Arts

Arts, biology, geography, English language

The butterfly effect

Author: Daiva Mikaliūnienė, Ramunė Stanevičienė

School: Vilnius Jonas Laužikas consulting-training center

Intended for grade: 6

Lesson idea: to confirm or refute the hypothesis "Deforestation has a tremendous impact on climate change".

Lesson tasks:

• Awakening: Review of the "Do not choose extinction" speech by a prehistoric influencer at the United Nations Climate change conference. Video

• Voting: a brief survey aimed at determining the relevance of the climate change issue among students.

• Brainstorming and video review: the question of why forests are important is raised. Students are encouraged to express their thoughts on the significance of trees. They are expected to supplement their answers after watching video segments about the importance of forests and climate change. 

• Activity in a green environment (creative task using the limitation technique): embodying a tree, students are to take a selfie and write a short comment. The limitation is that they cannot photograph the entire tree. This task can also be assigned as homework. 

• Group or pair work: students, provided with distributed materials and observing interactive maps and diagrams of forest logging and reforestation in different continents or states on the Forest monitoring website, must analyze, compare, and summarize the data. 

2nd lesson tasks:

• Role-play – conference "A future without forests?" (using the limitation technique): Participants include representatives of trees, fungi, animals (invertebrates and vertebrates), a politician, an environmentalist, a climatologist, a herbalist, a businessman (e.g., avocado or soybean farmer, timber merchant), an artist, and an air pollution expert. The tree gives the opening speech and the concluding address ("The tree's plea"). All others must familiarize themselves with the provided brief textual or visual information and, getting into character, introduce themselves and reveal their character's perspective on the forest using only nouns (e.g., 7 nouns and no other words).

• Summary and encouragement to act – think globally, act locally: Students are to present 1-2 suggestions on how they can personally contribute to the preservation of forests.

• Students are introduced to the European project Life Terra and the opportunity to participate in it. The project's goal is to plant 500 million trees in Europe over 5 years (by 2025) – symbolically one tree for every European. A mobile app is presented that records the coordinates of the planted sapling, includes it in a general registry, and tracks its growth. Using it, one can monitor the growth of their planted tree or care for trees planted by others. Video report.

Arts, biology, Lithuanian language, geography, physics, chemistry

Antique myths in science and art

Author: Laima Matijoškienė

School: Vilnius Pilaitės gymnasium

Intended for grade: 10

Lesson idea: based on scientific disciplines and art, analyze Antique myths using the copying technique learned during the course to reveal creativity.

Course of the lesson:

• The class is divided into 5 groups: "chemists", "physicists", "geographers", "biologists", and "artists." Each group receives two tasks.

• The "Chemists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the origin of 5 chemical elements, indicating the chemical element, its chemical properties, physical properties, and the traits of the mythological character; b) create a "class elements table," assigning a mythological character that corresponds to each classmate's personality and character. The "Physicists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the operation of 3 different physical laws within the myth; b) construct wings.

• The "Geographers" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the origin of several geographical locations; b) create a map of 3-5 locations mentioned in myths. The "Biologists" group: a) based on Greek myths, explain the emergence of 3 biological phenomena; b) create a representation of Earth as perceived by the Greeks. The "Artists" group: a) create a short film based on a chosen myth; b) create a song, poem, dance, or dramatization based on a chosen myth; create 3 illustrations of myths and select musical accompaniment for them. (choose 2 out of 3 tasks).

• Presentations of group tasks, discussion, self-assessment, and reflection.

Arts

Exploring Childhood Memories Through Drawing

Author: Dahlia El Broul

Finland

Students will engage in a reflective and creative process of exploring their childhood memories through drawing. They will learn to analyse photographs from their past, translate them into larger compositions, and incorporate elements beyond the borders of the original images.

Inspired by the concept of erasure in artistic works and poetry, we explore the works of:

• Mary Ruefle

• Austin Kleon

• Tom Phillips

Using their creations as a springboard, we delve into the notion of erasure. Photographs, by their very nature, encapsulate only what exists within their defined borders, leaving much unseen. This prompts the question: How can artists address this absence and expand upon the “missing” parts? The notion of “missing” is boundless, extending infinitely as a conceptual space.

Materials needed:

• Photographs from students' childhood (printed before class).

