Grant Wood’s painting, The American Gothic (1930) is an iconic image of the 20th Century. It was inspired by a gothic revival house in rural Eldon, Iowa and painted as a tribute to hard working people during a difficult time in America’s history. This painting is a wonderful way to introduce social studies topics such as the life of rural America during the Great Depression, inspire language arts lessons as students look closely at this detailed piece of art for clues about the characters and their lifestyles, and learn art concepts as students consider the composition and structure of the painting. This kit will guide you through a series of activities full of digital media to enrich, enhance, and engage students. Each activity helps students make new discoveries about life in America as they explore the American Gothic.

1. Discovering
America
with the
American
Gothic

2. Answer the following questions before you start drafting the contents for your tool kit. These
questions are designed to outline the foundation of your tool kit.
1. Who is your target audience (grades)?
Elementary (k-5)
2. What is your theme?
To learn about art, the artist, communities, storytelling,
and social issues while studying
The American Gothic by Grant Wood
Remember:
Create something timeless and clearly state your call to action. And, you MUST secure approval from
PBS on this page before continuing development of your kit.

3. Standards
Standards
Visual Arts
2. Knows how to use structures (e.g., sensory qualities, organizational principles,
expressive features) and functions of art
3. Knows a range of subject matter, symbols, and potential ideas in the visual arts
4. Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
Theater
2. Uses acting skills
Social Studies
Topic 1 - Living and Working Together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago
1. Understands family life now and in the past, and family life in various places long ago
2. Understands the history of a local community and how communities in North America varied long ago
Language Arts
8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
9. Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media

4. Media Description Link
Digital Image American Gothic, Painting, by Grant Wood, 1930, Art Institute of Chicago Art Institute Webpage , Only image.
Online Panorama This is an flash html page that gives the viewers a panoramic trip to the art gallery at Virtual Field Trip to ART Institute of
the Art Institute that contains the original piece of art. Chicago
Website This website is for the house featured in the AM G with images and history American Gothic House Site
This video is a news report about the AM G when it was on exhibit in Iowa. It shows News Video from Iowa. (youtube)
Video
how important of a piece it is in pop culture and Iowa’s history.
Digital Image This is Wood’s sketch of the Gothic Revival style house used in the AM G Grant's Sketch of the house
This is the photo of Grant Wood’s sister Nan and Dentist. They are the models used the photo of subject
Digital Image
for The AM G painting.
The links contain my photo taken of God Bless America, by J. Stewart Johnson while My photo on Twitpic, Today in
Digital Images, installed at the Chicago. (No longer there~ was reassembled recently in Indiana-see Pictures~reassembly in progress
blog post ABC’s today in pictures image) and a link to a Blog post about the scupture. This
Blog post
Scupture is based on the Am G painting.
I made this video to show how to make a digital version of the American Gothic using Digital spoof tutorial
Video, Digital photos of students, green screen, and the original house image. This demo is in
Image Keynote software on a Mac. (Other software alternatives include Gimp, Fireworks,
Original House Image
Photoshop Elements, and Aviary.
Video, webpage 30 second Animoto video showing spoofs of the American Gothic I collected online Animoto Video of Spoofs More
and a link to other spoofs collected on a website. spoofs
Handout, student This is a classroom teacher handout that gives students a start on their spoof of the spoof starter handout student
examples American Gothic. Link to student examples of finished artwork. examples
Surviving the Dustbowl PBS Video (use chapter 3, 12mins long) to provide
Video PBS video
background info for what life was like for farmers during the 1930’s
A teacher resource lesson plan from American Experience site full of topics and links Role of Government and the New
Lesson Plan to video segments to help students understand the conditions in America during the
Deal
1930’s which is when American Gothic was painted.
Iowa’s Pathways, PBS website with videos to explain the life of farmers in Iowa during
Videos the 1930’s which will help students understand the characters in the American Gothic Overproduction leads to low prices.
since they were meant to be farm owners in Iowa.
Compare communities from satellite images using Google Maps. View the American American Gothic House
Google Maps Gothic House in rural Eldon, Iowa and The Chicago Art Institute in Urban Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
where the painting hangs.
Drawing handout Use this handout while students draw the American Gothic to help them map out the Handout, Student examples
3/4 pose and straightforward pose. This movie explains contour line drawing and
and video Drawing from Experience: Fugleflick
features the American Gothic.

