Distance Learning

Virtual Field Trip to Weir Farm National Historical Park

Grade Level:
Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

Program Description:

Through videos and 3-D virtual tours, students are introduced to the artists who lived and created art at Weir Farm. They are encouraged to look closely at paintings and painting sites to discover artistic inspiration.

Duration:

  • One class period

Essential Questions:

  • How do your surroundings inspire creativity?
  • How can that creativity be expressed?

Objective:

Students will understand how artists are inspired by their surroundings to create art.

Background:

In 1882, Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919) acquired a farm in Branchville, Connecticut, and he and his family made it their summer home. He hired workers to maintain the land and buildings. Weir used the landscape for inspiration and became a leader in the American Impressionist movement of the late 1800s. Many fellow painters accepted Weir’s invitation to visit and were also inspired by the area. Weir described his home as the “Great Good Place.”

Sculptor Mahonri Young (1877-1957) moved to Weir Farm when he married Julian Alden Weir’s daughter and fellow artist Dorothy Weir Young (1890-1947). In 1932, his sculpture studio was built. Young “saw pictures everywhere” and the sketchbook he constantly carried was filled with drawings of the property. Some of these sketches became paintings further showcasing the en plein (made outdoors) art of Weir Farm.

Doris Bass Andrews (1920 - 2003) and Charles Sperry Andrews III (1917- 2005), commonly known as Sperry Andrews, were the last artists to live at Weir Farm. They were both inspired to create paintings that featured the tranquil and beautiful setting surrounding their home.

Weir Farm was preserved as part of the National Park Service in 1990. The 68-acre park consists of the home, studios, and grounds that the artists enjoyed. The surrounding landscape and setting were integral to Julian Alden Weir’s artistic vision and the growth of the American Impressionist style of painting. Visitors can enjoy trails, woodlands, and gardens while discovering why this inspiring landscape has attracted artists to the property for more than 140 years. It is the only National Park dedicated to painting.

Materials:

Procedure:

Preparation:

Videos of Weir Farm National Historical Park will help your students see the park and understand its significance as an inspiration for artists. The “Procedure” section below will guide you through online videos and 3-D studio tours, which are all found on the Weir Farm NHP website.

Print Observation and Inference Worksheet (double-sided) so students can focus on one 3-D studio tour at a time. Preview the guided question on side A so that students can be purposefully observant. Have the videos open on separate tabs before beginning the lesson. Practice using the tools in the virtual 3-D tour to move around the rooms

Developmental Activity:

  1. Introduction: Discuss national parks with your students. Explain that the National Park Service manages over 400 sites, which are many of the nation’s treasures. The subject matter at national parks is varied and can range from natural wonders such as mountains, forests, caves, and seashores, to important historical events, including the people who shaped the history of the United States. One of these sites is very special because it is the only one dedicated to painting: Weir Farm National Historical Park in Wilton, Connecticut. Today you will be taking a virtual field trip there.
     

  2. Present “Ways of Seeing” video to the class – An overview of Weir Farm video (length: 5:29)

    (If you have already completed the “Julian Alden Weir Biography – Reading Comprehension” lesson, which included the “Ways of Seeing” video, you can skip it in this lesson.)

    Although the students won’t be visiting the park in person, they will be able to experience it as a class via a series of videos and 3-D virtual studio tours. This first video entitled “Ways of Seeing,” gives an overview of the park and allows viewers to hear from rangers and visitors.
     

  3. Present "Explore the Painting Sites at Weir Farm" video to the class (length: 4:55)

    Weir Farm is significant because many of the painting sites that inspired the artists are still preserved in the landscape. This video will introduce students to two painting sites and give them the opportunity to explore the scenes and paintings with a Park Ranger.

  4. Present "Introduction to Weir and Young Studios" video to the class (length: 1:56)

    This video is a very brief introduction to the artists who created art at Weir Farm. It prepares the students to explore the studios via the Matterport 3-D virtual tours that are on our website.

  5. Distribute the Observation and Inference Worksheet (Side A: Weir Studio, Side B: Young Studio)

    Explain that the virtual field trip will focus on the two artists’ studios at Weir Farm. In preparation to view the 3-D virtual studio tours, distribute the Observations and Inference worksheets that the students will complete after taking each 3-D studio tour.

    In the Observations section, they should list (or draw and name) 5 objects that they see in the studio. e.g., paintbrushes, finished paintings, unused frames, bottles of paint, a wood burning stove, large windows, gray walls, etc.

    Students should be given a few minutes to reflect on their observations. Then they should choose 3 items in the studio and infer their purpose and importance, then write sentences for each in the “inferences” section of Worksheet A. e.g., The large windows let in natural light so the artist could see what he was painting. The studio probably has a wood burning stove so that the artist could paint even when it was cold out. The neutral-colored walls helped the artist focus on the colors he was painting on his current canvas.

