American Gothic: What's missing?

 

Shared by Fern Elisabeth Norris:

My chosen activities are based on the painting American gothic. As I teach in Primary the activities are for children aged 9- 10 but could be adapted for younger or older children.

The first activity is describe what you see using simple structures - and prepositions. 

Eg: I can see a woman. Next to the woman is a man. Behind the people there is a white house, etc.

What's missing, - look at the picture and say what's missing. 

In this case it is the window. children and then asked to imagine that they are looking out of the window, what can they see? Using their imagination they would have to describe a landscape using the vocabulary that they have learnt in social science. 

They would practice using "there is" "there are" 

and the the prepositions: in front of, behind, to the left of, to the right of, next to. For example : 

-There are mountains.

-In front of the mountains there is a river. 

-Next to the river there is a farm..

Finally I would also use this picture to look at the clothes and the simple sentences of "he is wearing/she is wearing and I am wearing... then to compare then and now- In the 1930s people wore..... but today we wear....... This could then be linked to the poem "something"s missing"

   SOMETHING MISSING

I remember I put on my socks,
I remember I put on my shoes.
I remember I put on my tie
That was painted
In beautiful purples and blues.
I remember I put on my coat,
To look perfectly grand at the dance,
Yet I fell there is something
I may have forgot----
What is it? What is it?. . .

                                          by Shel Silverstein

You can listen to it: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/something-missing-12/

For older children I would exploit the painting further by thinking about the people in it discussing:

-who are they? 

-What do they do? 

-where do they live? 

-What's their relationship?

-What speech bubble/thought bubbles could be added?