GRADE 8 English ART – READING:NOTE MAKING Notes
READING: NOTE MAKING
Topic: ART — English (age 13, Kenya)
Use grammar to make clear, short notes when you read about art (museum labels, artist interviews, articles). Notes help you remember facts and describe artworks correctly.
Before reading
- Look at title, artist name, date — these are often in the first line. (Note: artist, year)
- Decide what you need: facts, descriptions, artist’s ideas, or process.
While reading — Grammar you can use in notes
- Nouns & verbs — write key nouns and strong verbs: "artist: W. Njoroge; medium: oil; depicts rural life."
- Adjectives — use 1–2 good adjectives: "vibrant colours, rough texture". Adjectives help describe appearance.
- Tenses — use present simple for facts and descriptions: "The painting shows a market." Use past simple for events: "Exhibited in 2019."
- Passive voice — useful if the doer is not important: "Painted in 2005" (instead of "He painted it in 2005").
- Reported speech — to note artist ideas: Direct: "I want to show hope." → Reported note: Artist said he wanted to show hope.
- Relative clauses — add small details: "Artist who grew up in Kisumu" → for quick notes: "artist (from Kisumu)".
- Linking words — use words like because, therefore, but, however to show reason or contrast (short form): "bright colours → mood: joyful; but dark lines → tension."
- Punctuation — use colons for lists: "Materials: oil, canvas, wood" and dashes for short explanations: "Market scene — daily life."
How to make quick notes (format)
- Headings: Title / Artist / Date / Medium
- Short bullets: nouns + 1–2 words (adjective or verb)
- Abbreviations & symbols: w/ = with, =/→ cause or result, ↑ decrease/increase, ? = question
- Grammar tip: keep verbs in same tense within a section (e.g., all present simple for description).
Example — short passage & notes
Label: "Mombasa Market (2018) by A. Mwangi. The painting shows busy fishermen and stalls. Bright colours and bold brushstrokes express energy. The artist said, 'I painted this to celebrate coastal life.' Exhibited at Nairobi Museum 2019."
Good notes
- Title: Mombasa Market (2018)
- Artist: A. Mwangi
- Shows: fishermen + stalls → busy scene
- Style: bright colours; bold brushstrokes → energy
- Artist said → painted to celebrate coastal life (reported)
- Exhibited: Nairobi Museum, 2019
Grammar notes
- Use present simple for description: "Shows" (not "showed").
- Reported speech: Artist said → painted to celebrate... (no quotes).
- Short fragments OK: "bright colours; bold brushstrokes".
Quick practice (5 min)
- Read a short museum label. Write 6 notes: title, artist, 2 description words, one reason (artist's idea), one date/event.
- Change one note from direct speech to reported speech: "I used blue" → Artist said he used blue.
- Turn a full sentence into a short note: "The painting was created in 2017 to comment on urban growth." → "Created 2017 — comments on urban growth."
Remember
- Keep grammar simple: consistent tense, clear subject in reported speech, useful adjectives.
- Notes do not need full sentences — but still must be grammatically clear when expanded.
- Use your notes to write a short paragraph later. Expand fragments into full sentences using correct grammar.
Simple visual: Mood idea → Bright colours + fast strokes = energy ➜ note as: "mood: energetic"