Art History Feature

To celebrate American Art History, Teaching with Historic Places has posted on the web the following lesson plans that consider important aspects of art and the artists. These lessons, based on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are free and ready for immediate classroom use by students in history and social studies classes.

• Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor (100)
Learn about the life and work of the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, and about the important role public sculpture played in turn-of-the-20th century America. (National Historic Landmark)

• Embattled Farmers and the Shot Heard Round The World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord (150)
Walk the road where the “shot heard ‘round the world” sparked the American Revolution, and investigate how works of art both depicted and shaped our memory of these dramatic battles. (National Park)

• Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site: Home of a Gilded Age Icon (48)
Meet one of America's premier artists, a creator of public monuments, and evaluate the importance of art and sculpture in society. (National Park/National Historic Landmark)

• Weir Farm: Home of an American Impressionist (22)
View the world through an artist's eye and learn how an important art movement was established in America.(National Park)

To learn more about TwHP's other lessons, visit the Lesson Plan Descriptions page.