Author: branka

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.
Lesson plans

English&Art

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Lesson Plan Title: What is Art?

Themes:

  • What is Art? Defining art
  • Writing a haiku poem
  • Talking about favorite paintings
  • Visit to an art gallery
  • Analyzing paintings

Length: 180 minutes

Students: teenagers

Resources: https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/esl/esl_lesson_plan_index.html

 

Warmer / Energizer (45 min)

  • Ask students to define in their own words – What is Art? (think – pair – share)

 

  • Ask students if they know what haiku poem is.

If they don’t know, explain, and give an example.

(It consists of 17 syllables- 3 lines – first and third line have 5 syllables, and the second line has 7 syllables ( 5-7-5 )

Students’ task is to write a haiku poem. The title of the poem is ART. (they can do it in pairs or individually)

Students share their poems.

 

Activity 1 (30 min)

 

Ask students what their favorite painting is, and why. Students may find their favorite painting on the internet, show it to others, and explain why that is their favorite painting.

 

Activity 2 (60 min)

 

Visit to a gallery – Gallery “Artium” – photography exhibition – Vukašin Danilović “Common People Project”

 

           

 

            

 

Each student chooses their favorite painting.

Prompt students with the following questions to think about the painting they chose.

They write down their answers.

 

  • Describe the photograph– what can you see? What does the facial expression tell us about this person? His or her posture? His or her gestures?
  • Explain your emotional response to the artwork. How does it make you feel?
  • If you could interview the artist what questions would you ask?
  • If you could interview the model, what would you ask? Would you like to meet this person? Why or why not?
  • What do you think the artist is trying to say?
  • What is your opinion of the photograph? Argue/justify why you would or wouldn’t want this artwork in your home.
  • What do you think is the story behind this photo?

Discussion.

 

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

Activity 3 (45 min)

 

 

Ask students to think about a photograph they would like to be in. What kind of photo is that?

• Ask them to close their eyes and visualize it.

Students make pairs and take photos of one another. One person is a photographer, one is a model, and then, they change their roles.

After they have taken the photos, they write a line or two below it, similar to the models in the photography exhibition (they all said something about themselves – there is a text next to each photograph).

                                       

 

Me, Myself and I

​Saudade – presence of absence

brankaLeave a comment

 

 

This is the blog post I wrote after I came back from the USA, SUSI program.
After spending 5 weeks with a group of 18 wonderful people from all over the world, plus the amazing people who organized the program, I came back home, but still can’t get back on track. This amazing experience influenced me a lot. I can’t say changed a lot, but, proved some thoughts and beliefs that I have had. I am a richer person, in many ways. My friend Emilio from Mozambique would say – “I like to listen more than I like to speak. I listen, and I observe. And I learn. And then, when I understand and it’s clear in  my head, then I might ask a question. One short question. To the point. Essential. That’s it. “
I have some answers, but I have more questions, and that’s great. Keeps me going. Exploring. Learning.
Reading Murakami again, What I talk about when I talk about Running. It works again. It is an amazing memoir of a runner, and only those who run can actually understand it and appreciate it. Runners are special species. Different.
Running is an individual sport, and you can only do it as alone. If I see two people running together, I know it’s for fun. When running, you have your own rhythm, and it’s difficult to adapt to someone else’s rhythm. Plus – you don’t want to adapt.
Runners are strong individuals, they have a strong will-power. It takes a lot of effort to make yourself run regularly (whether it’s every day, or three times a week, or  – actually, you should run at least three times a week to be able to call yourself  a runner).
Anyway, I gotta go running, so, here it it, the post:
blog
​by ​

Branka Daceski

 
I miss Missoula.
Past five weeks were like a dream.
American Dream.
I lived, I learnt, I enjoyed, I explored, I hiked and biked, walked and talked, joked and laughed, I sang and danced, said goodbye and cried. ​There is this place called Big Sky  Country, and Land of Shining Mountains, and The Last Best Place, and, I will add one more – the place where people are so nice, friendly and welcoming.
One can leave Montana, but Montana will never leave one’s heart. It takes a piece of your heart, and claims it forever. And, from time to time, when you hear a song, see a picture, or see a cyclist pass by, you get this pang in your heart – bitter sweet – love and longing kind of feeling. It’s SAUDADE.
So, SUSI gang, listen, I miss you so much, I miss USO, brothers and sisters, this guy that lives on a tiny dot in the Pacific;
this crazy artist, always filming all our precious moments, and always late for our lectures :);
and, there is this guy, I mean, let me tell you, he’s from Nicaragua, and he is actually amazing.
And, then, HABIBI, from Tunisia, does it make a sense to you?
Sierra Leon calling, the phone  is ringing during the lectures, but, it’s important, wife calling. Love this guy to bits!
Girl from Thailand, her announcements, and photos.
China girl, the sweetest of all, who managed to stay on fb after going back to China 🙂
Mozambique – always speaking in Portuguese with me, ’cause I asked him – I wanted to practice the language.
Two people from Greece, one of them crazy for shopping and finding the best bargains, the other one, super gentleman, always there to lend a helping hand.
Then, there is Uruguay, PERHAPS, PERHAPS, PERHAPS.
We were all very careful not to leave any food on our plates in the Food Zoo – thanks to the girl from Cameroon.
Kyrgyzstan represented by this woman who likes rope climbing and likes to play Indian games.
Chile guy with the most beautiful smile, and the worst space perception – just like me (not the smile).
​Montenegrin girl, the bravest one, for sure, and the most caring. Love you!
Bisous, bisous to our French mademoiselle​.
Then, one girl who is not only an English teacher,  but also a psychologist, and a very cheerful person, I call her butterfly.
Last, but not least, Namaste to the best roommate.
Also, love to these people who made our dream come true:
Deena – our Mum
Rob – who we called Rob, as simple as that – and he called us – gang 🙂
Pat – he has his own classroom management techniques – which worked fantastically with our group. Also, once he asked Tok to tell him about our schedule:)
Meghan – crazy
Monica – sweet and helpful
Maddie – bringing back the stuff we would forget on the van
Logan – always smiling

​* ​

Saudade is a Portuguese expression that is almost untranslatable. The best way to describe it is: the presence of absence. It is a longing for someone or something that you remember fondly but know you can never experience again. It is an awareness of the absence of a person or thing, which puts you in a deep emotional state of sadness. The presence of absence grapples with those who should be here but aren’t. It is a form of homesickness and deep yearning. You are among thousands of people but none is the one you want to be by your side. Saudade is the moment you realize how important people are in your life and the moments you have taken for granted. (

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-burrows-grad/saudade_b_10611606.html

​)​