

Posted by Lynne Munson, Sep 13, 2012 1 comment

Lynne Munson






"Mulberry Tree" by Vincent van Gogh

Art, Speaking and Listening


Art, Informative Writing

Select a work to study—for instance, you might choose the Georges Seurat for a clear depiction of a season. Ask the students to name the season that the artist has painted. Then have students write a two-or-three-sentence explanation identifying elements in the work that led them to their observation. (W.2.2)

The first activity engages students in close “reading” of three art pieces. Their settings and compositions convey a distinct message about a season. By engaging students in a discussion about their similarities and differences, students are practicing the skill outlined in the second speaking and listening standard (pg. 23) for second grade in the CCSS (SL.2.2): “Recount or describe key ideas or details for a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.”

"Une Baignade, Asnieres" by Georges Seurat

In a similar fashion, the second activity enables students to practice the skill described in standard W.2.2 (pg. 19):

“Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section,” by considering a painting by Seurat.

Just imagine how wonderful it would be to hear a second grader liken a summer outing in the park to Seurat’s Une Baignade, Asnieres. While both activities address specific standards, they also build two other critically vital elements: students’ vocabulary and knowledge of important works of art. These assets contribute directly to students’ growth towards becoming skilled readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers.

These second grade activities are just two examples of the 179 arts activities included in Common Core’s ELA Maps that connect directly to the CCSS’ ELA standards. In fact, each of the 76 units that comprise our K-12 curriculum maps contain guidance for utilizing works of art, music, or film to teach to the new standards.

As students progress through the middle and high school grades, these arts activities demand increasingly complex analysis, thereby keeping pace with the standards while continuing to expand students’ knowledge of art history, and enriching their vocabulary. In an 8th grade unit titled “Urban Settings in America: It Happened in the City,” an arts activity engages students in the study of various depictions of New York City:

Art, Speaking and Listening

"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie, which both depict New York City, were painted in the same year. Notice the dramatic difference in these artists’ styles. The difference goes beyond realism versus abstraction. Discuss the painters’ color palettes, the distance at which they placed the viewer, and the type of space in the work. Dwell on the extent to which each artist was focused on the people versus the place. Were they depicting the same time of day? (SL.8.1, SL.8.2, SL.8.4, SL.8.5)

The activity addresses four of the six speaking and learning standards in eighth grade, by having students compare the works’ composition, style, and subject. One of the standards addressed, SL.8.2 (pg.49), enables students to “analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g. social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.”

Common Core’s ELA Maps demonstrate that the CCSS are an ideal vehicle for providing students with ample opportunities to “read” art. Gearing up and tuning students’ skills of visual observation will help to develop them into insightful and analytical readers, dexterous writers, and adept speakers, while also turning them into avid art lovers.

1 responses for How Vincent van Gogh Can Help You Teach to the Common Core Standards


Antonia P says
July 17, 2013 at 1:39 pm

It is interesting to me that Dr. Munson has a background in the visual arts. I have been (and will continue to) educate myself on this new direction and it's respectful place in the visual arts. I am a high school art educator. This means studio art in 100% of the courses offered. While I am an advocate of writing in every discipline, I fail to find the critical support that art teachers need in their studio art classrooms in the recent CC literature. The mantra has been interesting. Why are we being asked to aggressively integrate other academic areas in an essentially art-making environment than is far more intuitive, tactile and sensory? Students were very clear at the end of this past year that one of my courses did not go for next year because "there is a lot of writing." This was without any CC standards yet. Students want to make, design and create art. I am an art educator with an enormous life-long interest in art history and the vital connection between writing and the visual arts. However, I do NOT see a reasonable explanation as to why we must refer to any work of art as a "text." Who does this serve? With Dr. Munson's background I hope to see much, much more support regarding CC and the studio art education of our students. Right now it's all about math and english. Well done. Let's turn the page.

  • Please login to post comments.