INFUSING VISUAL ARTACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Presented by Dr. Derek CavillaGifted Instructional Coach, Galileo School for Gifted Learning, Sanford, FL

Visual Literacy and the Gifted Learner:

“Art is not a thing; it is a way.” - Elbert Hubbard

“A picture is a poem without words.” - Horace

“The principle of true art is not to portray,

but to evoke.” - Jerzey Kosinski

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think,

is still the secret of great creative people.” - Leo Burnett

The Railw

ay, by Edouard M

anet, 1873

CRITICAL THINKING• Use visual art to facilitate discussions and

activities involving fact and opinion or making inferences.

• Ask students to describe what they SEE in the image. Be sure to clarify that these must be undeniable facts.

• Prompt students to ponder and share what they THINK is happening in the image. Include all responses and allow for debate among ideas.

• Have students share what they still want to KNOW about what is happening in the image. Use prepared background information to close the discussion.

Watson and the S

hark, by John Singleton C

opley, 1778

READING STRATEGIES• Use visual art to encourage students to ask

questions about what they think is happening in the image.

• Prompt students to predict and infer what they think has happened before this specific moment, what is happening right now, and what may happen in the future.

• Model how to monitor and clarify understanding by doing a think-aloud.

• Have students evaluate their understanding individually or in small groups.

• Allow individuals or groups to summarize what they have learned.

A View of the M

ountain Pass C

alled the Notch of the W

hite Mountains

(Craw

ford Notch), by Thom

as Cole, 1839

CREATING POETRY• Use the “What I see, what I think, and what

I still want to know” or reading strategies model to facilitate a class discussion.

• Ask students to write a single word or short phrase that they feel best describes the art on a Post-It note and collect; make responses anonymous.

• Record the responses on the board to create a “Word Pile”.

• Use each word or phrase only once, along with punctuation and very minimal conjunctions, to create a custom poem.

• Encourage flexibility while scaffolding the organization of stanzas.

Masked B

all at the Opera, by E

douard Manet, 1873

TECHNICAL WRITING• Show students examples of abstract art,

but keep it simple.

• Provide materials for students to create a customized piece of abstract art.

• Have students create step-by-step directions for another person to re-create the art without seeing it for reference.

• Swap directions with another class or period and have students re-create the art following the directions provided.

• Provide students with the re-creation along with specific, constructive feedback from both the teacher and the peer evaluator.

RESOURCESThe National Gallery of Art

provides access to its collection at no charge:

images.nga.gov

Educator resources and information regarding the

Summer Teacher Institute:

www.nga.gov

For more information, implementation support, or additional activity ideas, please contact:

derek.cavilla@galileogiftedschool.org