The language
Because of our chosen piece for this day, I wanted to get the kids into the mode of thinking what they really like. For that reason, we revised the question ‘Do you like…?’ and different ways of answering the question (I like, I love, I don’t like, I really don’t like and I am not sure). The kids were interviewing each other using a set of mixed flashcards, with toys, sports, food and activities. We were also justifying our choices.
The artist
Our Artist of the Day in the third week of April was Vladimir Mayakovsky, a poet. We introduced him (powerpoint here) and looked at a few of his works, trying to locate the product advertised. I also showed the kids our main source of inspiration, the poster with Lilia Bryk, Mayakovsky’s muse and we talked a bit about the style and the use of colour and shapes.
The art
Our task was to prepare an advertising poster in the style of Mayakovsky, our own version of it. This time I prepared one model before the lesson, promoting ‘Create’ and I planned to prepare another one with kids during the lesson. Initially, I wanted to use coloured paper and markers, in a collage layered on the photo of Lilia. That is what I did. My students, however, decided that they had a different approach to the task and they opted for a simple drawing. Only then did I realise that, yet, that could have been a great approach, too and a set of good markers and a black and white photo perfectly lend themselves to the task.
We set to work. During the lesson with the older students, I only had two kids. The task was relatively easy, made even easier with the technique that the children suggested (and to be honest, I think that was their main reason – it was a long, very hot day and they wanted to invest as little of their time as possible) and it might be a perfect choice for the older group.
My approach, the collage, was very enjoyable, too and, personally, I had lots of fun preparing my two pictures and now I am happy because I have two cool pictures to put on the walls.
On Monday, I am going to teach this lesson again, this time with the younger group. I am hoping we are going to enjoy it, too!
Happy teaching!