabinets;
• discuss the use of symbols to represent countries and ideas;
• create a cardboard cabinet that uses symbols to communicate a message about themselves or the United States.

Materials

• Reproduction of Cabinet on Stand by André-Charles Boulle
• Background Information and Questions for Teaching about the cabinet (click on the thumbnail of the work below)
• Student Handout: Compare and Contrast Cabinets
• Blank copy paper and/or construction paper
• Colored pencils
• Scissors
• Cereal, tissue, or shoe boxes (each student can bring one from home; for younger grades, students can make one class cabinet out of a cardboard box)
• Masking tape
• Glue
• Construction paper, gold foil, foam mosaic tiles and corresponding grid cards, and/or foam sheets in assorted colors
• Paper punches in assorted shapes (optional)
• Paper cups (optional)
• Brass fasteners with pointed tips (optional)

Lesson Steps

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

Additional Resource:
Learn more about Cabinet on Stand by André-Charles Boulle and zoom in on its elaborate details.

Watch a video about the process of making marquetry, a technique used to create the decorations on Cabinet on Stand.

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.
1.4 Describe familiar people places, things, and events, with relative details expressing ideas and feelings more clearly.
1.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
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.
2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audible in coherent sentences.
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.)
4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points.
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.
5.3 Summarize the points a speaker or media source makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence, and identify and analyze any logical fallacies.


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.