Interdisciplinary Teaching through English

The objective of having interdisciplinary teaching lessons with children is to help them become aware of the relationships between the different subjects and topics they deal with at school. English lessons probe to be a wonderful context and thread to do this.

This is a report on a lesson developed during the course of my Practicum for Nivel Inicial and EGB 1 and 2 at 7th Grade St. Bartholomew's School Rosario. 
It was based on the reading of "The Painting of Anningley Hall" / "The Mezzotint" by M.R. James, which had been taught by the form teacher on September.

The main subjects related to this lesson were Literature and Philosophy but at the bottom you will find ideas for activities which will link English to other disciplines such as Arts, Drama, History and ICT.

Lesson N° 1: Report.

STAGE	ACTIVITIES AND TECHNIQUES	AVAS
ROUTINE	The T greeted Ss, wrote the date on the blackboard and built up the lesson menu. T: - Today we’re going to learn about some of the branches of the Arts. - What can we find in the category of the Arts? Ss: Sculptures! / Drama! / Music! T: Very good! And there are some more! She elicited other branches of the arts by means of drama techniques.(Dance, drawing, literature, painting, gastronomy, architecture, video games.) Ss: Video games are Arts too??? T: Yes, nowadays they are considered part of the visual arts Ss (The boys): (I love arts!!) T: Excellent, these are the branches of the arts and after the lesson we will see what we’ve learnt about.	Drama Techniques
ACTIVATOR	The T showed a logo.Ss: It’s Batman!T: That’s right and who’s Batman really? What does he do? Ss: He’s a superhero. He saves lives. T: And where does he live? Do you remember? Ss: Gothic City! T: Exactly, he lived in Gotham City. Why do you think it was called that way? What was Gotham City like? Ss: Because it was all dark. Gloomy, it had fog. T: That’s right, something gothic is something that has those characteristics, it is kind of scary and creepy. Ss: What’s creepy?T: It’s scary and frightening. And do you know what gothic architecture is? Ss: … T: I’m sure you know. The T showed a picture of Notre Dame. Ss: Notre Dame! / It’s in Paris! / El jorobado! T: That’s right, this is Notre Dame. And this is gothic architecture. Why do you think it’s considered gothic? Ss: Because it has creatures and monsters.T: - Very good! That’s one of the characteristics, those are gargoyles. And also what about the buildings? What are they like? Ss: Very tall. T: Very tall, and also sharp! Here’s another gothic building I’m sure you know. The T showed a picture of Westminster Abbey. Ss: Es una iglesia! / Es re-famosa! / It has the shape of a cross. / No es dónde coronan a los reyes? T: You are right! It’s Westminster Abbey, and something very important happened there just some time ago. The T showed a picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Ss (Mainly the Girls): Es donde se casaron el príncipe y Kate!T: I was sure you’d know that! Well now you know what gothic architecture is, tell me, do you think this is a gothic building? The T showed a picture of Westminster Palace and the Big Ben. Ss: Sí!! Es alto y gloomy. Es el Big Ben! (Juana and Linda): It’s the House of Parliament! T: You’re right, this is a gothic building as well, it’s Westminster Palace. Do you know what happened to this building? Ss: Sí!!! Se quemó! (Francisco Mezze): Someone wanted to blow it but he couldn’t because they caught himT: That’s right!! A very famous character wanted to blow it. Do you remember his name? Ss: Guy… Fawkes!T: That’s right! Guy Fawkes. “Remember, remember…?” Ss: The 9th/ The 12th of November! T: Not the 9th of November... A bit before. Ss: The 5th of November!T: That’s right. “Remember, remember, the 5th of November.” And you said something else, related to fire… Ss: Que se quemó! T: Ahh, yes, that’s right, it burnt down. It was in 1834 but it was rebuilt between 1840 – 1870, this was in the 19th Century, the Victorian Era. What was happening here in Argentina by that time? Ss: Estábamos independizándonos the España! T: We were having our revolutions. So while we were becoming independent, while Queen Victoria reigned in England and while architects were doing their art and rebuilding Parliament in the gothic style…There were other artists who were doing wonderful things as well. The T elicited the concept of writing by means of drama techniques.Ss: Writers! T: That’s right writers. And these writers were inspired by these gothic buildings so how do you think their stories were like? Ss: Scary / Horror Stories! T: That’s right, they wrote horror stories. You know many of them. Ss: El fantasma de Canterville! / Dracula! / Frankenstein!T: Exactly, all these stories share some characteristics. Which are they? The T will elicit characteristics of the gothic story.Ss: Que son de terror… Que son ficciónT: Yes, they are all scary stories, and they are fiction, and what about the characters? Ss: Ghosts! Monsters!T: