Jackson Pollock in Action

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LESSON 10 TEACHER’S GUIDE Jackson Pollock in Action by Barbara Tillman Fountas-Pinnell Level S Biography Selection Summary Jackson Pollock pursued his passion for art in high school and at the Art Students League in New York. He studied the work of artists he admired and eventually developed his own style of abstract art.

Number of Words: 1,263

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Biography Text Structure • Narrative text organized in ﬁ ve short chapters. • Details help the reader understand the author’s purpose. Content • Abstract art • How Pollock became an artist • Reactions to an artist’s work Themes and Ideas • Artists can be inspired by their surroundings. • An artist’s work communicates his own thoughts, feelings, and ideas. • Abstract art appeals to some, but not all, viewers. Language and • Descriptive language Literary Features • Conversational tone Sentence Complexity • Longer complex sentence structures with embedded phrases and clauses • Sentences with parenthetical material Vocabulary • Many art terms, some of which might not be familiar, such as composition, mural, technique Words • Many multisyllable words some of them challenging, such as reservations, muralist, unattractive • Phonetic pronunciation provided Illustrations • Illustrations support text and add interest. Book and Print Features • Eleven pages of text with a timeline at the end • Table of contents with easy-to-read chapter headings • Captions and text box support text. © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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4_305707_OL_LRTG_L10_PollockinAction.indd 1 11/4/09 11:17:39 PM Jackson Pollock in Action by Barbara Tillman Build Background Help students use their knowledge of art, and in particular painting, to visualize the biography. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What types of paintings do you enjoy looking at? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Point out the chapter heads and the timeline. Tell students that this is a biography, so it describes events in a real person’s life, written by another person.

Introduce the Text Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions: Page 4: Explain that Jackson Pollock’s early experiences likely inspired his interest in art. Suggested Language: Pollock grew up near the Grand Canyon, which is shown in this photograph. Ask: What about the Grand Canyon might have inspired Pollock? Page 5: Tell students that Pollock moved to Los Angeles with his family. In Los Angeles, Pollock received permission to enter Manual Arts High School. Page 6: Tell students that next, Jackson went to study in New York. Have students look at the painting. At the Art Students League, Pollock studied the work of other artists as he searched for his own style. Ask: How would you describe Pollock’s style in this painting? Pages 8–9: Explain that several life changes helped Pollock ﬁ nd his own technique. Pollock fell in love and moved out to the country, where he enjoyed exploring nature. At a workshop, he began to drip paint onto canvas. Ask: How does Pollock’s technique differ from other that of other painters? Page 14: Explain that the timeline lists important events in Pollock’s life and career. Now turn back to the beginning of the biography and read to ﬁ nd out about the life and career of Jackson Pollock.

Target Vocabulary

border – a boundary or an edge, hauling – pulling or carrying, p. 5 toured – took a trip through a p. 4 mournful – sad and serious p. 7 place, p. 9 debut – a performer’s ﬁ rst public permission – being allowed to do towered – stood above experience, p. 5 something, p. 5 something else, p. 9 discouraged – feeling hopeless stubborn – lasting and not easily triumph – a victory or success, or disappointed, p. 4 changed, p. 5 p. 9

Grade 4 2 Lesson 20: Jackson Pollock in Action © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Remind students to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy and to think about the text and form an opinion about it.

Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite students to share their personal responses to the biography. Suggested language: Imagine that you are an art critic. What do you see, think, or feel when you look at Jackson Pollock’s paintings? Do you think that the critics who didn’t like his work were wrong? Why or why not?

Ways of Thinking As you discuss the text, help students understand these points: Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text • Jackson Pollock studied art in • Artistic expression is personal. • The style and color of the school and on his own. chapter headings fi ts with the • While an artist wants others theme of artistic expression. • Jackson Pollock noticed, and to like his work, he must fi rst was inspired by, the natural please himself. • The descriptive language helps world around him. the reader “see” what the author describes. • Jackson Pollock became known for his unique style of abstract • The author includes phonetic painting. pronunciations to help readers pronounce diffi cult names.

Choices for Further Support • Fluency Invite students to participate in a readers’ theater. Encourage them to use punctuation and content as signals for pausing, and to read at a pace that is appropriate to the text and purpose. • Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas. • Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that many longer words have Greek or Latin roots. The preﬁ x ad- in the word admired on page 6 is also a Latin word that means “to” or “toward.” Other words that use this preﬁ x include admiral, admit, addition, and additive.

Grade 4 3 Lesson 20: Jackson Pollock in Action © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

4_305707_OL_LRTG_L10_PollockinAction.indd 3 11/4/09 11:17:51 PM Writing about Reading

Critical Thinking Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 10.8.

