Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English–Language Arts, ESL
Time Required: Single Class Lesson
1-hour class period
Author: J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff
Permissions: 
The lesson plan and downloadable materials on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. |
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1. Begin by identifying vocabulary associated with the weather (for example, cold, rain, sunny) and the time of day (for example, morning, afternoon, evening). Ask students to discuss the following:
- Describe what the weather is like today.
- Describe the typical weather in your country of origin.
- Share what your favorite season is, and why it is your favorite season.
- Share what your favorite time of day is, and why it is your favorite time of day.
2. Inform students that colors can be cool or warm. Cool colors include blue, green, and white. Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow. (See the Art Vocabulary.)
3. Show students the reproduction of A Winter Scene. (See the Information for Teaching about A Winter Scene by Hendrik Meyer.) Ask students the following:
- What colors do you see? Are they cool colors or warm colors?
- Describe the weather and time of day in the drawing.
- What is happening in the picture?
4. As a class, discuss details in the work that give clues about the weather and time of day. Have students provide their thoughts by using the following sentence frame: I think it is _______________ because I see _______________.
5. Repeat the previous two steps with the painting Modern Rome–Campo Vaccino. Discuss how the colors help identify the weather and time of day (i.e., Turner used orange and yellow to depict a warm climate in the late afternoon, while Meyer used blue and white to depict a cool climate during the morning or afternoon). (See the Information for Teaching about Modern Rome–Campo Vaccino by Joseph Mallord William Turner.)
6. As a class, look at a sample weather report from a newspaper. Write out sentences indicating the weather being described. For example, "It is sunny. The weather is 75 degrees." Using one of the images, have students write their own sample report using the "A Weather Report" student handout.
7. Ask volunteers to read their weather report to the class as if they were on TV. Project the appropriate image as the students report on the weather depicted.
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| A Winter Scene, Hendrik Meyer, 1787 |
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Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
Grades K–5
SPEAKING AND LISTENING
K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and text with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
1.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
1.4 Describe familiar people places, things, and events, with relative details expressing ideas and feelings more clearly.
2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audible in coherent sentences.
3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker or media source provides to support particular points.
4.6 Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
5.3 Summarize the points a speaker or media source makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence, and identify and analyze any logical fallacies.
LANGUAGE
3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
3.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
5.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
5.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships
(e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
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