5. Media Description Link
Martha Speaks website, funny photos game. You can choose a farm scene Funny Photos, PBS
Online Game
and make corrections to the mixed up images. PreK- early elementary.
Images, articles, Iowa’s Pathways, from Iowa Public TV provides many digital artifacts of Iowa farm life digital artifacts, IPTV.org
and videos farming life in the 1930’s. This link is for all 1930’s artifacts on the site.
Image Grant Wood, photo from Iowa’s Pathways. Grant wood lived in Iowa. IPTV image of Grant Wood
Present at the Creation Website featuring The American Gothic. This site
Website contains links to background information about the artist, models, and the NPR Grant Wood story
house used in the painting along with commentary on its role in pop culture.
This BrainPop Jr video explains rural, urban, and suburban communities to BrainPop Jr. Video, BrainPop Jr Online Game
Video, Game
early elementary audiences with an online game to reinforce concepts.
Build a Neighborhood game is from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood site. Choose Build a neighborhood game at PBS
Game
the suburban or rural. The other choices may confuse young students.
Images for These are images I created in Photoshop to quiz students on Rural, Urban, Download these images
download and Suburban. They can be downloaded with this link.
Website, online Corn King PBS website has articles about the film, a corn maze with Read this text about farming, maze game,
games farming facts, and a cornulator that helps calculate the cost of farming. cornulator (PBS Corn King Site)
American Gothic History Detectives Digital Game created in PPT and slideshare online or download)
Online Game
uploaded to Slideshare. This game reveals one “clue” at a time.
Play "I Spy" to practice looking at clues on the History Detectives Kids Site History Detectives Game, I Spy, History
Online Game,
and watch an episode to see them learning about history through art of from
video Detectives Episode featuring WPA art
the era of the American Gothic.
Farming in the 1930’s website with links to video interviews from people Farming in the 1930's Inflation Calculator
Websites who lived through the great depression & dust bowl on the farm. Inflation
calculator to help “translate” money. Dorothea Lange’s photos of that era. Dorothea Lange
Students can view the pitchfork design or motif in the first image. After they hunting for pitchforks image Traced pitchforks
Motif hunt for the hidden pitchforks in the painting they can view the second
(hint)
image to check if they were able to see the five most obvious pitchforks.
Video, image, These resources will help explain how farmers us a pitchfork, which is a short video of pitching hay, Kids at work,
wikipedia significant icon in American Gothic. pitchforks
(Mac Only) These Photo Booth custom effects will help students "enter" the painting of Download includes two effects and directions
Digital Media AG with directions for installation (for Mac only) to use with Photo Booth. for installation. Photo Booth custom effects
This Poster-Sized PDF is 25 color pages that when reassembled and
Print out (25 pgs) poster sized PDF of American Gothic
trimmed becomes the image of The American Gothic.
This song was written and performed by an art teacher about Grant Wood’s Song about American Gothic, by Greg Percy
Song
Painting, The American Gothic. Try writing a song about the AM Gothic Off the Charts Web Karaoke

6. Grant Wood’s painting, The American Gothic (1930) is an iconic image of the
20th Century. It was inspired by a gothic revival house in rural Eldon, Iowa and
painted as a tribute to hard working people during a difficult time in America’s
history.
This painting is a wonderful way to introduce social studies topics such as the
life of rural America during the Great Depression, inspire language arts lessons
as students look closely at this detailed piece of art for clues about the
characters and their lifestyles, and learn art concepts as students consider the
composition and structure of the painting.
This kit will guide you through a series of activities full of digital media to enrich,
enhance, and engage students. Each activity helps students make new
discoveries about life in America as they explore the American Gothic.

7. Topic Slide #
We Are History Detectives 8
The In-Depth Story 9
American Communities 10
American Gothic Spoof 11
American Gothic Creative Writing 12
American Gothic Digital Storytelling 13
Is That Why they Look Depressed? 14
The Hidden Pitchforks 15
American Gothic Sculpture Game 16
Drawing Conclusions 17
Technologies Used in this Toolkit 18
Suggestion for Certificate of Completion 19
Glossary 20
FAQs 21

