<p>This lesson will provide catalysts for students to write their own third-person omniscient stories. Some instruction on different points of view should be completed before this activity.</p><p>The whole class will do a See / Think / Wonder with <em>Tenements Flats </em>after reading the first chapters of <em>The Westing Game </em>by Ellen Raskin. Students should be able to make coherent connections between the picture and themes of the book, such as class disparity, isolation, community, etc...</p><p>After the See / Think / Wonder put students in groups of two to three. Tell each group that they are going to write a third person ominscient story inspired by the painting, but each person in the group is going to write the narrative of a particular figure in the picture which will all link together into one story. Students can work on this story as we read the novel.</p><p>As the class continues reading the novel, do a whole group See / Think / Wonder with the other three paintings in this collection as themes of culture, patriotism, and strategy emerge in the story. At the end of the novel, each child should then pick one of these three pictures to do their own independent third-person omniscient story. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>

<p> These materials address a unit on resilience and global competence as related to and extended from <em>The Book Thief </em>by Markus Zusak.  #SAAMteach</p>

<p>Students will make connections between art and the literature we read in class to the concept of Truth and Justice.</p> <p>Students will first do a whole class See / Think /Wonder on <em>Amendment 8 </em>by Mark Bradford. They then will choose or be assigned to an amendment and artwork that they will research further. By answering their own See / Think / Wonder about the artwork they will connect meaning of the artwork to the words of their amendment. They will then do further reading and research on their amendment by going to the provided links. Student will answer questions via their class link on the Learning Lab or on the Google Docs document in their online folder.</p> <p>**The Rockwell painting will be assigned to Amendment 1, <em>Westward Course </em>to Amendment 2, <em>Training for War </em>to Amendment 3 and <em>Independence</em> to Amendment 4.</p> <p><br /></p>

<p>This collection examines the poetry and art of two brothers, William Butler Yeats and Jack B. Yeats. </p> <p>As a group use the visual thinking strategy Beauty and Truth to analyze the artwork <em>Irish Cottage</em>.  Discuss common perceptions or misperceptions that students may have of Ireland.</p> <p>Students should read and discuss "The Isle of Innisfree" by W.B. Yeats.  Use the visual thinking strategy See / Think / Wonder with either T<em>he </em><em>Singing Horseman</em> or <em>The Liffey Swim </em>by Jack B. Yeats.  Concepts of personal/local/national pride or freedoms may be discussed.</p> <p>Afterwards, read and discuss the poem "An Irish Airman Foresees his Death"  followed by a See / Think /Wonder of the painting <em>Men of Destiny</em>.  Student may continue to discuss the meaning of freedom and destiny.  What has changed since the previous two discussions?</p> <p>Student may research different aspects of Irish history by reading stories on the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum website.  This interactive museum recently opened to explain the reasons why 10 million people left Ireland.  Students should select a story to read from the link provided and make connections to the artwork and poetry discussed. </p> <p>Afterwards, ask students if their perceptions of Ireland from the initial discussion of <em>Irish Cottage</em> have changed?  Why?  How do the Yeats brothers change our thinking about people and history?</p> <p> </p> <p><br /></p>

<p>This collection supports a unit that incorporates poetic perspectives on immigration.  It was created as part of curriculum project for the Teachers Poetry Institute at The Poetry Foundation with the following educators:  Joe Nelson, Cheryl Carter, Amber Bunnell, and Yolanda Toni.</p> <p><br></p> <p>See the attached pdf file for the full description  of the unit. </p>

<p>This collection is to be used with an accelerated/gifted eighth grade class quarter on leaders and heroism.  The anchor texts will be first be a unit on <em>The Iliad</em> followed by a unit on African American poetry. </p> <p><em> </em>As we read <em>The Iliad </em>each student will focus their reading on a particular leader or hero of their choice who could be regarded as  a leader or hero.  However, we will focus our observations through the lens of Beauty and Truth.  How do we show the beauty of leaders/heroes, and what is the truth at the foundation of their leadership or heroism?   This collection has four broad components:</p> <p>I.  To introduce the  topic students will have a whole group discussion using the visual thinking strategy Beauty and Truth with the the artwork <em>Achelous and Hercules <span></span></em> by Thomas Hart Benton.</p> <p>Il.  As students begin the text they will be assigned a character from the story, such as Achilles, Agamemnon, Helen, etc...  They will first look at an artwork concerning this character and fill out on a Beauty/Truth chart what they see as beautiful in this hero or leader.  Then as they read they will cite with examples from the text what they see as they truth (most likely negative) behind each character.</p> <p>III.  As we finish reading <em>The Iliad </em>students will analyze their charts and possibly create  rubric of what qualities in Beauty and Truth reflect or does not reflect effective or positive leadership and/or heroism.  They should see these qualities in the activism of African American poetry.   Using art that reflects social activism students can create poetry art on vellum.</p> <p>IV.  In the final activity students in small groups will use the visual thinking strategy Beauty and Truth using artwork representing various American Leaders, such as <em>Washington Resigning his Commission </em>or <em>Marian Anderson.</em> Then students will bring their own photo of themselves and will use vellum paper to superimpose their own artwork which should reflect their views on how they can show effective leadership or selfless heroism in today's society.  As students share their work, we will discuss the Beauty and Truth that they exhibit in their own pieces. </p><p>Extension:  Another possible flow-up activity would be for students to research an individual who they think should be memorialized.  Students can then create a proposal and a design for a monument/memorial for this person.   Students could write their local officials and/or representatives about this. </p><p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p>