December 1998 Arts & Ethics Column
Light in Dark Times: highlights literature, multi-cultural traditions,
cross-curricular springboards thematically based on light. This month’s
column features more of an idea-bank than specific instructions for
unit. Please, share additional ideas with us, or let us know what you
did with the theme! (dhamry@scdsschool.org)
Brainstorm as many action verbs for light as students can think of and
use in movement: e.g. “glow, radiate, blaze, sparkle”… Discuss range
of degrees, qualities? If age appropriate, continue to brainstorm with
adverbs for how, when, and where (leave out nouns until later), ask
students to move through one action with varying degress and qualities
of the adverbs; groups sculpt one action each then compare and contrast
the various actions as well as adverbs.
Repeat above with adjectives for light: e.g. opaque, clear,
transluscent (consider a thesaurus activity after having brainstormed as
many as possible).
Brainstorm with students as many associations with light and values as
possible, for example: hope, humor, love, clarity, compassion, dreams,
vision, insight. Compare and contrast physical, emotional, mental,
spiritual sight/light. Does a person have to physically ‘see’ to have
‘sight?’
Language starters: list quotations, similes, metaphors, songs with
light-related words or phrases; try to get students to generate;
examples might include: “make light of,” “lighten up,” “leave a light
on,” “light up my life,” “Light of the world,” “smile lit up her
face,” “Points of Light,” “light at the end of the tunnel,” “Better
to light a candle than to curse the darkness,” “in light of,” “light
of my life,” “lighthouse,” “in light of,” “torch-bearer,” “light in
his eyes,” “in the spotlight.”
List and/or draw as many light producing/reflecting sources as
possible. Categorize into human-made and natural. Differences between
generating and reflecting light? Connections to values?
Literature: The Power of Light by Isaac Bashevis Singer (title story
highlights themes of hope, compassion, perseverence) and Singer’s When
Sclemiel Went to Warsaw highlights themes of humor-tricksters-fools with
connections to Jewish traditions and Hanukkah; consider a
comparison/contrast with tricksters and fools of various cultural
literary traditions. The story of Lakschmi (Hindu) in Seasons of
Splendor (below). Also, refer to cultural resources list (below) for
Diwali in India, Hanukkah in U.S., St. Nicholas Day in Slovakia, St.
Lucia Day in Sweden, Christmas in Germany, Epiphany in Spain,
Posada/Posavita in Mexico, Kwanzaa-African American.
Art Ideas: shadow puppets (consider using Asian literature and art) use
overhead and sheet to actually have students be shadow puppets and act
out own or multi-cultural tales of light; madalas-rose windows (see
resources below), snowy or wintery scenes, skyscapes-light at night (try
white, silver, gold, copper crayons, glitter, bright pastels on dark or
black paper; candle-making, foil projects. Use as writing starters for
poetry; use analogies, similes, metaphors, verbs, adjectives (previous
brainstorm lists) in combination with visual arts activities, set to
movement, and consider combining with music. Compose/select music and/or
choreograph movement for light themes in classical and modern poetry,
mythology, literary passages. Additional poetry/art ideas; “What if
light were dark and dark were light?” or “What if black were white” or
vice versa, e.g. “…white crows on a black snow-enshrouded hill;”
Hanukkah, Santa Lucia, Christmas, Diwali, Solstice, Kwanzaa cultural art
projects (see Celebrations in resources).
Music: in addition to songs with light in the lyrics, have students
select or compose music without lyrics that express light-related
ideas. Which light-related values does the music represent to them
(hope, love, clarity, fresh ideas, humor, new beginnings)?
Create a movement sculpture or dance piece that denotes these themes.
Community projects: create a class giving tree for each other, a family
or organization in community. Hold a candlelight vigil for a cause that
the students identify. Raise money to help someone pay their light or
heat bills. Create decorations that denote themes of light, e.g. hope,
compassion, faith, regeneration to a hospital, senior center, shelter,
another school or class, a neighbor. Possibly use the art projects
listed previously as gifts of light. Share with accompanying poetry,
essays, or music/movement pieces about what light means to the
students. Combine values-related/community activities with the seven
Kwanzaa principles: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination),
Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative
economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), Imani (faith); many
excellent, colorful books about Kwanzaa available at libraries and
bookstores.
