The Birth of Venus in the English Classroom

 

                                             https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus

Shared by Patricia Tabarés:

The Birth of Venus in the English Classroom: Visual Thinking, Delight in Description and Cool Selfies

1. Visual Thinking

The first activity proposed to my students is to reflect upon a slide with the following words on the screen: 

            WIND - LOVE - GODDESS - SEA - SHELL - FLOWERS 

They will be invited to reflect upon the relationship between these terms and look for possible links.

2. Description

Once that they have wondered about the words on the screen, I present to them the picture of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.

We'll describe the painting visually following the pattern of: introduction (author, year, country, relevance, museum where it is hosted), visual description, interpretation and personal opinion.

3. Application

Students will download the application Google Arts & Culture in their mobile phones to use the Art Filter:  

https://artsandculture.google.com/camera/art-filter 

and see how they would look like if they were the protagonists of The Birth of Venus. They will be able to use the application later with other famous paintings likewise.