Back in 2015, I wrote a post about Introducing French Students to Impressionism. I recommend reading that post before reading this one, because this post builds on it. I still do a lot of the activities from the previous post, but I’ve added some new ones too. In this post I will share some additional resources for introducing students to Impressionism.
With videos coming and going off the internet over the years, I have changed up what videos I show my students when I introduce this topic. Below are the two videos I have shown most recently. The first is aimed at younger kids, and it’s made by the Tate Museum. It focuses a lot on Monet, and it does a nice job of summarizing the art form in simple terms. The second one is aimed at adults, and takes viewers through the Musée d’Orsay, which we later explore via Google Arts and Culture. I like that it’s also in French. I think the two videos balance each other out nicely.
I still use a modified version of Bonnie Rafferty’s PowerPoint which I found on TES, During the spring of 2020, I recorded myself reading it (with Bonnie’s permission) for students to access during remote learning. It also includes my photos of Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny and a tour through the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, which I still explore with students via Google Arts and Culture. Here is the recording:
On day two of this lesson, I still have students look at a series of Impressionist paintings by Monet, Renoir, and Degas (the three painters I really zero in on in the previous day’s lesson), and try to determine who painted each one. Most recently I’ve done this as a Kahoot game. I also modified and added onto another Kahoot game from another Kahoot user for when I introduce colors, and within the game, students identify the principal colors in Impressionist paintings. It’s a way to make learning colors less dry!
Most recently, my French Club students tried their hand at making their own 21st century Impressionist paintings. On their devices, they went on Kleki, a free online painting tool that does not require a sign in, and chose an Impressionist painting to replicate. Here are some of the results:
Now, at French Club, we only have about half an hour, so a lot of students had to finish up at home. This activity went so well that I plan to do it with all my students at the end of the school year when I do my Impressionism lessons.
One final avenue where students can learn about Impressionism in my class is through the Impressionism page on my Independent Exploration. Independent Exploration is a collection of resources that my students use to explore French language and cultures on their own.
Do you teach your students about Impressionism? What activities or resources do you use?
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