As we read Saki’s “The Interlopers,” we discussed how he creates a specific atmosphere through his description of the night when Ulrich meets Georg in the forest. Words they come up were “dark” and “foreboding” in relation to the imagery, and I asked them how the imagery was effective in creating this atmosphere. They went on to say that the images helped to create a “scary” or “dangerous” mood.
To write a practice exercise, the students viewed Thomas Cole’s painting, “The Savage State”:
In their journals, they had to write a list of ten things they saw in the painting that contributed to the atmosphere. The catch was that they had to use adjective/noun combinations instead of simple words like “tree” (I am trying to get them to higher diction).
After they listed ten things, they had to find a partner from another group and share their lists. For each thing they had in common, they had to put a check mark next to it. These are usually the obvious details.
Once they shared and returned to their seats, they had to write three things they THINK about the atmosphere of the painting, but they had to give a reason (I am trying to get them to create more complex sentences). For example, they had to say something like “I think Thomas Cole creates a ___________ atmosphere because _______.” This would be much better than, “I think Thomas Cole is a good painter.” Because they had to write three, they needed three strong adjectives to describe the atmosphere.
They also had to write three things they WONDER about the atmosphere created by Thomas Cole (also in a complex sentence).
While they were completing their See/Think/Wonder responses, I passed out three different colored Post-It notes, giving one to each student. Those who had one color had to share their strongest adjective/noun combination in what they SEE, another color was for THINK, and the last for WONDER.
When they came to the front to share, they had to listen carefully because no one could use the same words to describe the atmosphere, or the same details from the painting.
Once they finished sharing, they had to write a three chunk paragraph about how Thomas Cole created a specific atmosphere in his painting, “The Savage State.”
Binders Full of Evidence 13-14 