Writing
Across the Curriculum
"God Bless Our School" by Currier &
Ives. Real schools in the late 1800s.
NOTE: These exercises are suitable for
middle school to high school. Additional challenges for high
school students are noted at the end of each exercise. The
subject matter draws upon English, history, art, and science.
Writing can be divided into four main tasks,
or purposes, which frequently overlap. They include the following:
Descriptive writing, or writing to convey distinguishing
sensory characteristics (what you see, smell, feel, etc.);
Narrative writing, or writing to tell a story;
Expository writing, or writing to explain something
(usually how to do something);
Persuasive writing, or writing to express ideas and
opinions logically, often to convince others of the validity
of your viewpoint.
The following exercises use the prints of Currier
and Ives to practice these four writing tasks while also exploring
artistic, cultural, and historic concerns.
You may use the images from this site or find alternative prints
on other websites or in a collection. Many libraries have at
least one book featuring the work of Currier and Ives. For a
list of books related to Currier and Ives, as well as the period
of American history and culture from 1840-1907, see the list
of sources
on this website.
Descriptive Writing
| Narrative Writing | Expository Writing
| Persuasive Writing
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