  6. Weir Studio 3-D Virtual Tour and Observations:

    On this 3-D virtual tour, the teacher moves around the screen which shows the interior of the Weir Studio.

    There are “tags” on the screen that highlight different objects throughout the studio. There are many interesting items to explore that were used to create art. Move around the screen to see objects such as the easel, paint box, and the large windows.

    After exploring the 3-D virtual tour, students should complete the Observations section of Worksheet Side A. Students should be given a few minutes to reflect on their observations. Then they should choose 3 items in the studio and infer their purpose and importance to complete the Inference section of Worksheet Side A. (See examples in 4.b.)

    Optional Question prompt: How do your surroundings inspire creativity?Guide the discussion and responses with prompts like Have you ever been somewhere or witnessed something that you wanted to remember, to draw, to write about? Where have you been where you felt inspired to be creative? Allow time for discussions and shared observations.
     

  7. Young Studio 3-D Virtual Tour and Observations:

    The teacher will now use this 3-D virtual tour of the Young Studio to complete a similar activity as was done for the Weir Studio. Move around the screen to uncover descriptions of objects such as the bathtub, plaster molds, and sculpting tools.

    In the Observations section of Worksheet Side B, students should list – or draw and label – 5 items that they see saw in the 3-D virtual studio tour. (See examples in 4.a.) Students should be given a few minutes to reflect on their observations. They should choose 3 items in the studio and infer their purpose and importance, then write sentences for each in the Inference section of Worksheet Side B. (See examples in 4.b.)

    Optional: Encourage the students to express themselves creatively: draw, paint, color, write. If possible, bring students outside to be inspired by their own surroundings.

Vocabulary:

  • Creativity – the use of imagination or original ideas to create/make something
  • En plein air (pronounced "on plen air" in French) – painting outdoors
  • Inference – a guess made based on facts and observations
  • Inspiration – the act or power of moving the mind or emotions
  • NPS – National Park Service
  • Surroundings – the conditions or scenery around a person, the environment

Assessment:

See Procedure 4.a. and 4.b. for examples. Accept appropriate student responses.

Supplemental Enrichment:

Additional lesson plans and education materials from Weir Farm National Historical Park

Weir Farm National Historical Park virtual tours and videos

Every Kid Outdoors: Fourth graders visit national parks and historic sites for free

Curriculum Standards:

Third Grade Curriculum Standards

Common Core: Literacy

  • RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
  • RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

National Arts Standards

  • VA:Cr.2.1.3a Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials
  • VA:Cr.2.2.3a Demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use of materials, tools, and equipment for a variety of artistic processes.
  • VA:Pr.6.1.3a Identify and explain how and where different cultures record and illustrate stories and history of life through art.
  • VA:R3.7.1.3a Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.
  • VA:Re.7.2.3a Determine messages communicated by an image.
  • VA:Re.8.1.3a Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.
  • VA:Re.9.1.3a Evaluate an artwork baked on given criteria.
  • VA:Cn.10.1.3a Develop a work of art based on observations of surroundings.

Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks

  • HIST 3.2 Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.
  • HIST 3.3 Generate questions about individuals who have shaped significant changes and continuities.
  • HIST 3.5 Describe how people’s perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.
  • GEO 3.8 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.

Fourth Grade Curriculum Standards

Common Core: Literacy

  • RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. (Text refers to anything that conveys a set of meanings to the person who examines it.)
  • RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  • W.4.1.B Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

National Arts Standards

  • VA:Cr.2.1.4a Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.
  • VA:Cr.2.2.4a When making works of art, utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a manner that prevents danger to oneself and others.
  • VA:Re,7.1.4a Compare responses to a work of art before and after working in similar media.
  • VA:Re,7.2.4a Analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages.
  • VA:Re.8.1.4a Interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics of form, and use of media.
  • VA:Re9.1.4a Apply one set of criteria to evaluate more than one work of art.
  • VA:Cn11.1.4a Through observation, infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created.

Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks

  • GEO 4.7 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.
  • HIST 4.2 Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.

Fifth Grade Curriculum Standards

Common Core: Literacy

  • RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

National Arts Standards

  • VA:Cr.2.1.5a Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.
  • VA:Cr.2.2.5a Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of materials, tools, and equipment.
  • VA:Re.7.2.51 Identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery.
  • VA:Re.8.1.5a Interpret art by analyzing characteristics of form and structure, contextual information, subject matter, visual elements, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.
  • VA:Re.9.1.5a Recognize differences in criteria used to evaluate works of art depending on styles, genres, and media as well as historical and cultural contexts.
  • VA:Cn.10.1.5a Apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art-making.

Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks

  • HIST 5.2 Compare life in specific historical periods to life today.HIST 5.5 Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.
  • GEO 5.2 Explain how culture influences the way people modify and adapt to their environments.
  • GEO 5.3 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources.

Last updated: February 16, 2024