Ekphrasis - close reading, interpreting and responding to works of art

In an excellent article from the National Council of Teachers of English: Speak Out! How Ekphrasis Inspires Writing on the Edge authors Sirpa Grierson and Sarah Orme introduced me to the idea of "ekphrasis". 

With “ekphrasis” we combine the two Greek words “ek” meaning “out of” and phrasis meaning “speak”. When we practice the technique of ekphrasis we respond in a very structured way to a work of art with both analysis and creativity. 

Grierson and Orme focus their students on responding to works of art through poetry. Building on this, I think short narratives and dialogue would also be interesting forms for students to explore as they demonstrate their observation and interpretation skills. A great opportunity to use media to teach word choice, extending understanding and critical literacy.

Google's Art Project with it's super high resolution images is a tremendous source for this sort of work.

This doc outlines the task and provides students with an organizer for their ekphrasis work: "Ekphrasis Poetry and Narrative from Works of Art"

+ bonus item ekphrasis poetry task from the Smithsonian Education group