DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE VALUES: MUSEUM SEARCH FOR WILDLIFE
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
Identify wildlife portrayed in an art form.
Generalize that wildlife has sufficient aesthetic and spiritual value to inspire art.
Method
Students visit a museum or another source of artifacts.
Teacher Planning
Subjects: Social Studies, Language Arts, Art Skills: analysis, application, discussion, comparing similarities and differences, drawing generalizations, observation Duration: 30 minutes if in class using reference materials; 45 minutes or longer if at museum Group size: any size, up to 30 Setting: indoors Conceptual Framework Reference: II.A., II.A.1.< II.A.2., II.A.3., II.A.4., II.B.3., II.C.1., II.D.2., II.F Key Vocabulary: art, artists, inspiration, wildlife Materials: none needed, however activity requires trip to local museum or other source of artifacts; recommend combining this activity with a scheduled field trip to such a site, if possible
Background
Human relationships to wildlife are often expressed through painting, sculpture, drama, dance, literature, photography, and other means of creative expression. Wildlife has served as an inspiration for art throughout human history.
The major purpose of this activity is for students to recognize one aspect of the value of wildlife - its impact as a source of inspiration for varying art forms.
Activities
This is a field trip! It requires a trip to a local art, natural history, or anthropological museum. NOTE: This activity can be added to a field trip already planned as part of a social studies unit, for example. (If no museum is available, use reference materials.)
Check your local community to see which museum, if any, would be appropriate. Make arrangements for your students to visit.
Before the trip, discuss different kinds of art that people have created throughout human history - including cave drawings, pottery, baskets, costumes, paintings, sculpture, drawings, dances, photography, literature, and music. Ask the students what might inspire art.
At the museum, ask each student to find examples of wildlife represented in art. What kinds of wildlife? What kinds of art? Encourage the students to look closely, since sometimes the image can be so stylized that it is hard to recognize. Ask each student to identify the art form, and the wildlife-and to make a small sketch as a reminder of what they saw. (See "Wild Word." The students can put their sketches in their personal journals.) Or, use a worksheet. For example: Select one animal you saw represented at least three times. How did the artist portray it?
As a follow-up, discuss the students' observations with them. Identify which kinds of art seem to include the most images of wildlife (painting, pottery, sculpture, etc). Compare how one animal-like a deer-might look in different art works. Talk about the varying ways artists portrayed wildlife, and some of the students' favorites. Talk about ways wildlife was portrayed during different historical periods. Talk about the relationships between people and wildlife during different periods. What are the clues? What if there were no wildlife?
Encourage the students to generalize that wildlife can serve as an inspiration and has aesthetic value.
Extensions
Portray wildlife in an art form of your choice!
Make your own wildlife art museum in the classroom. Collect photos or copies of paintings, sculpture, pottery, petroglyphs, weaving, etc. Or, make your own!
Evaluation
A group of people were discussing endangered plants and animals-that is, those that are very close to becoming extinct. Some of the people felt that we should preserve and protect all kinds of plants and animals because we might learn that they could be very useful to us for chemicals, medicine, foods, and clothing, and as intrinsically valuable parts of our environment. Other people said that we do not need all those animals and plants, and we shouldn't worry about them. Suppose you are an artist in the group, and you want to express your opinion about the importance of plants and animals. What will you say? Would your opinion change if you were not an artist? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Human relationships to wildlife are often expressed through painting, sculpture, drama, dance, literature, photography, and other means of creative expression. Wildlife has served as an inspiration for art throughout human history.
At the museum, ask each student to find examples of wildlife represented in art. What kinds of wildlife? What kinds of art? Encourage the students to look closely, since sometimes the image can be so stylized that it is hard to recognize. Ask each student to identify the art form, and the wildlife-and to make a small sketch as a reminder of what they saw. (See "Wild Word." The students can put their sketches in their personal journals.) Or, use a worksheet. For example: Select one animal you saw represented at least three times. How did the artist portray it?