Responding Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension Skill Author’s Purpose Remind students that they determine an author’s purpose for writing a selection by examining details from the text. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud On page 9, the author writes that Pollock sold ﬁ fteen oil paintings and several works on paper for between $25 and $750 at Peggy Guggenheim’s show. On page 11, she writes that an article in an art magazine mentioned Pollock along with Picasso, a very famous artist. These details support the author’s purpose of showing that Pollock was a great artist.

Practice the Skill Have students share their examples of another biography in which the author’s purpose was to show readers how important that person was.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts • The main purpose of this biography is to

______. • Which sentences from the biography show that moving to The Springs was good for Pollock and his work? • What can readers tell about the reaction to Pollock’s show from the ﬁ rst paragraph on page 12?

Grade 4 4 Lesson 20: Jackson Pollock in Action © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the biography softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind students that this selection describes a great artist who had a unique style.

Cultural Support The biography includes references to locations in the United States, such as the Grand Canyon and East Hampton, as well as events, such as the Great Depression. Provide background information for these locations and events to help students understand the purpose for each reference.

Oral Language Development Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student. Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced Speaker 1: Who is this biography Speaker 1: How is abstract art different Speaker 1: Who, or what, about? from realistic art? infl uenced Jackson Pollock as a painter? Speaker 2: Jackson Pollock Speaker 2: Abstract art focuses on form and colors instead of real things. Speaker 2: Painters such as Speaker 1: What did Jackson Pollock Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera like to do? Speaker 1: What is one way that infl uenced Pollock’s style. His Guggenheim helped Pollock? Speaker 2: paint wife, Lee Krasner, infl uenced how Speaker 2: She hosted his fi rst art show. he labeled his work. The natural Speaker 1: How did Jackson Pollock world also infl uenced his work. put paint on a canvas? Speaker 2: He dripped it.

Lesson 10 BLACKLINE MASTER 10.8 Name Date

Jackson Pollock in Critical Thinking Action Critical Thinking Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.

1. Think within the text What was special about Jackson Pollock’s ﬁ rst solo show at the Guggenheim Art Gallery? Pollock’s show was the fi rst solo show for an American at that gallery.

2. Think within the text Why did Harold Rosenberg call Pollock an “action painter”? He called Pollock an “action painter” to describe his energetic, moving presence as he painted. 3. Think beyond the text What other abstract artists or art have you seen or heard of? What is your opinion of this development in modern art? I have seen Rothko’s paintings. I like abstract art because I think it’s more interesting than realistic pictures.

4. Think about the text How does the author show that it might be hard to be an artist? The author explains that artists are reviewed by art crititcs, who can be harsh if they do not like the art. Museums also may reject new styles of art. Artists like Jackson Pollock work hard physically. Making Connections Pollock’s work was met with mixed reviews. What advice would you give an artist who got poor reviews?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

10_4_246253RTXEAN_L10_FR.indd 10 3/23/09 12:16:06 AM Grade 4 5 Lesson 20: Jackson Pollock in Action © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Thinking Beyond the Text Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

The author explains that Pollock’s gallery show received both positive and negative reviews. Why do you think this was the case? What might this say about Pollock’s artwork? What might it say about the art world in the 1940s?

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Jackson Pollock in Critical Thinking Action Critical Thinking Read and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What was special about Jackson Pollock’s ﬁ rst solo show at the Guggenheim Art Gallery?

2. Think within the text Why did Harold Rosenberg call Pollock an “action painter”?

3. Think beyond the text What other abstract artists or art have you seen or heard of? What is your opinion of this development in modern art?

4. Think about the text How does the author show that it might be hard to be an artist?

Making Connections Pollock’s work was met with mixed reviews. What advice would you give an artist who got poor reviews?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

44_305707_OL_LRTG_L10_PollockinAction.indd_305707_OL_LRTG_L10_PollockinAction.indd 7 77/28/09/28/09 44:13:34:13:34 PPMM 44_305707_OL_LRTG_L10_PollockinAction.indd 8 _ 3 0 5 7 0 7 _ O LEVEL Jackson PollockinAction Student L _ AftermovingtoLosAngelesin1928withhismotherandtwo 5 L Grade 4 Grade R © Houghton Publishing Harcourt Mifflin Company aeSlcinTx rosSelf-Corrections Errors SelectionText page T G _ Omission sentence, orphrase Repeated word, Read wordcorrectly L 1 0 _ P

eairCd Error Code Behavior o S l l o c Comments: He wasdetermined,evenstubborn,aboutbecominganartist. At ageeighteen,JacksonPollackdroppedoutofhighschool. League. Hehadartistictalenttoo! Charles soonleftNewYork tostudyattheArtStudents to expresshisownfeelingsandideas. appealed totheyoungpainter, possiblybecauseitallowedhim and colorsratherthanrealisticpictures.Thistypeofart first learnedaboutabstractart,whichconcentratesonform permission toenterManualArtsHighSchool.Here,Pollock older brothers,CharlesandSande,Pollockreceived k i n A c t i o n . i n d d

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