Format
This live, interactive videoconference program is taught from the museum galleries, giving students the opportunity to see original works of art and also dig deeper with additional digital content. Led by a museum educator, this program begins with an introduction to the MFA followed by close looking and guided activities centered around several works of art. Throughout the program, students will connect with the educator in the museum gallery by looking closely, making observations, asking questions, and engaging in activities.
Objectives
1. Students will gain a broader understanding of the people and places in colonial Boston during the time of the American Revolution.
2. Students will practice visual literacy and critical thinking skills through close looking, observation, and online discussion centered on works of art from the MFA's collection.
Standards Alignment
State Standards
Investigating History
Grade 5: Unit 2, Lessons 1-6 (Cluster 1) - The Colonies before the Revolution
Grade 5: Unit 2, Lessons 7-13 (Cluster 2) - The American Revolution & Its Aftermath
Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Science
Grade 3: Massachusetts, Home to Many Different People
- Topic 6: Massachusetts in the 18th century through the American Revolution
[HSS.3.T6.02] Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period.
Grade 5: United States History to the Civil War and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
- Topic 2: Reasons for revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the formation of government
[HSS.5.T2.01] Explain the reasons for the French and Indian War and how its costs led to an overhaul of British imperial policy; explain key British policies and the colonial response to them.
[HSS.5.T2.01c] the roles of the Stamp Act Congress, the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea (1773), the Suffolk Resolves (1774), in which Massachusetts declared a boycott of British goods, the early battles between Massachusetts colonists and the British soldiers in Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill (1775) and the evacuation of the British from Boston (1776)
[HSS.5.T2.01d] the role of women in the boycott of British textiles and tea, in writing to support liberty, in managing family farms and businesses, raising funds for the war, and supporting the Continental Army (1760s-1780s)
[HSS.5.T2.02] On a historic map of the Boston area in the 1770s, locate important sites in the pre- Revolutionary and Revolutionary period and analyze the role and the significance of Massachusetts people such Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, John Hancock, James Otis, Paul Revere, John and Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Phillis Wheatley, Peter Salem.
[HSS.5.T2.06] Explain that many Americans remained loyal to the British Crown or remained neutral in the conflict and that Native Peoples and free and enslaved Africans fought on both sides in the Revolution.
[HSS.5.T2.07] Compare and contrast the impact of the actions of important leaders (e.g., John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, King George III, Edmund Burke, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette) during the Revolution and the early years of the United States Republic.
Suggested Primary Sources for Topic 2 in Appendix D
John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere (1768), portrait, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Arts
Grades 3-4: Visual Arts
[3-4.V.R.07] Perceive and analyze artistic work. Analyze how aesthetic elements (e.g., color, form, line, shape, texture) are used to demonstrate intent.
[3-4.V.R.08] Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Describe contrasting interpretations of an artwork to identify multiple perspectives and diverse community ideas.
[3-4.V.Co.11] Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Describe ways art is different from other objects in everyday life and why that matters. (e.g., what the role of artistic intent is in visual arts).
Grades 5-6: Visual Arts
[5-6.V.R.07] Perceive and analyze artistic work. Analyze how an artwork's form (e.g., portrait, sculpture, installation, textile art) compares and contrasts with others of the same type or period.
[5-6.V.R.08] Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Use domain-specific vocabulary to identify details about an artistic work.
[5-6.V.Co.11] Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Identify influential works of art from different periods and their impact on the artistic world.