Uhu, they were monsters, ghosts, supernatural characters, were they sane people? Ss: Noo…they were crazy! T: Very good, they were mad people, and the themes in the stories had to do with death and violence. But later on, in the 20th century (1900) Ss: Empezaron a escribir cosas románticas!T; Oh, yes, some writers decided to write more romantic things, but others wanted to go on writing horror stories, just that no so violent… They started writing in a different style, less macabre and grotesque. They were scary stories but not so explicit, they became more psychical and related to supernatural events rather than creatures or people. One of those writers, was very famous…he was called Montague Rhodes James. And all his stories were similar: 1. The story was set somewhere in England, generally in the countryside and in a scary building, such as an abbey, a university or a mansion. 2. The protagonist was a professor at University or someone interested in the Arts and in collecting things. What do you think he could collect? Ss: Sculptures! Coins! Jewelry! Paintings! T: For example, yes…And the story always involved the discovery of some old antiquarian collectable object which was haunted or had some supernatural characteristic. You’ve read a story with these characteristics, which was it? Ss: …. T: It was in your Study books… Ss: Ahhh la que leímos!! / The Painting of Aningley Hall. T: That’s right, the other day you asked the T whether the story really existed and I found it on the Internet. It was written by Montague Rhodes James and it’s a part of a collection of horror stories, the original story was called “The Mezzotint” Ss: What’s a mezzotint? T: It’s a type of art that you do with wood and using sharp objects. Un grabado.	Batman Logo; Picture of Notre Dame; Picture of Westminster Abbey; Picture of Westminster Palace and the Big Ben; Drama Techniques; Picture of M.R. James
CONTEXTUALIZATION – REVISION OF THE STORY	T: So, what was the story about? Ss revisited the story.
ACTIVITY N° 1 Let’s solve the Mistery ACTIVITY Nº2 Let’s reflect upon the story. (Discussion on some Literary, Ethical and Philosophical issues.)	T: So, remind me how does the story end? Ss: The baby in the picture was the son of the family that lived in the house and someone stole it. T: Uhu, and do we know why that happened or who made the painting? Ss: No…no se sabe. T: Well, after they last saw the painting, Mr. Williams and his friends didn’t know either, and so they decided to do some research and look for information. But they needed clues… Those clues are included in the original version of the story, here it is. The T handed out copies of the original story. If you read paragraph 2 you will find some clues. Who would like to read aloud? One of the Ss read paragraph 2. T: So? Which are the clues? Ss: The signature and the place. “A.W.F” and “-ngley Hall, -ssex.” (Ss started laughing after reading “-ssex”)T: It’s a funny suffix, huh? What does that suffix mean, have you ever heard of it? Ss: … Essex? T: That’s right!! We can find Essex, Wessex…so where do you think the house was?Ss: Algún lugar que termine con –ngley en Wessex o Essex. T: That’s right, Williams and his friends looked for some books and they found information in one called “A Guide to Essex.” Here’s the information they found. With these data we will be able to solve the mystery of the painting. The T handed out a copy of the article.T: Would someone read it aloud? One of the Ss read the article. T: So… Why was the baby kidknapped? Ss: Because a man was hanged by the owner of the house and his family wanted to take revenge. T: And who painted the portrait? What do you think? Ss: The father!T: How do you know? Ss: Because his name was Arthur Wilbur Francis and the signature in the painting was A.W.F. T: That’s right, very good! You’ve solved the mystery. The T lead a discussion on some literary, ethical and philosophical issues. The following questions were discussed by the Ss: - “Is it fair to take revenge in that or any other way?” - “Why do you think the father made that painting?” - “Do you like the painting? What do you like about it?” - “What was the effect of showing different scenes in one painting?” - “How would you feel if someone hurt someone you love?” - “Mr. Francis was angry as well…do you think it was a good idea to channel that anger in the painting?” - “What other thing could he have done?” - “Do you do something artistic? What do you do? How do you feel when you dance or paint?” - “Do you think art is important in our lives? Do we need artists in our society? Why / Why not?”	Copies of the story; Copies of the article on “A Guide to Essex.”
CLOSURE	The T asked: So what have we talked about today? Ss: Architecture, painting, stories and music. T: Wow, that’s a lot! Congratulations, you’ve worked very hard, it’s amazing to see how much you know and how much you’ve learnt and this has been a pleasure. Thanks for everything, see you soon. The T thanked the form Teacher and said good-bye.

