Artful Assessment

Grade 5 Social Studies and Visual Arts Lessons

The Joseph Marriner Gerrish Family portrait tells us much about this family and the time in which they lived. Students will examine the details and textures that add richness and variety to the portrait then interpret familial relationships through the composition and arrangement of the figures. After discussing and interpreting the Gerrish Family portrait, students will explore their own family histories through an intensive social studies unit about immigration, and will conduct oral history interviews to learn about the role of immigration in their own lives. In the visual arts lesson, students will develop a greater understanding of the Gerrish Family portrait and will create collage family portraits to accompany their oral history reports.