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Lesson Title: Storing Ideas: Calligraphy and Poetry
from the Islamic World
Name: Alissa Dick, Jacqueline Gaskins, Annette Watford
Rowe, and Stacey Wages
Discipline: Reading and Special Education (Dick); Visual
Arts (Gaskins); Special Education and History (Rowe); Visual Arts and
Language Arts (Wages)
School: Martin Luther King Middle School, Prince George’s
County, MD (Dick, Rowe, and Wages); Ernest Everett Just Middle School,
Prince George’s County, MD (Gaskins)
Grade Level/Content Focus: Grade 8/ Content Focus is
Language Arts, including reading informative (historical) texts, using
reading strategies to write main ideas, writing poetry and using calligraphy
Time Required for Lesson: 5-7 days
Standards, Benchmarks:
Standards for Language Arts:
• general reading processes (reading comprehension)
• writing
• poetry
Indicators:
• Use strategies to prepare for reading.
• Use strategies to demonstrate an understanding of the text
(after reading).
• Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies
of effective writers and speakers.
• Compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express
personal ideas, inform, and persuade.
Standards for U.S. History:
• Peoples of the Nations and World
Indicators:
• Analyze how America developed into a diverse society from
1763—1790.
Standards for Art:
• Lettering
Indicators:
• criticism, historical production, aesthetic, critical thinking
skills, and cooperative learning
• ART DOMAIN II: historical, cultural, and social contexts
• ART DOMAIN II: creative expression and production
This lesson has a connection to Language Arts because students are composing
written quotes and poetry. It also carries a Math connection because of
the calculations needed for the centering and spacing as the students
write. This lesson connects to History and provides learning for auditory
learners as the framework is laid about the background of the topic. For
visual learners, a demonstration showing examples of different types of
calligraphy will be provided.
Specific Objectives:
Upon completing this unit, students will be able to:
• select and apply appropriate strategies to prepare for reading
informational texts in order to complete pre-reading guide questions;
• identify and explain the main idea in order to complete graphic
organizers and write paragraph summaries;
• describe how the colonies developed into a diverse society reflecting
various cultures and religions in order to summarize the history of
Benjamin Franklin’s printing press;
• brainstorm ideas on a single topic in order to generate a structured
pantoum poem;
• compose poetry using the prewriting and drafting strategies
of effective writers;
• describe a topic in poetic form in order to clarify and elaborate
on ideas using an organizational structure;
• in groups, reprint/scribe an earlier written pantoum poem in
the format of Gothic or Roman calligraphy in order to produce an authentic
looking artifact from the Renaissance period, which will include illumination
and Islamic signatures;
• learn the terms of calligraphy and its significance in history
in order to explore the skill of elegant writing.
Vocabulary:
• calligraphy
• typography
• lower case
• upper case
• Roman alphabet
• Gothic
• calligraphic nibs
• cap line
• ascender
• waist line
• base line
• Serif
• San Serif
• Illumination
Materials/Resources:
Web Resources:
Articles:
• http://www.groveart.com/data/articles/art
• http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/ihame
• http://uwm.edu/Library/special/exhibits/incunab/inchome
• http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/printer/printer/html
• http://www.teach-nology.com/test_parser/html
Other Resources:
Student Worksheets/Transparencies:
• Pre/Post Reading Guide Questions
• Big Mac Graphic Organizer
• Poem Scheme for Pantoums
• Anticipatory Guide Questionnaire
• Samples of Calligraphy
• KWL Chart
• Example Alphabets
• Venn Diagram
Student Materials:
• calligraphy pens
• large (flat side) crayons
• colored pencils
• markers
• props for poems
• paper for practice
• paper for final design
• Bingo board
Lesson Components: Reading and Writing Strategies
Motivation/Warm-Up:
• Based on various articles that the students will read for this
lesson, they will complete the Pre-Reading Guide Questions worksheet.
• The teacher will let the students know that, at the end of the
lesson, they should be familiar with the questions and have the opportunity
to answer them again, correctly.
Modeling:
• The teacher will read with the students an article entitled
“The Infancy of Printing.”
• After reading the article, the teacher will complete the Big
Mac Graphic Organizer, using the main idea and supporting details from
the article. Student participation will be solicited and encouraged
during this process.
• After completing the Graphic Organizer, the teacher will create
a complete model paragraph by combining the information from the Graphic
Organizer and including a concluding sentence.
Guided Practice/Group Work:
• Students will be assigned to 4 to 6 groups of 4 or 5 students.
Each group will be assigned one article related to the history of calligraphy
(print).
• Students will read and discuss the article as a group, as the
teacher walks around the room and monitors the group activity.
Independent Practice:
• Students will individually complete the Big Mac Graphic Organizer
sheet, and then write a paragraph including the main idea of the article,
using the information they have recorded on the Graphic Organizer.
Assessment:
• Students will share their paragraph summaries with the class.
• Students will turn in, and be graded on, their Graphic Organizer
worksheet and their completed paragraph summaries.
Closure/Summary:
• Students will then complete the Post-Reading Guide questions
(the same questions from the Pre-Reading Guide that the students used
in their warm-up activity).
• They will discuss the correct answers from the articles and
summaries.
• For homework, students will write a list of examples of calligraphy
used in modern life.
Lesson Components: Pantoum Poetry
Motivation/Warm-Up/Discussion:
• Ask students to ponder the following questions: What is poetry?
What are the characteristics of poetry? Are you a poet?
• The teacher will discuss the responses with the students.
Introduction/Modeling:
• The teacher will discuss generating topics through brainstorming,
the first prewriting step. The teacher will model/demonstrate brainstorming
by writing on the board “Six Flags.” She will ask the students
to think about it and to call out words, phrases, feelings, etc., that
come to mind when they think of Six Flags.
