Level 3
Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2011
Older Readers Shortlist
The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin (Templar)
Video
Watch Teresa Flavin read an excerpt from The Blackhope Enigma and answer some questions about her book and the writing process on the Scottish Book Trust website: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/scottishchildrensbookawards
Researching an Artist (Reading>Finding and Using Information>Lit 3-14a, Lit 3-15a. Writing>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 3-20a. Writing>Organisation and Using Information>Lit 3-25a, Lit 4-26a. Writing>Creating Texts>Lit 3-28a.)
The fictional artist Fausto Corvo in The Blackhope Enigma leads a precarious existence, immersing himself in the dark arts and trying to evade enemies who pursue him even into Arcadia.
Many artists led similarly turbulent existences and their lives and work can provide pupils with stimulating research material.
Ask students to research an artist and write a biographical essay. Suitable cases from the Renaissance may be:
· Caravaggio
· Benvenuto Cellini (a sculptor, but very interesting life, although you may wish to edit any research materials as some content is unsuitable for children under 14!)
· Michelangelo
For lower ability pupils, this can take the form of a leaflet. You could ask pupils to write about two of their favourite paintings by the artist, then include a short biography.
Creative Writing (Writing>Creating Texts>Eng 3-31a, Eng 3-27a. Writing>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 3-20a. Writing>Organising and Using Information>Lit 3-25a)
Teresa Flavin drew on her knowledge and love of Renaissance art in writing the novel. Famous works of art can be rich stimuli for creative writing.
Discuss one of the following paintings with your class:
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
Automat by Edward Hopper
The Fight by Everett Shinn
The Hunters by Pieter Bruegel
Ask your class to imagine being one of the people inside the painting. Challenge them to build a convincing picture in a reader’s head of the painting. Their first task should be to mind map the things they can see in the painting, and note down subtleties like colour, facial expressions, clothes and other details.
Next, ask them to mind map all the things the painting can’t convey: mainly the sounds and smells of the scene.
After this, ask them to think about the people in the paintings. Ask them to pick one character, and focus on what the character’s back story could be, why they are at the scene, etc. Get the pupils to think of ideas for stories by noting down complications that could exist in the character’s life.
They should now have enough material to begin writing a short story. Interesting discussions can take place afterwards about different artistic forms and whether the pupils felt that the scene was best conveyed through a painting or the written word.
Useful links:
The lives and work of famous artists: www.famouspainter.com
Biographies and lots of useful links for artists: http://www.artpromote.com/famousartist.shtml
Some nice large images of the paintings mentioned above:
Nighthawks: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/precisionism/images/EdwardHopper-Nighthawks-1942.jpg
Automat: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/precisionism/images/EdwardHopper-Automat-1927.jpg
The Fight: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Thefight.jpg
The Hunters: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bruegel/hunters.jpg
Art History Archive has a section on the Precisionist movement in painting which may provide more ideas: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/precisionism/
Review Competition (can fulfil Reading>Enjoyment and Choice>Lit 3-11a. Reading>Understanding, Analysing and Evaluating>Eng 3-19a)
Scottish Book Trust are running a review writing competition for the three Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2011 shortlisted books. Get your pupils to write a review of their favourite book and submit it online to win an author visit to your school and book tokens for the winning pupil.
www.scottishchildrensbookawards.com
The deadline is to enter is 27 January 2012.