When I taught middle school, Fridays were days when I wanted to do something different. After sticking with the curriculum for the other four days of the week, I looked to Fridays for creativity, inspiration, a relaxed atmosphere. Often, we would arrange our desks in a circle rather than rows, and I would call our class “WWF” for Writing Workshop Fridays. Bringing in art for writing inspiration is a great way to give students a place to start a creative piece. So often, wondering what to write about could take up a whole class period. Using a painting like Van Gogh’s to generate a list of questions could inspire short stories, poetry, or memoir. Whose perspective is the painting from? Who lives in the village? Is this a view along someone’s journey, or the image of their beloved home? Students could even place a character from something they’ve read into the scene – Tess of the D’ubervilles; the Count of Monte Cristo; Werner in All the Light We Cannot See. The possibilities are endless. Students will surely have fun with an assignment that stems from a beautiful painting.
