School Tours: Portraits and Personalities
Grades 6–12
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How does a portrait reveal the life and time of its sitter? This tour explores portraits and self-portraits from multiple points of view, examining works of art that reveal the sitters' personality, mood, status, and social and historical environment.
Looking and Learning Skills
During four to six tour stops, students engage in activities—such as looking exercises, working in small groups, sketching, and creative writing—that foster conversations about works of art. The following skills are promoted:
- Making and voicing careful observations
- Formulating questions that demonstrate curiosity and engagement
- Comparing different works of art and articulating connections between them
- Reasoning with evidence from the works themselves—seeing the works of art as primary sources from which to gather ideas about people's lives
- Connecting tour ideas to prior knowledge and experience
Group Size: Up to 60 students
Length: 75 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building, Rotunda, Main Floor
Museum policies
Student lunches
General information
What Gallery resources are available on this theme?
- NGAClassroom: Who Am I?
- NGAClassroom: Medal Maker
- NGAKids: Napoleon in His Study
- NGAKids: Pixelface
What is object-based teaching and learning?