ENGLISH AND CULTUREAn inquiry-based learning project work

by Carla, Lynn, Marina, Speranza, Teresa and Vincenza

Tutor: Ann Marie O’Brien

English Matters’ Programme - Dublin, Ireland

STAINED GLASS ART IN IRELAND

STAGE 1: EXPLORING

• Starting point: students’ current

understanding

• Goal: active construction of meaning through:

questioning, researching information, collecting

data and reporting findings ...

WHAT IS MEANT BY STAINED GLASS ART?

Stained glass 

Stained glass art

coloured glass as a material or works created from it.

Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches, mosques and other significant buildings. Although traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensional structures and sculpture.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC SKILLS FOR A STAINED GLASS ARTIST?

Stained glass, as an art and a craft , requires the artistic skill to conceive an appropriate and workable design, and the engineering skills to assemble the piece.

AS A VISUAL MEDIUM WHAT ARE THE MAIN SUBJECT AREAS REPRESENTED?

The design of a window may be abstract or figurative; may incorporate narratives drawn from the Bible, history, or literature; may represent saints or patrons, symbolic motifs, flora, fauna, or landscape.

WHO IS THE MAJOR REPRESENTATIVE STAINED GLASS ARTIST OF THE IRISH CULTURAL HERITAGE?

• Harry Clarke (1889 to 1931)

His reputation: synonimous of quality craftsmanship imaginative genius

Main characteristics of his art: his use of deep rich colours his delicate depiction of beautiful elongated figures with their finely carved features and deep expressive eyes.

STAGE 2: INVESTIGATING

Interviewing people

Surfing the net

Taking pictures

Meeting an Irish stained glass artist

INTERVIEWING PEOPLE IN DUBLIN’S STREETS

Questionnaire** arranged by the students divided into groups:

1. Do you know anything about stained glass art?

2. Have you ever seen any examples of this art in Dublin? Where?

3. Do you know Harry Clarke?

4. Do you know any of his works?

** After a guided discussion on the topic, students prepare a questionnaire to investigate about the project

INTERVIEWS: RESULTS

Number of the people interviewed: 14

Age: 15 - 60

Gender: 8 females and 6 males (2 refused to answer)

Occupation: 5 students – 4 clerks – 2 workers – 1 teacher

Questionnaire

• Do you know anything about stained glass art?

• Have you ever seen any examples of this art in Dublin? Where?

• Do you know Harry Clarke?

• Do you know any of his works?

Results:

Q. n.1: 7: Yes – 5: No

Q. n.2: 7: in churches and pubs.

Q. n.3: 4: Yes – 8 No

Q. n.4: 2: The windows at Bewley’s Cafè - 2: No

SURFING THE NET

Students surf the net to find out the necessary information about the topic.

PICTURES

St Theresa’s Carmelite Church

Bewley’s Cafè

The Church

Students take photos in the main sites of interest in Dublin concerned with this topic

MEETING GERRY O’BRIEN

My name is Gerry O'Brien. I live in Ireland in Naas Co. Kildare15 miles south of Dublin. I am self employed and a carpenter by trade. As part of my business I also do some Stained Glass Work. Along with this I also find time to teach in a secondary school.

STAGE 3: PROCESSING

Stained glass art has survived over time, linking past and

present through different subject matters

Dubliners’ lack of awareness of stained glass heritage

Modern artists, like Gerry O’Brien, enthusiastically try to promote this kind of art.

The Irish Government gives funds to support Art in schools

Analysing the information, evaluating ideas, organising and synthesising findings

STAGE 4: CREATING

Presenting the results of the enquiry (a written table and an oral report from one student of each group)

Transferring learning to new contexts and enquiries: watching a video and pictures about stained glass art in Italy. Other forms of glass art in Italy – Murano.

Language practice: Vocabulary - Use of English

Production: Drawing a cartoon to tell a story – Describing the scenes or telling the stories. (group works).

Competition: A prize for the best story which will be reproduced in stained glass art (school funds).

Follow-up activity.

IBL: Stained Glass Art

• ENGLISH and CULTURE – JOBS (A2-B1 CEFR at second level)

(Pre-requisite: students have some knowledge of Ireland – the country)

• CLIL: Art and History• Methodology:

(Communicative Approach: ↓TTT ↑STT )

(Teacher will set up a blog and put all information available to students who in turn will report their findings)• Activity One: Brainstorming (Reflecting)• Activity Two: Pre-Teach Lexis (Reflecting)• Activity Three: Reading (Rearching/Analyzing) • Activity Four: Writing/Telling a story (Creating)

Activity One: Warm Up - Brainstorming

Watch the video (with no sound)• What is the woman doing?• What job do you think she is trying to do?

“break the ice”

What are the most

popular jobs in your

country?

What equipment do

they need for the

job?

Speaking in pairs

Ask students:

• What is stained glass? • Where can it be found?• Do you know any artists? (later investigation)• How can glass be used differently?• How is it created?

English in use: passive voice

Harry Clarke

Murano glass

PAST & PRESENT (IRELAND)

Harry Clarke Gerry O’Brien

St. Patrick’s Cathedral The Stag’s Head

artistsplaces

Italy

Murano glass

Activity Two: Pre-teach Lexis (using passive)

Stained glass artist’s tools

Match words to objects

-glass cutter

-lead

-cartoon

-solder

-fid

-horse nails

…any other objects you know?

Use of English

The Passive • What are these tools used for?

i.e. The glass cutter is used for cutting pieces of glass.

1) glass cutter

2) lead

3) solder

4) fid

5) horse nails

a)put together glass cut-outs

b)weld lead

c)cut glass

d)fit glass in lead

e)hold pieces tight together

Match the tools with verb phrases

Analysis: Content Learning

Formal Informal

passive active

HoweverBecause of + noun

(formal linkers)

ButBecause

(informal linkers)paragraphing not nec.

No contracted form Contracted form; abbrev.

Activity Three: Reading (Researching)

Group work in class• Students will prepare questions (in passive voice) to answer about

a particular artist of their choice (Harry Clarke, George O’Brien, etc) (i.e. Who were these works created for? Where were they placed?)

Homework or classwork assignment• Students will do research on the artist chosen and report all the

information on the blog created in class (individual or group work)

OR

Students choose a stained glass panel they like and write a physical description in detail about it

Peadar Lamb

Nora Duggan Peter Young

Activity Four: Writing (Creating)

Telling a story from a stained glass artwork

Activity Four: Writing (Creating)

In pairs or groups, students create a cartoon which tells a story: • Who the characters are and if they represent something• Where and when it is set and why• What is happening, what happened or what is going to happen

To promote heritage on a larger scale, this activity can be used as a competition between local schools in the area, inwhich a prize could be given to the best stained glass cartoon.(Eventually, the winning piece could be produced into a realstained glass work with school funding.)

national international

Activity for CLIL: History

In pairs or groups, students create a cartoon which tells a story about a particular period or event in history:

o Who the characterso What the setting in

time and space iso What happened

Activity for CLIL: ArtIn pairs or groups

• students create a stained glass artwork using different coloured transparencies to tell a story

• another group tells the story

Follow up activity• This activity is used as reinforcement or as an

assessment of students’ learning.

• Students will be asked to create a final output as the result of their enquiry which will be assessed.

Here’s an example

https://prezi.com/yapqhpmcngvs

A Special Thanks to our Tutor

Ms Ann Marie O’Brien

Thanks for your

attention