Describing Images Model Two: Social Studies and Art History

Images can be used in different contexts to convey or illustrate very different points. In social studies, for example, images often give students a sense of people, places, and events. The image below could be used in a 5th grade social studies class to show how George Washington led his men across the Delaware River at the turning point of the American Revolution. Alternatively, it could be used in a 9th grade art history class to illustrate composition techniques. By highlighting the features that teachers wish to emphasize, image descriptions can make image content accessible for learners with visual processing challenges, and can also increase learning for all students.

Learning Goal ALT-Tag longdesc Grade 5 Social Studies: Students will understand events that served as turning points in the American Revolution. Painting of George Washington on a horse This painting depicts George Washington on a white horse, looking back at his troops crossing the Delaware River on a freezing winter night, December 25, 1776. Under cover of darkness, the crossing placed Washington in a position to launch a surprise attack on British and Hessian mercenaries encamped at Trenton.       Grade 9 Art History: Students will understand how painters use the triangle as a basis for composition. Painting of George Washington on a horse The 19th century artist, George S. Lang, uses three strong images to keep the eye circulating within the painting. In the center of the image he has placed George Washington astride his white horse, in front of a stark, scraggly tree. Washington's soldiers and the freezing cold Delaware river are off to the sides of the painting.