Objectives

Students will closely examine art, respond to it in writing, and possibly revise at a later time. Students will also create the mood or atmosphere they want their own stories to have, based on their chosen art work. 

National Core Standards

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. 

Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art 

Grades

2-12

Materials

• Pencils and paper

Lesson

1. Background: Sometimes a good book can transport you to a place that seems very real in your mind. As writers, we all dream of being able to do that. The writer probably used a lot of sensory details to make that place (setting) come alive in your reader’s imagination. Most of us tend to tell the reader what to SEE, rather than create an image (mind picture) for the reader by tapping into the other senses.
   
   This exercise is called a 6 Room Poem.  The poet Rilke once compared writing poetry to "venturing into hitherto unexplained rooms." This exercise helps us remember to use all of our senses as we write so that our writer will be transported.
   
   
2. Divide a paper into 6 squares, or “rooms”. In the first room, describe what you see in the painting. In Room 2, look at the same place but just focus on the light. For example: Is the sun bright? Are there shadows? What about color? In Room 3, write about the same image, but focus on sound. Are there any voices? Is there a rustling of leaves? If it's silence, how would you describe that silence? In Room 4, write down any questions you have about the image. What do you want to know more about? What are you wondering? In Room 5, write down any feelings you have about this image. Finally in Room 6, look over the other five rooms and select one word, phrase, or line you've written that seems important and repeat it three times. 

Adaptations:

-If you choose to use this writing as a poem later, you can experiment with line breaks, adding and subtracting words, etc.

-If you are working on a story that has a specific setting, go back to that writing and use this exercise to make the images stronger.

-This exercise can be done without anything to look at. Have students close their eyes and imagine a place of importance to them. This place can have a happy, lonely or frightening memory attached to it.