Background

In preparing for annual state assessments, it is typical for schools to use past reading passages and writing prompts to help students practice the skills they will be tested on. Looking at, reading about, and writing about works of art can be used as a valuable supplement to these exercises, helping students practice their reading comprehension and writing skills. In addition, providing a visual context for a reading passage can provide invaluable information to the teacher on the strengths and weaknesses of the student. Visual learners can practice good reading and writing skills within a more familiar context and teachers can differentiate instruction effectively. The lesson below follows the pattern of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) and New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) reading assessments, and offers the additional stimulus of a work of art as reference.

PA Academic Standards

Language Arts 1.2.A,B – Reading Critically in All Content Areas
Art 9.2.D – Historical and Cultural Contexts

NJ Academic Standards

NJ Reading 3.1.G – Comprehension and Response to Text
NJ Art 1.5.A – Knowledge of Historical and Cultural Context

Grade Levels

Most appropriate for middle school, with remediation and extensions indicated below.

Art Images Required

Click on the title below to view the image on the Museum's website. A suggestion for additional images can be found after the lesson process.

• Portrait of James Baldwin by Beauford Delaney

Lesson Process

Follow the link below to the teacher resources for Beauford Delaney's painting, Portrait of James Baldwin. Students may read the passage online or teachers may print out a hard copy.

Answer the following questions, based on your reading of the passage:

1. Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin became friends partly because
   a. They were nearly the same age
   b. They were both involved in New York City culture
   c. They were both financially successful African Americans
   d. Their families grew up together
2. Impasto refers to
   a. Applying thick layers of paint
   b. Writing passionate prose and poetry
   c. The lifestyle of Harlem in the early 1900s
   d. Using colors that are not realistic
   
3. What word best describes the look on James Baldwin's face in Delaney's portrait?
   a. Peaceful
   b. Dangerous
   c. Sorrowful
   d. Mysterious
4. The Harlem Renaissance refers to
   a. A time in Paris where writers gathered together
   b. A time of great creativity among African Americans
   c. A time when many African Americans escaped from the South
   d. A time for popular and successful painters
5. Read this sentence from the passage: "He continued to advocate for the civil rights of African Americans for several decades with lecture tours, teaching, and more novels, essays, and plays." Which word is the best synonym for the word advocate?
   a. Write about
   b. Speak
   c. Support
   d. Oppose
6. Baldwin came to the aid of Delaney later in his life by
   a. Helping him find a place to stay in Paris
   b. Offering him financial support
   c. Providing medical assistance
   d. Writing articles about Delaney's art

(Answer key: 1–b; 2–a; 3–d; 4–b; 5–c; 6–a)

Open-Ended Item

What brings people together and allows them to become friends?

Have students state their hypothesis and offer at least two examples from the reading to support their ideas. (You should assess the open-ended item using the same rubric used for the state exam.)

Remediation or Extension

The passage used for this sample test came from the Museum website's Collection Resources. Additional works of art and passages that could be used in this exercise can be found here.

For more information, please contact Education: School & Teacher Programs by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .