The purpose of this unit is to provide an additional and complementary source of instruction for those students and teachers involved in the process of teaching and learning a second language. It has been developed for the elementary learners of a second language, which does not necessarily mean young children. I suggest that the unit be used with middle and high school students. A second purpose is to acquaint the students with a different mode of artistic expression, as in Modern Art. To use art in a language classroom does not mean to teach art, but to teach language through art. The student is not to be held responsible for the names of artists or paintings but will be held responsible for those concepts (skills) taught through the painting. Students will learn the names of the colors, will count to ninety-nine, and will learn the names of several geometric forms in the first lesson. The second lesson is composed of the names of the parts of the face and body, the members of the family, and clothing. The third lesson is dedicated in building a working verbal vocabulary. To carry out these lessons, I have selected a group of slides from modern art paintings found at the Yale University Art Gallery. These can be borrowed through the Education Office at the Gallery. The slides are labeled and in a separate box, ready for those teachers who wish to see them. The lessons are outlined in this unit with comments as to what can be done with them in addition to the regular textbook.
(Recommended for Levels A and B ESOL.)
Key Words
Modern Art Foreign Language Instruction