8. We Are History Detectives
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Language arts: Students will look for clues in the painting, Elementary Print of American Gothic
American Gothic and use expressive words to describe what or this digital version, I Spy , this Hist. Detective
they see. Episode, Digital History Detectives Game
Offline version:
Materials:
Laminated print of Grant Wood's painting, American Gothic
4” X 6” Cards and Post-It Notes
Activity:
Cover the print with the 4” X 6” cards
Explain what detectives do.
Play "I Spy" to practice looking at clues at the History Detectives Kids Site. Then,
declare all the children have become detectives and it is their job to look at the
painting, The American Gothic, to search for clues and use descriptive words to tell
what they see. Instruct the children to use adjectives, not just a face but old, wrinkly,
sad, etc
Reveal portions of the painting and have them describe what they see when each
"clue" is exposed.
When the whole painting is uncovered ask open ended questions: Who are these
people?, Where do they live?, What are they doing? What tools are they holding? As
children answer ask them what clue they are using to answer the question.
Online version:
Use an interactive board or have students work in groups at computers
with this Digital History Detective Game. Advance the game with a play button below.
Ask students to use descriptive words every time a new ’clue’ is revealed. Play "I
Spy" to practice looking at clues at the History Detectives Kids Site.
Extension: Watch this episode of History Detectives of looking for clues in art
from WPA.

9. The In-Depth Story
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Visual Arts: Students examine the objects in the foreground, Elementary Print of American Gothic or this digital version, Am.GothHouse
middle ground, and background of The American Gothic to Site, Models for man, woman, and this interactive whiteboard
learn how they create depth as well as gathering activity file. Or three digital images, Fugleflick: Deep Space.
"background" information.
Online Activity:
Using a computer or interactive whiteboard:
1. Watch this tutorial
2. Follow the wiki's links for downloading and installing the interactive game
3. Go to slide two
4. Explain to students that you are looking at the actual gothic revival style house from the painting, Grant Wood's sister Nan who
posed for the woman, and Grant Wood's dentist, who posed for the man, and a pitchfork.
5. Challenge students to arrange, resize, and overlap the three elements until they've replicated the composition (or arrangement) of
this painting.
6. Have students identify the background (house), middle ground (figures), and foreground (pitchfork) and overlapping.
7. Ask students to explain what Grant Wood did to create a sense of depth. (He used size differences, placement on the picture plane,
and overlapping) Watch this student-made video about depth, Deep Space.
Alternative to downloading interactive game:
Grab these three digital images,
add them to your interactive software.
Offline version of this interactive game:
1. Print these three digital images
2. Cut out the figures and pitchfork
3. Ask students to layer the paper images

10. American Communities
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Social Studies: Students explore Early Elementary Print of American Gothic or this digital version,
urban, rural, and suburban These images of AM in different communities.
communities using the painting, BrainPop video on Urban, Suburban, Rural and the drag and drop game. Build a
American Gothic. neighborhood online game. Corny Corn Maze? game-maze w/ questions about farming.
Corn King site. Cornulator. American Gothic House google earth
Online Activity:
1. Watch this BrainPop Jr Video to learn the definitions of Urban, Rural, and Suburban.
2. Play this BrainPop Jr. Game (individual computers or together on an interactive whiteboard)
3. Quiz students by showing them these images of the American Gothic Painting. Ask students to label each one either, urban, suburban, or
rural and explain why.
4. Play this online game from Mister Roger's Neighborhood site together on the interactive board or on computers to build a
neighborhood. Ask students if they created a rural, urban, or suburban neighborhood (hint: choose farm or house others two choices are not
very clear).
5. Farming: Read this text from Corn King site. Play Corny Corn Maze. This game is from the Corn King film about the industry of corn. Your
students will have to work through a maze and answer questions about farming.
6. Explore the cornulator to calculate how much it costs a farmer to grow corn.
7. Compare communities from satellite images using Google Maps. View the American Gothic House in rural Eldon, Iowa and Art Institute of
Chicago in Urban Chicago where the painting hangs.
8. What type of community do you live in? Look at google earth to see your community.

11. American Gothic Spoof
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Visual art and Pop Culture: Elementary Print of American Gothic or this digital version, Video of American Gothic Spoofs from
Students will create their Pop Culture. More images of spoofs. This News Video. The house from the original
own spoof from Grant painting. This spoof starter handout. This spoof-o-matic interactiveboard game. (last
Wood's American Gothic slide of presentation-need to read wiki instructions) See also finished student examples.
Digital spoof tutorial
Online Activity:
1. View Grant Wood's American Gothic
2. View spoofs or parodies of his work in
this video or the images found on this site
3. View God Bless America
4. Choose one image and discuss:
What did the artist change?
What did the artist keep the same?
Did this change the meaning of artwork?
Technology Activity:
1. Set up a "green screen" area of the room (roll paper or sheet)
2. Photograph students posing as if in the American Gothic.
3. Use photoshop elements or Keynote (instant alpha) to erase the "green"
background. View my tutorial online.
4. Layer the student photo over the original house photo.
Art-making Activity:
1. Students brainstorm their own spoof idea.
2. They can use the spoof-o-matic to help them.
3. And this handout to get them started. See finished student examples.

