1st Reading Inform: Norman Rockwell America's Painter

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Read the following sentences from the passage. “ ‘Rockwell liked his characters, and he painted them with sympathy . . .’ He considered himself to be a storyteller, and he identified emotionally with his subjects.” Which inference about Norman Rockwell is most strongly supported by these sentences?

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Which paragraph accurately summarizes the letter without including the reader’s personal opinions?

Norman Rockwell was a famous American artist who was born in 1894. Rockwell attended the Art Students League and as a teen received his first art assignment. At the age of eighteen, he impressively became the art director for Boys’ Life magazine. He took a special box with his paintings to an interview for the Saturday Evening Post magazine. The first cover for the Post featured a Rockwell painting of a boy pushing a baby carriage. Rockwell soon left for the beautiful city of Paris, France to learn other artistic techniques. However, the covers he completed using these new techniques were not popular with readers. Rockwell and his wife moved to Vermont so that he could focus on painting. Rockwell’s studio was very neat.

Norman Rockwell was a famous American artist who was born in 1894. Rockwell loved art from an early age and studied art in school. Rockwell began illustrating children’s books and magazine covers. Rockwell’s first cover of the Saturday Evening Post appeared in 1916. Rockwell researched his subjects and settings extensively before beginning a painting. In 1939, Rockwell and his family moved to Vermont so that he could paint without any interruptions. In Vermont, he found many subjects for his works. A 1941 address from President Roosevelt inspired Rockwell to paint a series of pictures that are considered among his best work. For about the next thirty-five years, Rockwell created paintings that supported civil rights and patriotic causes. During his life, Rockwell completed over 4,000 original works.

Norman Rockwell was a famous American artist who was born in 1894. Rockwell painted over 4,000 works, including a man fishing in the rain and a family having a meal together. Rockwell’s paintings are well liked throughout the world since they show characters and tell stories with warmth and humor. Rockwell loved art from a young age and began working at Boys’ Life as the art director. The first Rockwell cover appeared on the Post in 1916. Rockwell had a long and successful career with the Post, painting over 300 covers. Rockwell eventually went to Paris, France to study artists like Picasso. Rockwell tried to paint like these artists, but these paintings were not popular with Americans. Rockwell used live models in unusual costumes for his paintings.

Norman Rockwell was a famous American artist who was born in 1894. He liked to tell stories with his paintings and became very popular with audiences. Rockwell’s first major job was as the art director for Boys’ Life magazine. In 1916, his first cover appeared on the Saturday Evening Post. The cover was a great start to his career. Rockwell was creative in that he used costumes for his subjects that he painted and traveled to different locations to make his art more realistic. Rockwell painted people as they appeared in real life. He was a very neat artist. After a 1941 address, Rockwell painted a series of pictures about freedom.

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How did Rockwell’s work influence people in the United States during the 1940s?

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Read the following sentence from the passage. “Rockwell, like most other artists, dreamed of creating a piece of work that would cement his reputation in history.” What does the author mean by “cement” as it is used in the passage?

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Read the sentence from the passage. “It was also life as America wanted it to be.” What impact does the word choice in the sentence have on the tone of the paragraph?

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How does the section “Researching His Subjects” contribute to the development of ideas?

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This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.

Part One
Which statement expresses a claim the author makes about Norman Rockwell in the passage?

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Which paragraph accurately summarizes the letter without including the reader’s personal opinions?

How did Rockwell’s work influence people in the United States during the 1940s?

Read the following sentence from the passage. “Rockwell, like most other artists, dreamed of creating a piece of work that would cement his reputation in history.” What does the author mean by “cement” as it is used in the passage?

Read the sentence from the passage. “It was also life as America wanted it to be.” What impact does the word choice in the sentence have on the tone of the paragraph?

How does the section “Researching His Subjects” contribute to the development of ideas?

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.Part One Which statement expresses a claim the author makes about Norman Rockwell in the passage?

Part Two Which statement best assesses whether the evidence in the passage is sufficient to support the claim in Part One? Choose one answer.

This question has two parts. Answer Part One and then answer Part Two.

Part One
Which statement expresses a claim the author makes about Norman Rockwell in the passage?

Part Two
Which statement best assesses whether the evidence in the passage is sufficient to support the claim in Part One? Choose one answer.