LTP | Artist in the Classroom: "Creating a Spanish Alphabet"

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Creating a Spanish Alphabet

Location: Bethesda Elementary School, Durham, North Carolina
Teacher: Emelia DeCroix
Artist: Wendy Ewald
Grades: Second to Fifth

Photographer Wendy Ewald worked with four different English as a Second Language classes of two to six students each to create a visual Spanish alphabet.

Wendy Ewald: The alphabet project was created out of an interest in finding ways that the photographs could be used to teach language. It was designed for ESL classes at the elementary school level with a schedule of a half hour per day for each grade. Since all the students but one in the ESL classes at Bethesda Elementary School were Spanish-speaking, we decide to make a Spanish language alphabet. The students explored concepts in their own language and assigned visual representation from their own culture. Eventually, they exhibited the alphabet in the school and shared their language and culture with English-speaking students.

First, we discussed the concept of language and where different languages are spoken in the world. As I introduced the idea of creating an alphabet, we looked at several types of alphabet books. Then each child chose one or two letters to work with and complied a list of words that began with that letter. I consulted with each student to choose a word that would be easy to illustrate. We then discussed possible ways to make a corresponding photograph. Using Polaroid positive/ negative film, I photographed each concept with the student’s guidance. For most images we used a black or white cloth as a background to isolate the subject of the picture. For example, A was represented by alli, “there” in English. A hand pointing forward was photographed in front of a black cloth. Once the Polaroid negatives were washed and dried, each student scratched or wrote in marker the letter and the word on the white or black background. They decide how to sequence the alphabet, and 8x10 photographs were made from the negatives.

The students were very excited about working on a visual project in their own language. They talked about how the English-speaking children were distrustful of them when they spoke to each other in Spanish, and they were happy to share their language with them. I found the words they chose, like nervioso and impostor, to be revealing about the sometimes transitory nature of their lives.

In the Classroom

Visual images can help your students learn a new language and increase their vocabulary. When students can relate a word to a familiar image, it becomes easier to remember. This exercise could be used in a variety of language classes for vocabulary and pronunciation purposes or in language arts classes to enhance English vocabularies.

• Have each student choose one or more letter of the alphabet. Ask him or her to list words that begin with that letter.

• Pick one word that can be easily conceptualized and photographed. For example, the word “anteater” might be a little difficult to illustrate through a photograph. General words like “all” and “around” are also challenging.

• Once the student has selected an image, ask him or her to bring in props that will help illustrate the word. Set specific dates for each letter to be photographed, as some students may bring in perishable items such as fruit.

• Create or find a solid white or black background to arrange and photograph your concept. Photograph your object or model in front of this background, leaving room around the edges. This provides space for the students to write in the letter of the alphabet and the corresponding word.

• Have the students write the letter and the word onto the photograph in one of two ways:

If you used Polaroid positive/negative film you will have a large negative that can be altered. This is an opportunity to teach students about negative and positive. If you want black letters, write backwards, with a sharp point, on the dull side (the emulsion side) of the negative. You can use anything sharp, from paper clips to etching tools, to scratch the emulsion. If you want white letters, write on the shiny side with a black marker in the normal fashion.

If you used 35mm film, have the students write on the enlarged print with a black or white permanent marker.

• If photography is not an option for your class, use images out of magazines or newspapers to illustrate the letters of the alphabet. You can also make one large classroom alphabet or have your students work on smaller individual alphabets. If you are using magazine clippings, have them glue their clippings onto a solid-colored piece of paper so that they have room to write.

Emelia DeCroix: Wendy’s work with my Spanish-speaking ESL class was a highlight in the school year for myself and my students.

I followed with great interest the strategies Wendy used to gain access to the students’ inner worlds. The free exchange of ideas and questions between my students and Wendy created true openness in their communications.

Wendy’s approach made it clear that children cannot be rushed or forced to learn. My students’ readiness to participate came from Wendy’s patience and her personal interest in each child. At the end of the project, it was a victory for them to see their alphabet photographs displayed in the school’s foyer. They all grew, not only in appreciation of language and the knowledge of duplicate meanings of words and letters, but also in their sense of self-worth.

Other Ideas

Text and image projects
Discuss with your students how text can be combined with images in paintings, photographs, sculptures, or other art forms. Show them work by photographic artists who regularly combine the two: Lorna Simpson, Barbara Krugar, Carrie Mae Weems, and Clarissa Sligh. Ask the student to select one image. This can be a photo of their own, a magazine clipping, or something they drew in art class. Ask them to write a sentence that refers to the context of the photograph. Add the sentence to the image by writing it on the background or by cutting and pasting the words onto the image itself. The student can also write a paragraph or short story to accompany the image. Display the two together.

Flashcards
Ask students to cut out pictures from magazines that represent a word they are trying to learn and glue them onto index cards. They can also draw a picture on the card. Have the students write the word on the opposite side of the card.

banner image:

Photograph by Wendy Ewald. From Secret Games: Collaborative Works with Children, 1969–1999 by Wendy Ewald.

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