Author:
Connie Blomgren, Emily Metherel
Subject:
Arts and Humanities, Art History, Graphic Arts, Visual Arts
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
Upper Primary, Middle School
Grade:
4, 5, 6
Tags:
  • Annora Brown
  • Stamps
  • Wildflowers
  • annora-brown
  • stamps
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
    Language:
    English

    Annora Brown Postage Stamp

    Annora Brown Postage Stamp

    Overview

    This series of lessons provides an overview of what is a postage stamp and its history within Canada. Students then learn about the life and art of the Alberta artist Annora Brown. Nearly 200 of her wildflower paintings are held by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.

    Once students know more about stamps and the art of Annora Brown, they may create their own postage stamps. Secondly, they learn about writing persuasive letters and are asked to write to the Canada Post Office requesting a series of stamps based on the wildflower paintings of Annora Brown.

    Flower Stamp Designs

    Postage Stamps

    This resource from the USA Smithsonian Postal Museum is a helpful document. It provides lessons, handouts and worksheets as well as information about American stamp artists (i.e. download the entire Design It document). It is not a Creative Commons OER although they give permission for educators to use the resources. Lesson 3 is about designing a postage stamp which is the most helpful for the Annora Brown postage stamp lessons.

    https://postalmuseum.si.edu/design-it

     

    Canada's Post Office History

    See the chronology of the Canadian Postal system from the French and New France (1506 -1759) to its current status.

    https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cpm/chrono/chsmene.html

    And this website has a short video about Canadian stamps.

    https://www.historymuseum.ca/event/the-canadian-stamp-collection/

     

    Annora Brown - Art, Life & Legacy

    The Annora Brown Art, Life, and Legacy website has a video that provides an overview to the artist Annora Brown. There is also a powerpoint that provides similar information.

    https://annorabrown.ca/resource-education-development/

     

    The Glenbow Museum located in Calgary, Alberta has digitzed her paintings.  (Enter “Annora Brown” into Keywords/Phrase) and search for them here:

    http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/collectionsSearch.aspx

     

    What are postage stamps? What is the history of Canada's postage stamps? What  makes a good postage stamp?

    In this 2 part lesson you will learn the following:

    • what is a postage stamp
    • a brief history of stamps
    • how to design a postage stamp inspired by the flower painting of Annora Brown
    • how to write a persuasive letter asking  Canada post to create a series of stamps about Annora Brown and her art

     

    Persuasive Letter

    This lesson plan from NCTE Read/Write/Think prepares students to write a persuasive letter. A rubric for marking the letter is included in the NCTE resources.

    4 - 50 minute lessons are suggested - and students will write to Canada Post about Annora Brown and her paintings rather than writing to the state librarian as designed in  the lesson plan from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/dear-librarian-writing-persuasive-875.html?tab=1#tabs

    Your teacher will help you learn about the Canadian artist Annora Brown. Once you have a better understanding of who she was and the flower paintings she created, you will write a letter to Canada Post officials helping them to learn about Annora Brown and her flower paintings.

    In your letter, help them to see why a series of postage stamps inspired by her work would help all Canadians learn about Annora Brown and Canadian flowers.