People and Cultures
Use it online!.	High School Level: Grades 9-12 High School Standard: Themes of United States History Investigate the belief systems and social customs of various peoples by viewing and discussing the unit's 28 visual images, which represent diverse cultures contributing to the history of art in America. Examine how specific images reflect major events or periods in U.S. history (e.g., Migrant Mother and the Great Depression, Reminiscences of 1865 and the Civil War, The Steerage and immigration). Discuss the concept of discovery, and then use the visual timeline to locate the earliest American work of art in relation to Columbus's discovery of America. Write a persuasive position paper or participate in a debate that addresses this question: Did Columbus really discover America in 1492? (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Discovery.") To complement study of Cadzi Cody's Painted Hide, research then- and-now facts about life on an American Indian reservation or about American Indian boarding schools. Define the issues, and address either the pros or cons as a member of a debate team. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") Discuss specific visual images that reflect the importance of water to early settlers in America, and also consider other natural resources that might attract settlers to a locale. Individually or in small groups, create a map of an ideal settlement location, including a key showing symbols for features such as mountains, rivers, and forests. (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Westward Ho!") After reviewing the unit's specific images that honor heroes and heroines, consider the definition of hero/heroine and why the people represented by the images can be considered heroic. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Heroes and Heroines.") To complement study of the unit's images of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, read biographies of these presidents, and compare how the biographers and the artists have emphasized personal and professional aspects of these presidents. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Heroes and Heroines.") Based on a sampling of visual images from the unit, examine and explain how the diversity of American art reflects the diversity of the American people. (See Extension Activities, "The Arts in America: What's American about American Art?") Read one or more of the fictional or nonfictional selections correlated to images in the unit, and compare the viewpoints expressed. (See Extension Activities, "The Arts in America: Literature and Art.") High School Standard: Diverse Perspectives Discuss the concept of discovery, and then use the visual timeline to locate the earliest American work of art in relation to Columbus's discovery of America. Write a persuasive position paper or participate in a debate that addresses this question: Did Columbus really discover America in 1492? (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Discovery.") Based on images from the unit and from other suggested sources, discuss the concept of stereotype and examine how visual materials support or challenge stereotypes of Native Americans. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") To complement study of Cadzi Cody's Painted Hide, research then- and-now facts about life on an American Indian reservation or about American Indian boarding schools. Define the issues, and address either the pros or cons as a member of a debate team. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") After reviewing the unit's specific images that honor heroes and heroines, consider the definition of hero/heroine and why the people represented by the images can be considered heroic. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Heroes and Heroines.") Based on a sampling of visual images from the unit, examine and explain how the diversity of American art reflects the diversity of the American people. (See Extension Activities, "The Arts in America: What's American about American Art?") Read one or more of the fictional or nonfictional selections correlated to images in the unit, and compare the viewpoints expressed. (See Extension Activities, "The Arts in America: Literature and Art.") High School Standard: Human Geography Consider how certain art images are inspired by and reflect the natural environment (e.g., Caddo Effigy Bowl, Cropsey's Catskill Mountain House, Morrison's Collage IX: Landscape). Discuss specific visual images that reflect the importance of water to early settlers in America, and also consider other natural resources that might attract settlers to a locale. Individually or in small groups, create a map of an ideal settlement location, including a key showing symbols for features such as mountains, rivers, and forests. (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Westward Ho!") Research and discuss the importance of rivers and falls in choosing sites for the settlements of Minneapolis, St. Anthony, and Fort Snelling. (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Westward Ho!") To complement study of Henry Lewis's St. Anthony Falls, read the report about Lewis's sketching trip on the Mississippi River, research and discuss how a similar contemporary trip would be alike and different, and write and illustrate a journal about the latter. (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Changing Landscapes.") Compare Lewis's depiction of St. Anthony Falls with the land uses of that site today. (See Extension Activities, "The American Land: Changing Landscapes.") Based on a visual chart of the uses that American Indians made of the buffalo, create a written chart that organizes the same information by functional type (e.g., food, clothing, shelter). (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") High School Standard: Institutions and Traditions in Society Investigate the belief systems and social customs of various peoples by viewing and discussing the unit's 28 visual images, which represent diverse cultures contributing to the history of art in America. Based on images from the unit and from other suggested sources, discuss the concept of stereotype and examine how visual materials support or challenge stereotypes of Native Americans. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") To complement study of Cadzi Cody's Painted Hide, research then- and-now facts about life on an American Indian reservation or about American Indian boarding schools. Define the issues, and address either the pros or cons as a member of a debate team. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Native Americans.") After reviewing the unit's specific images that honor heroes and heroines, consider the definition of hero/heroine and why the people represented by the images can be considered heroic. (See Extension Activities, "The American People: Heroes and Heroines.") Based on a sampling of visual images from the unit, examine and explain how the diversity of American art reflects the diversity of the American people. (See Extension Activities, "The Arts in America: What's American about American Art?")
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