High School Lesson Plans

This lesson introduces students to the art and history of the Lyme Art Colony by having them create a television news report that incorporates information from the five interpretive themes. Students use the Museum’s on-line resources to gather information (both in words and pictures) about the five themes before creating a news show that incorporates the material.  The various news programs can be performed for fellow classmates as well as other students in the school.

The Lyme Art Colony was a group of artists who were drawn to Old Lyme, Connecticut, as early as 1900. They stayed at the Griswold boardinghouse that was owned and operated by Florence Griswold. Through their interaction, the artists and other members of the boardinghouse impacted the art and history of the nation. The original boardinghouse is now a public museum that teaches the public about the history and art of the Lyme Art Colony through five major themes.  The themes include The American Art Colony at Lyme; Daily Life in a Boardinghouse, c. 1910;Making the Most of Limited Choices: The Life and Times of Florence Griswold; A Sense of Place: The Artistic Rediscovery of New England; and Connecticut and American Impressionism.

Objectives
To learn about the Lyme Art Colony from several theme areas
To think about the content conveyed in contemporary news media
To use the Museum’s website as a source of information
To work as a group to develop a mock news program
To view historic photographs and paintings of people
To work alone to research, write, and perform a news story
To work as a group to perform the news program in front of the class

Curriculum Connections

Social Studies educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Formulate historical questions and hypotheses from multiple perspectives, using multiple sources

Gather, analyze and reconcile historical information, including contradictory data, from primary and secondary sources to support or reject hypotheses

Use primary source documents to analyze multiple perspectives

Initiate questions and hypotheses about historic events they are studying

Be active learners at cultural institutions such as museums and historical exhibitions

Describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns

Explain why places and regions are important to human and cultural identity and stand as symbols for unifying society

Visual Art educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Analyze and interpret art works in terms of form, cultural and historical context, and purpose

Analyze and compare characteristics of the visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues or themes of that period

Compare the creative processes used in the visual arts with the creative processes used in the other arts and non-arts disciplines

Create and solve interdisciplinary problems using multimedia

Apply visual arts skills and understandings to solve problems relevant to a variety of careers

Use subject matter, symbols, ideas and themes that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, and cultural and aesthetic values to communicate intended meaning

Research and analyze historic meaning and purpose in varied works of art

Reflect critically on various interpretations to better understand specific works of art

Defend personal interpretations using reasoned argument

Language Arts educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Will apply collaborative skills to elaborate on concepts being addressed and to describe processes used in achieving results

Will select from the complete variety of text structures (essay, short story, poetry, academic essay, report, research paper, response to literature, documentary, etc.) the appropriate organizational pattern for addressing audience, purpose, and point of view

Will identify and use effectively the salient features of all appropriate oral, visual, and written discourse

Will determine which primary and secondary sources are appropriate to the task (research paper, fiction, school newspaper, video) and will integrate and elaborate upon information effectively in the final product

Will identify and use the most effective process for them to create and present a written, oral, or visual piece

Will use the spoken and written syntax made standard by television announcers and newspaper editorialists and will use the diction of skilled writers and orators

Will evaluate the language they use in written and oral tasks for its suitability for the audience being addressed

The above goals align with this lesson and were selected from The Connecticut Framework: K-12 Curricular Goals and Standards (adopted in March 1998, published by the Connecticut State Department of Education, Division of Teaching and Learning).

This lesson introduces students to the personalities of the Lyme Art Colony by having them adopt the role of one of the artists and create a written account of that artist’s experience during a summer visit to Old Lyme. Students use the Museum’s on-line resources to gather information (both in words and pictures) about the daily life of artists at the boardinghouse as well as specific facts about their artist before creating diary/journal pages written (and perhaps illustrated) using a historic voice.

