To introduce this unit to the students I would put up a picture of your choice. Something to spark lots of discussion and contains action. I would start with
Mabel Brady Garvan's The Grand Drive, Central Park N.Y.
(1869) and
Central Park, Winter The Skating Pond
by Lyman W. Atwater. Both of these paintings are located in the Yale Art Gallery and would would be perfect for my students since many of them have most likely been to New York and Central Park. If you cannot find these images then you can use anything that would offer a great discussion around the students' initial reactions, feelings and what they see.
The students would be sitting on a rug facing one image. We would make reference to our turn and talk chart making sure that the students keep the sentence starters in mind and use them within their discussions. I would provide them with the following prompt and questions to get them started and to help them continue to build their ideas:
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What do you see?
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How does this picture make you feel?
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What do you think their conversations could be about?
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Tell me more?
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I would be sure to keep this lesson to 15 minutes. You don't want the conversation to drag on and on. As the students are discussing the images in their small groups, you will monitor their conversations and roam the roam giving prompts to the students who seem to be struggling. Keep track of the students' sentence structure. Simple sentence structure such as; "he's wearing pants, they are skating, I feel happy," will require more small group guidance dedicated to the use of adjectives and building more complex sentences.
As I look at
The Grand Drive, Central Park N.Y
image, I want to make sure that I draw my students into the lavish greenery. The trees are tall with strong trucks that are full of thick leaves. The families are walking along what appears to be stone walkways. The women are in lovely dresses almost too perfect for a Sunday stroll. The men are wearing top hats and bowties. Some are taking a horse and carriage ride. In the distance there is a large building. It could be a mansion to one of the wealthy families living in New York City. There is a lake where some people are looking at. It seems as if the families are all enjoying each other's company and are happy to see one another.
As I look at
The Central Park, Winter
image, I want to make sure that I draw my students into the lavish emotions of the people skating. They seem happy and excited to be outside on the ice. The women are wearing lavish dresses and coats. It seems to be very cold outside. They men are all in long jackets, hats and gloves. Some people are holding hands and some are chasing each other. There is a bridge in the background that looks so intricate and perfect.
