Each property is briefly described below followed by a series of questions that are designed to aid the child to understand the property through verbal answers.
Sensory (descriptive) Properties:The art elements of line, shape, texture, and color. large and small size, deep and shallow space, dark and light, etc.
1. What colors do you see? 2. Are there any lines? 3. Can you see a round shape? 4. Is there a dark color? 5. What is the biggest shape? 6. How deep is the perspective?
Formal (analysis) Properties: The way the art work is organized. Unity, repetition, balance, contrast, dominance, rythm, variety, etc.
1. Are there repeated shapes? 2. Are there opposite things? 3. Is one thing more important? 4. Can something be changed? 5. Is the color needed over here? 6. Are there light/dark things?
Expressive (interpretation) Properties: The mood, feeling or philosophical concepts of the work.
1. Is this a sad/happy work? 2. Why did the artist make it? 3. What is the artist telling us? 4. Would you like to have this? 5. Does it make you feel good/bad? 6. Would your guardian (s) like it?
Technical (judgement) Properties:How the work was created. The medium used (watercolor, oil paint, acrylic, bronze, wood, etc.). The tools used (brush, pencil, crayon, ink, pen, printing press, camera, ect.). The method used to make the work (drawing, photography, painting, sculpting, printing, ect.).
Scout is a highly sensitive child. Her ears and eyes are wide open but because of her age, Scout cannot render true meaning from all she observes. As she acquires more learning experiences, she becomes more adept at understanding what is really going on below her surface observations. For example, Atticus must correctly interpret for Scout the confusing incidents of her first day of school, yet much later on she is able to read Mr. Underwood’s editorial about the senseless killing of Tom Robinson and understand the meaning behind the words: Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. (Lee, 1960, p. 266)