• The teacher will write the students’ responses on the
board, noting that all responses are valid and appreciating the variety
of different responses to the same topic.
• The teacher will introduce pantoum poetry by explaining that
it is from Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country. The Pantoum was
introduced to the West through France during the eighteenth century.
• The teacher will explain the importance of form in poetry, giving
examples such as the haiku and the sonnet, etc. She will explain that
repetition can also create form.
• A transparency of the line form of the pantoum will be put on
the overhead and explained.
Guided Practice:
• The teacher will work with the students to create a pantoum
poem. She may suggest connecting seemingly unrelated words or phrases
to create lines, and also using the same words and phrases but with
an alternate meaning.
Independent Practice/Group Work:
• After reviewing the rules for group work, the teacher will break
the students up into groups of 4-5. Each group will receive a handout
of the pantoum line scheme.
• The teacher will ask each group to designate a recorder, a reader,
and a writer, and review responsibilities for each role.
• The teacher will give each group a prop or a topic for them
to brainstorm about. Possible suggestions: a basketball, a quote about
writing or poetry, a map of Maryland, a music CD cover, a picture of
a celebrity, etc. Props can be selected based on student interests and
needs.
Breakdown:
• 10 minutes to brainstorm and record phrases
• 15 minutes to choose sentences and phrases to include in the
poem (students will complete the handout)
• 10 minutes to write the poem on chart paper
• 10 minutes for each group to present their poem
Assessment:
• The teacher will check to make sure the students have used the
correct pattern for each stanza. Each poem should have a title.
Closure:
• The teacher will poll the students to see how many of them liked
the experience of writing a pantoum and how many didn’t.
• The teacher should call on various students for reasons.
• The teacher should explain that poetry is a way to express thoughts
and feelings, and can also be a visual art form in itself.
• The teacher should explain to students that they will be creating
a visual expression of the poem, using calligraphy.
Application Beyond School:
• Students may use the pantoum form to create the essence of a
current news story.
Advanced Students:
• These students can use an ABAB rhyme scheme for each stanza.
Connections:
To the Arts:
• The traditional Islamic geometric patterns in textiles and
architecture provide a means to discuss how repetition creates form.
To Physical Education:
• Compare the compulsory requirements in figure skating/gymnastics/ballroom
dancing with the imposition of form on language.
Lesson Components: Calligraphy
Motivation/Warm-Up:
• Students will complete the Anticipatory Guide Questionnaire
and observe examples of calligraphy.
Modeling:
• Students will define vocabulary words related to calligraphy.
• Students will begin to fill in the KWL chart (Know, Want, Learn).
They will fill in what they think they know about calligraphy and what
they want to know about calligraphy. Later, they will fill in what they
have learned about calligraphy.
• The teacher will give the students a lecture about calligraphy,
emphasizing the art of elegant handwriting, its origin, history, and
usage (which students can brainstorm about).
• The teacher will introduce different writing styles and how
to apply the techniques. Students are expected to take notes during
the lecture, using the left margin labeling technique to better organize
the information.
• Students will then be given a demonstration of how to draw the
lettering correctly.
Guided Practice:
• Materials will be passed out so that the students can begin
to practice their own strokes. They will be given a copy of the alphabets,
showing how to make each letter properly.
• They will start out with the bottom end of a large square crayon
to perfect their angles.
• Next, they will develop their strokes with marker nibs, striving
towards consistency in lettering.
Independent Practice:
DAY ONE:
• Students will use a Venn Diagram (which includes two large
circles that overlap in the middle, creating three sections) to organize
the information. On the left side, they will write about the Gothic
style calligraphy, on the right side they will write about the Roman
style, and in the middle they will write about the similarities between
the two. The Venn Diagram is a great tool for comparing and contrasting.
DAY TWO:
• Students will work independently, drawing all lines and angles
that are needed to write calligraphy. They will copy every stroke
from a worksheet that will be provided.
• Students will complete the project by writing a poem or a
quote on professional paper in calligraphy style, which begins with
Illumination (the art or act of decorating a text, page, or initial
letter with ornamental designs) and ends with Islamic signatures.
Extra Activity:
• Students will make Vocabulary Bingo Cards, filling in every
square with vocabulary words from the unit on calligraphy.
• When a word is called out, the students will cover that word
with a chip. When a student gets five in a row, he/she has “Bingo.”
• The student with Bingo will stand and recite the 5 vocabulary
words, plus their definitions.
• Students will then work together in small groups to discuss
the differences and similarities between the two styles of calligraphy.
Formative Assessment:
• The teacher will walk around the classroom, observing every
student to ensure that he/she is on task: working on a slant, using
the entire arm to form the letters, applying the right amount of pressure,
and keeping the nib at a 45 or 30 degree angle.
• The teacher will assist any students having particular difficulties.
• At times, the teacher should ask the students to explain the
process or inform the teacher about any facts or history related to
calligraphy.
Summative Assessment:
• Students will transcribe a poem or quote onto heavy decorative
paper, utilizing the newly obtained skills of drawing letters in an
elegant style.
• These poems or quotes will be graded based on following the
directions for how the lettering is developed, centered, and neatly
crafted. Illumination and Islamic signatures must be present also.
Closure:
• Students will fill out the last column of their KWL Chart. What
three things did they learn about calligraphy?
• For homework, the students should spend at least 20 minutes
practicing the different lines and angles they learned.
Lesson Extensions
- Students may write a reflection paper upon completion of these units
of study. The reflection will include five parts: introduction, description,
analysis, interpretation, and judgment of the final product.
Additional worksheets
Student Responses
Student Work
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