New YorkState Sites of the

American Revolution

Contributors

Amie Alden

LivingstonCounty Historian

Sheila Alexander

School Librarian, Somerdale, New Jersey

Amanda Bucholtz and Joseph Rapone

Master’s Degree Candidates, Nazareth College of Rochester

The Hon. James Eagan

Sons of the American Revolution

Karen M. Sangmeister, Ed.D.

Adjunct Instructor, NazarethCollege of Rochester

Michael L. Tunison

Sons of the American Revolution

Table of Contents

Notes to the Reader

Authors’ Statement

Related New York State Social Studies Standards

Related New York State Visual Arts Standards

Suggested Teaching Activities: A Brainstorming

4th/5th Grade:

7th grade

11th grade

Lesson Plans for Before, During and After a Gallery Visit, Grade 4

Lesson Plans for Before, During and After a Gallery Visit, Grade 7

Lesson Plans for Before, During and After a Gallery Visit, Studio Art

History associated with each site in the first twelve drawings, Readability Grade 4

History associated with each site in the first twelve drawings, Readability Grade 7

History associated with each site in the first twelve drawings, High School readability

Notes from Mr. Jon Porter’s e-interview, 4/ 2012

Blank Map of New York State

Useful internet sites for teachers and students

Annotated bibliography of popular American films about the Revolutionary War

Annotated bibliography of children’s books about the Revolutionary War

Notes to the Reader

This project began when two graduate students at Nazareth College of Rochester, one planning to teach Social Studies and one planning to teach Art, decided to partner to create a teacher resource in collaboration with the local Sons of the American Revolution. The purpose of their work was to support teachers who might like to bring their students to visit an exhibit of the Porter pastels: modern drawings of significant Revolutionary War locations in New York State. It grew from there, as you will see. We encourage you to browse through this resource, and decide what you might be able to use. We have tried to provide everything from a brainstorming based on the New York State standards, to sample lesson plans, to printable materials and annotated bibliographies of websites, movies and books that you can use.

The graphic design of this resource is credited to Amanda Bucholtz.

Copyright is retained by the authors jointly with the Sons of the American Revolution, Empire State chapter. License is freely granted to any teacher or student in a teacher preparation program who wishes to use or adapt this material for educational purposes, with the request that credit be given as appropriate.

The J. Erwin Porter Pastels are owned by the New York State Museum. No right to reproduce images of the pastels is granted.

1

Authors’ Statement

J. Erwin Porter (1903-1981) was a Rochester artist who is best known for his “All along the Erie Canal” pastel series produced in the 1960s that has been exhibited through out New YorkState. Now for the first time, the public has the significant opportunity to view another pastel series Porter created chronicling significant Revolutionary War sites across New YorkState. These sites create a narrative of key events that played a highly essential role in the American Revolution most are unaware of. It is the Sons of the American Revolution’s beliefs that this group of pastel drawings can serve as a unique educational tool to teach this essential topic that is visited every single year within schools.

Upon J. Erwin Porter’s death, his family donated the bulk of his artwork to the New YorkStateMuseum where they have been in storage. Through the intensive lobbying efforts of his son Jon Porter of Geneseo, the Empire State Society of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Amie Alden, Livingston Country Historian, funds were raised to mat and frame the first 12 of the 22 pastel drawings in this series and mount the first exhibit in Geneseo. Funds to matte and frame the remaining pastel drawings have been raised as of this writing (May, 2012) and the work is in progress.

These pastel drawings present a unique experience for teachers to use while teaching the topic of the American Revolution. Teachers may choose to work collegially to connect Art and Social Studies by providing a visual experience for students while learning about the American Revolution in Social Studies and about pastel landscape drawings in the Visual Arts. This opportunity could enhance students’ learning and provide an experience where their understanding will increase due to the creative learning opportunity presented.

