Living in someone's shadow would be difficult for anyone, including one of the most talented artists of the modern age. Middle schoolers read an excerpt from Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan before answering several questions about the text's tone, key details, and word choice. They then go on to write an informational essay about how the tone and perspective of the text form the readers' image of Vincent Van Gogh.

Concepts

vincent van gogh, reading comprehension, word meanings, tone, key details, explanatory writing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Assign the essay for learners to complete as a timed writing activity in class
• Have pupils write about a situation in their lives in which they felt they needed to live up to an expectation or legacy

Classroom Considerations

• Consider including additional parts of the text to provide more context to the passage, as the excerpt is short
• Discusses Vincent Van Gogh's stillborn brother, which may be a sensitive topic for seventh graders

Pros

• Provides all necessary graphic organizers and writing prompts
• Comes with a writing prompt that addresses informational writing skills, as well as aspects for argumentative and narrative essays

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.7.1 RI.7.2 RI.7.4 W.7.2.a W.7.9.a SL.7.1.a SL.7.4