Bathers at Asnières (1884) by Georges Seurat
Out of Art into Literacy, National Gallery London primary school children are to have their creative writing displayed at the National Gallery this 2010 autumn in a unique exhibition.
13 September – 5 December 2010
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Source: National Gallery
‘Out of Art into Literacy’ celebrates the outcomes of two innovative National Gallery education projects: ‘Into the Frame’ and ‘Out of Art into Storytelling’. Both projects enabled teachers to explore the potential of using Gallery paintings to inspire their pupils’ discussion and writing inside and outside the classroom.
Examples of oral storytelling, animation, writing and mixed-media artwork from a selection of the participating schools will be on show. National Gallery paintings that inspired the children include Bathers at Asnières (1884) by Georges Seurat, Bacchus and Ariadne (1520–3) by Titian, Tobias and the Angel (1470–75) by the workshop of Verrocchio and An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768) by Joseph Wright ‘of Derby’.
The projects began when 20 teachers from 10 London schools (all performing below the floor Sats target) were invited to the Gallery to learn how to use the paintings to stimulate learning across the curriculum. They then took the knowledge back to their schools. The aim of the projects was to develop children’s confidence and skills in reading and responding to paintings through talk and drama, as a precursor to telling their own versions of the stories orally, visually and in writing. Over the course of the project, 1,200 children took part from four London boroughs.
Following two days of training at the National Gallery participating teachers applied and developed their thinking and practice with their pupils. Six months later they returned to the Gallery to share the children’s experiences as well as their own reflections on working in this way.
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