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Adams and the American West Related Subjects: Visual & Performing Arts, History-Social Science, English-Language Arts Grades: 3-5 Medium: Photography, Drawing Author: Museum of Photographic Arts Class time required: Two or three 60-minute class sessions  read/post
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 In this two or three-session lesson, students will be introduced to Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and the photography of Ansel Adams. Using photographs from his work depicting the American west, students will discuss and analyze the subjects, the time period, and the relationships between nature, the environment, and works of art. Students will be introduced to new vocabulary and photographic terminology. Students will record their ideas and reflections by creating an original landscape and accompanying written reflection based on the observations of the works created by Ansel Adams. back to top   • Paper • Colored pencils, markers, chalk pastels, and/or crayons • Visual Thinking Strategies (PDF) • Glossary terms: color, composition, elements of art, framing, line, pattern, photography, shape, subject, texture, vantage point • Images Online Materials
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• Session One covers the concept of Vantage Points and Session Two covers the Elements of Art, Composition, and Framing. You can choose to teach one or both sessions, depending on your interest and time availability. The students can complete the art project in Session Three using the knowledge they have gained from either or both previous sessions. • Familiarize yourself with the photography of Ansel Adams as well as Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Read the overview of Visual Thinking Strategies (PDF) written by Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine at Visual Understanding in Education. Teacher Tips: VTS is not essential to the lesson, but is a recommended method of verbal questioning and response to images. • Print the images listed above onto overhead transparencies or use a document camera. • Write the vocabulary words (without the definitions) on the board, poster, or overhead transparency. You will refer to this throughout the lesson. back to top 
Session One 1. Begin a discussion with the students about photography: What is photography? Where have you seen photographs? Who has used a camera before? What do you like to take pictures of? Why do people take photographs? Who has heard of the photographer Ansel Adams? 2. Introduce the term ‘Vantage Point’ to the students. Explain the definition. Have the students read aloud the different types of vantage points. Show the students one of the seven yellow truck photographs. Ask the following questions: Where do you think the photographer was standing when he/she took this picture? What do you think this vantage point is called? Have the students choose the vantage point that is correct and provide evidence for why they think their answer is correct. Continue until the students have viewed and labeled all seven vantage points. 3. Show the students one of the photographs by Ansel Adams. Ask the students the following questions: What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? After each student provides a response, acknowledge his/her response by pointing to the image and paraphrasing what he/she said. Continue this questioning for 5-10 minutes. 4. Encourage the students to state the vantage point while talking about each image. 5. Choose one of the Adams photograph. Instead of discussing this photograph orally, ask the students to write the answers to the following questions in paragraph form: What is a good caption (title) for this photograph? What is the photograph’s vantage point? What is going on in this photograph? When and where do you think this photograph was taken? Session Two 1. If you skipped Session One, begin Session Two with a discussion about photography before you continue with the lesson. If you completed Session One, review what the students learned and continue with the lesson. 2. Introduce the concepts of ‘Composition’, ‘Framing’, and ‘Elements of Art’ to the students. Go through each vocabulary word, asking the students for definitions. 3. Show the students one of the photographs by Ansel Adams. Ask the students the following questions: What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? After each student provides a response, acknowledge his/her response by pointing to the image and paraphrasing what he/she said. Continue this questioning for 5-10 minutes. 4. While leading the class in a discussion of the images, incorporate how each element adds to each image, as well as adds to the success of its composition and framing. 5. After looking at a few photographs, lead the students in a discussion based on the role of art in reflecting life, identity, culture, history, architecture, and religion. Emphasize Adams’ interest in capturing and preserving the American West and how it connects with California history and its environmental landscape. Are the photographs in your history books similar to Adams’? How are they different? How can Adams’ photographs be used to learn about that time in history? 6. Choose one of the Adams photographs. Instead of discussing this photograph orally, ask the students to write a descriptive paragraph describing the landscape, using all five senses. Session Three 1. Have the students create an original work of art based on their observations of the images and class discussion(s). Any preferred or available artistic medium can be used for this project. The following are a few recommendations for art activities: • Create two landscapes: one showing the land as Adams observed and one showing the landscape you observe in your neighborhood • Create two landscapes: one showing the land as Adams observed and one showing what you think that land looks like now • Recreate one of Adams’ landscapes using colors that you think he saw in nature • Use perspective to create a real or imaginary landscape 2. Hand out the art materials and have the students complete the art activity. 3. Once the students have finished their landscapes, have them complete one of the following writing assignments: • Choose one of Adams’ images. Using the Internet, books, or magazines, find present day photographs of this area. How has it changed? How has it remained the same? • What can we learn by using photographs from the past? What do they teach us about life, history, and culture? Where do you see images that capture what is going on in our world today? What do you think people 50 years from now will think about what was going on in 2007? • How did Ansel Adams capture mood and feeling in his photographs? Choose one photograph and describe the mood. How does the vantage point and composition effect this mood? • Write a poem about one of Adams’ photographs. Extensions English-Language Arts: Ansel Adams was a passionate environmentalist who believed in the importance of preservation. Research his beliefs and involvement with the Sierra Club. Write a report or create a power point presentation to present your findings. back to top  There are no teaching tips for this lesson plan. back to top  CA Content Standards Third Grade Visual Arts 1.5 Identify and describe elements of art in works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/form, texture, space, and value. 2.3 Paint or draw a landscape, seascape, or cityscape that shows the illusion of space. 