At the Museum

This weekend, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I think that museums are very interesting places.  The "Met" has some of the finest works of art in the world.  There are paintings, sculptures, sketches, and sometimes there are even films.  That is not the only kind of museum however.  The American Museum of Natural History is also a famous museum.  There you will find artifacts from around the world, as well as exhibits about animals, geology and ancient history.  Another interesting museum is the National Air and Space Museum.  That museum is dedicated to the study of air and space transportation and technology, and you can see rockets, old air planes and even models of aircraft scientists are currently working on.

Have you ever been to a museum?  What kind of museum was it, and what was your favorite part?

Key vocabulary:

• Museum (noun): a building where objects that are important to history, art, or science are kept and shown to the public.
• Sculpture (noun): art or craft of making statues or other objects by carving, chiseling, or molding
• Sketch (noun): a drawing or painting that was done in a hurry or without detail, sometimes done to prepare for later work.
• Artifact (noun): an object made by human beings.
• Geology (noun): the study of the physical structure of the earth and how it has changed over time.
• Ancient (adjective): Something that is very old, or from a long time ago.

Vocabulary Activity:

Instructions: Write the correct word in the space before its definition.

A.    ancient

B.     artifact

C.    geology

D.    museum

E.     sculpture

F.     sketch

1.		_________ is the study of the physical structure of the earth and how it has changed over time.
2.		_________ is any object made by human beings.
3.		a building where objects that are important to history, art, or science are kept and shown to the public is called a _______________
4.		a drawing or painting that was done in a hurry or without detail. __________ are sometimes done to prepare for later work.
5.		Something that is very old, or from a long time ago, can be described as ____________
6.		__________ is the art or craft of making statues or other objects by carving, chiseling, or molding.

Grammar Point:
Many times you will go to a museum and see artifacts that are from many years ago.  These artifacts are from the past, and when we describe them, it is useful to use the past tense.  For example, if you wanted to discuss a sculpture you saw, it would not make sense to say "This sculpture is made in 1492" because the year 1492 was a long time ago.  Instead, you might say "This sculpture was made in 1492,"  to show that it was a piece of art made in the past, not the present.  "These arrowheads were used by the Iroquois Indians" and "This dress was worn by Queen Elizabeth" are also good examples of verbs used in the past tense to describe things that happened long ago.

Grammar Activity:
Find an artifact in your home and write a museum label to describe it.  State what the artifact is (art, history, science, etc), where it came from, what year it was made, and how it was used.  Be sure to use the correct tense to describe your object.