Teachers
Online Resources & Loans
Portraits and Personalities
Grades 6–12
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 in the galleries, students engage in activities—such as looking exercises, small group work, and sketching—that foster conversations around works of art. The following skills are promoted:
- making and articulating careful observations
- formulating questions that demonstrate curiosity and engagement
- comparing and connecting different works of art
- using works of art as primary sources on people's lives
- connecting new ideas learned from the tour to prior knowledge and experience
EXAMPLE WORKS FEATURED ON TOUR
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION
Group Size: Up to 75 students
Length: 75 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building, Rotunda, Main Floor
ADDITIONAL GALLERY RESOURCES
- Who Am I? (online interactive unit)
- Napoleon in His Study (NGAkids online interactive unit)
Schedule a Tour
Note: We are no longer accepting tour requests for spring 2013. We will begin accepting fall 2013 requests on August 1.
Pre-Visit Information
Watch a video or download a presentation to show your students prior to your visit. View our museum policies, location, parking, accessiblity, security, lunch options, and other important information about visiting.
Questions
Our tour scheduler is available to answer questions on Monday through Wednesday between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. (September through May). Please contact her at (202) 842-6249 schooltourrequests@nga.gov.
Also see our Frequently Asked Questions about School Tours.
Feedback
We greatly value your feedback about your school tour experience. Please submit this form to share your feedback.