IMAGINING & COMPOSING A NARRATIVE BASED ON A WORK OF ART
An Integrated Art, Writing, & History / Social Science Lesson for Grades K-5
Goals:
Students will analyze a landscape painting and develop hypotheses about how location and
geography influence the culture of a group of people living in a natural environment.
Students will depict the geographic location and everyday activities of a pre-Columbian
society in a painting or drawing.
Students will compose a narrative that is rich in geographic and historical detail about a day
in the life of people in a pre-Columbian society.
Thomas Birch, Landscape with Indians, 1835, SBMA
Artful Thinking Routine: Beginning / Middle / End
Some paintings invite the viewer to step right into a scene. This viewing/thinking activity
focuses on an implied narrative, and crosses the bridge between an artist’s personal sense
of story or purpose and the viewer’s imaginative response. It also asks students to apply
what they know about a location’s geography and a group’s culture to a scene portrayed in
a painting. Note: A full image of this painting is included with this lesson for viewing and
discussion activities.
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Questions for Viewing:
As students look closely at Thomas Birch’s Landscape with Indians, the discussion facilitator
can suggest that this painting could be the first or final illustration in a novel or picture
book. What details do the students notice? It can be useful to initially focus attention on the
details in a painting before inviting students to speculate about narrative elements or the
implied story.
Begin by looking closely at the foreground of Landscape with Indians (the section closest to
the viewer is more detailed). Who is the central figure or character? Consider his clothing,
hair adornments, tools, etc. Also notice and discuss geographical details. (Students who
have studied the Native Americans of the Eastern United States should be prepared to
speculate on the tribe of the figure in the painting by considering these clues.)
The animal depicted is always of interest to students. Is this a wild or tame animal? How can
you tell?
In the mid-section, there are many details to notice – what do students see? (Possible
responses: The figure in the boat, the peaceful river, the paddle, the shoreline, rocks, trees,
colors, etc.) What season is depicted? What are the clues? What is the canoe made from,
and what could the characters store in the canoe? Ask students to supply evidence for their
speculations and ideas about the details in the painting.
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Finally, consider the background. What kind of mountains are these? Tall and rugged, or
worn, gentle mountains? 5th grade students might know that the mountains of the eastern
United States are less rugged than the Rocky Mountains and California’s Sierra Nevada
Range.
A discussion of the elements of art could be included at any point in the viewing activities,
as this painting is rich in color, atmosphere, light, and movement/directionality. Angles and
lines pull the viewer in and around the painting – the viewer’s eye is masterfully directed
toward the action of the narrative.
At this point in the discussion, a THINKING ROUTINE (Beginning / Middle / End) can be
introduced. After noting the details in the painting, ask students to focus on the story or
narrative. Invite a variety of responses, emphasizing the idea that an artist, like a writer,
leaves a lot to the imagination of the viewer. There is no single “right” answer.
If this is the beginning of the story or narrative, what do the students think is happening?
What is going on in this painting? Who are the characters? What is the relationship between
the subjects (or characters)? Are they friends or enemies? Ask students to cite details in the
painting that support their guesses.
Is one of the characters coming or going? Who? Why? What adventures might he have later
in the narrative?
Ask the students to consider: If this is an illustration for the first chapter of a book, what
might happen in Chapter Two? What problems might occur later in the story for either or
both of the characters? What role might the animal play in the story?
Next, shift gears. Ask students: If this is the final scene in a story (the end), how might the
story have begun? What would have happened in the middle of the story?
Changing a scene from the beginning to the end of a narrative engages students in
generative thinking, and invites them to shift perspectives. It allows for creative responses
that are informed by evidence (or details) from the painting.
Optional Narrative Writing Activity
After students have participated in the group discussion, ask them to develop a narrative –
an account of a day in the life of one of the Native Americans portrayed in the painting. This
is more than descriptive writing; the students should compose a story with narrative
elements. Review the elements of an effective narrative with the students of the grade level
that you teach (see the Common Core State Standards for Narrative Writing).
Remind the students that they will need to paint the scene with words. How will they use
sensory descriptions and specific color words to describe the scene for readers who are not
viewing the painting?
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How can they begin the story in an engaging way that will hook the reader’s attention?
How will student writers introduce the characters – not just through physical description, but
also by using specific verbs to describe their actions? Where could they insert dialogue?
What will be the essential elements of the plot? What conflict, problem, or challenge might
a character or characters encounter? How will problems or conflicts be resolved?
Encourage students who are familiar with the geography, culture, and history of the location
- and the Native Americans depicted in the painting - to include realistic and factual details
in their narratives.
Students can also compare and contrast the scene depicted in the Birch painting to Native
American life in other geographic regions. For example, how would the scene change if the
artist depicted the life of CA Chumash Native Americans, or the Pueblo tribe of the
American southwest? (see below)
Integrated Art, Writing, and History/Social Science Assignment: Ask students to create a
drawing or painting, inspired by Landscape with Indians, of a moment in a day of the life of
another Native American tribe in a different geographic area. Then have students draft and
revise a narrative about characters depicted in their drawings or paintings. Follow the
sequence described in the Optional Narrative Writing Activity (above).
Related Resource: See the Unpacking Culture Lessons in SBMA Teacher Resources.
CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS
Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-Literacy. CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media
and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy. CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of
conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such
that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)
for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to
convey experiences and events precisely.
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CA History / Social Science Standards
(K) Students identify the human and physical characteristics of the places they are studying
and explain how those features form the unique character of those places.
(Grade 1) Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and places and
recognize that some aspects of people, places, and things change over time while others
stay the same. (Students) study transportation methods of earlier days, Recognize
similarities and differences of earlier generations in such areas as work, dress, manners,
stories, games, etc.
(Grades 2-3) Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago
and in the recent past. Describe national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various
folklore traditions. Discuss the ways in which physical geography, including climate,
influenced how the local Indian nations adapted to their natural environment (e.g., how they
obtained food, clothing, tools).
(Grade 4) Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions
among people of California, including pre-Columbian societies. Students discuss the major
nations of California Indians, including their geographic distribution, economic activities,
legends, and religious beliefs; and describe how they depended on, adapted to, and
modified the physical environment by cultivation of land and use of sea resources.
(Grade 5) Students describe how geography and climate influenced the way various nations
lived and adjusted to the natural environment, including locations of villages, the distinct
structures that they built, and how they obtained food, clothing, tools, and utensils.
This lesson was created by Joni Chancer, SBMA Curriculum Consultant.
Credits and Permissions:
This lesson was created by SBMA for instructional use only and is not to be
altered in any way, or reproduced without attribution.
For further information about Education and Outreach Programs, contact
Rachel Krieps at [email protected]
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