TITLE OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: The Seasons of the Year Expressed in Art by Marian Giunta Wilson, Herkimer Central School

1. LEARNING CONTEXT
Describe the pupose, objective, or focus of the learning experience, including:

• the learning standard(s) and the specific performance indicators being assessed;
• a description of where this experience fits into the school or course curriculum; and
• what students need to know and/or be able to do to succeed with this learning experience.

ELA Standard 1 - Read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding ELA Standard 2 - Read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression ELA Standard 3 - Read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation The Arts 3 - Respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought. The Arts 4 - Develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society. Mathematics, Science and Technology 6 - Understand the relationships and common themes tha t connect mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions. As part of an interdisciplinary unit of study on understanding the seasons of the year, humanities enrich the scientific material. Students need to understand the characteristics of the seasons of the year.

2. PROCEDURE
Describe, in narrative form, the actions of students and teachers and the interactions among and between students and teachers, including how the learning experience:

• supports student progress toward attainment of the learning standards;
• reflects current scholarship in your field and "best" classroom practic; and
• incorporates technology (when used) into instruction to enhance learning and to assess student performance.

STUDENTS - Describe the seasons of the year. From post cards of the art work "Voyage of Life" by Thomas Cole, select examples in the paintings that reflect seasons of the year. (This may be done in a group, depending on the # of students and the # of sets of postcards.)

TEACHER - Make list of responses for characteristics of the seasons and for examples in the art work. Encourage discussion of how and why Cole used seasons of the year to express a person's voyage through life. Take class to Munson-Williams-Proctor Museum of Art to see original paintings. Remind students the second set of "Voyage of Life" paintings is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

3. INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS
Describe the procedures used to accommodate the range of abilities in the classroom, including students with disabilities, limited english proficiency, or bilingual students, such as:

• instructional modifications made; and
• physical modifications of the classroom setting.

Check with museum (for field trip) handicap access

4. TIME REQUIRED
For each aspect of the learning experience, state the amount of time for:

• planning;
• implementation (note the length of your class period, where appropriate, and the number of days to implement the experience); and
• assessment

Planning: 1 hour to purchase post cards and make field trip arrangements

Implementation: 1 class period for discussion, half day for field trip

Assessment: 1 class period

5. RESOURCES
Please note any extraordinary or unique resources (human or material) needed to successfully complete this experience:

• for the student; and
• for the teacher

Chalk board or overhead projector to make lists. Three sets of 4 post cards for "Voyage of Life". Field trip arrangements. Access to the Internet: Art Museum http://www.wln.com/~deltapac/hocm.html, sunsite.unc.edu/louvre/ WebMuseum - has paintings from medieval to modern

6. ASSESSMENT PLAN
Describe the:

• manner in which students are involved in developing assessment criteria, maintaining an awareness of their progress, and reflection on their work;
• techniques used to collect evidence of student progress toward meeting the learning standards' performance indicators (eg. , observation, group discussions, journal writing, use of alternative testing techniques); and
• tools used to document student progress (eg., scoring guides, rating scales, check-lists). Please submit these tools.

Students will complete Voyage of Life Activity Booklet pages (provided by museum) at home or in free time. Teacher will save one page for students to complete in class for assessment.

7. STUDENT WORK
Send three or four samples of student work:

• that reflect different levels of student performance; and
• include comments reflecting the basis for teacher's assessment.

8. REFLECTION
Please offer personal comments on the learning experience:

• why this lesson was developed for the specific learning standard(s) and performance indicator(s);
• what you learned from implementing this lesson; and
• how the lesson was reviewed by peers prior to submission and what you learned from the review.