Integrating Art and Literature
I used several assignments that permit students to respond to
literature using art. Two allow students to create their own art. One is
geometric characters found on the California Language Arts S.C.O.R.E. page
under "Activities"
http://
www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cla.html
A second is an assignment I found in VOICES IN THE MIDDLE, Fall 1997
edition.
The article by Nancy J. Johnson is called "Literary Weaving" . Students are
given strips of adding machine tape and invited to arrange visual images,
shapes, colors, and designs along with a quotation and key words from the
literature. I used 36" strips. The students also are asked to write a one
page explanation of the images, etc. they use and to tell why they chose
each image, color, symbol and arrangement and what each of them "means".
I evaluate their work holistically. If the images and explanation seem to
make sense (if I can understand why they made the choices based on their
explanations), and if the students have chosen symbols, images, etc. that
reflect deeper reading (not merely literal responses), I tend to give higher
grades. Frankly, I'm more interested in reading their explanations than
seeing the quality of their art work. The combination of art and writing
offers an alternative way of assessing the sophistication of their reading.
Often the more inarticulate students have the more intricate artistic work.
Once the strips are completed, the students share their strips with their
classmates in small groups. I've devised a way to rotate the students among
the small groups so that most students have three or four opportunities to
share their work with different combinations of the classmates. I use a
timer and groups change every five minutes. This gives each student about
one minutes to explain the strip, but it seems to be enough time to gain an
audience and to see the variety of ways peers respond to similar books.
Afterwords, the strips are woven together to form a tapestry and then
mounted on the bulletin board. The woven tapestry miraculously reveals
common images that reflect recurring themes among the literary works.
This last semester my ninth grade students made two strips - one for NIGHT
by Elie Wiesel, which we read together as a class, and the second for a
self-selected book. (We were completing a unit on issues of prejudice and
tolerance). Interesting. Even the self-selected books illustrated examples
of dealing with both issues in ways that surprised the students.
I typed the assignment, using guidelines for the Johnson article, gave it
to students a day ahead and asked them to come to class with ideas and art
stuff. Colored pencils, crayons, and water colors work better than fat
markers. I keep a basket of assorted stuff in my room for those who have
none, or forget to bring it. Students began the strip on NIGHT in class and
completed the second strip at home. The assignment was very rewarding and
enlightening for us all.
Have fun with these refreshing alternatives.
Email: kglee@webtv.net