Joseph Rapone and Amanda Bucholtz

April, 2012

Related New YorkState Social Studies Standards

After viewing the J. Erwin Porter collection in person, we believe that this artistic representation of New York State’s role in the American Revolution provide teachers and their students with an alternative and in-depth view of studying the events of the American Revolution that occurred throughout New York State. The pastel collection brings historical events close to home, for New Yorkers, events which have often been glossed over when looking at the American Revolution as a whole. But as native New Yorkers, it is important for our students to understand that our entire state played a role in eventually winning freedom from the British Empire. The stories behind each pastel drawing provide a glimpse into our history as a state and remind us that significant events, even those that are not in every textbook, occurred right at our doorsteps. As a result, we have taken the Porter pastel collection and made connections with the New York State Social Studies Learning Standards to increase the effectiveness of studying the American Revolution. By doing so, we can meet the following standards and key ideas within our suggested activities:

Standard 1

History of the United States and New York

Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

  • Key Idea 1: The study of New YorkState and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions.
  • Key Idea 2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives
  • Key Idea 3: Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New YorkState and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups
  • Key Idea 4: The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments.

Standard 3

Geography

Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Key Idea 1: Geography can be divided into six essential elements which can be used to analyze important historic, geographic, economic, and environmental questions and issues. These six elements include: the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical settings (including natural resources), human systems, environment and society, and the use of geography. (Adapted from The National Geography Standards, 1994: Geography for Life)

Standard 5

Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

  • Key Idea 1: The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems; the purposes of government and civic life; and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and law. (Adapted from The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)
  • Key Idea 3: Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and the scope of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities
  • Key Idea 4: The study of civics and citizenship requires the ability to probe ideas and assumptions, ask and answer analytical questions, take a skeptical attitude toward questionable arguments, evaluate evidence, formulate rational conclusions, and develop and refine participatory skills.

Related New York State Visual Arts Standards

Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.

Through the J. Erwin Porter pastels, students can study, evaluate and react towards these pieces and then in turn create works of art that are relevant to themselves and the world around them. They are able to take the American Revolution and make connections to themselves and the world around themselves.

Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.

Through the J. Erwin Porter Pastels, students will experience a gallery setting; view professional works of art and participate in viewing professional works completed by an established New York State artist.

Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

Students will visually analyze the work of J. Erwin Porter, make connections to the events of the American Revolution and respond to the use of pastels and landscape symbolism.

Standard 4: Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.

Students will see the impact and influence the American Revolution had on the works completed by J. Erwin Porter. They will see and analyze the connection between the events that took place within New York State and the influence these events had on J. Erwin Porter. In addition, they will see the impact the choice of an established recent artist to document the locations of key events of long ago with pastel drawings has on modern understanding of those events.

Suggested Teaching Activities: A Brainstorming

These suggested activities are grouped into categories of before you and your class visit an exhibit of the pastels, during your visit, and after your visit. All activities may be scheduled at any time during your unit of study. The various activities can be linked to the New York State and Common Core standards, depending on each teacher’s goals and objectives.

By Joseph Rapone and Amanda Bucholtz

Master’s Degree Candidates,

Spring 2012

Nazareth College of Rochester

  • Pick a pastel drawing that depicts the location closest to your school.Learn what occurred at this location during the 1700’s and how it affected your community. This is to build relevance for students to their community and local history. Teacher will provide appropriate materials within the classroom to these specific locations. This could help students to learn how to research.
  • Create a newspaper for the 1700’s time period, complete with contemporary news, fashion, entertainment, and feature items, including a news article on the Revolutionary War event that took place nearby.
  • On the National Geographic site ( teachers can create an interactive electronic map mapping out all of the events of the American Revolution. (This is especially useful if teachers have a SMARTBoard in their rooms.)
  • Teacher can assign students as individuals or in teams to certain pastel drawings to explore, analyze and take notes on. They will receive one of the information sheets when entering the gallery explaining each of the pastel drawings and the site that they took place. Students will present their pastel drawings to the class reflecting on their reaction to the pastel, the description of the event that took place, and suggest reasons behind why the artist may have chosen certain aspects of the drawing. Aspects of the drawing may include time of year that is depicted, viewpoint, background choices, foreground choices, focus object.
  • Writing Assignment: Based on your knowledge of this drawing, why did the artist include the aspects he did?
  • Put yourself in this drawing; describe what events took place as if you were there to witness them.
  • RAFT activity: Role, Audience, Format and Topic.
  • Art Activity: Students will take their knowledge on J. Erwin Porter and his pastel drawings and build relevance through creating their own drawing of an event that took place in their life that held significance (using your choice of paints, colored pencils, pastels, etc.)
  • Blank Map of New York State (included in this resource): Before: Label each event that occurred at the locations across New York State. During: Take cut out pictures of pastels and place one at each event on their map as they see the pastels within the gallery. After: Write descriptions of each place.
  • Break students into groups of three or four and assign a certain number of events that happened in the American Revolution within each state. Each group will research these events and write brief descriptions of each. In the gallery, the group will find the pastel drawings that pair with their events signed and will look at them and analyze the pictures in front of them. Each group will present their previous knowledge on the events that took place within the pastel drawing to the rest of the class. Groups will take notes on each student’s presentation.
  • Using the list of events, contained within the J. Erwin Porter pastel drawings create a thematic timeline that chronologically orders the events that took place in the American Revolution within New York State. (Electronically or Hard copy)
  • Electronic Timeline: Dipity- Students are to include information connecting to social studies along with the causes and effects of these events. Fill in picture of the painting before and brief description and finish with fuller descriptions and research after the visit. After the visit students can also include art criticism elements where they can describe their reactions to the pastel drawings and evaluations on the pieces themselves.
  • (can only be viewed or shared online)
  • (can only be printed, and not saved)


