Finish the Famous Painting: American Gothic by Grant Wood, 1930

This illustrative activity reviews a bit of art history, it asks students the change the original into a new composition using a 'new' idea that could easily connect to a writing assignment. Students explore how art contributes to the awareness and understanding of life, culture and community. Students will use their knowledge and experiences to create new connections using both sides of the brain when writing, brainstorming, and drawing out details of new characters. While having students focus on character design rather than artistic or writing skills, they may think of descriptive details to draw creating new connections for their literary details, vocabulary and overall writing.

Prior to passing out the worksheet, I recommend the students carefully observe the details from the original painting. There is another American Gothic worksheet for younger students (simpler)!! Educators that integrate social-emotional learning should start and end with a facilitated discussion. Discussions about the artwork will help elevate the creative solutions for the parody. Topics of discussion based on the age group may easily include: emotional expression, culture development and differences, use of (memes) media, history, perspective, etc. Reflection / Closing Question or Performance check for understanding, "How does art helps us understand the lives of people of different times, places and cultures?"