ART ON THE WEB

Language:Any language. Example in Italian.

Proficiency Level: Advanced

Brief description of the activity: Students are going to locate texts in the target language about the life and works of Italian artists. Students then use the computer in class or in a computer lab to find target language materials about the artist and create a short biography.

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to discuss well-known Italian painters.
2. Students will be able to discuss to use information sources at their disposal that will help them learn more about the target language and the target culture.

Language focus:Reading

Materials:Computer with an Internet connection or printouts of Web pages

Procedures:

1. Introduce the content
   Ask students to locate texts in the target language about the life and works of Italian artists. Then provide a list of artists and lets each student choose an artist from the list. Tell students they are going to research and summarize the life of a target culture artist.
2. Introduce and model the learning strategy
   Model the strategy like this:

   I need to find information on the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli. I want to learn something about his life and his art. Where should I go to find some information? I will go to the school library and see what I can find. I find several books with information about Botticelli but they are all in English. I need something in the target language. Where can I find information written in Italian in my city? Oh! Why not try the Internet? I go to the search engine google.com and put in the artist's name and some words in Italian to encourage the retrieval of target language materials, e.g. Botticelli and vita and Primavera. I find several relevant hits. (If possible, the teacher should demonstrate with a computer; otherwise, students can be shown relevant computer printouts on an overhead or as handouts.)

   Explain the strategy Access Information Sources and help students understand that this is a strategy that they will be able to use while they are students but also in the future for their own enjoyment. They can use the Internet to find information about topics of interest that they developed while studying a foreign language and culture.
3. Practice
   Have students locate texts in the target language about the life and works of Italian artists Have learners use the class computer or go to the computer lab to find target language materials about the artist. They read the materials and summarize them in a short written report.
   
   Ask learners how using information sources facilitated and extended their learning.

Expansion

1. The teacher asks the students to make oral presentations based on their research of their artist.
2. The teacher asks the students to do Web research on a topic of their choice related to the target culture.

Teacher Resources (to help teacher enhance activity):
Google's Language Tools page: http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en