Pre-Visit Observation and Conversation ExerciseSecondary Impressions

Skills you use at the museum

Skills you use in the classroom will help you observe, enjoy and understand art

Deep looking and making observations You will have lots of time to look and collect visual

information about artworks and galleries

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills You will make interpretations about what you see in artworks You might think about what an object was used for, the style

of the artwork, or the story or message that is being communicated in the artwork

Citing Evidence Interpretations you make may be influenced by details you

see in the painting, things you have learned in the classrooms, or things you have experienced in your life

Practice: Deep looking and making observations

Choose one of these images, take a moment to look, then…

Make as many observations as you can List everything you see

Practice: Problem Solving

Take a deeper look and make some interpretations…

What story is being depicted here? What message is the artist trying to communicate?

Practice: Citing Evidence

Think about the interpretations you just made…

What do you see that makes you say that?

Post-Visit Extension Exercises

Continue to look, observe, and think critically:

Consider a space

Consider artworks

Consider your textbook

Inventory a space in your school:

It could be: A wall of your classroom A part of the library The cafeteria

Ask yourself: What’s going on in this space? How would you describe it? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? How do the images and the arrangement of the objects give

the space a certain feeling or mood? What messages are communicated to the students using the

space?

Use your notes from your Pre-Visit Observations and Conversations to write about these images:

You may choose to use:● Expository writing● Persuasive writing● Narrative writing

Expository Writing Ideas:

A letter to the artist Tell him or her your reactions to this artwork and what

questions you still have.

Be a reporter Write a news article that records what has happened in this

image.

Compare and contrast Write about what these images share, and how each is

unique.

Persuasive Writing Ideas:

A critical review of the artwork Is this a successful artwork? Persuade your reader why or

why not?

An advertisement for the artwork Use persuasive language to convince your friends or family

to go see this artwork.

Narrative Writing Ideas:

Make a storyboard with images and written captions Think about what is happening now in the image, what

happened just before, and what will happen next?

Give it a title Explain how your title relates to and informs the viewer

about what is going on in the image.

Find images that are exciting and confusing in your texts:

Preview the next chapter in your textbook. Look only at images and ask yourself:

Which images make you say “Whoa!” Which images make you say “Huh?”

Use these images as entry points for a class discussion about what the theme or key messages of your next unit of study might be.

Image Attributions

Sylvia Plimack Mangold , American , b. 1938 Ruler Reflection, 19772010.43

Paul Gauguin , French , 1848-1903 Faaturuma (Melancholic), 189138-5