How Do You
Describe a Monet?

Subjects

Arts & Humanities
--Art History
--Language Arts
--Visual Arts

Grade

3-5
6-8
9-12

Brief Description

Students identify the similarities and differences in two paintings by Monet, and then write descriptive paragraphs about each.

Objectives

Students will

work as a group to brainstorm descriptive phrases about paintings by Monet;
work individually to write a descriptive paragraph about one of the paintings;
work with a partner to write descriptive paragraphs about both paintings;
identify each painting by listening to descriptions of them.

Keywords

art, Monet, descriptive writing, collaborative activity, brainstorming

Materials Needed

projection device and computer with Internet access
Internet sites: Le Havre: Fishing Boats Leaving the Harbor, The Seine at Argenteuil
chart paper and markers

Lesson Plan

Begin the lesson by displaying for students the painting Le Havre: Fishing Boats Leaving the Harbor by Claude Monet. Encourage students to brainstorm a list of phrases describing the picture; record those phrases on chart paper. You might ask the following questions to help students generate their descriptive phrases:

What do you see in the picture?
Where do you think the picture was painted?
At what season of the year and/or at what time of day do you think the picture was painted?
What story is the picture telling?
What is the mood of the painting? How does it make you feel?

When the list of descriptive phrases is complete, have students work individually to write a short description of the picture. Remind them to use as many of the phrases as they need to make their descriptions clear and precise, and to include enough details to identify the picture.

When students have finished writing their descriptions of the first picture, show them the second Monet painting, The Seine at Argenteuil. Once again, invite students to answer the questions above and brainstorm a list of phrases describing the picture. When the second list is complete, ask students to study the two lists and identify phrases that are on both lists, and phrases that are only on one of the lists. Ask: How are these two paintings alike? How are they different? What might you include in a description of the second painting to distinguish it from the first? What might you add to your description of the first painting to better distinguish it from the second painting?

Arrange students in pairs. Have students work with their partners to write a brief description of each painting. Then have each pair read their descriptions to the class. Invite classmates to guess which descriptive paragraph describes each painting. Encourage students to point out which phrases in the descriptions led them to correctly (or incorrectly!) identify the painting.

Extension Activities: Visit What Do You See? for more activities on this theme. Or you might encourage students to participate in the Monster Exchange Project.

Assessment

Assess students based on their participation in the group activity, their ability to work with a partner, and their individual descriptive paragraphs.

Lesson Plan Source

EducationWorld.com

Submitted By

Adapted from the lesson What Do You See? by June Apaza.

National Standards

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts
GRADES K - 4
NA-VA.K-4.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
GRADES 5 - 8
NA-VA.5-8.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
GRADES 9 - 12
NA-VA.9-12.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.5 Communication Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.7 Evaluating Data
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills