The Life of Jackson Pollock

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LESSON 10 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Life of Jackson Pollock by Barbara Weldon 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. Pollock received recognition from gallery owners, critics, other artists, and the public. Number of Words: 1,155

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Biography Text Structure • Narrative text organized in ﬁ ve short chapters • Full-page timeline summarizes the selection 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 imbedded phrases and clauses • Sentences with parenthetical material Vocabulary • Many art terms, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners, such as watercolor, mural, canvas, artist, studio. Cultural references such as the Great Depression (p. 7). Words • Many multisyllable words: photographer, triangles, luckily • Phonetic pronunciation provided Illustrations • Photographs with captions Book and Print Features • Twelve pages of text • Table of contents with easy to read chapter headings; text box © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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4_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd 1 11/4/09 10:56:04 PM The Life of Jackson Pollock by Barbara Weldon 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 illustration. Point out the chapter heads and the timeline. Tell students that this selection is a biography, so it describes events in a real person’s life, and is written by another person.

Frontload Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: life, barn, paint, farmer, desert, high school, money, art, job, color.

Introduce the Text Guide students through the text, reading the captions, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions: Page 3: Explain that this is a biography of Jackson Pollock, a well-known artist. Suggested language: Turn to page 3 of this book. This is a photograph of Jackson Pollock. Read the caption under the photograph. What is Pollock doing? Page 4: Explain that Pollock’s early experiences likely inspired his interest in art. Pollock grew up near the Grand Canyon, which is shown in this photograph. It says that he loved the desert, because it seemed to have no end, or border. Ask: What about the Grand Canyon might have inspired Pollock? Page 5: Tell students that Pollock moved to Los Angeles with his family. He was ﬁ rm or stubborn about moving to New York to become an artist. Pages 5–6: Read the caption on page 6. Tell students that Jackson went to study in New York and made his entrance, or debut as an artist. Page 7: Read the caption. Cultural Support: Provide some background on the Great Depression 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 – boundary or edge, p. 4 mournful – sad and serious p. 7 toured – took a trip through a debut – a performer’s ﬁ rst public permission – being allowed to do place, p. 9 experience, p. 5 something, p. 13 towered – stood above discouraged – feeling hopeless stubborn – lasting and not easily something else, p. 9 or disappointed, p. 4 changed, p. 5 triumph – a victory or success, p. 9 hauling – pulling or carrying, p. 5

Grade 4 2 Lesson 10: The Life of Jackson Pollock © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Remind students to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy and to think carefully about the text in order to 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 longer many words have Greek or Latin roots. The preﬁ x ab- in the word abstract on page 5 is also a Latin word that means “away from.” Other words that use this preﬁ x include absent and absorb.

Grade 4 3 Lesson 10: The Life of Jackson Pollock © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

4_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd 3 11/4/09 10:56:09 PM Writing about Reading

Critical Thinking Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 10.10.

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 biography 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 words from the ﬁ rst paragraph on page 12 help describe the reaction to Pollock’s show?

Grade 4 4 Lesson 10: The Life of Jackson Pollock © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

4_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd 4 11/4/09 10:56:14 PM English Language Development

Reading Support Give English learners a “preview” of the text by holding a brief small-group discussion with them before reading the text with the entire group.

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 10.10 Name Date

The Life of Critical Thinking Jackson Pollock Critical Thinking Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.

1. Think within the text What other artists inﬂ uenced Jackson Pollock? His teachers and other artists like Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, and Navajo Indian sand painters of the American Southwest all infl uenced Pollock’s work. 2. Think within the text How did Pollock work on large abstract pieces of art? He placed the canvas on the fl oor and worked on it in all directions. He even poured paint right on the canvas. He seemed to dance around as he worked. 3. Think beyond the text Pollock often used the ideas of other artists in his own paintings. What other artists do you know of? Do you like their art? I’ve seen some of Picasso’s paintings. I don’t like his pictures of people shown as geometric shapes.

4. Think about the text How does the author show that it might be hard to be an artist? The author explains that Jackson had to take jobs like painting posters to make enough money to work on his own art. Also, sometimes people did not have the money to buy art, and some art experts did not like Jackson’s art. Making Connections Some people really liked Jackson Pollock’s work. Other people did not. What advice would you give an artist if people did not like his art?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

12_4_246253RTXEAN_L10_FR.indd 12 3/23/09 12:16:39 AM Grade 4 5 Lesson 10: The Life of Jackson Pollock © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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

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

On page 12, the author writes that people had both good and bad things to say about his show. Why do you think the reviews were both positive and negative? What might this say about Pollock’s artwork? What might it say about the art world in the 1940s? Explain your answer, giving examples from the biography.

44_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd 6 77/28/09/28/09 33:59:59:59:59 PPMM Lesson 10 BLACKLINE MASTER 10.10 Name Date

The Life of Critical Thinking Jackson Pollock Critical Thinking Read and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What other artists inﬂ uenced Jackson Pollock?

2. Think within the text How did Pollock work on large abstract pieces of art?

3. Think beyond the text Pollock often used the ideas of other artists in his own paintings. What other artists do you know of? Do you like their art?

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

Making Connections Some people really liked Jackson Pollock’s work. Other people did not. What advice would you give an artist if people did not like his art?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

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