Visual Arts in Poetry

Exhibit 24
Exhibit 25
Exhibit 26

Exhibits 24, 25, and 26 display the visual arts work done by Jesse and Nathan. The activity we did here is based on the shared reading lesson on the poem City Child. We re-visited the poem again today, and we continued to work on the envisioning concept. In whole-class discussion, I led the students to think about how this poem could remind them of their lives by making connections. I then explained to them that they could also capture what they envision by drawing it on a piece of paper. As I modeled the strategy to them, I noticed that Jesse appeared to be very interested in the activity that he was about to do. I remember both Jesse and Nathan has told me before that art is one of their favorite subjects.

By looking at their art work, one can see that both of them have used their own imagination to create the setting of the poem. In the process of drawing these visual images, both boys were really focused. Nathan kept going back to the poem and re-read certain parts that he liked. On the other hand, although Jesse required more assistance in this task, he still held accountable for his work. Here is part of our conference transcription:

Me: I like what you are drawing here.
Jesse: Yeah, like this is the big sun peeping out. You know in my apartment, my room faces the sun so each morning it's sooo bright!
Me: Really? So which part of the poem reminds you of your room?
Jesse: Hmm... (pause, re-reading poem), right here. Look! Sometimes the great big sun
comes peeping round to see.
Me: I see. That's great. What else are you envisioning? What other images do you see when you read the poem?
Jesse: Well a lot! Look, I have a tree here. The guy (poet) here said the lamppost is his tree, but not me! I look out the window and there is a tree outside my apartment.
Me: I see. So you found something different. Would you like to have a tree or lamppost outside your house?
Jesse: A tree, sometimes people sit under the tree and talk.

In this part of the conference, Jesse is unquestionably into what he was reading and drawing because he could make connections and disconnections based on a poem that is 'authentic' and descriptive. He sat right through the reader's workshop, re-reading, writing, and drawing.

Nathan, was too, very concentrated in the process. He drew a picture for the poem City Child, he then asked me if he could do another one. I agreed. He picked another poem that he really liked; he re-read and envisioned. The following exhibit (27) is another piece of art work that he did, based on the poem, The Blue In Between.
Exhibit 27