The Spinners, or the Fable of Arachne by diego Velázquez

 

https://www.diego-velazquez.org/the-spinners.jsp

Shared by Cristina de Vega:

Even though I teach other classes, I am going to use this picture in the Literacy class. I will have a session in social science to explain them a bit of Velázquez since it is part of the curriculum in that subject in year 5.

However, I will not present "Las hilanderas" to them, I want them to learn about his Art but I want to keep this picture as a surprise.

In my literacy class, I will use a picture dictation so my students draw the description of the picture I give them. In groups, they need to compare what they have drawn and if they know the author. There will be a debate in their groups. I will them show them the picture for them to compare. See instructions to the picture dictation below.

Now it is the moment to work with emotions, not only the emotions of how my students feel but the emotions the characters in the picture are showing. Each group will choose one or two characters and work with them in a speaking activity where they will need to apply adjectives describing different emotions and also having the ability to check on little details.

I may finally use this picture in Art so my students focus on details, colours, clothes etc and they can create another character who would perfectly fit in Velázquez's picture.

Las hilanderas, by Velázquez

PICTURE DICTATION

Materials

·        Pencil

·       Crayons or colour pencils… no markers

·        White piece of paper

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Listen to the description one time, close your eyes and do not draw, just imagine in your head what the teacher is reading

2.       Listen to the description again and start drawing and colouring (do not colour completely so you have time to draw the next thing, you will have time later to do it)

3.       Listen a third and final time to finish details or draw what you did not have time up until now.

DICTATION

                (For the teacher, I would play chill out music in the background at least the first time I read it so they can make their minds fly away since working art needs to be imaginative and transport your mind somewhere else)

1.       This picture has two scenes that do not interact with each other

2.       The front part is a group of women working together. In the background, there is a group of men and women socializing.

3.       (I will start with the background so it is easier to draw). In the background, there is a big tapestry covering the wall, this tapestry is blue and it has some angels on it.

4.       All of this part is like a stage part with two steps made out of wood.

5.       In front of the tapestry in the middle there is a man with feathers behind him.

6.       On the left part, still in front of the tapestry, we can see a man dressed like a knight and right next to him a high society woman looking to the tapestry.

7.       On the right part, still in front of the tapestry, there are two high society women gossiping. One is looking at the tapestry wearing a blue dress and the other one is looking to the front and wearing an orange dress.

8.       Now, let’s move to the front. We see five women. I will start from the left to the right.

9.       First woman is inclined holding herself on orange curtains. She is wearing an orange skirt and a white shirt. Behind her, we can see a pile of different color cloths.

10.   Next to her there is a woman with a spinner. She wears a blue dress and a white scarf covering her head.

11.   Next woman, is seating down with an orange skirt and a brown shirt, she is picking up scratches from the floor.

12.   On the right, there are two women not looking to the front, it seems they are speaking and working at the same time with white thread.

13.   First one is wearing a white shirt and a green/blue skirt holding white thread and a hair bun.

14.   The second one, we can only see her torso, she wears a brown shirt, she is wearing a hair bun.