Paint and Pantomime the Wind
How do you represent the characteristics of the wind with art?
In this 3-5 lesson, students explore the characteristics of the wind through poetry, paintings, and pantomime. Students will classify and measure the wind by studying the Beaufort Scale and building an anemometer. Then, they’ll reinterpret characteristics of the wind through pantomime or blow painting.
Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Describe the characteristics of the wind.
Analyze the characteristics of wind through paintings.
Classify winds on the Beaufort Scale.
Build an anemometer.
Pantomime or paint the wind representing a force on the Beaufort Scale.
Perform or display art for an audience.
Standards Alignment
Create roles, imagined worlds, and improvised stories in a drama/theatre work.
Articulate the visual details of imagined worlds, and improvised stories that support the given circumstances in a drama/theatre work.
Identify physical qualities that might reveal a character’s inner traits in the imagined world of a drama/theatre work.
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Recommended Student Materials
Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.
Anemometer: cardboard, hole puncher, straws, small cups, wooden dowels, small fan
Blow Painting: watercolor or canvas paper, watercolors or acrylic paint
Teacher Background
You should be familiar with the Beaufort Scale and anemometers.
Student Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with different weather types and patterns.
Accessibility Notes
Modify and adapt movements as needed. Offer adaptive painting and art tools to students. Allow extra time and space for movement and art creation.
Engage
Create a concept map on the board or chart paper with the word “Wind” in the middle. Ask students to think of words, phrases, or tools that describe wind.Explain that there are “degrees” of wind that vary from a gentle breeze to a gale force wind. Since we cannot see it, we must look at its effects in order to describe it.
Tell students that wind is the natural movement of air. Wind is caused by air flowing from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area. Have students share a time when they noticed the wind. (sand blowing at a baseball game, whistling air sounds from inside your home, a flag blowing, a body of water crashing to the surface, etc.)
Read poems about the wind. Distribute copies of or play the . Then share the poem, . Allow time for students to read and compare the poems.
Engage students in a discussion about the poems. Ask students: How do the authors show that the wind is present? (trembling leaves, bowed trees, flying kites, strong and cold feeling) Do we need to feel the wind or observe its effects to know it is there?How does the author feel about the wind? (it’s mysterious, frightening, powerful)
​​Display landscape paintings by various artists that include representations of the wind:
by Vincent van Gogh
by Hokusai
by Mary Ann Carroll
by Loomis Dean
by Wong Kar-wai
by Aimé Civiale
by Harold Newton
Discuss the paintings with students. Ask: How can you ‘see’ the wind in the paintings? (movement in the wheat fields, clouds, water, sails, etc.) How did the painter achieve the feeling of wind in the painting? (swirling the paint, thick brushstrokes, strong colors, wavy lines) What would it feel like to be inside the painting?
Build
Share the . Explain to students that since you can’t see the wind itself, scientists describe it by measuring wind speed and observing its effects. Show the to students. Discuss each of the ratings (Forces 0-12) and view sea images to illustrate them.
Allow students to add to the “Wind” map created earlier in the lesson. Ask students: What do you know about wind and the Beaufort Scale?
Show students an or play the video Tell students that scientists have developed many ways to measure the wind. One way is an anemometer, which can measure wind speed and direction. Play the video (pausing to clarify vocabulary and concepts) and ask the students how they think the anemometer would respond to different Beaufort Scale ratings. For example, the anemometer might turn very quickly and be whipped back and forth during a Force 10 wind.
Revisit the “Wind” map again. Ask students: What do you know about wind and an anemometer?
Build an anemometer. Follow the instructions in the video. Have a follow-up discussion with students about how the anemometer was constructed and what materials they will need.
Distribute materials to students. Allow time for students to work independently or in small groups to construct their anemometers. Model for students how to test the product by blowing into the cups or taking the anemometers outside on a windy day.
Apply
Choose an arts integrated activity to demonstrate what you’ve learned about wind. Students will apply what they’ve learned about wind to pantomime or paint a scene showing a certain wind speed from the Beaufort Scale.
Option 1: Pantomime the wind. Distribute the .Explain that pantomime is acting without talking and then tell students that they will pretend to be trees and act out what the trees would look like based on the Beaufort Scale rating they are assigned. Reference the Teaching Artists Present 1-2-3 Pantomime with Jamie Hipp video for details on how to pantomime.
Option 2: Create blow paintings. Tell students they will create wind paintings using their own breath. Demonstrate and provide verbal instructions for the below steps: Hand out paper and straws and place two blobs of paint in the center of the paper. Blow through a straw to move the paint around the paper. Vary the strength of the breath and the direction of movement to create different effects. Optional: If time allows, students may use a paintbrush to add scenery, which reflects the effects of the wind, to their painting. For example, if a student adds a tall field of grass, the grass might be bent to show movement by the wind.
Perform or display the work of students. After students are done rehearsing or painting, create a performance space or art gallery. Ask students to observe the paintings and see if they can assign a Beaufort Scale rating to wind in the painting. Discuss with the class how changing the strength of the movement or breath affected their work.
Reflect
Journal about wind activities. Have students respond to the pantomime and painting activities with a written reflection: Describe the strength and movement of the wind and what tools are used to categorize the speed.
In this 3-5 lesson, students use their senses to make observations about nature. Students will capture information and sketches in a personal journal, then use these ideas to create original nature paintings in watercolor.
In this 3-5 lesson, students will examine sunflower paintings by Vincent van Gogh. Students will grow and observe the life cycle of a sunflower to inform their own sunflower artwork creation.
In this 3-5 lesson, students will illustrate self-portraits to identify their senses. They will take a virtual field trip to the ocean to explore a sensory experience. Students will write a haiku poem about the ocean, bringing science and creative writing together as one.
In this 3-5 lesson, students will dramatize the ways a mountain can be formed. Students will analyze poems about mountain creation from the perspective of the Tohono O’odham People. Students will compare the poems to science-based descriptions of mountain formation.
Grades 3-5
Theater
Literary Arts
English & Literature
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning
Eric Friedman Director, Digital Learning
Kenny Neal Manager, Digital Education Resources
Tiffany A. Bryant Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement
JoDee Scissors Content Specialist, Digital Learning
Connect with us!
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bank of America; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Capital One; Carter and Melissa Cafritz Trust; Carnegie Corporation of New York; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Estée Lauder; Exelon; Flocabulary; Harman Family Foundation; The Hearst Foundations; the Herb Alpert Foundation; the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Little Kids Rock; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation;
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Music Theatre International; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; Newman’s Own Foundation; Nordstrom; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; UnitedHealth Group; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Dennis & Phyllis Washington; and Wells Fargo. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
Social perspectives and language used to describe diverse cultures, identities, experiences, and historical context or significance may have changed since this resource was produced. Kennedy Center Education is committed to reviewing and updating our content to address these changes. If you have specific feedback, recommendations, or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].