Physicalizing Visual Text

Here's is a great arts integration strategy suitable for use with Discussions4Learning and Vocabularte. If you are looking to include some differentiation strategies and/or incorporate the arts further into your work, this technique from Theatre Arts can help further develop Arts Integration into your classroom and student experience!

Physicalizing Visual Text: A Creative Arts Inquiry Strategy for Quality Academic Discussion

Developed by Jessa Moreno, Jeannie Kohl LCI, OUSD, 2/28/14

Task: Utilizing Visual Thinking Strategies and Kinesthetic/Oral Response to Prompt Academic Discussion 

Step One: Read Photographic and/or Artistic Imagery, Select Character (Human or Non-Human) Perspective to Explore.

Step Two: As individual (whole class) or in small groups, Physically Embody Character. 
Utilize the body's whole range of motion..and take a risk!

• Introductory Level: Represent literal interpretation physically.
• Intermediate Level: Develop symbolic interpretation of visual text.
• Advanced Level: Develop 3 or more frames that show a progression of experience and interpretation of text. 

Step Three: Perform for Whole Group: Share Out Physically Embodied Still Poses and Frames.

Step Four: Gallery Walk with Inquiry: Unpack What We See/Hear

Whose perspectives do you see or hear represented?

Step Five: Second Read of Imagery with new information:

How has embodiment of the photographs/artworks shifted the evidence or personal perspective? Respond both as observers and participants.

Optional Expansion of Arts Inquiry:

Oral Vocabulary Repetition/Written Text Inclusion:

Once students have set their embodied image frames, have them speak vocabulary, repetition sentences, and/or other text of importance to their characters. Advanced students may select this text based on individual interpretation, or develop own text utilizing key vocabulary terms.

Potential Outcome:
Utilize this strategy as a starting point for building evidence leading to Argumentative Writing prompt.

Please share the outcomes of your engaged, experiential learning practice!

Jen Kaufman takes on B Sampler Week 1, Lesson 3!

We returned for a 3rd time to Monique Armstrong's 4th/5th grade classroom--such a great group of students and a really positive classroom environment. This time the luminous Jennifer Kaufman, fellow Bilingual and English Learner Specialist and former Think College Now TSA took a crack at it.

Video link for week 1, lesson 3
Note: To view video, you must be logged into your OUSD.org account

Jennifer added a brief but important little bit of information on Jacob Lawrence to put the piece of art in context. One nice thing about this program for OUSD is that it is very multi-cultural, and I think Jen's addition leveraged that, particularly given that we are coming to the end of black history month and Lawrence was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Jen kept up the all-hands-on-deck-SDAIE/CLAD-tool -bag approach going. She also introduced some new ways of repeating the key sentences. And she added a Discussion Worthy Prompt (read all about it by clicking on the highlighted text) at the end: Why do you think the author painted this picture? I think this was engaging for the students, and I liked the way it was tied to the vocabulary that had been developed in the lesson, giving students a chance to practice their vocabulary at the same time they were elaborating their thoughts. This practice of making sure students have a chance to apply their vocabulary in a discussion-worthy prompt is one that we want to continue.

Other take aways:

• The students at lower CELDT levels seemed to be pushed just about the right amount and seemed pretty fearless about expressing themselves
• There was some nice support and coaching of ELLs by native English speaking peers
• Engagement remained pretty high, though I noted some late-in-the week afternoon tiredness in some of the students
• We considered leaving out a section because the questions seemed a little thin, but then we realized that we would be dropping the important vocabulary that is developed (the word "prepared") so she left it in
• Monique and Jen and I figured out how to rig up a standard PC computer to a projector so that Monique could do the program even though she doesn't have a laptop--let me know if you might want help with this. Basically, the projector becomes the monitor for the PC computer.

Cheers!

--Mike Ray

Bilingual and English Learner Specialist

ELL Office

Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction

OUSD