Charlcie HolguinJune 16, 2011

Lesson Plan: Ekphrasis

By Don McLean

•Follow along with the lyrics•Think about the word’s meanings•Figurative Language?•Listen closely

Write in your journals what you thought of the song, different figurative language aspects you noticed and other things you found interesting. Answer the question “Who is Vincent?” 5-10 minutes

“VINCENT”

Discuss

Who do you think Vincent was? What do we learn about Vincent from

the song? Re-read the lyrics and annotate What poetic devices did you find?

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

How does this work of art relate to the song?

Ekphrasis

Ekphrasis is a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art

Literature written about artwork Perspective is important

What Inspires You?

Your Project: Find 3 works of art to write a poem

about Your poems must include at least 3

different perspectives (written to the artist, by a subject in the painting, by an onlooker, etc.)

Before you begin…Brainstorm!

Perspectives in Writing Ekphrastic Poetry

• Write about the scene or subject being depicted in the artwork.

• Write in the voice of a person or object shown in the work of art.

• Write about your experience of looking at the art.

• Relate the work of art to something else it reminds you of.

• Imagine what was happening while the artist was creating the piece.

• Write in the voice of the artist.

• Write a dialogue among characters in a work of art.

• Speak directly to the artist or the subject(s) of the piece.

• Write in the voice of an object or person portrayed in the artwork.

• Imagine a story behind what you see depicted in the piece.

• Speculate about why the artist created this work.

20-30 min

Get Started!!

Homework: If you do not find 3 paintings in class today, find

them at home Using the handout in your booklet “Perspectives in

Writing Ekphrastic Poetry” (previous slide) brainstorm what perspectives you want to write your poems in

Write it down! I will be checking all your choices and ideas tomorrow so be prepared!

Write…Write…Write!!!

Work on your poems I will be coming around to check your

work and answer questions Don’t abuse your time. Use the checklist and rubric in your

booklet.

Lesson Format Lesson Idea for Presentation Exercise

Your Name(s): Charlcie Holguin

Subject Area: Literature/English Comp

Grade Level: 9th-12th grade

Lesson Title/

Web Address: Ekphrasis: Using Art to Inspire Poetry/

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/ekphrasis-using-inspire-poetry-1093.html

 

Curriculum-Nevada State Standard:

Standard 4.0: Expository Text: Content Standard 4.0 Students read expository and persuasive texts to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate for specific purpose. Directions: Read and follow directions to complete tasks or procedures.

Standard 6.0: Types of Writing: Content Standard 6.0 Students write a variety of texts that inform, persuade, describe, evaluate, entertain, or tell a story and are appropriate to audience and purpose. Poetry: Write poetry.

 

Objectives: Students will read and analyze poems inspired by art, discuss the methods poets use to write about artwork, use Internet searching techniques to find several inspiring art pieces, compose poems inspired by the artwork of their choosing

 

Instruction-Procedures: 1. Help students discuss/analyze works of poetry inspired by artwork using specific examples. 2. Define Ekphrasis, have students discuss what makes poems ekphrastic, have students look over poems and discuss what aspects make them ekphrastic. 3. Have students search (in books and online) for at least 2 works of art that inspire them. 4. Choose one of the two works of art and begin writing a poem about it. 5.Edit and revise poems. 5. Turn in final draft.

 

Assessment-

How will you check student learning:

I will grade the poems using a specific rubric, checking their imaginative use of perspectives, ideas, use of ideas and formatting. Then perhaps later, after giving a lesson on several different types of poetry (ekphrasis, iambic pentameter, sonnets, epic, etc.), and showing them how to analyze and recognize certain types of poems, I could test their knowledge by quizzing them. On the quiz, I would give them several different poems (some that we went over and some that we did not) and ask them what kind of poem it is. They would have to write a short response about each poem, noting what aspects in each poem make it that type of poem.

 

This lesson would take several classes to complete. It would occur after the students have already learned different ways to write and analyze poetry. The first section would be the introduction of Vincent, the journal write, the discussion of the song, and the revealing that it was written about Vincent Van Gogh and his painting Starry Night. The next section would be the introduction of Ekphrasis. I would hand out an Ekphrasis booklet. This would include descriptions of ekphrasis and how poems use different perspectives. The booklet would also include other examples of poems written about works of art. They would then be given the rest of the class time to look on the internet (if my classroom had computers) or use books of artwork that I offer to find 3 paintings they would like to write about. If they do not find anything in class, then they would have to find them at home that night. Their homework after the section would be to brainstorm using the questions on slide 6, which would also be included in their Ekphrasis booklet. They would then spend the next class working on their poems, and for homework (preferably over a weekend) they would finish editing and revising 3 poems to turn in. In there booklet there would be checklist and rubric for what they should include in their poems. The day the poems were due, every student would choose their favorite poem that they wrote and read it to the class. The students could tell me what painting the poem is about and I would search for it on the internet and display it on the projector while the students read their poems.

Description of Lesson

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1093/PoetryBookchecklist.pdf

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1093/PerspectivesinWritingEkphrastic.pdf

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ekphrasis http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/e

kphrasis-using-inspire-poetry-1093.html http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5918 http://johnbriner.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/starry-night-by-vincen

t-van-gogh/ http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=6117&song=Vincent http://www.doe.nv.gov/standards.html

Sources