The Lyme Art Colony was a group of artists who were drawn to Old Lyme, Connecticut, as early as 1900. Many of the artists lived in New York where they maintained studios and worked with art dealers for exhibitions of their work. During the warmer months, they would venture out to Old Lyme, via train, and stay at the boardinghouse filled with fellow artists. Their days were filled with making paintings as well as other leisure activities available to them in the country. We know how they spent their days through historic letters and a few personal diaries.

Objectives
To learn about the personalities associated with the Lyme Art Colony
To read excerpts from a diary of an artist in history
To use the Museum’s website as a source of information
To work as a group to imagine the daily life of a boardinghouse for artists
To view historic photographs and paintings of people
To adopt a historic character, imagine what their life was like, and create a diary/journal using words and pictures about a visit to the art colony using a historic voice

Curriculum Connections

Social Studies educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Formulate historical questions and hypotheses from multiple perspectives, using multiple sources

Gather, analyze and reconcile historical information, including contradictory data, from primary and secondary sources to support or reject hypotheses

Use primary source documents to analyze multiple perspectives

Initiate questions and hypotheses about historic events they are studying

Be active learners at cultural institutions such as museums and historical exhibitions

Describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns

Explain why places and regions are important to human and cultural identity and stand as symbols for unifying society

Visual Art educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Analyze and interpret art works in terms of form, cultural and historical context, and purpose

Analyze and compare characteristics of the visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues or themes of that period

Compare the creative processes used in the visual arts with the creative processes used in the other arts and non-arts disciplines

Create and solve interdisciplinary problems using multimedia

Apply visual arts skills and understanding to solve problems relevant to a variety of careers

Use subject matter, symbols, ideas and themes that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, and cultural and aesthetic values to communicate intended meaning

Research and analyze historic meaning and purpose in varied works of art

Reflect critically on various interpretations to better understand specific works of art

Defend personal interpretations using reasoned argument

Language Arts educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Will apply collaborative skills to elaborate on concepts being addressed and to describe processes used in achieving results

Will select from the complete variety of text structures (essay, short story, poetry, academic essay, report, research paper, response to literature, documentary, etc.) the appropriate organizational pattern for addressing audience, purpose, and point of view

Will identify and use effectively the salient features of all appropriate oral, visual, and written discourse

Will determine which primary and secondary sources are appropriate to the task (research paper, fiction, school newspaper, video) and will integrate and elaborate upon information effectively in the final product

Will identify and use the most effective process for them to create and present a written, oral, or visual piece

Will use the spoken and written syntax made standard by television announcers and newspaper editorialists and will use the diction of skilled writers and orators

Will evaluate the language they use in written and oral tasks for its suitability for the audience being addressed

The above goals align with this lesson and were selected from The Connecticut Framework: K-12 Curricular Goals and Standards (adopted in March 1998, published by the Connecticut State Department of Education, Division of Teaching and Learning). 

Please share your suggestions for making the lesson better. Let the Museum know how this lesson worked for you and your students by sending your comments and suggestions to david@flogris.org. Educators are encouraged to submit copies of final products and/or digital images to be shared on our website.

1. Divide the class into working groups of five (one for each theme) and have them read The Story of Miss Florence and the Lyme Art Colony to introduce them to the Lyme Art Colony. A printable copy of the text is available from the Educators’ Toolbox on the Resources for Educators menu. Have them formulate a series of questions they have about the Lyme Art Colony after reading the background information (i.e. what more do they want to know?).

2. Introduce the assignment of choosing one of the artists of the Lyme Art Colony and creating a diary/journal that documents their experiences at the Griswold boardinghouse. Tell the students that they explore the various ways the artists spent their time while in Old Lyme as well as “meet” their specific artist via their computer by going to The Fox Chase section of the Museum’s on-line learning site. They should surf the pages looking for information they will want to include in their diary/journal for their artist.

3. Divide the class into working groups and give each one of the pages from the Willard Metcalf diary that you can print out below. Explain that although Willard Metcalf was one of the major artists associated with the Lyme Art Colony, these diary pages come from an earlier time when he was a young art student in Boston. Ask the groups to read and discuss the diary page. What questions do they have now? What more would they like to know? What did the diary entries make them think about? Do they have any pictures in their heads after reading the diary entries? Have the groups report out their discussion.

