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Lesson Plans


Elementary kids and nudity in art

From: Linda Erling-Baker (beartsmart)
Date: Fri Jan 28 2000 - 11:30:13 PST

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    I teach Pre-K to grade 8. One of the lessons I teach is Michelangelo and
    the painting of the Sistine Ceiling to 5th graders. All goes well, they
    are very interested in Michelangelo's art, then someone (usually a boy)
    will blurt out "Some of them don't have clothes on!" A few kids will
    giggle, start pointing to the nude figures, (which are small and not
    that obvious at first glance) and suddenly the lesson has turned from
    the beauty of Michelangelo to "these people don't have any clothes on".
    When I show his sculpture, I show the Pieta and Moses but intentionally
    avoid David for this reason. How do you handle this, explain why artists
    paint nude figures and that the human body is beautiful to this age
    level?
    Thanks,
    Linda 

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