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. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. 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Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30598-1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 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 44_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd_305981_ELL_LRTG_L10_LifeOfJacksonPollock.indd 2 77/28/09/28/09 33:59:56:59:56 PPMM Read Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed. 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. © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. 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.