Learn Dutch through the Arts
Learn Dutch through the Arts: Self-Portrait Poems
Katelyn Durst
Eastern University
Project/Course Objectives:
Participants will learn how to write poems in Dutch based on writing prompts and Self-Portrait poem project. They will additionally grow social skills through interactive chant activities and through reading their poems aloud in a safe group setting.
Goals (These remain the same for all BuildaBridge Community Programs)
- bring hope & healing to children and families living in contexts of crisis and poverty
- increase resilience and their experience of self‐efficacy
- facilitate in each child a clear vision for their future
- establish community resiliency in each child and adult involved
- to use cultural history to empower children for future civic engagement projects
Teacher Objectives:
- Create safe and inviting environment for participants to interact in.
- Engage students in interactive community building art-making experiences.
- Have 100% of participants interact with activities.
- Have 100% of participants write poems and read their poems aloud
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will learn how to write a group poem in Dutch.
- Participants will learn how poetry can be used to express feelings and self identity.
- Participants will learn how to write a Self Portrait poem in Dutch.
Art as Metaphor: Poetry will be taught to help participants affirm their worth by creating poems with positive "I" statements.
Materials:
Pens
Pencils
Notebooks
Paper
Appendix A & B printed off for participants and teachers
White Board & Dry Erase Markers
OR
Large Post-IT Papers & Markers
Tables
Chairs
Lession Description:
- Welcome &Pre-Assesment:(10 minutes) Welcome students to classroom space and invite them to remain standing for an activity. Use P-O-W-E-R introduction song (see youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyP6ZOXpFC4 starting at 5:31) to have participants introduce themselves. Teachers and staff will start the chant by teaching the clapping rhythm and words in Dutch. Keep song going until every participant has shared their name.
- Introductory Activity/Experiential:(20 minutes) Pass out writing utensils and pens. Inform participants that they will be writing a group poem in Dutch. Dutch Translating Dictionaries should be available on each table. Write the following prompts on a white board or on a larg piece of sticky paper that the whole classroom can see:
I feel___________________________.
I want__________________________.
I will___________________________.
Instruct participants that they will have 5-7 minutes to complete the sentences in Dutch. After they are done they will be sharing in a safe environment. (Have chairs set up in a circle beforehand and invite participants to transition from the tables to the chairs when they have finished their poems and are willing to share.) Teachers and staff should be rotating between tables to help participants with their poems. Once participants get to circle, they will create four group poems. Have teachers or staff write "I AM", "I FEEL", "I WANT" and "I WILL" on four separate large post-it notes. As participants share their sentences, have teacher(s) and staff write them down on the post-it notes.
- Mini-Lecture: (5-10 minutes)Give brief introduction to poetry. Ask participants what they think of poetry and write it down on the board. As them if they think it has to rhyme. Tell them that poetry is an art form involving words that create images and that it can be used to convey a feeling or tell the world about something you believe.
- Demonstration: (10 minutes)Say ,"how we see ourselves is very important to the actions we take on a daily basis. Let's read two Self-Portrait poems and then write one of our own. "The Self-Portrait poems are located in Appendix A. Once poems are passed out, ask for a volunteer to read each poem. Take time following each poem to ask participants what they thought and resonated with from the poems.
- Main Activity:(20 minuntes) Pass out Self-Portrait poem prompt. Prompt is in Appendix B. Instruct participants to use the prompt as a guide to help them write an original poem about themselves in Dutch. They will be given 15 minutes to do so. At the end of the writing activity, participants can return to the circle to share their poems.
- Conclusion/Metaphor: (10 minutes)Have participants remain in circle. Lead them in "Good job" chant in Dutch. (See video for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTXTxJQMNaU )
Appendix A:
Safia Elhillo
self-portrait in case of disappearance
i am afraid that everyone died & it did not fix
the world this was meant to be the afterlife
to the burning countries our mothers left behind
girls with fathers gone or gone missing
sistered to dark boys marked to die & our own
bodies scarved & arranged in rows on prayer mats
we go missing too & who mourns us who
falls into the gap we leave in the world
Self-PortraitBY ZOZAN HAWEZ
Born in a safe family
But a dangerous area, Iraq,
I heard guns at a young age, so young
They made a decision to raise us safe
So packed our things
And went far away.
Now, in the city of rain,
I try to forget my past,
But memories never fade.
This is my life,
It happened for a reason,
I happened for a reason.
Appendix B
Name:Date:
SELF-PORTRAIT
The purpose of this exercise is to paint a verbal picture of who you are. Read the poem below, and then complete the writing exercise on the next page.
SELF-PORTRAIT
by Sam (age 15)
I am painting my self-portrait.
For this work I have chosen
the colors, red, blue, and black.
The red is for my strength
that kept me going
through years of pain.
The blue is for the sadness
and cold hearts I have seen.
The black is for the darkness
and seclusion of where I reside.
The background is slightly
overcast because the sun
will break through soon.
In my hands will be the world
because I am committed to change it.
My eyes will be bright like
the stars in the sky.
When they see me self-portrait
I think they will say
I am resilient and strong.
I will give this self-portrait
to those who love, to show
their work wasn’t in vain.
The title of this portrait
will be, “The Greatness that is
and the Greatness that will be.”
SELF-PORTRAIT, continued.
Fill in the blanks below to describe your self-portrait and its imagery (what do the colors and objects in your self-portrait mean?). Feel free to add any lines that you wish or to change any words to make your poem say what you want it to say.
I am painting my self-portrait.
For this work I have chosen the colors of _____________, ____________, and
______________.
The ________________ (red, blue) stands for my _________________________ (pride, sadness),
The ___________ (green, black) for my ___________________ (love of nature, history),
And the ___________ (purple, orange) stands for my _________________ (personality).
The background of my self-portrait will have ________________________(flowers, fire)
because my life has been _________________________________ (blessed, full of pain).
In my self-portrait I will be holding _________________________(a book, a basketball,
my diploma) because __________________________(my education, sports, graduation
from high school) is the most important thing in my life.
In my self-portrait, my eyes will look like __________________(diamonds, snake eyes).
When people see my self-portrait, I think they will say, “_________________________.
______________________________________________________________________.”
I would like to give my self-portrait to ________________________(my brother, my best
friend) because he/she appreciates the way I ____________________________________
____________________________________ (play with him, stick up for her all the time).
The title of my self-portrait will be “_________________________________________
_________________________________________” (the Great One, Artist with Flowers,
Basketball Superstar—Age 12).