A WebQuest created by
Michael Phillips
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Introduction-
Vincent van Gogh is one of
the most important figures in art history. His paintings are recognized
worldwide for their brilliant colors and expressive brush strokes.
However,it was not always this way. Van Gogh had a tough life, full
of ups and downs, and ending in tragedy. It is a sad, but important
story, and one that you will be responsible for telling.
The
Task-
The
Process-
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1.) What year was Vincent
born? (date and year) Where was he born? (town and country)
2.) What were the names
of van
Gogh's mother and father?
3.) Van Gogh had a brother,
what was his name? Why was he important in Vincent's life?
4.) Was painting van
Gogh's first job?
What other jobs did he have?
5.) How many paintings
did van Gogh produce in his lifetime? How many did he sell?
Why?
6.) Vincent suffered
from an illness,
what was this illness and how did it affect him?
7.) Van Gogh once had
a
fight with his friend, Paul Gaugin, what happened as a result of that
fight? Tell the story.
8.) When did Vincent
die? (date
and year)
9.) Where
did he die?
10.) How
did
he die? Why did this happen?
11.) Write a couple of sentences
expressing your opinion of Vincent van Gogh's life.
Other Helpful sites: The
Life and History of Vincent van Gogh
thinkquest.org
Van Gogh Museum
1.) Locate five of Vincent
van Gogh's works on the Internet. Preferably they will be from different
times in his life.
2.) List the title of
the work, the year it was produced, and the medium used (paint, charcoal,
etc..). You are also encouraged to include any other information
that you come across.
3.) Write a description
of the work; what is the subject? Are there people in it? What
do they look like?
What are their expressions? What else do you see?
4.) List at least two
things that you like about each work.
5.) List at least two
things that you don't like about the work.
6.) If possible, include
a copy of the picture along with your critique.
Ater you have completed steps
one through six, compile all of your information and write a report using
a word proccessing program. Share the report with your group, and
be prepared to share it with the class.
You will find the work of
Vincent van Gogh at the following location: Mark
Harden's Artchive (find van Gogh in the scrolling list of artists on
the left side. His work is broken up into four periods, select a
work from each different period.)
1.) What is suicide?
2.) What is the number
one cause of suicide?
3.) What is depression?
What causes depression?
4.) Find a telephone
number for a suicide hotline.
5.) Approximatly how
many people commit suicide in the United States every year?
6.) List at least ten
warning
signs that someone would display if they were thinking about suicide.
7.) If someone was having
suicidal thoughts, list five people they could talk to.
8.) What can you do
if someone asks you for help?
List at least five things.
9.) Identify five
coping strategies for suicide prevention.
10.) How you would have helped
prevent Vincent van Gogh from committing suicide?
Other Helpful Sites: befrienders.org
Contra Costa Crisis
Center
Pulling
It All Together-
When everyone has finished
writing their articles, critiques, and reports, you will share your findings
with the class in a brief summary from each member of the group.
The Investivative Reporter will summarize his/her article, the Art Critic
will discuss the works that they chose, and the suicide prevention expert
will talk about the information they gathered and how they would have helped
Vincent.
Each group will be given approximatly
10-15 minutes to present. When all of the presentations are finished,
it is suggested that the teacher lead the class in a discussion of what
was learned and why it is important.
Conclusion-
Introduction The Task The Process Pulling It All Together Conclusion For The Teacher Evaluation Rubric
This WebQuest was designed for a fifth grade art class. Upon completion of the lesson, my students will create a painting in the style of van Gogh. Students identify their favorite work, for example, van Gogh's bedroom. Then they would create their own bedroom painting.
The lesson was designed to enrich the artistic process. It is a great way to add Discipline Based Art Education to your classroom. Some of the material is sensitive. Suicide is a very serious subject. It is suggested that upon completion, you have a serious discussion about why suicide is not a problem solver. Van Gogh had a troubled life, some of the information contained in the biographies of his life is not pleasent, to say the least. Proper guidance by you, the teacher, is essential. Read all of the information in the biographies, and on the suicide pages. Make yourself familiar with van Gogh's life, that way you will be better prepared for questions that your students may ask.
Students should have some knowledge of the writing process and how to write a newspaper article before using this lesson. Students should have some experience with a word proccessing program, in order to type their reports. Pesentations could be made, based on the information, using Power Point or Hyperstudio. This is only a framework, it is suggested that the teacher treat it as such, and add your own personal touch to the lesson.Evaluation Rubric-
Criteria Needs Developing Developing Competent Highly Competent Focus-Content
(Addressing the question)Written response is confusing and needs more information Ideas are scattered and need further development Developed ideas and essentially accurate information Sophisticated, substantial, well-developed ideas Organization
(Overall order, flow, and transitions)Details and examples show confused organization; hard to follow Details and examples show incorrect organization Information in logical order with paragraphs and transitions Information is presented in effective order; paragraphs and transitions help paper flow smoothly Introduction Introductory paragraph is not apparent Introductory paragraph is vague Introductory paragraph contains a focus Introductory paragraph has a sharp, distinct focus Conclusion Concluding paragraph is not apparent The closing paragraph attempts to summarize and draw a conclusion The closing paragraph summarizes and draws a conclusion The closing paragraph summarizes and draws a clear and effective conclusion Style/Voice Lack of sentence and word choice variety Limited sentence variety and word choice Some precision and variety in sentence structure and word choice apparent Precision and variety in sentence structure and word choice are apparent Conventions Repeated weaknesses in mechanics and usage interfere with writer's purpose Mechanical and usage errors somewhat interfere with writer's purpose Some mechanical and usage errors Contains few mechanical and usage errors 
Mphillips@interact.ccsd.net
page last updated: 12/4/00
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