Ekphrasis Lesson Plan

Charlcie Holguin
June 16, 2011
Lesson Plan: Ekphrasis

“Vincent”
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

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!
20-30 min
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.

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/ekphrasis-using-inspire-poetry-1093.html
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5918
http://johnbriner.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/starry-night-by-vincent-van-gogh/
http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=6117&song=Vincent
http://www.doe.nv.gov/standards.html
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Ekphrasis Lesson Plan

by Charlcie Holguin on Jul 08, 2011

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