This watercolor painting by scientist and artist Jill Pelto uses Arctic sea ice data to illustrate the effects of its critical decline.
This painting helps students understand how arctic foxes are struggling to cope with habitat degradation due to the rapid warming in the Arctic.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The resource transforms scientific data into meaningful artwork that students can explore.
This painting connects to various important concepts: animal migration, extinction, animal adaptation, group behavior, biodiversity loss, and Arctic ecosystem decline.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with line graphs.
Differentiation
In science and math classes, students could analyze and interpret the scientific data shown in this picture.
This image could be used as an exit ticket. The teacher could show it on the screen and ask students what emotions the watercolor evokes in them after learning about a relevant topic.
Art classes could use this as an example of line art or graphic symbolism.
This resource displays the influence of extreme temperatures on the Arctic Sea, creating changes in the species' habitat and making response difficult. Although data needs to be updated, this resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.
Visual & Performing Arts
Visual Arts: Standard 7 - Perceiving and analyzing products.
1.5.8.Re7b: Compare and contrast cultural and social contexts of visual arts and how they influence ideas and emotions.
1.5.12acc.Re7b: Evaluate the effectiveness of visual artworks to influence ideas, feelings, and behaviors of specific audiences.
Visual Arts: Standard 8 - Interpreting intent and meaning.
1.5.12prof.Re8a: Interpret an artwork or collection of works, supported by relevant and sufficient evidence found in the work and its various contexts.
Visual Arts: Standard 11 - Relating artistic ideas and works within societal, cultural, and historical contexts to deepen understanding.
1.5.8.Cn11a: Analyze and contrast how art forms are used to represent, establish, reinforce and reflect group identity and culture.
Science
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
