Visualization: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The setting for this book is The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I don't know about you, but it can be hard for me to visualize a books setting if I have not been there. Especially a setting as large as The Met. This is one reason why I really love authors who use ample description in their writing. E. L. Konigsburg does a good job at describing the scenes inside The Met: such as the large antique bed, the knights armor etc. The figurative language that is used as well to describe the character's experiences and feelings is fantastic. Check out these similes: The bus bounced along like  an empty cracker box on wheels. Claudia's heart sounded to her like their electric percolator brewing the morning's coffee. These are just two examples why I love reading figurative language, it gives the reader description in a creative way. If you forgot about similes and metaphors- check out this video as a refresher.

Since I have never been to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and thanks to our wonderful world of technology, I thought I'd research it a bit. First, I thought I'd search for some images on Google and create a Pic Collage. These images allowed me to visualize the setting much, much  better. Could you imagine being a kid and running away here? Think of all of the places you could hide and everything you could learn! I know our characters, Claudia and Jamie, are really going to be having an adventure and thanks to this amazing book, we get to go along for the ride.

The next step I took in my research was going onto The Met's webpage.  Amidst all of the exhibit information and digital features, I found out that their is a Van Gogh exhibit on his Irises and Roses paintings. As some of you know, I love art and integrating projects into my classroom.  I have  loved browsing Kathy Barbaro's, Art Projects for Kids site since I was a first year teacher.  She has so many amazing, colorful projects and she breaks the project steps down to make them oh so simple. Of course she didn't disappoint with my Van Gogh search! She has multiple Van Gogh art projects that could be integrated (in fact we made the Wheatfield pastel drawing this year)- she even has an iris mural that would be fun for a whole class to do. How awesome could that be?

Comprehension Strategies:

Research the setting: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Search for figurative language the author used.

Start a Vivid Visualization's Graphic Organizer- Use your 5 senses in your description.