With sixth grade students we did this interdisciplinary work in collaboration with the Italian teachers and with my art colleague Maria Noemi Demaio. First, the students wrote poems inspired by an italian poetress SILVIA VECCHINI, that describes a PLACE dear to the author.
In the poetry with the “tracing” method each student tried to describe a dear place, with its scents, colors, noises, flavors and sensations that this place arouses in him. The result was poems full of memories, nostalgia, experiences that we tried to represent graphically.
In this task I gave to students precise instructions for the measurements and the procedure. First of all we squared a 33x24cm drawing sheet in this way:
Based on the poem you must choose:
● 1 or 2 colors
● 2 or 3 objects (with visual “references” on iPad), make SIMPLIFIED drawings, do not draw entire objects but only a DETAIL, a part. The details of the objects must “come out” of the square, for example if the object is a table I will NOT draw the whole table in the center, but only an edge in a corner of the drawing.
● divide the drawing with 2 or 3 lines
● color with colored pencils and insert patterns in multiple areas (shapes or onomatopoeias)
● trace all the lines with colored markers
Here are three slides summarizing the procedure :
The students wrote beautiful poems, and they were illustrated just as well, the important aspect of these illustrations is that they had to be above all EVOCATIVE, as in the written part it was required to evoke sounds, smells, sensations, so in the graphic part it was not necessary to represent objects or environments “from life”, but it was sufficient to combine details, shapes and patterns also composed of onomatopoeias. Here are some of the phases of the work and the poems with the images:
At the end of the year the illustrated poems were exhibited at the school exhibition:
I love this. I have been doing these kinds of works with my students. Just recently, my 1st-2nd classes did color poems. You have inspired me to bring your project to my 6-8th students.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your message! I hope your students enjoyed the activity
As usual, a creative lesson resulting in beautiful, charming, and in some places, witty pieces. I wish I could read the poems, but the drawings enchant. I, an 82 year old, am going to attempt this. I write poems and have often written them in response to art. I also try to paint, but recently — for many months now, I have been unable to. I am going to use your instructions to get back. Thank you so much. I am sure your students will carry for your inspired teaching with them throughout their lives. — Marilyn Cleland
Hi Marilyn, thanks for your kind message