Lesson Overview
Fur trading after the United State's Louisiana Purchase together with the wonderment of the vast land called many to come experience, preserve, and share the way of life of the west. Alfred Jacob Miller was one of those who had a "chance of a lifetime" opportunity to go westward. A Narrow Escape  is one of the images that look back into a moment in time that we cannot experience first hand. We all have our own "chance of a life time" experiences that affect us. We know it can affect others that allow them to be caught up with what is being shared.

Art Exemplar
Title: A Narrow Escape
Artist: Alfred Jacob Miller (1810-1874)
Medium: oil on board
Date: 1837?

Objectives
• Students will make inferences of what they view in the oil painting A Narrow Escape, by Alfred Jacob Miller, and combine it with the knowledge of the fur trading/mountain men of the 1800s by participating in a group discussion.
• Students will use the ideas that were shared in the discussion of A Narrow Escape to create a historical narrative/account of the experience being depicted.
• Students will use a time they were afraid or fearful to create a personal narrative of that event.
• Students will share their own fearful moment by creating a painting of the event they have experienced.
• Students will relate their personal narrative to their painting of the same event by reading and displaying them for the class
Procedure
1. In pairs or small groups, students will have a list of reasons why a person would like to go see a place, even though they can only read about the place or hear about the place from others who have been there. Share and record the reasons the groups came up with.
2. The teacher will lead the students in a discussion, that to record the new frontier, you needed to write it down and/or bring back images. While Miller was living in New Orleans, a busy port, he learned of the west from those making a living from the frontier. Miller was asked to be the artist on an expedition. This is his chance to see what he has heard of.
3. Alfred Jacob Miller 1810-1874.
4. The students will view the painting A Narrow Escape. In small groups or with partners, have the students talk about who they believe might be in the painting. They will see the fur trappers in the foreground and the Native Americans on horseback in the background. Depending on how the class is able to view the image will impact their responses of who could be in the background.
5. The class is asked: what is meant by the title, A Narrow Escape. Ask who in the painting is being referred to as having "a narrow escape." Why do you think the men are hiding? What might make someone go after someone else?
6. An artist is telling us something about the people, the setting, and the problem.In your groups, partners, or individually create an explanation to go with the painting. They need to include who, what, when, where, why. They can write down the explanation on paper given by the teacher. Share the ideas with the whole class.
Activities
1. Bring up the question of the emotion that is being shown. The emotion of being afraid will come up. That is the one that will be the theme of their production piece
2. The students are going to write their own narrative about a time they were either scared or frightened. Maybe they have a fear or phobia. They need to share one Template. You may need to help with thinking of a time that was fearful. They will make sketches of that time or fear.
3. Then the students will need to choose one sketch they would like to use for their painting. They will create a watercolor painting. Students will be shown techniques in the use of watercolor. They will use the techniques that would be best for the student's piece.
4. Use A Narrow Escape to focus on the artist wanting you to feel the situation by pulling your eye and mind into the painting by the use of the foreground and background elements.
5. Students will need to create a personal narrative about their frightening time. Bring up the comparision that the writing process is like an artist's process. The first draft or sketches are not meant to be perfect the first time. You just want the final draft or production piece to be the best that it can be. Remind students they need to lead readers through their writing.
Conslusion
1. We all have fears, and scary times happen to us in our lives.
   Display the paintings and narratives.
Related Activities
1. Social Studies
1. Have your classroom experience a barter system at your own rendezvous.
2. Invite a "mountain man" presenter to your school.
3. Learn of the changes that happened with the Native Americans.
4. Have students think of the pros and cons of being a fur trader and trapper during this era.
5. Research fur traders and trappers.
2. Language Arts
1. Students write about their own feelings
3. Visual Arts
1. You can have the students write and create paintings about their ‘first.”
   Their first loose tooth, first bike, first day of school are a few ideas.
2. Find more work by Alfred Jacob Miller.
3. Research fur traders and trappers.