Cheryl M. LynchSmyser School

Library Science Grade 3

Report on Lesson Plan Developed Through the

Terra Teacher Lab, 2007-08

Walter W. Ellison

Train Station, 1936

Oil on Canvas

The Art Institute of Chicago

Key Ideas about the artwork(s) that informed the lesson:

People migrate from one place to another for various reasons•Paintings reflect social values of the time This painting shows discrimination, racially and economicallyAt the time of the painting, the train is a metaphor of hope for African-Americans

What I wanted students to learn:

To complete a “close read” a paintingTo see a correlation between a story, a piece of art, and lifeTo appreciate American art

A few major learning activities:

Teacher reads Going North by Janice HarringtonStudents participate in a discussion of the bookStudents do a close read of Train Station by Walter W. EllisonStudents make connections between the book, the painting, and their own livesStudents respond to the experience by drawing a picture

What my students learned:

Students learned how to do a close read of a pictureStudents learned art vocabularyStudents made connections between the book, the art work, and their livesStudents learned to “ look” at artStudents learned to appreciate artStudents learned that there is a place called “The Art Institute of Chicago”

What I learned:

I learned how to do a close read of a pictureI learned art terms to use in leading discussionsI learned to really “look” at artI learned to appreciate American art