4. Gather the learning groups together and give the students their diary/journal time frame. Their entries should include a beginning with the artist leaving New York and arriving at the boardinghouse, staying for at least a week to make paintings, and conclude with the artist arriving back home in New York (or arriving at another painting destination). Have the groups brainstorm about the kinds of things an artist might write about in their diary/journal. This is to give the students inspiration for how they will approach the entry for their artist. You might prompt the learning groups with a series of questions like: what room did your artists stay in?; did they rent a studio?; how far away from the boardinghouse did they have to travel to find their subject matter?; what is their painting style?; did your artists paint a panel or door in the house? (go to In Situ to find out); what did they do for fun?, etc. Let your students know that the learning groups are to help them in imagining what life as a Lyme Art Colony artists would be like.

5. Teachers may want to decide if more than one student can work on a particular artist. In preparation for the students to write their artist’s diary/journal entry about the Lyme Art Colony, have them use a computer to learn about the activities associated with the boardinghouse as well as “meet” their artist by interacting with The Fox Chase and In Situ: The Painted Panels sections of the website.

6. There are 24 different artists presented in The Fox Chase. These artists can be assigned at random (students drawing the artist names out of a basket) or selected by the students after some initial surfing of the site.
During the draft stage, have students get together to compare ideas and approaches. Encourage students to make suggestions to enhance each other’s writing.

7. For the final presentation, encourage students to prepare a creative final draft of their diary/journal. Let the students share their final products with their learning group. Ask groups to report out what they learned as a group. Arrange the final projects around the room and let the students explore the other diary/journals individually.

This lesson introduces students to the personalities of the Lyme Art Colony by having them adopt the role of one of the artists and create a written account of that artist’s experience during a summer visit to Old Lyme. Students use the Museum’s on-line resources to gather information (both in words and pictures) about the daily life of artists at the boardinghouse as well as specific facts about their artist before creating diary/journal pages written (and perhaps illustrated) using a historic voice.

The Lyme Art Colony was a group of artists who were drawn to Old Lyme, Connecticut, as early as 1900. Many of the artists lived in New York where they maintained studios and worked with art dealers for exhibitions of their work. During the warmer months, they would venture out to Old Lyme, via train, and stay at the boardinghouse filled with fellow artists. Their days were filled with making paintings as well as other leisure activities available to them in the country. We know how they spent their days through historic letters and a few personal diaries.

Objectives
To learn about the personalities associated with the Lyme Art Colony
To read excerpts from a diary of an artist in history
To use the Museum’s website as a source of information
To work as a group to imagine the daily life of a boardinghouse for artists
To view historic photographs and paintings of people
To adopt a historic character, imagine what their life was like, and create a diary/journal using words and pictures about a visit to the art colony using a historic voice

Curriculum Connections

Social Studies educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Formulate historical questions and hypotheses from multiple perspectives, using multiple sources

Gather, analyze and reconcile historical information, including contradictory data, from primary and secondary sources to support or reject hypotheses

Use primary source documents to analyze multiple perspectives

Initiate questions and hypotheses about historic events they are studying

Be active learners at cultural institutions such as museums and historical exhibitions

Describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues, and personal concerns

Explain why places and regions are important to human and cultural identity and stand as symbols for unifying society

Visual Art educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Analyze and interpret art works in terms of form, cultural and historical context, and purpose

Analyze and compare characteristics of the visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues or themes of that period

Compare the creative processes used in the visual arts with the creative processes used in the other arts and non-arts disciplines

Create and solve interdisciplinary problems using multimedia

Apply visual arts skills and understanding to solve problems relevant to a variety of careers

Use subject matter, symbols, ideas and themes that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, and cultural and aesthetic values to communicate intended meaning

