Worksheet

Carve, Roll, Press: Context Clues in a Printmaking Article

Students read an article about making linocut prints and use definitions, examples and restatements to figure out new art words.

Grade 4ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.4.4.a

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
9 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students use definitions, examples and restatements in an article to find the meaning of a word or phrase.
Students recognize signal words such as "or" and "in other words" that point to a restatement.
Students explain which words in a text helped them understand a new word.

How to use

Read the article with the class and point out one context clue together. Then let students answer the questions, rereading each paragraph as needed.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.4.4.a

Use context, such as definitions, examples, or restatements in the text, as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

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Carve, Roll, Press: Context Clues in a Printmaking Article

Read about linocut prints and use clues to learn art words.

Read the article

Making a Linocut Print

1In many school art rooms, students make prints with blocks of linoleum, a soft material that can be carved. This kind of art is called a linocut. Artists have made linocut prints for more than a hundred years, and the main steps have stayed much the same.

2A linocut is a relief print. In relief printing, the picture is raised, or sticks up above the rest of the surface. Only the raised parts touch the ink, so only those parts show up on the paper. A rubber stamp works in the same way.

3First, an artist draws a design on the block. Next comes carving. Artists use a gouge, which is a tool with a small, curved or V-shaped blade that scoops out thin strips of linoleum. Every part that is carved away will stay the color of the paper on the print. Carvers push the gouge away from their hands to stay safe. Many also use a bench hook, a flat board with edges that hooks over the table and keeps the block from sliding.

4Letters and numbers can be tricky. A print is a mirror image of the block. In other words, everything comes out flipped from left to right, the way your face looks in a mirror. To print a word correctly, an artist must carve it backward.

5When the carving is done, it is time to ink. The artist squeezes a little ink onto a tray and spreads it out with a brayer. A brayer is a small hand roller, a bit like a tiny paint roller. The artist rolls the brayer back and forth until the ink looks smooth, and then rolls it across the block.

6Next, the artist lays paper on the inked block and burnishes it. To burnish, the artist rubs firmly over the back of the paper, often with a wooden spoon, so the ink presses into the paper. Slowly peeling the paper back shows the finished print.

7Most artists do not stop at one copy. They make an edition, a set of prints that all come from the same block and look alike. Artists often write a number on each print in an edition. For example, 3/20 near the bottom means it was the third print in a set of twenty.

Use the clues

Reread the paragraph named in each question before you answer.

In paragraph 1, what is linoleum?

A. a thick ink that artists can roll
B. a soft material that artists can carve
C. a sharp tool that scoops out strips
D. a heavy paper that soaks up ink

In paragraph 2, the writer says a rubber stamp works in the same way as a relief print. How does this example help you?

A. It shows that relief prints are made of rubber.
B. It tells how long it takes to carve a block.
C. It names another thing that prints from raised parts.
D. It explains why artists like to use wooden spoons.

Read paragraph 4 again. Underline the sentence that restates what a mirror image is.

Letters and numbers can be tricky.A print is a mirror image of the block.In other words, everything comes out flipped from left to right, the way your face looks in a mirror.To print a word correctly, an artist must carve it backward.

In paragraph 4, the words "In other words" tell the reader that the writer is about to do what?

A. say the same idea in a different way
B. give an idea that is the opposite
C. start a brand-new step of the job
D. list the tools an artist will need

What does burnish mean in paragraph 6?

A. to peel something away slowly
B. to cover something with ink
C. to carve thin lines in a block
D. to rub firmly over something

Read paragraph 7. What is an edition?

A. one print made as a gift for a friend
B. a block that is ready to be carved
C. the number near the bottom of a print
D. a set of prints that all look alike

Show what you know

Use the article to write and choose words.

Write the word or words from the article that match each meaning.

A tool with a small blade that scoops out strips of linoleum (paragraph 3):
A flat board that keeps the block from sliding (paragraph 3):
A small hand roller used to spread ink (paragraph 5):

Use the word bank. Write the word or words that best complete each sentence. One choice is not used.

Word bank: brayer · burnish · edition · mirror image · relief

On the map, the mountains are shown in , so you can feel them bump up under your fingers.
Rub the back of the sticker to it onto the page.
When Ivy held her name card up to the mirror, the letters looked flipped, like a .
The art club's of fifteen matching cards sold out at the school fair.