Art, How I Love Thee! Online Reflection #3

I am loving the visual analyses we are doing! Many of my students were struggling with the large number of pages they have to read at home, let alone the textual identifications, connections and evidence backed claims required. They were not digging deep. I gave further instructions, changed my wording, gave pointers, and I worked with students after students – one on one or in their groups. The sheer size of the text (not that big of a novel) seemed to bog them down.

We had done an informal analysis of a painting prior to starting the book and they were amazing! So I decided to add in a slightly more formal analysis. I picked an OPTIC format and located some interesting Mexican-American and Spanish-American art. This culturally connected it to our text, the novel Bless Me, Ultima. They balked at “more writing” and  another “worksheet.” I had them think back to when we looked at the 1^st painting “Curandera” by Ariel and remember our discussion. I told them that what they had done then was nearly the same only they did it without a graphic organizer. Now they went “Oh…yeah” and “Okay.”

We had such a great discussion about the painting I picked “Tamaladas” because the subject was familiar to so many of them; cooking tamales at home and big family gatherings. Then I pointed out a painting above the table, “The Last Supper.” Suddenly, “Someone’s gonna die!” We went down a strange and fascinating road analyzing why the painter put that there. I finally wrenched the bus back around, I pointed to the little girl playing on the floor. “Is she always going to be this age? Next Christmas will she be older, different?” Then I pointed to other people. “Maybe she will marry and move away. Or he will have to take a job out of town.” I hinted that maybe it was the “last supper” they would have the way they are now. I got a chorus of “Oh.” I was quiet and they were quiet a moment.  And the silence was golden  We moved on, I had them relate the painting to BMU as well as their own lives, and I asked them to decide on the meaning. They completed the form and we moved on. The next painting, “Los Manos Poderosa” had to wait until next class. Now I made them complete the OPTIC form and I had them journal, connecting this painting to the novel using specific textual (paraphrased) evidence from the painting and the novel. This time we didn’t get a whole class “ah-ha” moment, as they worked on it individually or in groups, but the discussions I heard leave me ready for more.  I cannot wait to see what they wrote.  Too bad I’m making myself grade their reading notes first. 

 Then rudely, I made them read poetry and complete a TPFASTT in groups. They really had to work for every bit of understanding and analysis on these. I did not give them the easiest poems and I selected poems by Latino/Hispanic poets that had a tone, language style, or subject matter tie into our novel. It was harder for them to find in these tightly compacted bundles where all the Figurative Language was hiding, or what the heck “shifts” were again. They muddled through and I circulated, helping as I went around. They all floundered on writing their poems’ themes. I asked questions and pointed at things in the text and as a group they hashed it out. They then had to design and complete a one pager (in groups, partners or individually) and I threw them a slow curve-ball. In 2-4 sentences connect your poem to the novel using specific details from the novel and the poem. They came up with some fantastic stuff. Everything from the narrator being a young boy to having to do with religious beliefs, to connecting themes! I was so proud of them. I can’t wait until they are done with the one pagers, so I can hang them proudly in the hall. I can point and say: ”Look, here’s textual evidence. Ohhh! And here’s higher level thinking. My kids did that.”