Strategies that Create Transcending Poems and Authentic and Extensive Interpretations About Works of Art
Throughout this unit we will use several strategies that build students’ confidence in both creating a work of art and analyzing one. The strategies used help students organize thoughts, analyze and reflect on works of art and promote creativity. Students will have ample time in the unit to pursue both collaborative and independent work.
Collaborative Work
What collaborative learning style empowers and enables is a student's resilience - how do you look to your neighbor as a resource, how do you test your own theories, how do you understand if you're on the right track or the wrong track? ( 21)
Collaborative learning is the most important teaching strategy I will use. In fifth grade, students benefit from group work. Collaborative learning experiences require students to work together to learn the content and apply what they have learned to the activity or project at hand. I also find that in the fifth grade, typically ages ten and eleven, students feel insecure about sharing their knowledge in an academic setting, and asking for help when they need it. Collaborative learning is a way for students to ask a peer, someone they trust, for help in a less threatening environment. It’s also a way for students to gain confidence in their strengths and use them to strengthen others. At the same time, collaborative learning teaches cooperation and teamwork which are essential to any workplace. Group work can have positive impacts on learning because it creates an environment where students teach each other through explanations. This reinforces what was taught by the teacher but also promotes peer learning --- that is, students learning with and from each other as fellow learners, and using each other as resources. Collaborative learning holds students accountable to each other, which will, in turn, instill ownership, when they know they’re responsible for a part of the project and their peers are counting on them. I value collaborative learning in my classroom for those reasons. In this unit, I plan to use two collaborative learning strategies, “Graffiti Walls” and “Pass it On.” Both strategies help reinforce the importance of peer learning as well as building confidence in their work through accountability and ownership.
Graffiti Wall
A Graffiti Wall is a shared space where students can record reactions, thoughts, feelings, emotions, comments, and/or questions using a word, phrases and drawings. They are a way for students to gain confidence expressing their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to a poem or other work of art and to begin to feel pride in sharing their work. They’re accommodating for all learners, including ELL and students with special needs. Graffiti Walls can be represented in a variety of ways. In this unit, I plan to use them to lead conversation when interpreting a poem or other work of art. I also plan to use them as a form of brainstorming before students write their own ekphrastic poems. For our Graffiti Walls, I will put a poem or other work of art, either as a whole or in part, on an anchor chart and post them around the room. Student will be allotted time to write and draw their interpretations of the subject matter. We can use the Graffiti Walls to guide whole group discussion or discussion in small groups. Students can take ideas from the wall and incorporate them into their own poems or use simply use the ideas from the wall for further evaluation of the work of art.
Pass it On
Pass it On is a strategy that will allow students to build off one another. This is a crucial skill in any profession that involves collaboration. It is also an essential skill for the culminating activity where students will be creating a collaborative mural that represents cultural identity and/or serves as an example of activism as well as an ekphrastic poem to accompany the mural. The strategy, Pass it On, will scaffold students to complete such an activity. Students will begin with a work of art to interpret. Each student will begin a poem on a new sheet of paper and write a line. Once they complete the line, they will pass the poem to the next student. We will continue to pass the paper around until the poem is complete. We will also use this strategy in reverse. Students will analyze a poem and pass around a paper to create a drawing to accompany it. This strategy will allow students to learn from their peers through word choices, the structure of a line, etc. This strategy, when used appropriately, can be powerful for building confidence in students to interpret poetry and other works of art.
Brainstorming Through Guided Imagery
Students are like treasure chests, they have so many great interpretations but sometimes remained closed shut. Writing, in general, but especially poetry can feel intimidating to students, but brainstorming is a way to unlock their treasures of thoughts, feelings and ideas. I will use this prewriting strategy as a way to encourage creativity and generate ideas before students write their ekphrastic poem in addition to other stages in the writing process. With pressures from high stakes tests, students aren’t always encouraged to think outside the box which proves to make writing creatively even more challenging. As my students examine the work of art that they will produce an ekphrastic poem for, I will guided them in their brainstorming by reading some of the following prompts and questions, “describe the work of art,” “what words would you use to describe the painting,” “how would you describe the people and objects in the work of art,” “how does it make you feel- what emotions,” “how does it relate to real life and how does it differ,” “what can you tell me about the colors in this painting,” “how do the colors make you feel,” “pretend this work of art is alive, what would it say,” “what does it smell like,” “if you were in this work of art, what would you hear,” “pretend you are inside this work of art, what does it feel like,” and “why do you think the author created this?” As you read these questions, student can write down words and phrases as well as draw pictures for their responses. Allowing students these options makes this an inclusive strategy that all will benefit from. For students who benefit from written prompts rather than oral prompts, provide students with these prompts on a worksheet. Brainstorming through guided imagery prompts will allow students to act as if the work of art has come to life and encourage them to be creative and produce extraordinary poetry.
Three Reads and Three Looks
Three Reads is a close reading strategy adapted from a similar math strategy I have previously used. This close reading strategy will support students in creating a more detailed and specific interpretation of a poem. Depending on your students’ level of advancement, this strategy can be implemented for the whole poem or it can be used for parts of a poem, for example each stanza. For this unit, I plan to use this strategy for both whole and parts, depending on the complexity of the poem. The first time students read the poem, they are reading for a basic comprehension of the poem. They should be able to name the characters, if any, and the setting of the poem. The first read is to identify the main idea of the poem. In the second read, we begin to dig deeper into the poem looking at craft and structure. Students will examine how many lines, how many stanzas, or other composition blocks, as well as the purpose of the poet’s word choices. They will analyze why the poet used the adjectives, figurative language, and other striking vocabulary. The focus of the third and final reading is the integration of knowledge and ideas. Students will synthesize the lines and stanzas of the poem and make connections for identifying the tone and mood. This is where students will also analyze the purpose of the poem in its entirety.
Three Looks is my take on Three Reads but for interpreting works of art. When interpreting works of art, students will most likely have a slide or print to work from. However, they are also able to apply this strategy when viewing an original work of art. The first time students view a work of art, they should look at it as a whole, taking note on what they see first and why it stands out. They should be able to describe the overall scene in the work. For the second viewing, students should begin to focus in on different parts of the work of art. Students can note the largest and smallest part, the varying depths of the objects, and the colors. Here students should start to look more closely. In the third and final viewing, students should, just as in a Three Read, start to connect to the work of art. They can connect it to another work of art by comparing and contrasting. Here, students want to note what they think is the most important part of the work of art and why. They will also analyze the mood of the work of art. This strategy will allow students to examine the work of art more closely and form a more well-developed interpretation of it.
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