Lesson plan based on Fallen Warrior

Compare the characteristics and values depicted in ancient wall decorations with art displayed in contemporary rooms.

Skills and Focus: Cultural Comparisons, Discussion

Subject Area: English Language Arts

Thematic Connection: Comparing Cultures

Grade Level: Elementary School

Time Needed: 50 minutes

Objectives

• Recognize and articulate the heroic qualities represented by the Fallen Warrior sculpture

• Think critically about the qualities represented by the images that students and their families and friends use to decorate their own living spaces.

• Compare the values of ancient Greek and Roman and modern cultures by charting these qualities as a class.

Instructional Materials Needed

Stories: The Shield of Athena and Why Was This Sculpture Made?

Worksheet

Activity

Step 1: As the students watch the stories The Shield of Athena and Why Was This Sculpture Made?, ask them to pay close attention to how the sculpture was used and what it was created to represent.

Step 2: After the students watch the stories, ask them to recall how this Roman copy of an ancient Greek sculpture would originally have been used (as a decoration in a private Roman home, set into the wall, possibly with other relief sculptures).

Step 3: Ask students to picture their own rooms at home, thinking about the artwork that decorates the walls. Have them make lists of the types of art (posters, photographs, paintings) and what is shown on each artwork.

Step 4: Distribute the worksheet to the students and ask them to compare the artistic qualities of the Fallen Warrior to those of a favorite artwork that students have hung in their rooms. When students have completed the worksheets, discuss their responses.

Critical Thinking Ask students to

• describe the physical qualities represented in each artwork.

• identify their emotional response to each artwork.

• explain how ancient and modern artworks reflect the values of the cultures that made them.

Goals

This activity meets Illinois State Goal 4: Listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations.

This activity meets Illinois State Goal 5: Use the language arts for inquiry and research to acquire, organize, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information.

What is the subject of each artwork?
Fallen Warrior	Contemporary Art
What physical qualities do you see in each artwork?
Fallen Warrior	Contemporary Art
How does each artwork stir your emotions?
Fallen Warrior	Contemporary Art
How does each artwork represent the values of the culture that made it?
Fallen Warrior	Contemporary Art

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