1. Reading Art and the art of reading Rachael Sanford rachael.sanford@cobbk12.org Stephanie Tatum stephanie.tatum@cobbk12.org Harrison High School Kennesaw, GA (678) 594-8104 Monet, Claude. Wisteria. 1919. Oil on canvas. Musée Marmottan, Paris. Essential Question: How can I analyze a text and offer evidence to support my opinion? ELACCL9-10RL1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. Reading Art Basic Questions for ANY piece of art: 1.Who is the artist? Do you know anything about the artist? 2.What is the title? What can you infer from the title? 3.When was the painting created? What do you know about the time period? Matisse, Henri. The Music Lesson. 1917. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA.

3. Based on what you see in this work, what do you imagine about what was happening immediately before this moment? What details support your conjecture? What do these details tell you about the setting of the painting? How does the artist emphasize these details to show their importance? Matisse, Henri. The Music Lesson. 1917. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA.

4. Henri Matisse. The Music Lesson. 1917. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA. Imagine you are writing a short story inspired by this painting. Write the opening paragraph that would explain the setting and background information. Using descriptive words, capture the same images the artist captures on canvas. Also, imitate the mood that seems evident in the scene.

5. Exposition You have just written an exposition—or introduction to the setting, situation, and main characters of the plot of a story. Share your exposition with a neighbor. What differences occur between your two renditions? What details did you partner include that you did not? Henri Matisse. The Music Lesson. 1917. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA.