STANDARDS

Lexile: 1030L

Core Art Standards:

VA1: Generate artistic ideas.

VA6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

VA11: Relate artistic ideas with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.

CCSS Anchor Standards:

R2: Determine central themes.

R3: Analyze ideas.

R5: Analyze text structure.

Essential Question: How does art help us understand the lives of people of differen times, places, and cultures?

Enduring Understanding: People develop ideas and understandings of society, culture, and history through their interactions with and analysis of art.

Vocabulary: Carpenter Gothic, middle ground, Northern Renaissance, rhythm, stylized, vertical

Materials: computer or interactive whiteboard, “Graphic Organizer: Working With Narrative” skills sheets from Lesson Plans 1 and 2

Lesson: The Most Famous Painting in America

Use with pages 8-9.

Objective: Students will analyze Wood’s most iconic painting, considering how it fits into American culture and decoding the narrative conveyed.

PREPARATION:

Review students’ notes from their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Narrative” skills sheets.

PROCEDURE:

1. Invite a student to read the introduction to “The Most Famous Painting in America.” Then ask students to observe American Gothic carefully.

2. Have another student or students read each of the bullet points, pausing after each point to observe the artwork.

3. Ask: How does Wood create a narrative? (He includes details that reference the suffering caused by the Great Depression and the decline of the rural way of life, and he may be commenting on the American Dream.)

4. Have students record their findings in their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Narrative” skills sheets.

DISCUSSION:

How does the title of this work help viewers understand the narrative? (Answers will vary but should refer to the compositional choices Wood makes.)
Do you agree with viewers who believe that American Gothic is a celebration of Midwestern life? Or do you agree with those who believe it is a criticism? Use the artworks and text on pages 4-9 to support your argument. (Answers will vary but should demonstrate an understanding of the work’s cultural significance.

REMOTE LEARNING:

Research parodies of American Gothic. Choose one and write a paragraph or more about the parody, its narrative, and its connection to Grant Wood.
Create your own American Gothic parody. What medium will you use? Who will your characters be? What narrative will you convey to the viewer?
Research paintings from the Northern Renaissance. Write a paragraph about how Grant Wood found inspiration for American Gothic in the artworks of that era.