Time: One hour for pre-readers, two hours for readers to complete all art, math, and writing challenges.

Grade Level: K–3

Learning Connections

Math: numerals, counting, addition, subtraction, time
Language Arts: storytelling, writing
Visual Arts: painting, drawing

Objectives

Students will:

• learn about the life and painting style of African American artist Horace Pippin
• learn how to "read" a painting by looking carefully at its parts
• write a story about a painting using specific details in the work
• practice counting and solve addition and time problems based on a painting
• create a "secret number" painting for a classroom counting book

Materials

Art paper, pencils, poster paints, crayons or oil pastels

Lesson Implementation

For pre-readers:

1. Tell students they will explore one painting in great detail and do related thinking, writing, math, and art activities. Explain that many paintings have a story and that details in a painting are clues to its meaning. They will read a painting, write its story, do some related math problems, and make their own painting of the inside of their house.
2. Have students look at Pippin's painting Interior.
   Discuss the painting in class, using the following questions from the online lesson:
   What do you see? Who is in the room? What is each person doing? What is it like to be in there? Is it warm or cold? What time is it? Is it evening or morning? Is the room quiet or noisy, crowded or full of empty space, modern or old-fashioned?
   Ask students to support their answers with details from the painting. They may want to click on the different parts of the painting during the discussion to see each detail up-close.
3. Read the brief biography of Horace Pippin. Tell pre-readers about Pippin and relate his life story to the painting.
4. Have students print out the Interior story template and either write a short story or dictate their story to you. Compile the stories into a booklet.
5. Do online time problems together as a class.
6. Provide students with art materials to make their own "secret number" painting. Post paintings in a classroom exhibit.

For pre-readers:

1. Have students begin the online lesson, reading about the artist and answering the Pippin's Story questions. Talk about how the artist's life story relates to the painting. Discuss as a class: Is the painting happy or sad? Ask students to support their answers with details from the painting.
2. Have students either print out the Interior painting/story template or write their story online and then print it out. Go over the instructions before students begin to write. Compile the stories into a booklet.
3. Have students do the time problems online.
4. Provide students with materials to make their own "secret number" painting. Post paintings in a classroom exhibit. Have students guess one another's secret numbers.

Assessment

• Class discussion: What did each student contribute to the discussion? Did students support their responses with details from the painting?
• Interior stories by students: Did students mention several specific details from the painting in their story? Did they give the "characters" names? Did students use their imagination to write what happened next?
• "Secret number" paintings: Did students depict an interior space? Did students include sets of different objects according to their chosen number?