12. American Gothic Creative Writing
Objective Grade Media Resources
Level
Language Arts: Students will use images of the Elementary Print of American Gothic or this digital version.
American Gothic, God Bless America or their own Photo of God Bless America, being re-assembled. Photo of God
spoof as a writing prompt for creative writing. Bless America in Chicago, Off the Charts Web Karaoke
Activity:
1. View these three images:
• Grant Wood's American Gothic Painting
• The Sculpture based on American Gothic called,
God Bless America (assembled in Chicago)
• This photo taken of the sculpture during re-assembly
2. Ask students to pick one and consider these questions to
prompt a creative writing piece:
What would they be saying to each other right now?
What just happened moments before?
What will be happening later?
What is happening beyond the edges of our view?
What are they thinking?
Short activity:
Write a caption for an image.
Example: You've lost your head again Martha, but this
time you've gone too far and lost some of your torso too.
Musical Activity:
Try writing a song about this painting using
Off the Charts Web Karaoke

13. American Gothic Digital Storytelling
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Language Arts: Students will use a custom effect for Elementary Print of American Gothic or this digital version.
Photo Booth on their Mac computers to become the face Download the custom Photo Booth effect (Mac only) for both the
and voice of each of the characters in American Gothic boy, and girl with directions for installation here View the test video.
by Grant Wood. Panorama poster sized PDF of American Gothic
Activity:
1. Download and Install the custom Photo Booth Effects (this zip file contains both a
girl effect and boy effect with directions for installation on your machine). This is only for
Mac with Photo Booth 2.0 and above.
2. Have students write a script/story for what one of the two characters.
Story ideas:
-Explain art concepts (i.e. "I am in the foreground since I'm close up and detailed."
-Speak about life on a farm in the 1930's (learn more at Iowa's Pathways Site)
-Describe life in the great depression (learn more at American Experience)
-Life on the walls of the Art Institute of Chicago (see this panorama)
-Use adjective to describe the painting (see History Detectives activity
3. When you have your stories complete, open up Photo Booth and turn
test your effect and audio. Set photo booth to video mode instead of still camera mode. Girl Effect=Your face replaces the
4. Begin recording with the red button and stop the same way. woman in the painting
5. The movie file will move to the shelf below the recording window.
You can click on it and play it back, delete, or drag it to your desktop to save and
rename. View my test video to get an idea of how this can look.
Offline Activity:
1. Print out this poster sized PDF of the American Gothic.
2. Trim edges, reassemble and glue to a large sheet of cardboard
(your poster will be approximately 3.5 feet wide and 4.3 feet high)
3. Cut out one or both faces.
4. Have students replace the face with their own
5. Video tape the results
Boy Effect=Your face replaces the
man in the painting

14. Is that why they look Depressed?
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Social Studies: Students will explore life in Elementary The Great Depression/American Experience The Great Depression
America during the great depression through Hits Farms and Cities in the 1930s Photo Gallery on Am.
The American Gothic (1930), by Grant Wood Experience Overproduction Inflation Calculator Farm Life in 30s
Activity:
1. View this video from Iowa’s Pathway’s to see how overproduction lead to lower prices. Corn prices dropped from 70ç per bushel
to as low as 10ç per bushel.
2. Use this Inflation Calculator to help students understand what the value of 10ç and 70ç meant to people living in the 1930’s.
3. View the photo gallery on American Experience showing images from the Dust Bowl with captions.
4. Learn about farm life in the 1930’s from LivingHistoryFarm.org
Explore this page about farm children of the 30’s and their chores.
Watch this video of Millie Opitz recall her childhood experience.
Art Extension: View the photographs of Dorothea Lange, photo-journalist of the depression era America.

15. The Hidden Pitchforks
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Visual arts: Students will explore the painting, Elementary Use this image of The American Gothic, Kids at
American Gothic, to search for the pitchfork motif. work , short video showing farmer pitching
hay, Image with traced pitchforks
Activity:
Sometimes artists use motifs in their artwork
when they repeat a pattern or design through
out the painting. Grant Wood created a motif
from the pitchfork. Can you find any "hidden"
pitchforks in this painting?
Online Version:
1. Project the image of American Gothic onto
your interactive whiteboard using this link.
2. Choose "Open in Image Editor"
3. Choose paintbrush (resize and choose color)
4. Have students take turns tracing a hidden
pitchfork. Look closely (my students say there
are over a dozen in this painting)
5. Hint: Click here to view some pitchforks.
Offline Version:
1. Make photocopies of this image
2. Have students break into groups and hunt for
the pitchfork motif
Extension: Why pitchforks? See a pitchfork in
action. Read how kids helped out on the farm.

