Why can artists and musicians be internationally renowned? Because they speak a different, universal language for all to see and hear. Diego Rivera was a famous Mexican artist in the early 1900's and was influenced by greats like Picasso and Cezanne. Here is an endless pictoral gallery of his work. Diego Rivera Paintings
One way to use art as a language instruction or assessment tool is to have students describe some kind of picture in the second language. Why not include pictures that are culturally relevant to the language being spoken? For beginner classes, have students ask and answer eachother's questions about paintings of famous artists by using a small set of newly learned vocabulary. For advanced classes, have students compare and contrast paintings, interpret them, relate them to daily life, explain the historical background of them, etc. For more input, find explanations of the paintings and have students look up new vocabulary of the paragraphs.
I love the idea of using art in the classroom. One of my most vivid memories of French class in high school was when our teacher took us all to the Basquiat exhibit in Vancouver on a field trip. Later on we had to describe the art (using a whole array of new adjectives, of course!) and write short essays about his work and personality. In retrospect, I learned a lot from that activity. The whole class really enjoyed it, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Enid! I remember really well when we did our unit on art back in high school Spanish, I learned so much about culture and language at the same time. Great idea to get the students to talk about art and expose them to Diego Rivera's work. It would be neat to have students look at different works by different Latino and Spanish artists and have them notice their similarities and differences.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea. Most students will like learning about art. When I taught history, I consistently included art in my lessons. Whether it was Renaissance paintings or modern architecture, they really liked it. I even had my students create their own art based on different historical styles and then they had to explain the connection to art history. Visual learners will love this idea especially!
ReplyDeleteWOW,this sounds such a wonderful and exciting activity. I am kind a surprised I never used it in my class, especially considering that India has such an amazing art history. I understand your point about using different adjectives to describe the paintings, Enid. Often, it is difficult to make students go beyond 'good' and 'interesting' when they are describing things. But, an activity like describing a painting will certainly compel them to use more relevant adjectives.
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