Story telling and History. Two Canadian Paintings

 

STORYTELLING & HISTORY. CREATIVE WRITING & SPEAKING

Shared by Mª Isabel Gejo-Santos: 

Level: 4th ESO

Time: 40-45 minutes

Materials: Painting that suggests a story and a historical event

Selected images: 

Two Canadian paintings commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook’s Canadian War Memorials Fund:

1-Women making Shells, by Mabel Henrietta May (1919)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mabel_May-Women_Making_Shells_(CWM_19710261-0389).jpeg

2- A portrait of Sgt. T. W. Holmes, V.C., by Ernest Fosbery (1918).

https://dougdumais.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/canadian-art-of-the-first-world-war-exhibition/

Language focus: Narrative. The use of present simple and present continuous, past simple, past continuous, modal verbs (hypotheses), passive.

Aim: The use of a painting to encourage students to write a narrative text about the effects of WWI on women and former soldiers.

Preparation: Prepare two images that evoke a story and history of women and ordinary people in WWI.

IN CLASS:

1-Display the picture and ask students to analyze. Write two or three ideas and questions on the board, such as:

- War art is a controversial thing. 

On the one hand, it runs the risk of glorifying war, soldiers turned into heroes or making it attractive through the skill of the artist. On the other, it is an amazing tool for portraying and describing conflict and its aftermath. So, my question is: Are you in favor or against war art?

- For Women making Shells: 

Describe their job and the atmosphere in the factory. How did this new job change their life? Do you appreciate a factory’s atmosphere of collaboration? This painting mostly captures what a female factory worker described as the avenues of clanking, grinding, clashing machines. How is it represented by Mabel May?

- For A portrait of Sgt. T. W. Holmes, V.C: 

Describe his expression, uniform, etc. Do you think he is sad despite of being awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery? Why? Holmes admitted to King George V during his investiture at Buckingham Palace that he had lied about his age and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force at 17. Do you think he could have regretted what he had done?

2-Ask the students to discuss the questions in pairs of small groups.
3-Finally, students must write a short text which describes, tells, or explains the story and the history of the painting. Then invite the students to read their version aloud to the whole group