BY: AMY E. LINGENFELTER SENIOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE FELLOW

Specifics: Class Size: Around 15 students. This size is optimal for acquisition of both language and artistic skills and allows for more individualized instruction and opportunities to practice speaking English. Age Range: Adolescents or adults ages 14 and up. We are focusing on older children and adults for this class because elementary-age refugee children have more opportunities for language-learning and art enrichment in the Buffalo public schools they likely attend. Older children and adults also have greater difficulty acquiring the phonetics, pronunciation, and in many cases the vocabulary of a second language; therefore, an additional language learning opportunity would be beneficial.

Specifics: Class Schedule/Timing: Once a week for 3 hours per session for a total of 7 weeks. This will allow most students to have at least one finished product by the end of the session and to give a presentation describing their painting. The first 30 minutes of each class will include a mini-lesson of some aspect of the English language. The following minutes will include a demonstration of a particular painting technique and/or art-related language instruction. The rest of the time will be devoted to painting and consultation, while the instructors continually advise students on an individual and as-needed basis. Location: Buffalo Arts Studio, TriMain building, Buffalo, NY.

Specifics: Art Background/Proficiency: No prior art background or proficiency is required. Students may range from beginner to experienced, although there is a preference for students who have some experience with drawing and/or painting. Strong interest in painting is essential. English Language Proficiency: Many refugee adults arrive in Buffalo with very little English language ability. For the first 7- week session, we are proposing to recruit adults who are of beginning level with limited conversational ability. For the future, other levels may be incorporated. In addition to the language benefits, students will benefit from using art to express themselves in ways they are unable using English. Instructors: One NY-State certified ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor and one NY-State certified art instructor.

Objectives: Students will be able to... Paint an image of something important to them from their home country, culture, religion, family, etc. OR their current one using acrylic on canvas and applying the classical Baroque technique. (It must be a subject that will lend itself to delivering a presentation with a culturally-based theme). Orally identify and/or define the following art-related content vocabulary: colors, tones, values, shapes, shadows, dark vs. light, blend, mix, soft edges, paint, paint brush, etc. Deliver a 5-10 minute presentation describing the colors, subjects, theme, setting/context, and story surrounding the painting to the class. Use descriptive adjectives (colors, physical attributes, personality characteristics, etc.) to describe their painting orally.

Objectives: Students will be able to... Use presentation skills and strategies to deliver a clear and convincing explanation of their painting. Use grammar “there is/are” and “there was/were” to describe their painting orally. Use the present simple tense and present progressive verb tenses to describe what is happening in their painting orally. (If applicable): Use the past simple tense and past progressive verb tenses to describe the past context of their painting orally. Comprehend the main idea of their classmates’ presentations. Listen to an oral description of a painting in the room given by an instructor and identify the painting the instructor is referring to.

Objectives: Students will be able to... Use questioning techniques, as well as vocabulary and grammar previously learned, to conduct an impromptu conversation with a partner about their partner’s painting. They must describe it using English they learned as well as the description their partner provided in his/her presentation. They must also ask their partner further questions about it. Their partner is expected to help clarify any inaccuracies in English.

Assessment: Informal Assessment (Speaking & Listening/Conversation): Each class will involve informal assessment of both English and artistic skills provided by both instructors on an individual, one- to-one, as-needed basis. The class will also allow for informal conversation in English between students from a variety of language and cultural backgrounds. All informal assessments will be conducted in English.

Formal Assessment (Speaking): At the conclusion of the 7-week session, each student will deliver a presentation of his/her painting that depicts something important from their home country, culture, religion, family, etc. OR their current one using language previously learned (see “Class Objectives” above for more details). Formal Assessment (Speaking and Listening): After listening to their classmates’ presentations of their paintings, each student will orally describe and/or ask questions about a randomly assigned partner’s painting using language previously learned and heard in the presentation. (This impromptu conversation is intended to evaluate students’ natural acquisition of the language as opposed to that which was planned or staged). The second listening assessment is the oral description of a painting in the group and identification of the painting the instructor is referring to.