MUSEUM
CONNECTIONS
MMA current exhibition
The Art of California,
1880 to the Present
PGMNH permanent collection
exhibitions of birds, mammals,
reptiles, rocks and minerals and
other natural resources from the
Monterey region
Francis McComas, Cypress,
Monterey, c. 1915, oil on canvas
3rd
lesson plan
Grade
California Landforms
One 45 minute pre-visit lesson, Two 45 minute museum tours at MMA and PGMNH and
a 30 minute post-visit activity
Overview
In the classroom your students will use a California map to identify deserts,
mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans and lakes. They will then
view geographic landforms represented in reproductions from the MMA
collection. Two-dimensional works of art illustrate the basic concept of
space (foreground, middle ground, and background) as shown in original
landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. A post-visit activity will provide
students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the
concepts to which they have been introduced during the museum experience.
Objectives
Students will
• identify landforms in their local region depicted in works of art and
on a map;
• describe examples of how people use their local region and resources;
• demonstrate their understanding of foreground, middle ground, and
background in a work of art.
California Standards Addressed
History-Social Science Content Standard 3.1
Visual Arts Content Standard 1.4 – Artistic Perception and 2.3 – Creative Expression
California Landforms • Page 1
vocabulary
Geographical Terms
Bay – an area of a lake or ocean partly surrounded by land
Coast – land next to ocean
Dune – a mound or ridge of sand formed by wind or water action
Highland – land that is higher than most of the surrounding land
Hill – a raised mass of land, smaller than a mountain
Lake – a body of water with land all around it
Landform – A natural feature of the land’s surface, such as a hill
Lowland – land that is lower than most of the surrounding land
Mountain – a steeply raised mass of land, much higher than the land around it
Mountain range – A group of mountains connected together
Natural resource – something found in nature that is useful to people
Ocean or Sea – a salty body of water covering a large area of earth
Peninsula – a piece of land nearly surrounded by water
River – a large stream of water that runs into a lake
Sea level – the level of the surface of the ocean
Valley – a low area of land surrounded by higher ground
Art Terms
Background
Foreground
Middle ground
materials
Background – the back of a painting or 2-dimensional artwork used to create the illusion of space
Foreground – the front of a painting or 2-dimensional artwork used to create the illusion of space
Middle ground – the middle of a painting or 2-dimensional artwork used to create the illusion of space
Oil paint – a paint that is made up from a powdered color and oil
Photograph - an image produced on light-sensitive film inside a camera
Watercolor – a paint that is mixed with water and applied to paper
•
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•
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MMA collection images (available for download from montereyart.org)
Map of California Habitats
Colored pencils, crayons, pens or other drawing instruments
Writing utensil
Printer or projector to view downloaded images and map
Drawing paper
California Landforms • Page 2
before the fieldtrips
Vocabulary Development
Introduce the vocabulary words above using the MMA collection images and point out the
landforms in each artwork. Each artwork includes one or more of the vocabulary words
above. Use repetition as an opportunity to gradually encourage students to point out the
landforms on their own once each has been introduced.
These terms will be reintroduced during the visit to the Monterey Museum of Art. Explain
that they will be able to see these artworks in person on their visit.
Step 1
Project or display the Habitats Map of California. To orient students to the map, point out
the locations of the San Francisco and Monterey Bays. Explain that the map shows the
natural regions, landforms and kinds of vegetation growing in different areas of California.
Ask students volunteers to identify:
a. Which named geographic region the Monterey Bay area is situated in
(Coast Ranges)
b. The body of water west of the Coast Ranges (Pacific Ocean)
c. A mountain, valley, desert, river and lake.
Step 2
Project or display the MMA collection images. Use the I-Spy game to encourage exploration
of the landform characteristics. For example “I spy a mountain in the background” or “I spy
a body of water that is surrounded on all sides by land.” Continue these questions so that
each landform has been addressed at least once
Step 3
Discuss how landforms and natural features of an area can influence the way people use
the land or sea. What resources found near this geographical landform can be used for
food? How might this landform help with transportation? What materials could you find in
your own neighborhood to build a house? Show the MMA images again, and ask students
to identify the resources people did or could use, and how. For example, for the following
paintings, consider asking:
Francis McComas, Cypress, Monterey, c. 1915, oil on canvas
“What advantages would a person have if they lived in this scene?
William F. Ritschel, Dangerous Coast, Majorca, n.d., watercolor
“What would a person living near this scene have to eat?”
Thaddeus Welch, Untitled, c.1900, oil on canvas
“What natural resources would a person living in this scene be able to use for a
dwelling?” “Where in this picture might a person choose to build it?”
