Seek and Sketch
Learn about the art of scientific illustration in this distance learning lesson. Students explore the history of this process as they study famous illustrators like John Audubon and Henry David Thoreau. They practice their observation of various specimens by drawing composite sketches and producing an enlarged final project using the grid transfer method. Read more ...
The field of scientific illustration will be explored during this program. Students will learn the surprisingly long history of the art form, and will have the opportunity to make scientific illustrations of their own.
• Students will understand the importance of the field of scientific illustration for artists,
historians, and scientists alike.
• Students will learn the history of scientific illustration, from the cave paintings at
Lascaux to the human body sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, and will understand the
various reasons for why these images are made.
• Students will practice their observation and data collecting skills by making sketches and producing an enlarged final drawing using the grid method.
Seek and Sketch (pdf)
Settle Down! – Math
tudents will learn about the lives of New York’s pioneering settlers while performing math problems in this lesson. How would you make money and what would you spend it on if you were a pioneer? Students use primary sources from 1790 and their basic math skills to investigate the economy of pioneer life. Read more ...
In a videoconference program with educators at the New York State Historical Association, students will learn about the lives of Central New York’s pioneering settlers. How would you make money and what would you spend it on if you were a pioneer? Students use primary sources from 1790 and their basic math skills to investigate the economy of pioneer life in this hour-long program.
• Use primary source material to learn about the life of pioneers in the 1790s.
• Encourage students to use critical thinking skills to draw conclusions from historical
sources.
• Familiarize the students with charts, tables, and other data that can be used to convey information.
• Use charts, tables, and other data to practice basic math concepts and problems.
Settle Down! Math (pdf)
Settle Down! – Science
This lesson teaches students about the lives of central New York’s pioneering settlers by exploring the science of maple sugaring. How did pioneers make maple sugar, and why was it so important for their survival? Students will learn about the physical science behind maple sugaring, while reviewing the importance of the sweet food in the New York pioneer economy. Read more ...
In a videoconference program with educators at the New York State Historical Association, students will learn about the lives of Central New York’s pioneering settlers. How did pioneers make maple sugar, and why was it so important for their survival? Students will learn about the physical science behind maple sugaring, while reviewing the importance of the sweet food in the New York pioneer economy.
• Use information from primary source material to learn about the life of pioneers in the 1790s.
• Explain and illustrate how pioneers made maple syrup and sugar, and why it was important to their survival.
• Teach the physical and chemical science involved in the manufacture of maple syrup and sugar.
Settle Down! Science (pdf)
Settle Down! – History
In this lesson, students will learn about the daily lives of New York’s pioneers by looking at old account books from a general store. Students are encouraged to become history detectives as they use a primary source from 1790 to find evidence to support the main themes of pioneering. Read more ...
In a videoconference program with educators at the New York State Historical Association, students will learn about the lives of Central New York’s pioneering settlers. What information about the daily lives of New York’s pioneers can students discover from looking at an old general store’s account book? Students are encouraged to become history detectives as they use a primary source from 1790 to find evidence to support the main themes of pioneering.
• Use primary source material to learn about the life of pioneers in the 1790s.
• Encourage students to use critical thinking skills to draw conclusions from historical sources.
• Familiarize the students with charts, tables, and other data that can be used to convey information.
Settle Down! History (pdf)
Where In Native America-Intermediate
In this popular program, students will take a virtual tour of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art.
In the interactive lesson, students will learn about the geographical locations and natural features of North American regions. The intermediate level of this lesson will focus largely on the cultural geography. Students will see how geography can affect clothing creation, dwellings, trade and art based on the natural surrounds of the people who live in the area. Read more ...
The intermediate level of this lessons will focus largely on the cultural geography. Students will see how geography can affect clothing creation, dwellings, trade and art based on the natural surrounds of the people who live in the areaa.
All of this done by virtually visiting the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art!
• Understand the characteristics, functions, and applications of maps and globes.
• Investigate why people and places are located where they are located and what patterns can be perceived in these places.
• Investigate how groups of Native Americans living in different geographic regions throughout North America interacted with and structured their natural environments to accommodate their varied lifestyles.
Where In Native America-Elementary
In this interactive lesson, students will learn about the geographical locations and natural features of North American regions. The one-hour lesson will connect how these elements shaped the cultures and traditions of various Native American cultures throughout the continent. Students will study political and physical maps to answer questions, and also view and interpret objects in the Eugene and Clare Thaw Gallery of American Indian Art at Fenimore Art Museum. Read more ...
In this interactive lesson, students will learn about the geographical locations and natural features of North American regions. The one-hour lesson will connect how these elements shaped the cultures and traditions of various Native American cultures throughout the continent.
New York State Learning Standards Addressed (Elementary/Intermediate):Mathematics and Science
Meanings of the Mask
In this popular program, students will take a virtual tour of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, especially its series of Yup’ik ceremonial masks. While learning about these Alaskan masks, a museum educator will play an interactive game with students geared toward teaching important facts about a Native American culture and the importance of natural resources to these groups. Students will then be prepared for the post-lesson activity of making their own masks based on shapes, materials, and ideas included in the Yup’ik masks. Read more ...
This program explores Native American cultures, particularly the Yup’ik culture of the Alaskan tundra and other cultures from the Northwest Coast. The idea of ceremony in their cultures is discussed, and students will look at masks from this region to see how they are connected to culture and environment.
• Introduce students to the ceremonial, cultural, and artistic meanings of traditional and
contemporary masks of the Yup’ik Indians of Western Alaska.
• Study people of other cultures to learn about their customs, natural resource use, food and shelter, and other important components of culture.
• Help students learn math, science, and geography through the use of three-dimensional art.
The Eugene and Clare Thaw Gallery of American Indian Art. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, N.Y.
Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art
The Late 1800s Farm Family and the Economy in New York State
Students learn about the typical farm and farm family (Wedderspoon family) in the late 1800s and how they contributed to the local and national economy.
Publication Date: December 1969
Number of pages: 24
PDF files available for download:
Teacher_Guide_and_DBQs (163kb)
Primary Source Documents:
document_01 (96kb)
document_02 (126kb)
document_03 (79kb)
document_04 (2 Mb)
document_05 (2 Mb)
document_06 (2 Mb)
document_07 (78kb)
Fenimore Distance Learning ONLY Sample 1
Sample description.
