CoBaLTT Unit Plan

Surrealism
Lesson 01: Características del surrealismo

Submitted by Amy Buttner

Objectives:

Content:
Students will:

identify characteristics of surrealism in the work of Salvador Dalí
identify the time period when surrealism developed
identify why surrealism developed
identify where surrealism developed
name who founded the movement
name two famous surrealists and where they are from
distinguish a surrealistic work of art from other types of art

Cultural:
Students will:

begin to develop an understanding of how art is a form of cultural expression

Language: Content Obligatory
Students will:

use the following terms accurately in written and verbal communication:

el surrealismo
el movimiento
las imágenes
la obra el arte
el sueño el artista el tono
la influencia
el objeto

use colors to describe surrealistic works with accurate gender and number agreement

use the following descriptive words with accurate gender and number agreement:

oscuro
claro
dinámico
distorsionado
irracional irreal
extraño bonito
mitológico
feo chévere
como un sueño
antinatural
yuxtapuesto
deprimente

use nouns and adjectives from this lesson to practice adjective-noun agreement in gender and number

understand a reading in Spanish about surrealism and respond to comprehension questions in Spanish

Language: Content Compatible
Students will:

use the question ?Cuál es tu opinión de la obra? to find out classmates' opinions about the artwork being discussed

express opinions about surrealistic works using the following expressions in the present tense: (no)me gusta, en mi opinión es bonito, extraño, etc.

use ¿por qué? to elicit more in depth answers (a reason for the opinion)

use (no) estoy de acuerdo to indicate agreement and/or disagreement

use porque + a reason to express why he/she does or does not like something: Me gusta porque es extraño, No me gusta porque es feo.

use the verb hay to state what there is/are in the student's final art project presentation

Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will:

acknowledge and use context cues as a strategy for comprehension when reading new or unfamiliar texts

work individually and in small groups to discuss their ideas and reach conclusions

Time Frame:

One 50 minute class session

Materials Needed:

Group Work questions (see Attachments #1)

KWL sheet (see Attachments #2)

Reading on Surrealism (see Attachments #3)

projector for slide show (either slides or computer)

slide show of Dali's works (either slides or computer)

Description of Assessment (Performance Project):

A variety of tasks are provided below. They are designed in such a manner that they can be used in succession during the course of a couple of days or they can be used alone so that a teacher could do an activity a day to spread out the lesson.
---------- Task ONE: Discover Vocabulary -----------
Pre-Task:
Students will be initially introduced to surrealism by looking at some of the works of Dalí using a video projector and the site listed below that showcases many of Dalí's works. (Making a slide show of specific works the teacher wants to show is an alternative to using the Internet.) The slide show could also be used in task one. I chose to create a slide show for efficiency and ease of use. I chose to include some of his works which were not examples of surrealism to show how Dalí evolved in his creation of art.
Task:
The teacher presents a variety of works and then return to a few individually to discuss the colors the students see utilized. The teacher makes comments about the qualities the works have that make them surrealistic. The teacher focuses on target vocabulary words the students will later be expected to use. (i.e. imágenes distorcionadas, irreales, irracionales, extraño, calidades mitológicas etc.).
After comparing Dalí's earlier works to those that represent surrealism, students should make a list of important characteristics of surrealism (found in the vocab list above) which could be written on the blackboard or large sheet of paper.
Post-Task:
As the teacher shows each work again, he/she will ask the students to express their opinions as well by saying "me gusta" or "no me gusta".
---------- Task TWO: Discuss works of Dalí----------
Pre-Task:
Students will be divided into groups of two to three. They will be given a sheet of paper with a series of questions (See "Attachment #1") about each of the three works of Dali that they will be focusing on for their group discussion. Students should be provided with a list of vocabulary to aid them in their discussion and the recording of their conclusions.
Task:
The teacher will use a projector to present the works of Dalí using the Internet or a previously created slide show. He/she will leave each work projected on the screen for about five minutes to allow the students to record the information for each of the questions and discuss their opinions. Students will be asked to have the discussion in Spanish. The teacher should model one example for the students first.
Post-Task:
After students have concluded the activity the teacher will discuss the results of the group and record their findings on a chart so the students can see the conclusions. In order to involve the students more, the teacher could ask students from each group to come to the board to record their group's opinions as they formed them. This would allow students to see what other groups were concluding as well while they continued through the process. The sheet used by the students to record their conclusions should be kept for future use in Task Five (the first 3 columns are used here, the last 3 columns for Task Six).
---------- Task THREE: Reading about Surrealism -----------
Students will be reading about surrealism during this task (See "Attachment #3"). This task can be completed as a homework assignment or as a during class activity.
Pre-Task:
Before reading, the following content reading strategies are suggested. First the students and teacher should create a K-W-L (Know-Want-Learn) chart to activate student's prior knowledge of the topic (See "Attachment #2"). The teacher will ask the students to fill in the "K" column which corresponds to what the students already know. Students should be encouraged to write what comes to mind when they think of surrealism.
After students finish the brainstorming, the teacher will ask the students to share their responses to create a group chart. At this point the teacher will reintroduce vocabulary utilized in Task One and introduce other vocabulary that will be relevant to the reading the students will subsequently read. You will find this specific vocabulary included with "Attachment #3." The teacher should take some time to introduce the new vocabulary and make sure that the students understand the meanings in English as well as Spanish.
After discussing the vocabulary students will fill in the "W" column of the K-W-L chart which corresponds to what they want to know about surrealism. Ask students to create at least three thoughtful questions about what they would like to know or investigate.
Task:
Upon completion of these tasks, the students will move on to the reading. It is up to the teacher's discretion how they would like to do this. For some classes students may work better with a partner, while others may work better individually. I would suggest that students first read the reading alone silently. Ask the students to underline the words that they do not know that impede their comprehension of the reading. Encourage them to focus on the meaning of the sentence as a whole by using the context of the text. It is not necessary to understand each word individually to comprehend the main idea of the sentence.
After the students complete one reading, allow them to ask you questions about the vocabulary they underlined. Have students write the meaning of the word down as the class defines it, especially based on the context.
Now have the students read through the reading a second time, preferably with a partner so that they can use their combined knowledge the create the meaning of things they may not be clear about. First ask the pair to read the comprehension questions so they have an idea of what things they are reading to find out about more specifically. Ask the partners to complete the comprehension questions at the end of the reading as they read or when they are finished reading.
Post-Task:
When pairs have finished, the teacher should read the reading out loud while students follow along so they can listen to correct pronunciation and discuss the meaning of the reading and answer the comprehension questions. At the end of the reading or at the end of the lesson, have students finish the KWL chart by filling in the "L" column which indicates what they have learned.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed in this lesson based upon their performance in the activities reflected in Attachments 1-3.

References and Resources:

Surrealism
http://www.encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?ti=00b6000
A great thorough explanation of surrealism

Attachments:

NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)

Attachment #1 - Group Work Questions
Attachment #2 - KWL sheet
Attachment #3 - Reading on Surrealism