My First Adventure | Passion for Life | Perils of Cupid
Young Indy Home
While visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris, nine-year-old Indy meets young Norman Rockwell. Norman offers to show Indy the "real" artists' quarter in Paris, and the two set off on an adventure in Montmartre. In a bohemian café, they find themselves caught up in a humorous scheme of the brash young artist Pablo Picasso to prove to the aging Edgar Degas that Picasso can paint as well as Degas. The boys are invited to the famous banquet at Picasso's studio in honor of Henri Rousseau, and along the way they learn what Cubism is all about.
A year later, Indy and his family meet Theodore Roosevelt, former President of the United States, who is on safari in British East Africa (now Kenya). Roosevelt is on an official expedition sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution to collect specimens for the National Museum in Washington. Indy befriends a Massai boy and learns about the ecology chain from a Massai elder. He helps locate a rare species of antelope that Roosevelt is seeking, but also learns how the enthusiasm for hunting causes the unnecessary slaughter of rare animals.
Key Topics: | “Art appreciation” lessons with iconic painters; lesson in environmental conservation while on safari with Teddy Roosevelt (this film can easily be divided into two separate lessons; each stands alone very well!) |
Historic People: | Theodore Roosevelt-- 26th President of the US, war hero, naturalist, explorer, author, and Nobel Prize recipient. |
DescriptorThe 26th President of the US who is respected as one of the most influential and progressive executives to ever hold office. A well-known naturalist, Roosevelt is remembered for preserving thousands of acres for National Parks & Forests. He is also viewed as the president who brought America into the 20th Century and made it a major player in world trade & politics. BooksDalton, Kathleen. Theodore Roosevelt, A Strenuous Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: Modern Library, 2002. Theodore Roosevelt's Diaries of Boyhood and Youth. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1928. Websites |
DescriptorSpanish painter and co-founder of cubism. Often regarded as one of the most recognizable painters of the twentieth century, Picasso's style forever changed the direction of art. His personal life is equally as fascinating and controversial as his art. BooksKarmel, Pepe. Picasso and the Invention of Cubism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. Richardson, John. A Life of Picasso Volume I: 1881-1906. New York: Random House, 1991. Richardson, John. A Life of Picasso Volume II: 1907-1917. New York: Random House, 1996. Websites |
DescriptorIconic American painter best known for his Saturday Evening Post cover illustrations that depicted everyday American life. Rockwell produced more than 4000 original works, most of which were destroyed or are currently in permanent collections. His most well-known illustrations include: BooksClaridge, Laura Norman Rockwell, A Life. New York: Random House, 2001. Finch, Christopher. Norman Rockwell's America. New York: Harry M. Abrams, 1985. Websites |
DescriptorFrench painter and sculptor who was a founder of Impressionism. Degas is best known for his paintings of dancers and dancing, but was skilled at capturing modern life. His most famous paintings include: BooksCarandente, Giovanni Degas. New York: Avenel Books, 1979. Boggs, Jean Sutherland. Artists in Focus: Degas. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1996. Websites |
DescriptorAs our planet continues to grow and flourish, humans tirelessly innovate and develop technology. Too often we ignore the consequences of progress and damage the very planet we call home. Whether it's destroying an ecosystem or expanding the hole in the Ozone layer, we have a duty to understand our planet and try to save it. BooksPonting, Clive A Green History of the World. New York: Penguin Books, USA Inc., 1991. Fifty Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth. Ashland, OR: Earthworks Press, 1989. Websites |
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Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section. |
Below you will find information about each documentary that supplements Passion for Life.
Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century![]() | Known during his time as "the American Lion," Theodore Roosevelt led the U.S. into the 20th Century. He was the first president to travel abroad, the first to travel on an airplane -- a grandiose figure of huge personality, Roosevelt led enough life and followed enough passions for five lifetimes. One of his many legacies is the move towards conserving the nation's abundant natural resources for future generations. Produced and Written by David O'Dell. |
Ecology: Pulse of the Planet![]() | As far as we know, planet Earth stands alone as a cradle of life in the universe. Ecological efforts strive to protect the balance that fosters that life. In this documentary, see the important role humans play as stewards of the planet's health, correcting the mistakes of the past century, with specific examples from northern California. Produced and Written by David O'Dell. |
American Dreams: Normal Rockwell & The Saturday Evening Post![]() | Perhaps no artist came to capture the optimistic spirit of America in the first half of the 20th Century better than Norman Rockwell. In an era before television became the mass medium that united the nation, Americans turned to the pages of The Saturday Evening Post to learn about themselves and the world abroad. Facing them on the covers of the most popular issues was a perfectly frozen picture of Americana captured by Rockwell. And yet for all his achievements, he never took comfortably to the label "artist." Produced and Written by Mark Page. |
Art Rebellion: The Making of the Modern![]() | Paris in the last half of the 19th Century was a city on the move. It was a modern metropolis expanding into the future, with electric lights and steel towers. And yet its art was just as staid as it had been for the past 300 years. None of energy and innovation was translated onto the backwards-looking canvas. But some passionate young artists were about to rise up in revolt, to express an edgy new personal vision that would forever change art and the way we see the modern world. Produced and Written by Mark Page. Running Time: (0:26:06) |
Edgar Degas: Reluctant Rebel![]() | Among the ranks of fed-up young artists reshaping the world of modern art was Edgar Degas. At the heart of the movement, Degas stood alone as coming from an aristocratic and wealthy family, unlike his more earthy compatriots. Yet he still managed to shock the art world by observing and painting his fellow Parisians in everyday life. His work with the female nude was particularly striking and scandalous, as he never posed his subjects as "classical artists" would. Political and socially conservative, Degas would nonetheless be branded as a rebel for his landmark works. Produced and Written by Mark Page.Produced and Written by Sharon Wood. |
Braque & Picasso: A Collaboration Cubed![]() | Enthusiasts of maverick artist Pablo Picasso will readily credit him and him alone for envisioning the bold new form of cubism, but a much quieter yet no less integral artist deserves equal mention. George Braque and Pablo Picasso enjoyed a close, collaborative relationship fueled by competitiveness, as each of their new works served as inspiration for the next great achievement. This documentary examines the relationship between Picasso and Braque and the remarkable outcome of their collaboration. Produced and Written by Mark Page. |
Disclaimer: All resources (including books and websites) provided on indyintheclassroom.com are intended to be used by educators. Indyintheclassroom.com is not responsible for the content on linked websites.
Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section. |
Below are current event articles that relate to events, topics, and people found in Passion for Life.
In the wealthy world, improving the energy system generally means increasing the central supply of reliable, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly power and distributing it through the power grid. Across most of the planet, though, simply providing new energy sources to the millions who are without electricity and depend on burning wood or kerosene for heat and light would open up new opportunities.
If you had to guess what part of the the U.S. has the very worst air pollution–where winds and topography conspire with fumes from gasoline-chugging vehicles to create an aerial cesspool–places like Los Angeles, Atlanta and as of late, Salt Lake City, would probably pop to mind. The reality may come as a bit of a surprise. According to the Environmental Protection agency, California’s bucolic San Joaquin Valley is “home of the worst air quality in the country.” Not coincidentally, the San Joaquin Valley is also the most productive agricultural region in the world and the top dairy-producing region in the country. Heavy duty-diesel trucks constantly buzz through the valley, emitting 14 tons of the greenhouse gas ozone daily, and animal feed spews a whopping 25 tons of ozone per day as it ferments, according to a 2010 study. In addition, hot summertime temperatures encourage ground-level ozone to form, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Pollution also streams down from the Bay Area, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east help to trap all of these pollutants near the valley floor. Particulate matter that creates the thick greyish-brown smog hanging over the valley is of paramount concern–it’s been linked to heart disease, childhood asthma and other respiratory conditions.
