A painting in eleven words

• Art and design
• English
• Primary Education
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

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

VGM_worksheet_Elevenwords.pdf

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

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.

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

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)

Using the diagram in the slide, explain the form of the poem: 1 word, 2 words, 3 words, 4 words, 1 word.

Point out that the poem could easily have been about other things in the painting instead.

Ask the students what else they might put in the second line of the poem. Then show them the painting briefly one more time.

The Yellow House (The Street), 1888

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.

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.

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.

Potatoes

large dish

hands holding forks

a woman pours coffee

Strange

(The Potato Eaters, 1885)

Self-portrait

dark eyes

full orange beard

face filled with colours

Vincent

(Self-Portrait as a Painter, 1887-1888)

Bedroom

two chairs

large yellow bed

the window barely open

Quiet

(The bedroom, 1888)

Bouquet

sixteen flowers

green and yellow

brown hearts dry petals

Vase

(Sunflowers, 1889)

Thunderstorm

dark light

thousands of crows

over rustling yellow stalks

Storm

(Wheatfield with crows, 1890)

The Yellow House (The Street), 1888

Assignment

Tell the students how much time they will have to write their poems: about five minutes.

While they write, leave this slide on the board for reference.

Who wants to read their poem to the class?

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.