"Vincent" Lesson Plan

Objective: Students will become familiar with the song, "Vincent," by reading, singing, and viewing art that represents the lyrics.

Set: We've been listening to poetry and have been performing our own interpretations of poetry during this last week. We've also been learning about the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Today I'd like to teach you a song, which is a poem set to music, about the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh. The song is called Vincent, and each line of the song suggests a particular work of art that was painted by Van Gogh. A famous songwriter and singer, Don McLean, wrote this song, and I have attempted to interpret which of Van Gogh's paintings Mr. McLean had in mind when he wrote this tribute to Vincent.

Activities:

1. Review previously viewed Van Gogh paintings using PowerPoint. Discuss meaning, titles, etc. of selected works.
2. Pass out song sheets and have students read lyrics as they listen to the song.
3. Turn song sheets over and play song along with PowerPoint slides as students listen and view slides.
4. Looking at various lyrics and corresponding slides, discuss the possible connections between the two.
5. Have the class sing the song, using song sheets but without using slides.

Closure Activity: Have students sing the song using the PowerPoint slides and the lyrics on the song sheet.