Climate change, believed to have contributed to the decline of the Ottoman Empire (PDF) when drought forced villagers into a nomadic life in the late 16th century, is once again having an adverse affect on the Middle East. Precipitation has dropped off and temperatures have climbed for the past 40 years, with conditions growing especially severe in the last decade. A 2012 Yale study (PDF) showed that a drought from 2007 to 2010 so seriously stunted agriculture in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins that hundreds of thousands of people fled Iran, eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
Fourteen endangered Borneo pygmy elephants have recently been found dead in a Malaysian forest, presenting a mystery for wildlife officials and conservationists. The recent deaths highlight the vulnerable status of the species, which now numbers about 1,500 animals. Scientists don't know how many pygmy elephants previously existed on the island, although it's likely the population wasn't much higher than it is today, said Barney Long, head of Asian species conservation at WWF-US. This week Malaysian authorities discovered a group of elephant carcasses close together in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, located in the northeastern corner of Borneo (map), a Southeast Asian island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
The amount of fresh water consumed for world energy production is on track to double within the next 25 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects. And even though fracking—high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations for natural gas and oil—might grab headlines, IEA sees its future impact as relatively small. By far the largest strain on future water resources from the energy system, according to IEA's forecast, would be due to two lesser noted, but profound trends in the energy world: soaring coal-fired electricity, and the ramping up of biofuel production
Boxed and wrapped in paper and bows, teddy bears have been placed lovingly underneath Christmas trees for generations, to the delight of tots and toddlers around the world. But the teddy bear is an American original: Its story begins with a holiday vacation taken by President Theodore Roosevelt. By the spring of 1902, the United Mine Workers of America were on strike, seeking shorter workdays and higher wages from a coal industry that was suffering from oversupply and low profits. The mine owners had welcomed the strike because they could not legally shut down production; it gave them a way to save on wages while driving up demand and prices.
“Bull!” said Kerry Emanuel, an atmospheric scientist at MIT. Jim Anderson of Harvard University was showing him some weird data he had collected. Since 2001, Anderson and his team had been studying powerful thunderstorms by packing instruments into repurposed spy planes and B-57 bombers, among the only planes capable of flying into the storms “without having their wings ripped off,” Anderson said. To his puzzlement, the instruments detected surprisingly high concentrations of water molecules in the stratosphere, the usually drier-than-dust uppermost layer of the atmosphere. They found the water over thunderstorms above Florida, and they found it over thunderstorms in Oklahoma—water as out of place as a dolphin in the Sahara.
Over the past few years, one of the most difficult pieces of evidence to fit into the climate change puzzle has been ice melt. Although the amount of ice covering the Arctic has clearly decreased over time, climate change skeptics have pointed to inconsistent findings on Antarctic ice as proof that the atmosphere isn’t really warming.
When he was born he had such a sleepy disposition his parents named him Goyahkla—He Who Yawns. He lived the life of an Apache tribesman in relative quiet for three decades, until he led a trading expedition from the Mogollon Mountains south into Mexico in 1858. He left the Apache camp to do some business in Casa Grandes and returned to find that Mexican soldiers had slaughtered the women and children who had been left behind, including his wife, mother and three small children. “I stood until all had passed, hardly knowing what I would do,” he would recall. “I had no weapon, nor did I hardly wish to fight, neither did I contemplate recovering the bodies of my loved ones, for that was forbidden. I did not pray, nor did I resolve to do anything in particular, for I had no purpose left.”
On October 14, 1912, just after eight o’clock in the evening, Theodore Roosevelt stepped out of the Hotel Gilpatrick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and into an open car waiting to take him to an auditorium where he would deliver a campaign speech. Although he was worn out and his voice nearly gone, he was still pushing hard to win an unprecedented third term in the White House. He had left politics in 1909, when his presidency ended. But his disappointment in the performance of William Howard Taft, his chosen successor, was so great that in 1912 he formed the National Progressive Party (better known as the Bull Moose Party). He was running against Taft and the Republicans, the Democrats’ Woodrow Wilson and the Socialist ticket headed by Eugene Debs.
Disclaimer: All resources (including books and websites) provided on indyintheclassroom.com are intended to be used by educators. Indyintheclassroom.com is not responsible for the content on linked websites.
Copyright: All images on Indyintheclassroom.com are used with permission or are in the public domain. Exceptions are noted. For additional information see our Copyright section. |

My First Adventure | Passion for Life | Perils of Cupid
Young Indy Home