Lesson N° 2: Further activities to do after reading "The Painting of Anningley Hall" by M. R. James.

1. Objectives:
To integrate ICT, History and Literature to the lesson of English
To do a characterisation exercise
"Create a Facebook profile for one of the characters in the story. You may use the following questions as a guide for you to know how to complete the different sections in the profile.
- Who are his friends?
- Who would appear in the “People you may know” section?
- Complete the profile with information about his marital status, education, activities and interests.
- What music would you add to their profile?
- Which are his favourite books?
- What would you include in the “Philosophy” section – religion and ideology?
- Write a quote that could could have inspired him.
- What could he have written in his wall?
- If you had to upload a picture of the scene of the picture your character saw. Which one would you include? You can draw it in Paint yourself."

2. Objectives:
To integrate Language and Literature and Philosophy to the Lesson of English
To contextualize the story in a different time and place

To lead a debate on Argentina's current social situation and issues.

"Imagine a similar story happened today, what would it be like? Write some ideas and share it with your friends. Have a philosophical debate triggered by the topics in the stories your peers wrote."

3. Objectives:

To integrate Arts and Philosophy to the lesson of English
To create artistic products
To reflect on the importance of the Arts
To reflect on ways of channeling feelings
"If you were Sir Arthur Wilbur Francis, what other magic artistic thing could you have done to channel your pain? Draw a picture, craft or represent your supernatural element."

4. Objectives:
To integrate History and Arts to the lesson of English
To become aware of different social realities during the Victorian Era in Britain

"We know Sir Francis was very wealthy and that he lived in a Mansion in Anningley, but how do you picture Tom Gawdy’s house?
Draw a sketch of his house including dimensions and references to ornaments he could have owned.
How many children do you imagine he had, if any? How do you think their lifestyle was back then?

5. Objectives:
To integrate History to the lesson of English
To revisit letter-writing
To revisit the concepts Coherence and CohesionTo become aware of contemporary historical events in different places in the world

To write a letter to a friend

"Imagine Nisbet sent a letter to someone living in Argentina in the 1800s, what would he write about?
Write two letters, one from Nisbet and another one from his Argentinean friend."

6. Objectives:
To integrate Philosophy to the lesson of English
To revisit letter-writing
To revisit the concepts Coherence and Cohesion
To write a letter of complaint
To reflect on the importance of standing for ones’ rights

"Robert is a happy servant but lately he’s had too much work at Mr. Williams’ house, the constant visitors have made a mess and he’s had to clean up more often than usual. He decides to write a polite letter of complaint to Mr. Williams. Write his letter."

7. Objectives:
To integrate Literature, Arts and Philosophy to the lesson of English
To identify gothic elements in other and contemporary artistic products
To reflect on the importance of the Arts and on the role of artists in a society
To reflect on the concept of "work"
To reflect on the concept of "Aesthetics" and the Arts - What is Art? What is not Art? Who says what Art is?
"Brainstorm the branches of the Arts mentioned in class. Look for artistic products - architecture, literary texts, paintings, video-games, music, cinema, etc, that you know and which display gothic elements. Identify as many gothic elements as possible. Speculate about the reason why such elements were chosen and included in the work of art you chose. Are there any historical reasons for this? Which ones?

Lead a debate on the topics triggered by this activity. You may use the following questions as a guide:
- Can you live without Art?

- Can you live without Music?
- How important is Art in your life?
- How important you think the Arts are in a society?

- Are artists workers?

- Are sportsmen workers?

- What can be considered work and what cannot?
- Do you like the work of arts your peers mentioned? Why? Why not?

- What is aesthetically appealing and what is not? Who says what is aesthetically appealaing and who says what is not?

- What is art? 

- Who says what art is?"

8. Objectives:
To integrate Drama and History to the lesson of English
To develop characterization exercises through body expression
To become aware of the culture of the characters in the time and place of the story
 

"Choose one of the characters in the story and bring clothes and accessories that you think they would wear and use. Imagine what his personality was like. Do a one-minute-presentation on your character. Your classmates will try to guess which character you’ve chosen.
If you’d like to play a female role, imagine you are the daughter or the wife of one of the characters in the story."