What I love about this activity is that it's a collective observation process. The
fifth graders (who are doing photography this year) each started with a photograph and wrote 5 words to describe the art. Then they moved on to the next one, wrote another 5 words, and so
on, until the entire class contributed observations for each photograph. After each line was written, a piece of paper was moved down over it, so the lines above were hidden. Then the unveiling! Students came back to their original photograph and read all of the observations, chose one word from each line of the five words listed, and used these
words to create a short poem. In this way, each poem is a collective
observation!
This was a great way to validate the observations of everyone and the "quiet conversation" process helped to deepen their observation and understanding of the art.
Sharon Lockhart
THE LUNCHBOX
by Alexis
The box, the carton with color
Dark background
You see Dole
I see hoarder
Made of plastic
Patriotic strutting its red
The peach sticker wanted to stick
Healthy lunch
After the poems were composed, students read their poems aloud in small groups also taking care to listen for the word they had contributed. Here they could make small changes, check for understanding, and discuss their observations. Once the small groups had finished, we moved to the presentation side of the room where I projected their photographs on the big screen as they got to read their poems to everyone.
This process took the entire hour and not one student complained about not having time to make art. In fact, I had a few students tell me how much fun they were having and everyone was completely absorbed in the process! I definitely plan on using this process again in other grades with different art.
William Wegman
THE
WHIMPERING SOUND
by Ginger
The fortune called
the newly born dog
into the dark.
Evil starts grabbing.
Mom comes saving
in her cool color dress
being as meaningful
as a mother could
be.
Andreas Gursky
COLOR MARKET
by Marcus
sugar filled market,
99 cents, sale, money, ads, cheap!
candy, rolo, bright colors,
people, people, people
sugar filled market
Ansel Adams
MOUNTAIN
by Oliver
strong
high as the
clouds
dark mystical
rays play on the
color shining
the angelic
environment
hidden
Bernd & Hilla Becher
WATER TOWER
by Max W.
The rusty worn down towers
Gridded and bare seek out water
Tall standing construction
Horizontal
Vertical
Diagonal
Dorthea Lange
A SINGLE MOTHER
by Elise
A single mother
With no home
Hiding, dirt everywhere
She wants to work
Waiting for hope
She is filled with sadness
Scared her homeless family
Will die
Great depression
Lewis Hine
CHILD
LABOR
by
Emma
Child
labor is wrong
Forcing
innocent children to work
Trying
to earn money for shoes, clothes, and food
Curious
kids forced into slavery
Feeling
empty
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Oliver Herring
MAN
by
Reza
Splattered
man
Project
man
Motionless
man
Background
man
Movement
man
Meaning
man
Azouris
man
Dirty
man
Teal
man
Chaos
man
