Teaching Strategies
Values, Identities, Actions
This strategy comes from Harvard’s Project Zero Thinking Routines.34 When students are analyzing works of art, have them use these following questions for each piece. In connection to values humans hold on to, have students use these: What values does the work invite us to think about? Are they your values? Other’s values? Whose? Does the work affirm or challenge or raise puzzles about these values? Then have students turn to looking at identities: Who is this work speaking about? And who is this work trying to speak to? Is there anyone left out of the story who should be there? Do you fit in the story or not? Why? Then we look at action: What actions might this work encourage? Answering these questions will allow students to look beyond what they see.
Compare, Contrast, and Connect Charts
When you are working with two pieces of art and a text, have students make a three column chart with the names of the works they are comparing on the first two columns and then ‘connection to text’ on the last column. In the first two columns, you would have students write down at least ten observations they make about each work. These can be concrete details about the work, adjectives to describe the painting, and/or vibes they get from the work. Once they come up with these details, on the third column, students should connect the works to the text that is being used. Do they share similar subjects, social commentary, or purposes? How are they different? Does the work connect to any words, images, characters of the chosen text? I would not require students to write in complete sentences. This should mimic a brainstorming session, trying to capture as many ideas as they can.
Artist’s Purpose Statements
For each art piece studied, students should then create artist purpose statements which will include a sentence describing why the artist created this work and for whom this work was created. Students should use the VIA questions from an earlier activity to help them create this sentence.
In-class timed writing
After spending class time prepping for a prompt, students will write in a timed setting, usually a 50 minute class period. Since this is the first time my students will do this in my class, I will pare this down to one strong thesis statement and two body paragraphs where students will need to use at least three examples of textual / visual evidence. Using this strategy will allow students to work on thinking quickly and critically, which will help them prepare for advanced classes and standardized tests, in addition to writing in college.
Fictional Portraiture
Have students create their own portraiture for characters in Things Fall Apart. This will not only allow them to be inspired by the artists that we just studied, but also see how it feels to change the narrative for Okonkwo. To create a fictional portrait for their chosen character, students will not have to use drawing skills, they can take a more nontraditional approach. But this will allow them to connect the text to art as well -- using the beauty of Achebe’s words to help define and give power to the work that they are creating. Students will have creative license on what medium to use: photography, collage, tracing, digital, drawing, sculpture, etc. This fictional portraiture will portray the humanity of the Ibo characters from Things Fall Apart and will be used as important discourse against a system, like colonization, that dehumanizes its victims.
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