Sample Self-Guided Gallery Activities

Many of the activities described below were designed to assist with foreign language instruction. Some of them may be modified for use by other classes. The Ackland Art Museum can supply materials to help your class with these activities. You can request that those materials be available when you call to schedule your class visit. Sample lesson plans designed by other instructors are on file in the Ackland's Education offices. You can make an appointment to look through the files by calling the University Educator.

Treasure Hunt

Students hunt for works of art in the galleries by following a series of clues and a map. Students must answer one or two questions about each work once they have located it. This is a good activity for developing vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing skills in beginning language students. Sample treasure hunts in Spanish, French and English are currently available. As works in the galleries change often, instructors who use the sample hunts should plan on updating them.

Issues in Art*

Students work in small groups to address issues raised by selected works of art. Each group is given background information about one work of art and a brief statement about the particular issues raised by the work. The students in each group must discuss and resolve their issue and then present the issue and their resolution to the class the next day - the Ackland will provide slides of each work for use in class discussions. This activity is appropriate for language classes II - IV and is currently available in French, Spanish and English.

Token Response*

Students are given paper icons that signify a variety of responses to art (love, hate, puzzlement) and are asked to place each icon in front of a work of art that elicits that response from them. The works that attract the most icons - and the greatest variety of icons - become the subjects of discussion among the students, who must explain why they loathe, love or fail to understand the chosen works. This activity is appropriate for conversation classes and for practicing the subjunctive. Icons available for use: a heart, a "yuck," a question mark, and others.

Introduction to French (Spanish, Italian) Culture

These are tours of selected works in the Ackland collection with commentary about what the works reveal about French, Spanish or Italian culture. This tour may be conducted by the Ackland staff (in English) or by the instructor. Brief write-ups of the works are available for instructors to use and translate into the relevant language. This is appropriate for all language levels, but is especially suited for levels III and IV, which are content-oriented and emphasize culture.

Find and Seek**

In advance of the class, each student must go to the Ackland, pick one work of art, and write a paragraph description of it. On the class day, students are paired. The pairs exchange descriptions and then use them to locate the works. When students find their works, they write personal responses to them. The first paragraph, then, requires grammar and vocabulary suitable for objective description, the second for an emotional response. This activity is appropriate for conversation and upper-level language classes.

Twenty Questions**

In advance of the class visit, the instructor selects his/her favorite and least favorite works in one gallery. Students must frame and ask the instructor questions in order to identify the works. This is appropriate for all language levels; obviously the students' questions will be more sophisticated the more advanced the students are.

* Issues in Art is based on a gallery activity conceived by Ruth Slavin, formerly of the Ackland's education department. Token Response was conceived by Mary Erickson of Kutztown, PA.

** Please note that while instructors can schedule groups visits for their classes from 8:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, the Ackland is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays. This schedule may affect individual student assignments at the Ackland, such as Find and Seek or Twenty Questions. Open hours are: Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 - 5:00; Sunday, 1:00 - 5:00.