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

Canada: The Greater Britain

This is an authentic lecture from 1897 by Rev. C.E. Perry. Perry shares his views on all of the many things that make a young 30 year old Canada great. I wonder if students could see some of the irony in the text and whether they could infer how Perry might feel about our nation today? This activity feels timely in the middle of an election campaign.
Canada: The Greater Britain - full text with analysis prompts

Fitting In and Finding Your Way...

Young Canadian singer songwriter Aleesia Cara is a poet. Her first song "Here" is a wonderful sarcastic apology to the popular crowd for not fitting in at a party:

 

"I'm sorry if I seem uninterested

Or I'm not listenin', or I'm indifferent

Truly I ain't got no business here

But since my friends are here, I just came to kick it

But really I would rather be at home all by myself"

I think it's a great prompt for discussion groups to consider (full lyrics) and / or a prompt for a quick write as we get to know our students early in the school year. 

Prompts:

1. How much do you connect with Aleesia Cara's feelings in her song "Here"?

or

2. If you were a friend of Alessia Cara's how might you respond to her after hearing her song "Here"?

Wild Things by Alessia Cara

Cara's second released song "Wild Things" (full lyrics) builds on the theme with thoughts about high school cliques. It's a terrific call to arms, full of great word play and connections to Maurice Sedac's classic children's story.

Prompts:

1. Identify a character from a text we’ve read in class and explain how he/she would respond to Alessia Cara’s song. Justify your analysis with specific references to the character’s actions and/or thoughts.
2. A “lamentation” is a song about regret and loss while a “celebration” is a song about success and triumph. Explain which label you’d apply to Alessia Cara’s “Wild Things”.
3. How is Alessia Cara’s “Wild Things” related to the classic children’s story “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sedak?

"I lose my balance on these eggshells you tell me to tread

I'd rather be a wild one instead

Don't wanna hang around the in crowd, the cool kids

I'm cool to me, cause they're not cooler than we are"

Effective Laptop Use in Classes

I think all of the following statements are probably true:

• laptops can lead to off task behaviour in class / particularly during lectures;
• laptops are great tools for taking notes during lectures;
• laptops can lead to students transcribing lectures rather than summarizing / distilling the most important information;
• laptops enable critical thinking, fact checking, making connections and exploring ideas during lectures;
• the effective use of laptops in classrooms must be taught through modelling, discussion, and reflection.

These articles from the Globe and Mail and The Atlantic about technology use in university lectures might be useful starting points for a discussion in high school classes about the effective use of laptops for note taking:  "Professors at odds over technology’s role in the lecture hall" / "To Remember a Lecture Better, Take Notes by Hand"

Questions I'd want students to consider after reading the articles:

1. How is effective note taking different from transcribing a lecture?
2. How might laptops help or hinder effective note taking?
3. What does effective laptop use look like in a class?
4. Do high school teachers and university professors have different responsibilities in the regulation of laptop use in their classes?
5. How will you know if you're an effective note taker?

Awkward Silences

I wonder if we spend enough time building relationships in our classes? I find that in many of the classes I visit the students don't know one another's names. This activity: "Awkward Silences", introduces students to the art of initiating a conversation using an article by Andrew Tarvin "Fifty Questions to Get to Know Someone - Quatro's Tips." It might be useful during the first couple of weeks of class.

Narrative Profile of Amaris Tyynismaa

Amaris Tyynismaa has battled tourette's syndrome most of her life. Writer Duncan Murrell's profile of Amaris is a terrific example of the use of narrative to illustrate the qualities of a character.

"Amaris Tyynismaa: The Human Body is a Miracle. The Human Body is a Curse" by Duncan Murrell

Students might use the article as an example to follow when writing a brief profile of themselves.
1. Challenge the students to identify examples from the text when Murrell uses brief stories to illustrate key points about Amaris' personality or struggles.
2. Ask the students to consider how the use of the anecdotes make the story more interesting or convincing.
3. Challenge the students to share in small groups stories that illustrate something about themselves.
4. With just a partner follow up on the small group discussion with an interview focused on these ideas:

• Identify something important / interesting people should know about your partner;
• Discover an anecdote to illustrate the important / interesting thing;
• Conclude your profile connecting the idea and the anecdote

Classroom friendly version of the article: A Runner

Learning & Studying Tips

Exams are around the corner.  This article ("The Lessons You Never Got Taught In School") offers students some suggestions on how to take control of their studying success.

Best Tip: Students preparing for exams should use the "Elaborative Interrogation" method

From the article:

Elaborative Interrogation

A method involving creating explanations for why stated facts are true. The method involves concentrating on why questions rather than what questions and creating questions for yourself as you are working through a task. To do this yourself, after reading a few paragraphs of text ask yourself to explain “why does x = y?” and use your answers to form your notes. This is a good method because it is simple, so anyone can apply it easily. It does however require enough prior knowledge to enable you to generate good questions for yourself, so this method may be best for learners with experience in a subject. The technique is particularly efficient with regard to time, one study found that elaborative learning took 32 mins as opposed to 28 mins simply reading.

An example of elaborative interrogation for the above paragraph could be:

Elaborative learning is useful for proficient learners because it allows them to apply their prior knowledge effectively to process new information. It is rated as effective because it is time efficient and relatively easy to perform.