Finding Grammar in Works of Art - Autumn/Harvest Theme

This activity provides students with a creative extension for grammar review. When examining a piece of art, I challenge children to approach it as if they are reading the image. They can begin by skimming the illustration and then dig deeper, analyzing all the nooks and crannies. 

Each task card contains an image, a caption identifying the artist, title, and creation date, and a series of directions pertaining to grammar. I’ve also included corresponding information cards for each painting that could be printed double-sided on the back of the task card. There are 14 works of art total including:

• Jean-François Millet, Haystacks: Autumn, 1874
• Yosa Buson, Autumn Landscape, 1780
• Alfred Sisley, The Road from Versailles to Louveciennes, 1879
• Paul Cézanne, Dish of Apples, 1876
• Joshua Cristall, Barking Timber in Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire, 1818
• Camille Pissarro, The Harvest, Pontoise, 1881
• Wolfgang Adam Töpffer, Young Woman in the Vaudois after the Grape Harvest, 1821
• Winslow Homer, The Veteran in a New Field, 1865
• Vincent van Gogh, Women Picking Olives, 1889
• John Whetten Ehninger, October, 1867
• W. Herbert Dunton, Fall in the Foothills, 1933
• Edward Mitchell Bannister, Seaweed Gatherers, 1898
• George Catlin, View on the Wisconsin River, Winnebago Shooting Ducks, 1837
• Han Huang, Returning Home after Harvest, 17th Century

In addition to the grammatical components, I have included “Art Appreciation and Analysis Prompts” that can be used alongside any of the images as an extension.

I recommend creating a “Grammar in Art” notebook that can be used to record the parts of speech and descriptive sentences for each piece of art. I have included independent images of each painting that could be cut out and pasted into the student’s notebook. On pages 16-19 I’ve also included models using the Montessori Parts of Speech symbols to help guide sentence construction. If you are looking for a review of the Parts of Speech, download a free copy of my Grammar Symbol Series explanation packet.

All images are categorized as Public Domain through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Museums.

Enjoy!