When Art become History or History becomes Art

Here is an example of an Art/History lesson we will be doing that connects to our History unit! 

Read the lesson to find out what's coming.

And Parents here are the connections to the curriculums! 

For the lesson I would have the students draw New France from different perspectives. They could draw it from a bird’s eye view to see the lay of the land, draw it to show what the inside of a home looked like, what a child might see, what a fur trapper might see, or what is looked like from just outside the colony. Everyone could attempt to draw a different perspective and they could use their prior knowledge about the various perspectives to help them with their drawing. 

To start the lesson the teacher could show examples of how New France looked. The students can examine artifacts and discuss what everyday life was like in the colony. This should help support the student’s art project of drawing the settlement from a specific point of view. 

They would then work on their drawings.

At the end of the lesson the class could work together to create a collage or overall picture of New France with their own individual pictures. This should reinforce the idea that there are many different perspectives and ways to see the world. 

Expectations:

Grade 5 Art

• proportion: the relationship of the size and shape of the parts of a figure to the whole figure; the scale of one object compared to its surroundings, with indications of how close and how large the object is (e.g., figures with childlike proportions that are approximately “five heads high” and adult figures that are approximately “seven or eight heads high”; caricature; use of improbable scale for imaginary settings and creatures) 

D1.1 create two- and three-dimensional art works that express feelings and ideas inspired by their own and others’ points of view 

D2.2 explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding 

D1.3 use elements of design in art works to communicate ideas, messages, and understandings 

Social studies:

A2.1 formulate questions to guide investigations into aspects of the interactions among and between First Nations and Europeans in Canada prior to 1713, from the perspectives of the various groups involved 

A2.3 analyse and construct maps as part of their investigations into interactions among and between First Nations and Europeans 

A2.4 interpret and analyse information and evidence relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools 

A3.4 identify significant offices and institutions in New France (e.g., the seigneurial system;
the Roman Catholic Church; the king, governor, bishop, and intendant; nuns, priests, missionaries), and describe their importance to settlers in New France 

A3.6 describe some significant differences among First Nations and between selected First Nations and European settlements in early Canada (e.g., with reference to political and economic organization; cultural practices; land use/ownership; personal autonomy; attitudes towards the environment; the roles of men, women, and children), and identify some of the reasons for these differences (e.g., climate; availability of resources and arable land; the culture, customs, and economic and political system in the mother country; familiarity with the land and its resources) 

This lesson connects to the Big Idea of perspective within New France. It gets the students thinking from someone else’s point of view and expressing their own thoughts on how the settlement looked. 

This lesson can really support visual learners as they get to visually express their thoughts and learning. If artifacts, pictures and other supporting resources can be brought in, tactile learners could benefit as well. 

Students can connect this to home in various ways. The students should be encouraged to do more research at home on how the settlements looked and what people wore in New France. The teacher could also connect it to home in a different way. The students could pick a room or object in their house to draw from their current perspective. Then they could draw it how they saw it when they were younger and then when they are an adult. This can get them thinking about physical perspective by using objects and places they already know. 

The lesson overall would work to have the students learn about the everyday life and look of New France and to think from the different perspectives involved. Art is being used to add a physical demonstration of perspective and to have the students express their own thoughts.