• Larger pieces of paper (e.g., drawing paper, poster paper).

• Glue or adhesive.

• Drawing materials (pencils, charcoal, markers, etc.).

• Note-taking materials (pens, notebooks).

Lesson Structure.

Introduction:

• Welcome students and introduce the objectives of the class.

• Explain the importance of exploring childhood memories through art and how it can influence their artistic expression.

• Provide an overview of the activities they will be engaged in during the class.

Analysis of Photographs:

• Ask students to take out their childhood photographs.

• Instruct them to examine their photographs closely and write down notes about what they see.

• Encourage them to consider elements such as objects, people, emotions, contrast, and composition.

• Emphasise the importance of reflecting on the feelings and memories associated with the images.

Preparation of Drawing Surface:

• Distribute larger pieces of paper to each student.

• Instruct students to glue their photograph to any part of the paper.

Expansion of the Image:

• Explain the concept of expanding the image beyond its borders.

• Encourage students to use a combination of memory work and creative interpretation to draw what could be beyond the edges of the photograph.

• Emphasise the importance of maintaining the style and mood of the original image while adding new elements.

• Provide guidance and feedback as students work on their compositions.

Reflection and Sharing:

• Once students have completed their drawings, facilitate a discussion where they share their work with the class.

• Encourage students to talk about their artistic choices and the memories or emotions they were trying to capture.

• Foster a supportive environment where students can appreciate each other's interpretations and offer constructive feedback.

Conclusion:

• Summarise the key points of the lesson and encourage students to continue exploring their childhood memories through art outside of class.

• Thank the students for their participation and effort.

Objectives of the Exercise:

• Develop observational skills through the analysis of photographs.

• Explore personal memories and emotions associated with childhood.

• Enhance creative thinking by expanding images beyond their original borders.

• Practice incorporating memory work into artistic compositions.

• Foster artistic expression and interpretation.

• Encourage reflection and discussion about the significance of childhood memories in shaping artistic identity.

Arts, history

Today's Emilija Pliaterytė and her image

Author: Karolina Norkienė

School: Emilija Pliaterytė progymnasium

Lesson idea: after getting acquainted with the personality of Emilija Pliaterytė and the historical period in which she lived, create an image of a 21st-century national heroine using colored pencils and markers.

Course of the lesson:

• Students are introduced to the personality of Emilija Pliaterytė, historical and biographical facts. The fashion style of her era, characteristic style details.

• Task assignment – to draw and create a new contemporary image and style for Emilija Pliaterytė.

• For their art project presentation, students must write a brief biography of the contemporary E. Pliaterytė, interpreting her nickname, age, profession, place of residence, and hobbies.

Arts, ethics

Giving voice to art pieces

Author: Vilma Vipartienė

School: Kelmė J. Graičiūnas gymnasium

Intended for grade: 9–10

Lesson idea: Students, working individually or in pairs, observing and analyzing artworks and drawing from their life experiences, learn to recognize and name emotions and feelings. The lesson plan is prepared using techniques of limitation and perspective-taking.

Lesson location: art gallery

Course of the lesson:

Students are given sheets introducing them to the exhibition's author, title, concept, and a brief description with tasks:

Task 1: Choose 3 favorite artworks: a painting depicting a landscape, a painting depicting a person, and a painting depicting architecture, and come up with titles for them using 3/5 words. One word must describe a feeling or emotion.

Task 2: Choose a painting that illustrates the student's hobbies or desires and briefly comment on their choice.

Task 3: Encourage students to imagine they are a writer and describe one chosen painting in the style of their favorite author. The text must mention at least 3 feelings or emotions.

Task 4: Choose a painting to which the student would like to travel. Justify their choice.

Task 5: Select a composition of sculptures or installations that appealed to them and create a short story about them.

Task 6: List 5 feelings and emotions reflected in the chosen sculpture.

Task 7: Evaluate the art gallery exhibition on a ten-point scale.

Arts, Lithuanian language

Copying from J.R.R. Tolkien

Author: Katažina Sokolovskaja

School: Butrimonys Anna Krepštul gymnasium in Šalčininkai district

Intended for grade: 8

Lesson idea: While examining J.R.R. Tolkien's personality and work, create an individual image of a fantasy world. The technique of copying learned during the course is used in the lesson.