2.4 Create a work of art based on the observation of objects and scenes in daily life, emphasizing value changes. 4.1 Compare and contrast selected works of art and describe them, using appropriate vocabulary of art. 4.3 Select an artist's work and, using appropriate vocabulary of art, explain its successful compositional and communicative qualities. Fourth Grade Visual Arts 1.1 Perceive and describe contrast and emphasis in works of art and in the environment. 3.1 Describe how art plays a role in reflecting life (e.g., in photography, quilts, architecture). 4.1 Describe how using the language of the visual arts helps to clarify personal responses to works of art. 4.5 Describe how the individual experiences of an artist may influence the development of specific works of art. Fifth Grade Visual Arts 1.1 Identify and describe the principles of design in visual compositions, emphasizing unity and harmony. 2.6 Use perspective in an original work of art to create a real or imaginary scene. 2.7 Communicate values, opinions, or personal insights through an original work of art. 3.3 Identify and compare works of art from various regions of the United States. 4.1 Identify how selected principles of design are used in a work of art and how they affect personal responses to and evaluation of the work of art. Third Grade English-Language Arts 2.1 Write narratives. 2.2 Write descriptions that use concrete sensory details to present and support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences. 2.1 Make brief narrative presentations. 2.3 Make descriptive presentations that use concrete sensory details to set forth and support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences. Fourth Grade English-Language Arts 2.1 Write narratives. 2.4 Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading selection and the most significant details. 2.1 Make narrative presentations. 2.3 Deliver oral summaries of articles and books that contain the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant details. Fifth Grade English-Language Arts 2.1 Write narratives. 2.3 Write research reports about important ideas, issues, or events. 2.4 Write persuasive letters or compositions. 2.1 Deliver narrative presentations. 2.2 Deliver informative presentations about an important idea, issue, or event. back to top  Teachers Adams, Ansel. Classic Images, Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. October 30, 1986. Alinder, Mary Street. Ansel Adams: An Autobiography. Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. February 1996. Adams, Ansel. Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs, Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. May 1989. Barker, Robert. Ansel Adams: The Camera (Book 1), Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. June 1985. Barker, Robert Ansel Adams: The Negative (Book 2), Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. June 1985. Barker, Robert. Ansel Adams: The Print (Book 3), Bulfinch Press, New York, New York. June 1985. Burns, Rick. Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film, PBS Home Video, Sierra Club and Steeple Chase Films, Inc. 2002. Sandler, Martin A. Photography, An Illustrated History, (Oxford Illustrated History). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2002. Stegner, Page and Andrea Stillman. California with Classic California Writings: Ansel Adams. Bulfinch Press, New York, New York, May 1997. The Visual Classroom: Integrating Photography into the School Curriculum. Education Department: Museum of Photographic Arts, 2000. To order, call 619-238-7559x236 or E-mail edudept@mopa.org to order. It is $25. Additional shipping charges may apply. Housatonic Museum of Art: Ansel Adams Lesson Plans Kindergarten through sixth grade lesson plans integrating Ansel Adams photography with other content areas. Library of Congress: American Memory Sixty-two collections of photographs and prints from the Library of Congress American Memory project. Includes Ansel Adams and photos from the Civil War. Photography for Kids: Photography Projects, Ideas and Resources A list of good Web sites for helping kids learn photography techniques, projects, cameras and optics, and history of photography. Includes book and software reviews. Photography: Western History from the Genealogy Dept, Denver Public Library Collections of photographs from western history including railroads, children, covered wagons, Buffalo Bill, and famous western photographers. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Ansel Adams at 100 In conjunction with an exhibit on the centennial of Ansel Adams's birth, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art built this Web site. It provides an excellent Flash-based introduction to Adams's photography. The site works best with high-speed Internet connections. Teaching Digital Photography: Showing Kids How to See With the Camera's Eye A site that introduces digital camera and photography techniques, and helps kids understand media images and observe the world around them. The Columbus Museum: Ansel Adams Celebration of Genius Educator Guide (PDF) This Educator guide includes a biography on the artist, images of photographs, and K-12 lesson plans using Adams’ photographs as inspiration. The Sierra Club An organization dedicated to the preservation, responsible practice, and promotion of the environment. The Museum of Photographic Arts Permanent collections and current exhibits at the Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Vue: A Solution to Education’s Challenges Visual Understanding in Education (VUE) conducts educational research focused on aesthetic and cognitive development that results from interaction with art. Based on its findings, VUE develops programs for schools and museums, principally Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). Students Bidner, Jenni. The Kids Guide to Digital Photography. Lark Books, Ashville, North Carolina.2004. Buckingham, Alan. Photography, DK Eyewitness Books. New York: Dorling Kindersley, New York, New York. 2004. Burnie, David. Light, DK Eyewitness Books. Dorling Kindersley, New York, New York. 2000. Cole, Alison. Perspective, DK Eyewitness Books. Dorling Kindersley, New York, New York. 2000. Ford, Carin T. George Eastman, The Kodak Camera Man (Famous Inventors). Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2004. Friedman, Debra. Picture This, Fun Photography and Craft (Kids Can Do It). Toronto; Tonawanda, New York: Kids Can Press. 2003. Gibbons, Gail. Click! A Book about Cameras and Taking Pictures. Little, Brown and Company, New York, New York. 1997. Johnson, Neil National Geographic Photography Guide for Kids. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. 2001. Partridge, Elizabeth. Restless Spirit, The Life of Dorothea Lange. New York: Puffin Books, 1998. Strangis, Joel. Ansel Adams: American Artist with a Camera. Enslow Publishing, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. 2002. BetterPhoto for Kids and Teens A site dedicated to kids and young adults interested in the art of taking pictures. Includes sections on pets, friends and family, vacations, and more. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Ansel Adams at 100 In conjunction with an exhibit on the centennial of Ansel Adams's birth, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art built this Web site. It provides an excellent Flash-based introduction to Adams's photography. The site works best with high-speed Internet connections. back to top |
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