7th grade

  • Assign pastel drawings to certain students to research prior to the visit at the exhibit
  • On the National Geographic site ( teachers can create an interactive electronic map mapping out all of the events of the American Revolution (especially if teachers have a
  • SMART Board in their rooms!)
  • Teacher can assign students certain pastel drawings to explore, analyze and take notes on. They will receive one of the information sheets when entering the gallery explaining each of the pastel drawings and the site that they took place. Students will present their assigned pastel drawing to the class reflecting on their reaction to the pastel, the description of the event that took place, and analyze the reasons behind why the artist chose certain aspects to include in the drawing.
  • Writing Assignment: Based on your knowledge of this drawing, why did the artist include the aspects he did?
  • Question: What happened at this particular place?
  • Activity: Compare and Contrast two of the pastel drawings.
  • Put yourself in this drawing; describe what events took place as if you were there to witness them.
  • Art Activity: Ask students to connect their knowledge on the American Revolution, the impacting events that happened in New York State that changed the course of the war, and think about events within their lives that have changed their lives and create an artist book visually linking these events together.
  • Using the list of events, depicted in the J. Erwin Porter pastel drawings, create a thematic timeline that chronologically orders the events that took place in the American Revolution within New York State. (Electronically or Hard copy)
  • Electronic Timeline: Students include information connecting to social studies along with the causes and effects of these events. Fill in picture of the painting before and brief description and finish with fuller descriptions and research after the visit. After the visit students can also include art criticism elements where they can describe their reactions to the pastel drawings and evaluations on the pieces themselves.
  • (can only be viewed or shared online)
  • (can only be printed, and not saved)
  • RAFT activity: Role, Audience, Format and Topic
  • Assign one drawing per student/group of students to research. They will analyze the pastel drawing and complete the research both prior and after the experience within the gallery.
  • Blank Map of New York State: Before: Label each spot at the event that occurred at the spot.During: Take map along and cross out as student views and reacts to drawing. After:Ask students to reflect on visit: What did they SEE? What did they WONDER? What do they want to KNOW NEXT?
  • Write newspaper articles for the late 1700’s, complete with contemporary news, fashion, entertainment, and feature items. Note to students how different life was in New York City compared to upstate during that time.
  • Take notes on the landscape during the visit. After,answer the question of how this particular event may have affected the course of the American Revolution.
  • Question: What happened at this particular place? Use your best expository writing to write just the facts: Who/ What/ Where/ When/ How/ Why.
  • Assign a pastel drawing to each student to study prior to the visit at the exhibit, in order to be prepared to present “their” drawing to their peers. During the exhibit, they will act as docent to their peers at that drawing as they present the pastel drawing, explaining the event the pastel drawing represents and their reflections of the picture before them.

  • On the National Geographic site ( teachers can create an interactive electronic map mapping out all of the events of the American Revolution. (Especially if teachers have a SMART Board in their rooms!)
  • Create a persuasive essay to state the importance of having New York frontiersmen create maps of the area and important geographical data for either army to use. Please explain the benefits from knowing the terrain and the people to understanding other geographical forces at play.
  • Study various pastel techniques and choices. Experiment with working with pastels in creating a landscape drawing: what works, what doesn’t? What are the pros and cons compared to a pencil sketch? A photograph? An oil painting? An watercolor painting?