A two-lesson series. The first is dedicated to finding out what the students already know about the work and the author and to deepen that knowledge. The second lesson is for presenting and performing a creative task, as well as discussing the works.

The course of the first lesson:

• The introductory part of the lesson is aimed at clarifying students' knowledge about J.R.R. Tolkien's work "The Lord of the Rings." Students are asked to fill out a questionnaire, marking the statement that best describes their individual experience with the work and the author: "I know," "I want to learn," "I have learned."

• The second part of the lesson involves a visual task to discuss with students the image of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world. Applying the method of visual thinking strategies – by showing movie posters of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, students must answer questions to clarify the content of the images: what is happening in this picture?; why do you think so?; what visuals lead you to think that?; what else can be noticed here? The teacher summarizes the students' responses.

• For familiarization with the writer J.R.R. Tolkien's biography and the peculiarities of his work, students are given a short text to supplement their questionnaires ("I have learned"). Time is allocated for sharing the knowledge gained with classmates.

• To summarize the results of the lesson, students must complete the sentence: "I think that a fantasy world is...". For this task, colored papers are distributed, which are later attached to a common sheet on the board.

An additional voluntary task. Students familiar with Peter Jackson's film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" are invited to try to embody or empathize with a chosen character from the trilogy and read the thoughts written on the board as that character would. (The restriction method learned during the course is applied to encourage creativity).

The course of the second lesson:

• Students individually choose a fantasy world theme that interests them the most: a fantasy city, a fantasy creature, a fantasy animal. Once they have selected a theme, students can proceed to the task of depicting their fantasy world. If necessary, students can consult and discuss with each other.

• Time is allocated for the creative process: searching for ideas, drafting sketches, refining ideas, and transferring the chosen sketch onto paper. Students individually select the technique for executing their work.

• For summarizing the lesson, students are divided into several groups (4-5 students each). Each group receives creative works from their classmates. The theme "Our Created Fantasy World" is clarified for the student groups.

• Using the "Right question institute meeting" method, students explore their classmates' creative works and raise questions about the fantasy world. The group selects a leader who records the questions that arise. Each group member formulates one question. Three essential questions are chosen, and a vote is taken to determine which one is most relevant to the context of the fantasy world and is worthy of further exploration and examination.

• The teacher collects all the questions and, based on their content, forms the activities for the next lesson to ensure the continuity of exploring the fantasy world theme.

Arts

Creative photography teaching

Author: Luiza Preda

Finland

Lesson idea: To explore the connection between photography and wellbeing, and to learn how to use photography as a tool for self-expression and mindfulness.

Duration: 5 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, conducted over the course of one month.

Materials needed:

• Access to a camera (smartphone or digital camera)

• Pen and paper for reflection

• Access to the internet for research

Session Structure

Session 1: Introduction to Wellbeing Photography (2 hours)

• Welcome and introductions

• Overview of the course objectives and structure

• Explanation of how photography can enhance wellbeing

• Guided meditation or breathing exercise

• Introduction to the photo games

Session 2: Trusting Your Intuition (2 hours)

• Discussion on intuition and its role in photography

• Exercise: Choose a photograph that speaks to you

• Reflection: Write down your thoughts and feelings about the chosen photograph

• Sharing and discussion within the group

Session 3: Finding Inspiration (2 hours)

• Presentation on a famous photographer known for their unique style

• Exercise: Take a similar photograph inspired by the famous photographer

• Reflection: Write about what you see in the original photograph and how it influenced your own photo

• Sharing and discussion within the group

Session 4: Embracing Your Style (2 hours)

• Presentation on your favorite photographer and their signature style

• Exercise: Take a photograph in the style of your favorite photographer

• Reflection: Write about your experience emulating the photographer's style

• Sharing and discussion within the group

Session 5: Vision Board and Wrap-Up (2 hours)

• Participants will create vision boards using photographs to visualize their wellbeing goals and aspirations.

• Sharing and discussion of vision boards within the group

• Reflection on the course experience and lessons learned

• Distribution of Wellbeing Photography Workbooks for continued learning and practice

Note: Throughout the course, participants will receive feedback from the facilitator to support their growth and development. Peer support and collaboration will be encouraged to foster a sense of community and shared learning. Music and breathing exercises will be part of each session.