Subject:Art, ESL

Grade Level: 9-12

Description: In the tradition of a story quilt, students create an art quilt or mural based on their research of modern paintings. Each group creates a picture in a genre of a modern painting. Each picture functions as a square in the quilt that will tell the story of modern painting. The pictures will be united like the squares in a quilt and mounted on the wall to form a mural.

How it Works: Students expand writing and reading skills as they investigate modern art such as cubism, expressionism, and impressionism. They learn to use the Internet to research art and how to properly cite sources for a written report on the artist of their choice. Students analyze the elements of painting and identify genres of art and the techniques used in the selected genres. They reproduce these styles in their own pictures and reflect on the various phases of the project and be assessed for each phase. They mount their paintings as a mural in the form of a story quilt of modern art. They also improve oral skills by presenting their reports and pictures.

Final Project/Product: Students create a story quilt of modern art based on the genres they have studied. They research the artist of their choice using the Internet and write a report with three sources that are properly cited according to MLA standards. They share their reports and pictures in an oral presentation, evaluate each other’s work using a rubric, and evaluate the entire process in reflective letters.

Overall Value: The overall value of the art quilt is to make the classroom a place of exploration and creation. Using cooperative learning techniques, students’ “intelligences” are highlighted as they work together taking various roles: artist, writer, presenter, and researcher. This project is innovative because it works across the curriculum using technology and art to enhance language learning. Students are highly motivated by technology. They learn to identify reliable sources on the Web and to cite sources according to MLA standards, an essential tool for college-bound students. Most importantly, students become familiar with some of the greatest artists and the museums where we can find this art (teachers may wish to substitute local museums and include a trip as part of the unit). Students have the opportunity to “translate” their understanding of modern art into their own pictures, and display their achievement, an empowering process for ELLs.

English Language Learners: This unit focuses on ELL students because it reinforces oral, reading, and writing skills through group discussion and cooperative learning. All vocabulary is elicited from the students, shifting emphasis to the learners. Techniques such as choral reading, brainstorming, pairing weaker learners with stronger learners, group work, and group revision and reflection are all techniques that support English language learners.

Tips for the Teacher: The key to success with this project is eliciting vocabulary and analysis from the students. When discussing a specific painting, create a workshop environment by allowing students to identify and explain techniques in their own words. Encourage group discussion. Assign students to work in groups pairing stronger writers with weaker writers, students with higher technology skills with students with weaker skills, etc. Let students assign their own roles in the groups. Also, when working with computers and art, allow for set-up and clean-up time during the period. Though five units are presented here, this lesson may extend depending on students’ computer skills and the amount of time it takes for them to complete their pictures.