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Home>Learn>Teachers>Resources for Virtual Learning>Writing Exercises To Reengage Your Students

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# Writing Exercises To Re-engage Your Students

Explore the artworks below and discover activities to reengage your students through writing. This resource is also available as a slide presentation.

Roy Lichtenstein, *Look Mickey*, 1961, oil on canvas, Gift of Roy and Dorothy Lichtenstein in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1990.41.1

**Completing the Story**

Works of art are sometimes narrative, and some can even inspire storytelling in viewers. Write a story that explains what is happening in Roy Lichtenstein’s *Look Mickey*. What happened just before this scene? What might happen just after? 

*Explore more about Look Mickey ***

 

Edouard Manet, *The Railway*, 1873, oil on canvas, Gift of Horace Havemeyer in memory of his mother, Louisine W. Havemeyer, 1956.10.1

**Create a Poem Inspired by Art**

Building on your observations, questions, and ideas, write a poem inspired by *The Railway* using the format below.

One-word titletwo action wordsthree descriptive wordsa question you have about the work of artthree descriptive wordstwo feeling wordsone word that completes the statement “When I think of this painting, I think ____”

*Explore more about The Railway *

Albert Marquet, *Posters at Trouville*, 1906, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1998.74.1

**Write a Postcard from a Work of Art**

Write a postcard to a friend or family member describing your time spent on the beach in the early 20th century, as shown in this paining. Taking a break from sailing or going to a seaside concert? Include a description of what you are wearing, the sites you see, conversations you have, what mode of transportation you used to get there, and your main purpose for being on the shore.

*Explore more about Posters at Trouville *

Joan Miró, *The Farm*, 1921-1922, oil on canvas, Gift of Mary Hemingway, 1987.18.1

**Writing About Place**

*The Farm* shows Miró’s strong connection to the town of Montroig in Spain, but also includes objects from other places that were important to him, like a newspaper from Paris. Write a description of a place to which you feel strongly connected. Use the questions below to develop your ideas.

Why have you chosen this particular place, and what makes it important to your identity?

What do you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel in this place?

What are some of your special memories from this place?

What are some of the memorable objects you might find there, and what do they symbolize for you?

*Explore more about The Farm *

Clarissa Sligh, *She Sucked Her Thumb*, 1989, cyanotype, Corcoran Collection (Gift of the Friends of the Corcoran Gallery of Art), 2015.19.4483

**Words and Pictures**

Many artists, including Deborah Luster, Jim Goldberg, and Clarissa Sligh, combine words with pictures in their art. Examine and compare works by these artists. Why might the artist have used text alongside images? Where did they get their images and text, and why might that matter to the meaning of the work of art? What might the overall message of each artwork be? 

Next, explore their own identity using words and pictures. What do you want to communicate or explore about yourself through art? How will the source of your images and text contribute to the meaning of the work? Following the examples of Sligh, Luster, and Goldberg, you might recontextualize a childhood event or memory, write descriptive and interpretive text, or share a personal story.

*Explore more about She Sucked Her Thumb *

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, *The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial*, 1900, patinated plaster, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire, X.15233

**Perspective Taking Through Writing**

Imagine yourself a soldier in the 54th Massachusetts. Choose a key moment in the soldier’s life—marching from Boston Common, approaching the battlefield at Fort Wagner, or seeing the Shaw Memorial for the first time. What are you thinking or feeling at this moment?

 

Write an “I Am” Poem" about [a key moment in the soldier’s life]

I am [two special characteristics you have] I hear [sounds, voices, or words] I wonder [something of curiosity] I worry [something that concerns you] I understand [something that you know to be true] I feel [an emotion)] I dream [something you hope for in the future] I am [the first line of the poem repeated]

*Explore more about The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial *

Joseph Wright, *The Corinthian Maid*, 1782-1784, oil on canvas, Paul Mellon Collection, 1983.1.46

**Inventing Myths**

*The Corinthian Maid* illustrates the origin of relief sculpture. Choose a natural phenomena or human custom, and to research the myths about its origin. Write an imaginative explanation of some phenomenon (rainbows, why people shake hands, why we wear black to funerals).

*Explore more about The Corinthian Maid *

David Alfaro Siqueiros, *Self-Portrait*, 1948, oil on hardboard, Andrew W. Mellon Fund, 1970.29.1

**Craft a Three Minute Speech**

David Alfaro Siqueiros wrote: “The artist must paint as he would speak. I don’t want people to speculate what I mean, I want them to understand.” What does this self-portrait say to you?

Take up a political or public issue you care about. Conduct research to find out more about this issue. Using your research, write a three-minute speech to express your point of view and argue for political action.

*Explore more about Self-Portrait *

George Bellows, *New York*, 1911, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1986.72.1

**Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives**

What nouns, verbs, and adjectives can you list in looking at this painting? Using the Nouns-Verbs-Adjectives worksheet, write as many words as you can think of, then compile a list as a class.

*Explore more about New York*

American 19th Century, *Mahantango Valley Farm*, late 19th century, oil on window shade, Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1953.5.93

**Imagining Farm Life**

Write a journal entry imagining you live on this farm. What daily tasks and chores would you help with on a farm? How would you dress? What would you eat? What would you do for fun? How would you get around?

*Explore more about Mahantango Family Farm *

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