California Landforms • Page 3
mma collection images
Armin Hansen, Men of the Sea, 1920,
oil on canvas
Vocabulary: peninsula, bay, ocean/sea, coast
William F. Ritschel, Centurions of the Sea, 1930, oil
on canvas
Vocabulary: ocean, sea level, coast, oil painting
Thaddeus Welch, Untitled, c.1900,
oil on canvas
Vocabulary: mountain, highland, lowland, hill,
river, foreground, background, middle ground,
oil painting
William F. Ritschel, Winter Morning, East River,
1912, oil on canvas
Vocabulary: river, foreground, middle ground,
background, oil painting
William F. Ritschel, Dangerous Coast,
Majorca, nd, watercolor on paper
Vocabulary: ocean/sea, watercolor
Francis McComas, Cypress, Monterey, c. 1915, oil
on canvas
Vocabulary: ocean/sea, coast, foreground, middle
ground, background, oil painting
M. Evelyn McCormick, Monterey Bay from the
Presidio, 1925, oil on canvas
Vocabulary: mountain, hill, sea level, lowland,
highland, bay, ocean/sea, foreground, middle
ground, background, oil painting
California Landforms • Page 4
fieldtrips
Your visit to the Monterey Museum of Art
Your visit will be tailored to this lesson and led by an experienced docent. The forty-five minute tour
will begin with a re-introduction of landforms and vocabulary terms. Students will be asked to recall
and look for the pictures they saw in class. The docent will lead the class through the Museum
using the artworks in the exhibition as a visual narrative. S/he will introduce the three forms of art;
oil painting, watercolor and photography. The tour will be supplemented with a brief introduction
to the basic premise of space by discussing and demonstrating foreground, middle ground and
background. In addition, students will participate in a hands-on creative art experience based on the
landscape paintings explored during the tour.
Your visit to the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Your visit will augment this lesson and trace the ways in which people (or societies) have used the
resources of the local region. Students will view live-mounted specimens of local wildlife species
and the exhibits of local rocks and minerals. School visits associated with this lesson will include
activities for the students, such as touching a sea otter pelt and a deerskin hide, guided exploration
of the Museum’s native plant garden and going on a scavenger hunt through the exhibits. If
requested, the fieldtrip may be tailored to introduce History-Social Studies Standard 3.2.1, and
discuss the ways in which physical geography influenced how the local Indian nations adapted to
their natural environment (e.g., how they obtained food, clothing, tools).
Post-visit Activity
After visiting both museums, lead students in a discussion that highlights the artwork they have
seen at MMA. Ask the group to come up with descriptive words that express the beauty of
the California landscape. Create a class book by having each student draw a landscape that
emphasizes foreground, middle ground, and background. Complete the activity by inviting students
to title their artwork and write a descriptive sentence or short poem as a caption for their illustration.
California Standards Addressed
History-Social Science
Continuity and Change - 3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use
maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places, and
environments in a special context.
Visual Arts
Artistic Perception - 1.4 Compare and contrast two works of art made by the use of different art
tools and media.
Creative Expression - 2.3 Paint or draw a landscape, seascape, or cityscape that shows the
illusion of space.
California Landforms • Page 5
Armin Hansen, Men of the Sea, 1920, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
William F. Ritschel, Centurions of the Sea, 1930, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
Thaddeus Welch, Untitled, c.1900, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
William F. Ritschel, Winter Morning, East River, 1912, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
William F. Ritschel, Dangerous Coast, Majorca, nd, watercolor on paper
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
M. Evelyn McCormick, Monterey Bay from the Presidio, 1925, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
Francis McComas, Cypress, Monterey, c. 1915, oil on canvas
Monterey Museum of Art Collection
EEI Indians.qrk
5/1/09
5:16 PM
Page 1
California
Education and the Environment Initiative
California
Tribal Regions
UNITED
STATES
Copyright © 2009 National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Northwest
O R E G O N
42°
Yurok
house
Northeast
Hupa
dip netting
Maidu
hair pin
Wailaki
burden basket
Tolowa
Maidu
earthen house
Modoc
Karuk
Shasta
Mt. Shasta
Yurok
Northwest
41°
Achumawi
Wintu
Atsugewi
Nong
atl
W
hi
Ch
im
lk
ar
ut
ik
o
Hupa
Wiyot
Mattole
Maidu
snowshoe
Konkow
feasting
basket
Yurok
headdress
North Central
South Central
East
Paiute house
Yokuts tule lodges
Yana
Northeast
Pomo reed house
Mono
bark house
(Nobe)
Lassik
Sinkyone
40°
Deer pit
Maidu split stick
hand clappers
Maidu
elderwood
flute
Tolowa wooden
mush paddle
Tolowa
elk antler
spoon
Northern Paiute
Chilula
Roasting
salmon
Wailaki
Mountain
Maidu
Yahi
Nomlaki
Pomo tule canoe
Yokuts gambling tray
Feather covered
Pomo gift basket
Washoe
Cahto
Pomo fish trap
North Central
Pomo
Piñon
nuts
Wintu
wooden
pipe
Wintu
bow and arrows
Konkow
(Northwestern Maidu)
Yuki
39°N
Owens Valley Paiute
caterpillar collecting
basket
Tachi (Southern Valley
Yokuts) tule boat
Hill
Patwin
Nisenan
(Southern Maidu)
Northfork Mono
cradle basket
Tribal Areas at Contact
Southwest
Lili’ek
(Wappo)
po
ap
W
Valley
Patwin
Mono Lake
Paiute coil basket
Southeast
Chumash
village
Lake
Miwok
Cahuilla desert house
Chumash
plank canoe
P
Olivella shell
Plains
Miwok
A
Coast
Miwok
38°
C
N
I
F
I
Northern Valley
Yokuts
(Yokotch)
Owens
Valley
Paiute
C
South Central
Cahuilla basket hopper,
maul, and mortar
with acorns
Chumash
money
beads
Chumash
shell
ornament
Sierra Miwok
Ohlone
(Costanoan)
Mesquite bean granary
Kumeyaay
yucca stalk quiver
and carrizo arrows
Mono Lake
Paiute
Bay
Miwok
37°
Paiute winnowing
tray and seedbeater
Chumash
pendant
and beads
E
V
A
East
D
Mono (Nim)
Cahuilla
earthenware jar
Santa Catalina I.
steatite vessels
San Nicolas Island
killer whale smoker
Mesquite
beans
Artwork by Rob Wood, Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc. adapted from original artifacts in the collections of the American
Museum of Natural History, New York; American Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, and National
Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Denver Art Museum; Riverside Municipal
Museum; Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; Southwest Museum; R.H. Lowie Museum of Anthropology, State
of California, Department of Parks and Recreation; Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, and Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley. Art source, research, and artifacts from Henry B. Brown, ca. 1853, S. Powers, 1877, J.W.
Hudson, 1900, C. Hart Merriam, 1903, Roland B. Dixon, 1899-1903, Alfred L. Kroeber, 1907-1925, Edward Sheriff Curtis,
1907-1930, Samuel A. Barrett, 1908, A.E. Treganza, 1942, Paul Dixon Campbell, 1999, Chris Moser, Carrie Bethel, Ron W.
Goode and Myra Kirk-Goode. Special thanks to the following consultants: Ron W. Goode, Chair of the North Fork Mono
Tribe, and Jared Aldern, Prescott College.
A
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Timbisha (Panamint)
Shoshone
Esselen
Historic extent
of Tulare Lake
36°
O
Tübatulabal
Salinan
C
Kawaiisu
E
Southern Valley
Yokuts
(Yokotch)
A
Northwest
Vanyume
Southern Paiute/
Chemehuevi
Indian Language Groups
N
Algonquian
35°
Athapaskan
Kitanemuk
A
Hokan
Penutian
Northeast
Uto-Aztecan
Tribal Areas at Contact
25
Southwest
50
MILES
Tataviam
Serrano
Southeast
Mohave
North
Central
ño
de
an
Island Chumash
Santa
Rosa
East
Tongva
(Gabrielino)
Anacapa
Island
Santa
Cruz
hidh
o
San Miguel
South
Central
Halc
34°
ma
rn
Fe
Cahuilla
C H A N N E L
Island Tongva
(Gabrielino)
Luiseño
(Payoomkawichum)
Santa Catalina
Southwest
San Nicolas
Southeast
Ajachemem
(Juaneño)
I S L A N DS
33°
Cupeño
Ipai
N
CHANNEL
I Z O N A
0
R
Chumash
Yukian
Historic extent
of Lake Cahuilla
Kumeyaay
(Diegueño)
Kamia
Quechan
(Yuma)
Kamia
San Clemente
W
E
U.S.
MEXICO
S
0
123°
Cocopa
Tipai
ISLANDS
122°
121°
120°
25
50
MILES
Longitude West
119° of Greenwich
118°
117°
116°
115°
Printed on Recycled paper