Research and analyze historic meaning and purpose in varied works of art

Reflect critically on various interpretations to better understand specific works of art

Defend personal interpretations using reasoned argument

Language Arts educational experiences in Grades 9-12 will ensure that students
Will apply collaborative skills to elaborate on concepts being addressed and to describe processes used in achieving results

Will select from the complete variety of text structures (essay, short story, poetry, academic essay, report, research paper, response to literature, documentary, etc.) the appropriate organizational pattern for addressing audience, purpose, and point of view

Will identify and use effectively the salient features of all appropriate oral, visual, and written discourse

Will determine which primary and secondary sources are appropriate to the task (research paper, fiction, school newspaper, video) and will integrate and elaborate upon information effectively in the final product

Will identify and use the most effective process for them to create and present a written, oral, or visual piece

Will use the spoken and written syntax made standard by television announcers and newspaper editorialists and will use the diction of skilled writers and orators

Will evaluate the language they use in written and oral tasks for its suitability for the audience being addressed

The above goals align with this lesson and were selected from The Connecticut Framework: K-12 Curricular Goals and Standards (adopted in March 1998, published by the Connecticut State Department of Education, Division of Teaching and Learning). 

Please share your suggestions for making the lesson better. Let the Museum know how this lesson worked for you and your students by sending your comments and suggestions to david@flogris.org. Educators are encouraged to submit copies of final products and/or digital images to be shared on our website.

1. Divide the class into working groups of three and have them read The Story of Miss Florence and the Lyme Art Colony to introduce students to the Lyme Art Colony.  A printable copy of the text is available from on the Teacher Resources page. Have them formulate a series of questions they have about the Lyme Art Colony after reading the background information (i.e. what more do they want to know?).

2. Introduce the assignment of the class creating a tableau vivant (living painting) based on The Fox Chase, a painting related to the Lyme Art Colony. Remind students that they will be able to research about the panel as well as one of the particular artists (or things) via their computer by going to the Museum’s on-line learning sites.

3. Ask the groups to select a moment from The Story of Miss Florence and the Lyme Art Colony and prepare a frozen tableau of the scene using their whole group. The students should decide the scene and determine which shape they will hold in silence in front of the class while the others try to guess the scene.

After five minutes of preparation, ask for volunteers to perform the first tableau. Once the students are frozen in place, the teacher should ask for guesses for what scene they are presenting for the class. Be sure to have the students qualify their guesses (i.e. What do you see that makes you say that?).

If no one guesses the scene, the teacher may opt to do “thought readings” by taping one of the frozen figures and asking them to say what their character is thinking about. This often gives clues to the final answer (and can be a lot of fun!).

4. Teachers may want to decide how the various characters in The Fox Chase are going to be assigned. There are 24 different artists and 10 different animals and things presented in The Fox Chase. These roles can be assigned at random (students drawing the artist names out of a basket) or determined by the students after some initial surfing of the site]

5. Students should prepare a 150-word script that tells the viewer who or what they are and why they are an important element in The Fox Chase. In preparation for the students to write their character script, have them use a computer to learn about the Lyme Art Colony as well as to “meet” their artist or thing by interacting with The Fox Chase and In Situ: The Painted Panels sections of the website.

6. During the character scripts draft stage, have students get together to compare ideas and approaches. Encourage students to make suggestions to enhance each other’s writing.

7. Encourage the students to determine the most effective speaking order of the tableau vivant – not necessarily in order from right to left or left to right. A sense of drama can be achieved by orchestrating the readings in an interesting way.

8. Encourage your students to be creative in their presentation of the tableau vivant. Will there be music? Sound effects (e.g. hunt horn)? Students should also determine their costume or props for the final presentation. Teachers may want to divide The Fox Chase into sections and have students work in groups preparing their frozen pose.

9. For the final presentations encourage the students to prepare a professional final draft of their character script as well as participate in the group performance with the class. If feasible, plan to record the final presentation.