Rockwell’s American Utopia (Grades 8-12)

ROCKWELL’S AMERICAN UTOPIA (GRADES 8-12)

The significance of Rockwell’s vision of an “ideal” America. The idea of utopia within American thought.

OBJECTIVES

  • Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing the ideals presented in Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post imagery.
  • Students will study and reflect on the notion of an ideal society through investigation of utopian writings.
  • Students will articulate their own ideas of “ideal” society through written text and […]
Rockwell’s American Utopia (Grades 8-12)2017-03-01T11:37:48-05:00

On the Twentieth Century – That Was Then, This Is Now (Grades K-12)

ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY – THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW (GRADES K-12)

OBJECTIVES

  • To compare the lifestyle changes between then and now

PREPARATION

  • To write descriptions of the people and places evident in the paintings
  • Show students prints of Rockwell illustrations that depict American life in the 20th century.
  • Discuss how NR would use his friends and neighbors to model for him.

    • […]

On the Twentieth Century – That Was Then, This Is Now (Grades K-12)2017-03-01T11:37:48-05:00

Creating America (Grades 7-10)

CREATING AMERICA (GRADES 7-10) The influence of Norman Rockwell’s imagery as a reflection of American values in the first half of the twentieth century.

OBJECTIVES

  • Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post imagery as it relates to American values in his time period.
  • Students will critique imagery from contemporary periodicals.
  • Students will reflect on the impact and significance of mass media as a vehicle for promoting cultural values through […]
Creating America (Grades 7-10)2017-03-01T11:37:49-05:00

A New Viewpoint (Grades 7-12)

A NEW VIEWPOINT (GRADES 7-12)

To consider Norman Rockwell’s imagery as a means of helping students reconsider their familiar cultural and community contexts.

OBJECTIVES

  • Students will develop visual literacy skills by carefully observing and analyzing Norman Rockwell’s representation of the “commonplace.”
  • Students will reevaluate their own communities by giving attention to details they have overlooked.
  • Students will create photo collages or multi media presentations that focus on details of their […]
A New Viewpoint (Grades 7-12)2017-03-01T11:37:49-05:00

Going and Coming (1947) Quick Pic Activities

GOING AND COMING (1947)

Quick Pic Activities

Elementary/Early Childhood

1. Getting in Touch With Our Senses
Pretend you are standing somewhere in the painting—situated in the car or as a bystander watching it go by. Describe in detail what you can see, hear, smell, touch or taste from the location you chose

High School/Middle School

1. Make Rockwell’s Characters Talk
If two of the characters in Norman Rockwell’s Going and Coming painting […]

Going and Coming (1947) Quick Pic Activities2017-03-01T11:37:52-05:00

Gossip (Grades: K-8)

GOSSIP (GRADES K-8)

Build writing skills and language skills as you speculate on what the characters in Rockwell’s The Gossips are talking about.

Rockwell had the idea for The Gossips for 20 years but couldn’t come up with the ending. Then he had the idea to picture himself as the subject of the gossips’ circle; suddenly he knew what to draw. He used his neighbors in Arlington, Vermont as the other figures in the painting. […]

Gossip (Grades: K-8)2017-03-01T11:37:54-05:00

Going And Coming (ELL)

GOING AND COMING (ELL)

Tell short stories inspired by Rockwell’s work.

This painting was done for “The Saturday Evening Post” and depicts a family before and after their summer vacation. Rockwell’s Post covers were intended to present a story that was easily “read” and understood by viewers. In this painting he uses two images within one picture to provide more detail and create a continuum of time. We see the “before” and the “after” of the […]

Going And Coming (ELL)2017-03-01T11:37:54-05:00

Story Sparks (Grades: K-5) [creative writing]

STORY SPARKS (GRADES K-5)

Use Norman Rockwell’s Post covers to spark creative writing.

Rockwell is known as The Saturday Evening Post’s most famous illustrator.  He submitted his first successful cover painting, “Mother’s Day Off”, to the Post in 1916. Over the next Forty-seven years his work appeared on the cover a total of 323 times.  Each cover that he created tells a story. Through his work, he presents images of everyday life in America, childhood, civil […]

Story Sparks (Grades: K-5) [creative writing]2017-03-01T11:37:55-05:00

Be A Model (Grades: K-8)

BE A MODEL (GRADES K-8)

Build descriptive language skills as you pretend to be Norman Rockwell directing a model.

In paintings like this we can see that Norman Rockwell was really good at capturing the thoughts and feelings of children. To help him do this he had real children pose for his illustrations. Sometimes they had to stand for long periods of time in very uncomfortable poses. Later the job got a little bit easier. […]

Be A Model (Grades: K-8)2017-03-01T11:37:56-05:00
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