Weatherbeaten | Lessons for Grades 9-12
Grade 9
Humanities
Edges: Dangerous and Deep
Thom Buescher
Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, Maine
Winslow Homer and Rockwell Kent are the centerpieces of this integrated studies class that explores the ocean, islands, and the idea of edges between earth, rock, and water. These independent, group-based projects include art, writing, history, sociology, and environmental issues related to geology and sustainability.
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Grade 10
Visual Arts and Developmental English
Place in Painting, Literature, and Film
Valerie Haskins and Linda Pope
Lincoln Academy, Newcastle, Maine
Students examine Weatherbeaten using a variety of collage techniques that focus on color, form, and mood. Film, literature, and music connections help to expand this exploration of the painting, resulting in an analysis of elements in art and writing.
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Grades 10 & 11
American History and Visual Arts
Discovering an Historic and Artistic Sense of Place
George Jones and Joanne Allen
Scarborough High School, Scarborough, Maine
Students gain a broader understanding of Maine and American history through the example of Winslow Homer’s life and career. Students read Sarah Orne Jewett’s Country By-ways to immerse themselves in nature and a sense of place, and then create their own landscape paintings, as well as a “mystery painting” grid of Weatherbeaten.
Painting Worksheets (pdf): Worksheet 1 - Worksheet 2 - Worksheet 3
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Grade 11
Visual Arts and Language Arts
A Sense of Place
Kymberli Bryant and Laurie McGinty
Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, Buckfield, Maine
Students connect the idea of place in art to their own environment and personal experiences through painting and writing.
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Grades 11 & 12
Visual Arts and Language Arts
Weatherbeaten: The Role of Place in Art and Literature
Linda Stanley and Doug Moody
Westbrook High School, Westbrook, Maine
High school students make connections to their own community through exploration of local places and a workshop with a local artist. Students begin by learning about Homer, studying Weatherbeaten, and then writing poetry about their local experiences.
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Grades 10, 11, & 12
Visual Arts and Language Arts
Eyes Wide Open: Creating a Sense of Place through Watercolor,
Photojournalism, and Reflective Writing
Tory Tyler-Millar and Mary Ann Scaccia
Portland High School and Deering High School, Portland, Maine
After learning about “a sense of place” through the example of Homer and Weatherbeaten, students turn their attention to journalistic representations of their own environments through writing, photography, and watercolor painting.