Marianne Manasse, Farm Workers on the Back of a Truck. Oil on Masonite, 24 x 30 inches. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
Joseph Raffael, The Next Step. Oil on canvas, 50 x 32 inches. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
Eve Sussman, The Wolf in Tempelhof. Chromogenic print, 39 1/2 x 49 inches. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
English Language Arts
Grade 2
1: A Season for Chapters
3 30-minute lessons
main idea
How does asking questions help me learn more about a text or artwork?
I can ask questions starting with who, what, where, when, why, and how to better understand a text.
I can identify who, what, where, when, why, and how after reading a text.
I can have a conversation with others by being an active listener and building off of another person’s thoughts and ideas.
Review what being an active listener is and what it looks like.
Put the blank chart paper up with “who/what/where/why/when/how.”
Discuss and define each vocabulary word, filling out the chart.
After definitions are acquired, put up the other chart paper grid.
Show class one of the artwork images. Discuss what the class sees and notices using VTS:
As necessary, ask open-ended followup questions to flesh out details of the artwork’s setting and subjects. Some example questions might be:
Fill out the chart based on their responses to the image.
Repeat the process for the other two images, then talk about how looking closely at each picture can help us answer all of these question words. Every artwork answers these questions in different ways, and each question can have more than one answer.
Returning to one of the works of art, discuss how the picture could change if one of the elements—who, what, where, when, why, or how—changes.
Review anything new or interesting that was learned.
Review what being an active listener is and what it looks like.
Review the images and the chart with the students, then review the vocabulary and terms.
Introduce Grandpa and Bo by Kevin Henkes. Remind the students to be active listeners.
Inform the students that they will have an opportunity to talk with a partner and that after that they will work independently.
Read the story aloud, then have the students turn and talk about who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Come back as a whole class and provide feedback of what was noticed in partner conversations.
Review vocabulary and chart paper.
Review Grandpa and Bo and have students recall what they remember.
Pass out the graphic organizer.
Have students fill out the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of what they remember, but tell them that they will have a chance to continue filling in the graphic organizer as you re-read the story.
Re-read Grandpa and Bo and have students continue filling in the graphic organizer.
After reading, give the students an opportunity to share. Talk about different answers and encourage students to justify their answers, much like you did with the artwork you viewed on day 1.
Collect the graphic organizers.
Beyond Grade Level: For students that finish early, or have a solid foundation on these skills, they will have the opportunity to choose one picture and identify the characters, setting, and a back story.
Below Grade Level: For students who need additional re-teaching, give them personal copies of the book for them to see and reread. If students need more teacher direction, teacher can pull students in small groups to fill out graphic organizer together.
active listening/active listener, text, who, what, where, why, when, how
Marianne Manasse, Farm Workers on the Back of a Truck, 20th century. Oil on Masonite, 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76.2 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jan G. Milner, 1997.3.1. © Estate of Marianne Manasse. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Joseph Raffael, The Next Step, 1986. Oil on canvas, 50 x 32 inches (127 x 81.3 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. Gift of Richard Aron, 2008.18.1. © Joseph Raffael. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
Eve Sussman, The Wolf in Tempelhof from the film The Rape of the Sabine Women, 2005. Chromogenic print, 39 1/2 x 49 inches (100.3 x 124.5 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. Museum purchase, 2006.11.1. © Eve Sussman and The Rufus Corporation. Photo by Benedikt Partenheimer.