Lesson Goal: Students will be able to identify how a person’s face can show their emotions. Students will talk about how the identified emotion might be influenced by situations or environments or places.
The Gardener, 1912
Oil on cardboard
20 7/8 x 19 3/8 in. (53.02 x 49.21 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1961.75
Look: Give students 2 minutes to look at the portrait and let their thoughts wander. Ask them to think about what this person is feeling? How do you know? Then, give them time to jot down their thoughts or have them turn and talk about their ideas with a partner.
*Note: A variety of portraits would work well for this activity.
Write: In a few sentences, what emotion is this person feeling and why might he be feeling this way? What is at least one reason he might be experiencing the emotion you identified?
Share: Ask students to share what they wrote with a partner or in small groups. Are there similarities in the ideas? Ask for a few volunteers to share their writing with the whole group. Discuss as a whole group how certain situations or environments can impact people’s emotions. What are some ways that the identified emotion might cause someone to behave? How might you respond to a person experiencing the identified emotion?
Standard: SS.BH.1.b.2-Identify situations and places that impact a person’s emotions.
Indicators of understanding: Students will be successful in this lesson when they can identify emotions based on a person’s facial expression and can think about a reason why the person might have this emotion based on certain situations, places, or environments.