Netherlanding Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel "the Elder"

 

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/die-niederl%C3%A4ndischen-sprichw%C3%B6rter/CwGkTFwDGMmq9w?hl=es

                    Working with the Netherlandish Proverbs                                             in the English (ESL) Classroom

Shared by Tomás Criado:

The Netherlandish Proverbs offers the English teacher a variety of possibilities to work with it in the English classroom. 

Even if the main use of a piece of art could be thought, at first, that of introducing some piece of cultural topic, they can also constitute a useful tool to address and stress other aspects of English, such as grammar, vocabulary, etc. 

That is the case of the present work, which can work in multiple and progressive ways. Not only could the piece be used for several purposes, but also in almost every level. 

Therefore, the following is just a sample of the activities that can be carried out by means or towards the Netherlandish Proverbs.

• Exercises with vocabulary: for the most basic levels, it could be used for playing I spy and fixing some basic vocabulary and use of basic tenses, namely present simple and present continuous.

• Exercises with tenses: many a tense could be practiced by means of this picture. The teacher focuses the attention towards some character or group of character and asks the student what is happening or what is going to happen. The tenses could vary according to the needs of the lesson: use of past tenses, contrast of those between them and with the present perfect, etc.

• Exercises with modals: the picture can also be used for practicing with the use of modal and perfect modal verbs. Again, there is many an option to work with, including giving advice using should, or guessing with could, could have and, should have, among other possibilities.

• Exercises with conditional structures; another set of activities that can be put into action in the ESL classroom is that of the conditional structures. The students can focus wherever they want in the picture and practice the conditionals, mostly type I and II.

As above mentioned, the picture Netherlandish Proverbs offers a wide range of options for working many grammar-heavy topics in a catching way that could help the students to understand the lessons and practice in a different way.