Math/Science Connections between Humanities: physical light (coordinate
with science or physics teacher about light, reflection, refraction,
shadows and connect to expository or poetic writing, energy-related
concepts for older students, e.g. spectral analysis and possible values
connections). Middle school: solar and lunar cycles, including
equinoxes and solstices-coordinate with social studies/history and
multi-cultural literature of sun and moon mythology or legends (see
resources), agricultural societies; themes of regeneration, change,
transformation (connect to patterns in math and science); luminescent
creatures and plants, astronomy, mirrors-glass-water experiments, “fire
and ice” and temperature-energy concepts (connections to themes of
transformation/values). Colors, color-blindness (red, green, blue
color rods-interesting coincidence with color television), the structure
of the eye and connections to light and colors in humanities (what are
classic mythical colors in various cultures; examine in tradition lit),
difference between sight and perceptual interpretation. What other
senses are involved in “seeing?” Try the old classic experiences of
visualizing various objects they touch, smell, hear, taste while
blindfolded.
Following are science explorations in light-related concepts from Ken
Vicknair, our science colleague at Seattle Country Day School. “I think
mirages could be very good especially since they’ve been used to explain
mermaids, essentially, distortions of light when you’re close to the
oceans surface, this is why mirages are supposedly less frequent now
than in older times because boats are higher off the water. Also, if
you’re looking for a lit/poetry connection. I think something could be
done with shading in rainforest or under canopies of any sort.
Essentially, some plants are living in the shadow of others and adopt
various types of pigments to compensate for the lower light levels, you
see the same thing in the ocean with plants living at deeper depths, and
is also why you don’t see a lot of green plants in the ocean but do on
land. There is also the changing of the leaves in winter when the
amount of available light decreases and it is no longer profitable for
plants to have leaves, essentially the loss of heat and net cost of
maintaining the leaves is not compensated by the amount of energy they
can get from the leaves. This of course also brings in the seasons, the
rise and fall of light and the changes in the amount of light as you
move away from the equator, the long dark winter nights and equally long
summer days in places light Norwary, Siberia or Alaska. This could tie
into not only biological adaptations but astronomy. There’s also a
tendency for lack of color vision in nocturnal animals; any biology and
astronomy text could serve as a reference for all but the mirages;” (see
Discover Channel’s Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe:
RESOURCES:
Celebrations! (Children Just Like Me series) by Barnabas and Anabel
Kindersley, DK Publishing in association with unicef, NY ’97, or
www.dk.com (also offers an e-pal club to talk with author and children
around the world).
The Power of Light, Isaac Bashevis Singer, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Ltd.,
Toronto, ’80.
When Schlemiel Went to Warsaw, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, NY., ’79.
Stories of the Jewish People (Angels, Prophets, Rabbis and Kings), Jose
Patterson, Peter Bedrick Books, NY, ’91.
Seasons of Splendor, Madhur Jaffrey, Atheneum, NY, ’85. (Diwali, India)
Hindu (Beliefs and Cultures series), Anita Ganeri, Children’s Press
(Grolier), NY, ’96.
Many Moons: the Myth and Magic, Fact and Fantasy of Our Nearest Heavenly
Body, Diana Brueton, Prentice Hall Press, NY, ’91. (particularly broad
resource if you plan to continue light theme into mid-winter for various
Asian Lunar New Year’s studies)
Mandalas of the World, Rudiger Dahlke, Sterling Publishing, NY, ’92.
several favorite light-related picture books for intermediate-aged
children:
Little Daylight, George MacDonald, William Morrow and Co., NY, ’88.
(gorgeous illustrations)
Snow Queen, Mary Engelbreit, Workman Pub, NY, ’93
(winter-mirrors-ice-light)
Grandfather Twilight, Barbara Berger, Philomel Books, NY, ’84 (gentle
introduction to aging and dying in terms of natural cycles, stunning
illustrations)
Legends of the Sun and Moon, Eric and Tessa Hadley, Cambridge Univ
Press, ’83.
– Dianne Hamry