16. American Gothic Sculpture Game
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Visual arts and Drama: Elementary Use this image of The American Gothic, Photo
Students use their bodies and imaginations to create of God Bless America, being re-assembled in Indiana
"sculpture" in the style of The American Gothic. and this Photo of God Bless America in Chicago,
Song about American Gothic, by Greg Percy
Activity:
Begin by viewing this image of The American Gothic,
and the God Bless America Sculpture.
Discuss the similarities and differences.
1. Get into groups of THREE.
One person is the ARTIST.
The other two are lumps of CLAY
2. The Artist has to “MOLD” the two lumps of clay until they are in the
LIKENESS of the characters from American Gothic.
3. The Clay has to FREEZE in the pose that the artist created. When
time is up... all the artists can look around
and admire the SCULPTURES.
4. Switch ROLES and try again.
Extra: Use this song about American Gothic, by Greg Percy while
students “sculpt”
Optional Activity:
1. Assign a student photographer to capture the sculptures before they
“unfreeze”.
2. Use these photos to make your digital american gothic (see
technology spoof activity)
3. Watch this tutorial to see how

17. Drawing Conclusions
Objective Grade Level Media Resources
Visual arts: Students will create a contour line figure Elementary Use this image of The American Gothic,
drawing with a 3/4 pose and straight-forward pose base on Drawing from Experience: Fugleflick about contour line drawing.
the American Gothic. Song about American Gothic, by Greg Percy, Handout for
drawing faces. Student examples
Activity:
Students will create a contour line drawing based on The American Gothic painting by Grant
Wood focusing on correct size and placement of the features of the face in both the 3/4 pose
and straightforward pose.
1. Use this handout to help students map out the two poses, 3/4 pose and straightforward pose
2. Show this short video defining contour line drawing.
3. Pass out paper and ask student to start by lightly sketching two ovals,
(The left is lower than the right.)
4. Students lightly draw the mapping lines (red lines in handout)
3/4 pose
5. Add details.
6. Trace the details with black marker
7. Erase all the mapping lines.
8. View student examples
for inspiration.
Optional:
Play Greg Percy’s song
Straightforward pose
about the American
Gothic while the students
are drawing.

18. • Interactive
Whiteboard
w/projector
mirroring
computer
• Photo Booth
(mac) with
webcam
• Flip Video
Camera

19. C E RT I F I C AT E
of COMPLETION
This certifies that
_______________________
Has successfully Discovered America with the
AMERICAN GOTHIC
painting by Grant Wood
DATE SECRETARY
Design a Certificate with participant’s own American Gothic photo as the background

20. Word Definition
Motif is a repeated idea, pattern, image, or theme. Visual motifs are a language to communicate visual ideas
Composition composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art
Foreground the portion of a scene nearest to the viewer
Middle-ground
Background the ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear
Overlapping extend over and cover a part of
3/4 pose and Straight- the three-quarter pose reduced the barrier between sitter and viewer, bringing the two into eye contact.
forward pose The new frontal gaze opened the door to portraiture that explored character as well as appearance.
(February 13, 1891 – February 12, 1942) was an American painter, born in Anamosa, Iowa. He is best
Grant Wood known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic,
an iconic image of the 20th century.
Regionalism Regionalist art was widely appreciated for its reassuring images of the American heartland.
Gothic Revival The Gothic Revival style imitated the great cathedrals and castles of Europe. The house in American
Architecture Gothic features a church window in the attic.
is a work created to comment on an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by
Spoof/Parody
means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation.
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World
The Great Depression
War II.
s an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines (also called
Pitchfork
prongs) used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material, such as hay
was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American in the
The Dust Bowl 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by severe drought coupled with decades of extensive farming
without crop rotation.

21. 1. Do I have to be an art teacher to use this kit?
Not at all. Actually this kit was designed to cover a variety of subjects
areas. The activities are jam-packed full of links to guide you through
the content with confidence.
2. Do I have to use an interactive whiteboard to use these activities?
No, but having an interactive whiteboard is a great tool for engaging the
whole class through a digital activity. If you have a projector/screen
connected to your computer, you can create more participation from
your class by purchasing a wireless keyboard, tablet, or clicker that
students can access from their seats to navigate through the websites.
3. Is using digital media to teach really this simple?
Yes! Check out PBS.org/teachers/ to find interactive games, videos,
and online content to enrich your lessons.