The Writing on The Wall

This idea was inspired by the Basquiat exhibit at the AGO. I don't live in Toronto, but was visiting for the weekend, and saw the exhibition. After going through the show, patrons were invited to share their impressions on a big blackboard- creating a kind of graffiti- style collage, similar in spirit to some of the works of Basquiat.

I teach core French in Ontario and have many reluctant writers.  But I think this would be an idea to get any students engaged with writing, not just French students.

I covered the bulletin board outside my classroom with brown paper, laid down a few ground rules: (what you write must be respectful of the feelings of others, it must be appropriate for school, and it must be in French), provided some markers, and (for French, some suggestions of things that they know how to say in French, like describing things about themselves, for example), and invited them to write.

The response has been overwhelming. Kids who would just sit and look at a blank piece of paper at their desk in the classroom, are happy to "write on the wall".

I also prepared a short presentation about Basquiat, including some photographs of his paintings to give some context for the activity. It ties in nicely with the building of cultural awareness that is a component of the French curriculum here. The kids were really engaged in learning about this artist and a bit about his story. And they have flocked to the wall to write in French about themselves.

I think this would also work well with emerging writers in English too. With older students it might be an interesting way to have them register and support their opinions about controversial topics.

If you are inspired to try something similar with a class of yours, I would love to hear how it goes.



If you are interested in the whole presentation it is at:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lecriture-sur-le-mur-1723381