The Language Teacher
July 2002
Drawing from Description
Ian D. Willey
Rikkyo University
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words:Drawing, Reading, Pair work
Learner English Level: Low Intermediate and up
Learner Maturity Level: Adult
Preparation Time: One hour or less
Activity Time: About 30 minutes in class
Materials: Descriptive passages with accompanying illustrations, OHP (optional)
I am always looking for enjoyable reading-based activities to employ in the last half hour of my reading class. Having noticed that many Japanese students like to draw; often voluntarily decorating their journals or homework assignments with cute, sometimes impressive illustrations, I have adapted a simple activity I experienced in high-school art class.
The Task
For this activity I chose a popular subject: dinosaurs (more exactly, prehistoric creatures). I found descriptions of a few prehistoric creatures in The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals, and modified the vocabulary so it would be more accessible to students. I tried to choose more obscure creatures, which students may not have encountered in books or popular films like Jurassic Park
Students were paired and given the following two descriptions on A3 paper:
Description 1: Opthalmosaurus. This creature lived in the seas during the age of the dinosaur. It had a long, narrow snout and a rounded, teardrop-shaped body, tapering toward the rear in a half-moon-shaped fin. Its front limbs were more developed than the hind limbs. Its most unique feature was its large eyes (Opthalmosaurus means "Eye Lizard"). They suggest that Opthalmosaurus was a night feeder, perhaps hunting squid close to the surface of the sea.
Description 2: Coelodonta. This creature was once hunted by prehistoric humans. It was large, with a pair of fearsome horns growing on its snout. The front horn was larger, growing to lengths of three feet. Its body was covered in a coat of wooly fur. Its eyes were small and weak. It had feet like an elephant, and its front legs were muscular like a gorilla's arms. Though it ate plants, it probably had a mean temper--you wouldn't want it to be mad at you!
I stress to students that they can use their imagination in designing their creature; the only requirement being that they at least capture the creature's essential features
After about 20 minutes, I place the textbook's illustrations of the two creatures on the overhead projector. Their faces light up when they see how close--or how far off--their sketches are. A few students are asked to place their pictures on the overhead, and we go over the important points in each reading which students should have captured in their pictures; for example, the depiction of Opthalmosaurus should include a tapering body, larger fore fins, a half-moon-shaped tail, and big eyes.
Discussion
Students found this activity challenging rather than difficult. Although students worked hard at it, we still felt as if we were taking a break from the more usual reading-based tasks.
I feel that having students work in pairs was essential for this activity. Not all students like to draw, after all, so by teaming them up students with a dislike for art may find themselves with a partner who at least doesn't mind as much. Students could then help each other in interpreting the descriptions.
Optional Themes
Personal photographs: Write about your dog, cat, house, or places you've visited.
Planes, trains, and automobiles: Images as well as brief descriptions can probably be found in your nearest library or over the Internet, as well as for the following 3 themes.
- Architecture around the world.
- Famous artwork.
- Sci-Fi vehicles. Describe Star Wars or Star Trek ships, or mecha from Japanese anime.
- Popular characters. Describe the personalities or habits of popular characters like Pikachu, Snoopy, or Tonari no Totoro, and see if students can guess who their subject is.
This activity could be modified to incorporate writing by asking students to write descriptions of their own photographs, for instance and these descriptions could be given to other students to read and try to draw. However this activity is applied, I feel it will add spice to a reading class, allowing students to exercise their reading skills and their imaginations.
Reference
Dixon, D. (Ed.) (1988). The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. New York: Macmillan.
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