Lesson One: Tornado Over Kansas

Overview of Lesson

In this lesson, students will examine the historical painting Tornado over Kansas, the scene of a Midwestern family rushing to a storm shelter to escape a rapidly approaching twister. Students will also each write an illustrated letter describing a natural disaster, from personal experience or from the point of view of one of the characters in the artwork.

Objectives

· Students will communicate interpretations of an artwork about forces of nature supported with compelling reasons.

· Students will evaluate an artwork that exhibits the power of natural forces, supporting their beliefs with reasoned responses.

· Students will demonstrate an understanding of how one artist has chosen to depict the forces of nature in his time and culture.

· Students will analyze and evaluate the impact of natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes on the environment and human activity.

Reproduction

Tornado over Kansas, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan, www.muskegon.k12.mi.us/mma; also available in Take5 Art Print, Interdisciplinary Connections: Art and Science, Natural Environments, Crystal Productions, www.crystalproductions.com.

· Book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum (optional)

· Video, The Wizard of Oz (optional)

· Video, Twister (optional)

· Video, The Wrath of God Tornadoes, Nature’s Deadly Spirals, History Channel (optional)

· Video about local tornadoes (if available)