Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12)
Subjects: Visual Arts, English–Language Arts, History–Social Science, Science, Mathematics
Time Required: Single Class Lesson
1 to 1 1/2 hours
Author: J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff

Activity Overview

You can create your own lesson for your visit to the Museum at the Getty Center. Use the artworks at the Getty to teach subjects you are already covering in your classroom. Below are some tips on teaching in the Museum and engaging your students with art objects.

Learning Objectives

Students should be able to:
• make specific connections between works of art and the theme and/or topic you choose.

Add other learning objectives to match your specific goals for this lesson.

Materials

• Using this Web site, choose works of art from the Getty's collection to focus on during your visit. You can also choose objects during your Teacher Orientation Workshop.
• Various materials to create activity sheets for your students
• Map of the Museum at the Getty Center or at the Getty Villa
• Itinerary sheet

Activity Steps

Step 1: Select a theme
Examples:

Stories in Art—Ancient Stories (Trojan War, The Odyssey), Love Stories (Venus and Adonis, Telemachus and Eucharis), Stories from Mythology (Leda and the Swan, Medusa), Stories from the Bible (Noah's Ark, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife)

Heroes—Mythological (Hercules, Achilles), Historic (Mary Seacole, Louis XIV)

People—portraits, daily life, children, families

Animals/Creatures—insects, pets, dragons, griffins, sirens

Nature/Environments—landscape, weather, plants, habitats, architecture, interiors

Time Period/Culture—Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Renaissance in Italy, 17th-century Holland

Elements of Art—color, line, shape, texture, form

Mediums/Techniques—sculpture, vase painting, drawing, mosaics, photography, manuscripts, glass

Step 2: Pick galleries or artworks.
Pick a limited number of galleries or artworks for students to visit during a 1 or 1 1/2 hour period. Use the Itinerary Sheet to schedule different chaperoned groups of students.

Step 3: Plan activities.
Students should do one activity in each gallery, or at each artwork, with their teacher or chaperone.
• Choose artworks for your students to explore from different parts of the collection. Consider using the architecture and gardens in addition to works in the galleries.

• Vary the format at each stop and ask students to work alone, in pairs, or as a group.

• Challenge students with different types of activities at each artwork. Ask students to:
- do creative, critical, or analytical writing.
- sketch from an artwork, looking carefully at the details.
- work in pairs to compare artworks, noting their similarities and differences.
- divide into two groups and hold a debate (for example: each side looks at a painting and takes a position based on visual evidence).

• Create a workbook for your students and chaperones. Include instructions for your chaperones so they can facilitate a successful activity at each stop.

Assessment
Assess your students' work based on the activities you develop and the specific learning objectives you have for those activities.

Standards Addressed

Align your lesson with California State Content Standards. These will vary depending on your objectives and activities.