Welcome to this interdisciplinary experience!

St. Catherine’s Moorlands School

Middle School

Interdisciplinary task – History, Language, Arts

Level 3

Arts and poetry is a means of illustrating different social perspectives

Poetry and art enlighten our understanding of historical events

Key concept: PERSPECTIVE

Related concepts:

Language: patterns - style – point of view – self-expression

Individuals and societies - History: identity – innovations and revolutions

Arts: expression – composition – interpretation

How far are we all affected in the same or different ways when changes occur?

How do we express different perspectives?

To what extent is arts and poetry a powerful tool to reflect social perspectives?

A.   You must fill in the following pages with the information you will receive in the History, Language and Arts lessons: (2 months for History – 2 periods for Language – 2 periods for Arts)

History: The Industrial Revolution Look at the different events we studied in class and complete the table below using the sources included in the booklet. Think of the possible answers to the four question below to complete the task: Step Inside 1. What can this person see, observe or notice? 2. What might the person know, understand, hold true or believe? 3. What might the person care deeply about? 4. What might the person wonder about or question?
Event	Who benefitted from it	Who did not benefit from it
Agricultural Revolution
Working in mines
Textile industry
Changes in transport

Language and Literature From the poems by Ken Saro Wiwa analysed in class, write a list of rhetorical and literary devices used in a poem to create an effect on your audience. Rhetorical and literary devices:

Art After investigating and analysing calligrams, create your own based on a song lyric that you like. Consider interpreting the meaning of the lyrics. Suggest a way to express a visual image considering the layout of the letters. Choose a lyric. Create a mind map of ideas and images related to its topic. Sketch possibilities to create a visual image with text.

B.  This is an activity in groups. You must select one character from the list below:

1.     Farmer with a lot of land

2.    Farmer with very little land

3.    Coal miner

4.    Coal mine owner

5.    Factory owner

6.    Factory worker

7.    Child working in a factory

8.    Child working in a mine

9.    A citizen who has just moved from the countryside to the city of London

10.  A woman who used to spin and weave at home and now is working in a textile factory

Answer the following questions about your character using your knowledge of the Industrial Revolution:

Step Inside – Character: ____________________________________ What can this person see, observe or notice? What might the person know, understand, hold true or believe? What might the person care deeply about? What might the person wonder about or question?

C.    In groups you will create a Calligram expressing your perspective of the way you have been benefitted or not by the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

·         You should be able to express your point of view using the vocabulary and content you have studied in History

·         You should use rhetorical and literary devices you have learnt in Language

·         You should be able to create a calligram using the techniques learnt in Art

Completion time: 4 periods of 40 minutes each and 1 week to finish at home.

D.  Each group will present the poem orally and will account for their historical, literary and artistic choices.  

E.  Each member of the group will hand in a self-reflection on the work done taking into account the criteria assessed and the questions
   below:

A– Integrating Learning ·         Show understanding of each discipline separately ·          Show a clear integration of all three disciplines in the poem	B – Learning in Context ·         Evaluate how the interdisciplinary connection has improved your understanding of the topic ·         Justify the choices you have made
C – Communicating ·         Present your poem clearly and in an organized way taking into consideration audience and purpose ·         Use appropriate terminology of each discipline involved	D – Reflecting ·         Evaluate the limitations and benefits of the integration of disciplines ·         Reflect on the interdisciplinary learning process

SELF REFLECTION

1) How did you choose the character?

2) What do you think about the questions that led you to “become” the character and empathize with him?

3) How did you work out how to write the poem?

4) How did you choose the shape, size and colour of your calligram?

5) Do you think you benefited from the fact that you did this activity integrating knowledge from different subjects? Why? How?

6) Do you think you have increased your understanding of the Industrial Revolution, Rhetorical and Literary Devices and Art Techniques after working on this project? Why? Why not?

7) Why is this inquiry significant, relevant and meaningful?

8) Why is this worthy of my effort and understanding?

9) Why am I learning this?

10) Why should this matter to me and to the communities to which I belong?

The different subjects will also assess this task using the following criteria:

History:

Criterion C: thinking critically

• clearly recognizes a range of different perspectives and their implications

Language:

Criterion C: Style and Language mechanics:

·         Use language to argue, persuade, inform and express feelings from a certain perspective.

·         Using accurate terminology to analyse poetry: how language is used to create effect, e.g. figurative language, imagery, patterns and structure in the use of language, literary and rhetorical devices, use of register.

·         Use a wide range of vocabulary appropriate to the message. Use appropriate and varied vocabulary and idiom to create appropriate effects.

Arts:

Criterion B: Skills

• Students must show technical skills to interpret and represent a poem by creating an original visual poem.