This lesson contains 20 slides, with interactive quiz and text slides.
Lesson duration is: 20 min
Introduction
The students write eleven-word poems based on paintings by Vincent van Gogh.
Instructions
General learning objectives
- The students will look at a painting by Vincent van Gogh and describe it in an eleven-word poem.
Materials required
- Writing materials
- A sheet of paper or a print-out of worksheet 'Eleven words' for each student
Optional variations
1. Write a group poem with the entire class before having them write individual poems. A sample poem is given for each painting.
2. Instead of having each student write a poem, you could compose all the poems together as a class.
Worksheets
Items in this lesson
Slide 1 - Slide
Story: This is a painting made by Vincent van Gogh when he lived in the city of Arles in southern France. Take a good look and memorize all the details you can.
Then count down from ten to one and proceed to the next slide.
The Yellow House (The Street), 1888
The Yellow House
Slide 2 - Mind map
Ask the students to list all the objects and colours that they saw in the painting. To write the possibilities on the whiteboard, click the pencil icon on the menu.
Slide 3 - Slide
Display the slide, and have the students briefly identify objects and colours that were not in the word web.
Summer
yellow house
under blue sky
train crossing a bridge
Arles
Slide 4 - Slide
Then read this poem aloud.
Ask questions like:
- How many words are in the poem? (Eleven)
- Does the poem mention things that are also in the word web?
- How many words are in each line? (1-2-3-4-1)
Slide 5 - Slide
Using the diagram in the slide, explain the form of the poem: 1 word, 2 words, 3 words, 4 words, 1 word.
Slide 6 - Slide
Point out that the poem could easily have been about other things in the painting instead.
Slide 7 - Slide
Ask the students what else they might put in the second line of the poem. Then show them the painting briefly one more time.
Slide 8 - Slide
The Yellow House (The Street), 1888
Slide 9 - Slide
Ask a few students what they would choose as the second line of the poem. You can fill in the blank boxes with possible answers by clicking the pencil icon on the menu.
Slide 10 - Slide
Tell the students that they will be given paper or worksheets so that they can each write one or more eleven-word poems of their own. Then pass around the sheets of paper or worksheets.
Slide 11 - Slide
Meanwhile, tell them they can choose from several of Vincent's paintings. Then show them the slides for each individual work. Each one includes a sample poem in the notes, which you can use however you wish.
Slide 12 - Slide
Potatoes
large dish
hands holding forks
a woman pours coffee
Strange
(The Potato Eaters, 1885)
Slide 13 - Slide
Self-portrait
dark eyes
full orange beard
face filled with colours
Vincent
(Self-Portrait as a Painter, 1887-1888)
Slide 14 - Slide
Bedroom
two chairs
large yellow bed
the window barely open
Quiet
(The bedroom, 1888)
Slide 15 - Slide
Bouquet
sixteen flowers
green and yellow
brown hearts dry petals
Vase
(Sunflowers, 1889)
Slide 16 - Slide
Thunderstorm
dark light
thousands of crows
over rustling yellow stalks
Storm
(Wheatfield with crows, 1890)
Slide 17 - Slide
The Yellow House (The Street), 1888
Assignment
Slide 18 - Slide
Tell the students how much time they will have to write their poems: about five minutes.
Slide 19 - Slide
While they write, leave this slide on the board for reference.
Who wants to read their poem to the class?
Slide 20 - Slide
Finally, ask a few students to read their poems to the class. As they read, display the relevant painting on the board, or have the other students guess which painting the poem describes.