A Sign of the Season

From the book Grandma Moses by Alexandra Wallner, 2004 Holiday House Publisher

Today I VTSed this image, an illustration from a book. Second grade is beginning a winter landscape painting where they will be showing some of the ways people play in winter. I thought VTSing this image a week beforehand might be a good way to get them thinking.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that elementary is the level at which I belong – I absolutely loved the narratives that developed. Two grandparents were watching their grandchildren ice-skate; the adults were watching a comedic performance by professional skaters, and endless little side stories. Although I have conducted VTS less frequently at this grade level, I could clearly see signs of growth. Today’s session brought inference and prediction, and the bonus correct use of art vocabulary. (One boy most matter of factly made an observation about the older couple saying, “Those two adults, well, they’re standing in the foreground…”)

My favorite part however, the reason I felt compelled to share in a post, is…
Far up, on the right, half of an animal is visable. I saw it when I studied the image beforehand, but paid little notice. To me it looks like a horse, to second grade it was most clearly a reindeer. Ya gotta love pre-Christmas in an elementary school!