T E A C H E R English Analyzing a Visual Text: Starry Night Foundation Lesson About this lesson This lesson is based on ekphrastic poetry, poems written about works of art. One of the tasks of English teachers is to teach students how to think in ways that will enable them to be successful in Advanced Placement* classes, on Advanced Placement exams, and on other high stakes standardized tests. The lesson focuses on an analysis of the Van Gogh painting Starry Night and provides a review of the Levels of Thinking. Students will complete activities that demonstrate all levels as they move through the lesson. Objectives Students will analyze a visual text as they review the Levels of Thinking from the Revised Bloom s: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create determine how details (of both a visual and a written text) reveal mood and theme Level Grades Six through Ten Connection to Common Core Standards for English Language Arts LTF Foundation Lessons are designed to be used across grade levels and therefore are aligned to the CCSS Anchor Standards. Teachers should consult their own grade-level-specific Standards. The activities in this lesson allow teachers to address the following Common Core Standards: Explicitly addressed in this lesson Code Standard Level of Thinking R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says Analyze explicitly and to make logical inferences from it. Cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and Analyze analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how Analyze specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar Analyze themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. Depth of Knowledge I I I AP* is a trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College Entrance Examination Board was not involved in the production of this material.
T E A C H E R Teacher Overview Analyzing a Visual Text: Starry Night W.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Create IV Implicitly addressed in this lesson Code Standard Level of Thinking L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Understand standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Understand standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how Understand language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and Understand multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials as appropriate. L.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships Understand and nuances in word meanings. L.6 Acquire and use accurately a range of general Understand academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of Understand conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in Evaluate diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting Apply evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and Understand communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. Depth of Knowledge I I I I
T E A C H E R Teacher Overview Analyzing a Visual Text: Starry Night Skill Focus The foundation for LTF English lessons is the Skill Progression Chart that identifies key skills for each domain, beginning with grade 6 and adding more complex skills at each subsequent grade level while reinforcing skills introduced at previous grade levels. The Skill Focus for each individual lesson identifies the skills actually covered in that lesson. Levels of Thinking Remember Understand Apply Analyze Create Close Reading Grammar written, spoken, and visual texts purposeful use of language for effect Literary Elements Detail Diction connotation Imagery Mood Theme Tone tone determined through diction, imagery, detail vocabulary associated with tone Literary Forms Verse Composition written, spoken, and visual products Connections to AP* Analysis of details and imagery that create mood and reveal themes is a skill that is required of students in both the free response and multiple choice sections of AP English Literature and AP English Language exams. *Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College Board was not involved in the production of this material. Materials and Resources Analyzing a Visual Text Lesson/handout PowerPoint presentation for Visual Text/Starry Night Copies of Anne Sexton s The Starry Night Copies of the lyrics to Don McLean s Vincent Assessments The following kinds of assessments are embedded in this lesson guided questions graphic organizers brief writing assignments Answers Answers for this lesson are subjective and will vary. To obtain the maximum benefit of the lesson, ask students to go beyond the expected responses.
English Analyzing a Visual Text Foundation Lesson I. The title of the painting is. The artist is. One detail in the foreground is. One detail in the background is.. The title of the painting is. The artist is. One detail in the foreground is. One detail in the background is. I. Write a brief description of the scene depicted in the painting.
Following is some general information on Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Vincent Van Gogh is known mostly for two things: his color saturated paintings and the fact that he committed suicide at age 37. Van Gogh began to study art after an erratic education and an attempt at evangelizing. His early paintings are dark and somber, the most famous being The Potato Eaters (1885). The next year he joined his brother, Theo, in Paris, where he continued his study of art. He also met many of the masters of the time, such as Pissaro, Monet, and Gauguin. Because of the influence of these Impressionists, Van Gogh began to use brighter colors and shorter brush strokes, and while his painting improved, his temperament suffered. It was near the end of 1888 when Van Gogh s sanity began to falter. He suffered from epilepsy, psychosis, and delusions. A fit of epilepsy resulted in Van Gogh cutting a portion of his own ear lobe off as penance for chasing his friend Gauguin with a knife. As a result of bouts of madness, he committed himself to an asylum in France at the end of that year. Although his illness kept him from painting much, he managed to create The Starry Night while in the asylum at Saint-Rémy. After his release in 1890, Van Gogh produced almost a painting per day. On July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh shot himself in the chest, and died two days later. Ironically, Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime but has since become one of the most well-loved and well-known painters in history. Information extracted from the Vincent Van Gogh Gallery: the art information resource. Online. Permission pending. http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/later.html
IV. Using details in the painting, complete the chart below. MOOD Sound Touch Taste Smell Sight
V. List one or two possible thematic ideas presented in the painting, Starry Night. Choose one of those ideas and write a thematic statement. What does The Starry Night say about that thematic idea? List three or more specific details that support this theme. VI. Which detail in the painting most effectively conveys the theme? Justify your answer.
The Starry Night That does not keep me from having a terrible need of shall I say the word religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars. Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother The town does not exist except where one black-haired tree slips up like a drowned woman into the hot sky. The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars. Oh starry starry night! This is how I want to die. It moves. They are all alive. Even the moon bulges in its orange irons to push children, like a god, from its eye. The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars. Oh starry starry night! This is how I want to die: into that rushing beast of the night, sucked up by that great dragon, to split from my life with no flag, no belly, no cry. Anne Sexton The Starry Night by Anne Sexton. Permission pending.
Vincent By Don McLean Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and grey, Look out on a summer's day, With eyes that know the darkness in my soul. Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils, Catch the breeze and the winter chills, In colors on the snowy linen land. Now I understand what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, they did not know how. Perhaps they'll listen now. Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, Swirling clouds in violet haze, Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain, Weathered faces lined in pain, Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand. Now I understand what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, they did not know how. Perhaps they'll listen now. For they could not love you, But still your love was true. And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night, You took your life, as lovers often do. But I could have told you, Vincent, This world was never meant for one As beautiful as you. Starry, starry night. Portraits hung in empty halls, Frameless head on nameless walls, With eyes that watch the world and can't forget. Like the strangers that you've met, Vincent by Don McLean. Permission pending.
The ragged men in the ragged clothes, The silver thorn of bloody rose, Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow. Now I think I know what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, they're not listening still. Perhaps they never will... Directions: Read the Anne Sexton poem and the lyrics to Don McLean s Vincent dealing with Van Gogh and his painting. Create a new poem by choosing words and lines from the poems. Interject your own words, lengthen or shorten lines, use ellipses, etc., but make sure that your new work of art has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Your new poem should give a new perspective to Van Gogh s painting. Vincent by Don McLean. Permission pending.