Shaping My Knowledge
Warm-up
Put students into pairs and ask them to think of the top five words they associate Arts
with murals. They can then compare their words with another pair. The Purposes of Murals
What Is the Meaning Mural painting has been used for many different
Behind a Mural?
purposes. We have seen that the earliest murals were
cave paintings created several thousand years ago.
Then, their function was to communicate, but later they
were used as decoration, such in the Roman murals
01 Work in pairs. Look at the pictures on these two of Pompeii. Murals have also been used as ways of
pages and discuss why you think the artists painted them. conveying religious teachings in churches and as
political messages.
Regardless of their purpose,
murals provide us an insight
into the culture and society that
Teaching Tip the painter lived in. Some are
painted to capture moments
of history, like Diego Rivera’s
For Exercise 1 “The History of Mexico.”
Others show the problems
Give students a time limit of one minute to discuss their speculations about the of the time. Many murals in
Northern Ireland have shown the
artists’ motives. Then, ask students to work with a different classmate to exchange tension and violence caused by the
dispute over whether the country should be part of
the ideas they discussed. They can return to their original pairs and report back on 02 Read “The Purposes of Murals” and write down Ireland or the United Kingdom. In the same way, several
the seven purposes mentioned. paintings on the Berlin Wall depicted anger at the way
what the other classmates thought about the reasons the murals were painted. the city was separated.
1. communication
Because murals are often in public locations, they
2. decoration are commonly used as a form of protest or to raise
awareness of a situation. For example, with concerns
3. convey religious teachings about climate change, many artists have painted murals
4. capture moments in history depicting the melting of the ice caps and the harm
being done to animals and the planet.
5. show problems
6. protest
7. raise awareness 04 In groups of three, discuss the following questions.
Try to use as many of the words from Exercise 3 as you
can in your discussions.
Differentiation Strategy
› Have you seen any murals? Why do you think they
were painted?
For Exercise 3 › Do you think murals are a good thing or a bad
thing? Why?
Go to the Differentiation Strategies Bank, and adapt this exercise using Strategy 4a. 03 Match the words in the text to their meanings. › Can you think of any other reasons an artist might
paint a mural?
1. the knowledge to understand what a. convey
something is really like
b. insight
2. an argument that lasts for a long time
c. tension
3. reason, intention
d. dispute
4. the knowledge that something exists
e. purpose
5. to communicate a message
f. awareness
6. a feeling of anger or distrust
Flexi Exercises
(To adjust to students’ needs, you can choose whether to use the activities below) 42 Week 3
Exercise 1
Shaping My Knowledge
Teaching Tip
For Exercise 8 05 Correct the following sentences if there is a
Wha
For additional writing practice, before asking questions about the meaning of their mistake. If not, write “Correct.”
t wou
classmates’ murals, students can write a sentence to attempt to predict their
ld be worth representing o
1. Murals have used in churches to convey religious
messages. have been used
intended meanings. They can then proceed to ask questions to see if they were
2. Nowadays, murals are commonly being used as a
correct. form of protest. Correct
3. The harm that is been done to the planet has been the
subject of many murals. that has been/is being done
na
4. Before Mexican muralism, murals were mostly been used
mu
in churches. were mostly/had mostly been
ra
l?
Differentiation Strategy
06 Work in pairs. Using similar ideas from Exercise 5, 07 On a separate blank sheet, sketch a mural with a
take turns completing the following sentences using the message for your community/country. Think of how you
For Exercise 7 verb in brackets. Then, add two more of your own and want it to look and the meaning behind it. Then, write a
ask two classmates to complete one each. Answers will vary. description of it below, using the structures from
Go to the Differentiation Strategies Bank, and adapt this exercise using Strategy 7. Exercise 5 as much as possible.
Answers will vary.
1. Mexican muralism
(see) as…
Language Structures and Functions Tip
If students need further consolidation on the grammar point, create an exercise 2. Many political messages
either for writing or speaking in which students are asked to apply it. (depict) in…
3. The murals that
(painted) this century are…..
Wrap-up
4.
Put students into groups of three. Ask them to discuss which of the pictures on the
two pages is most effective at conveying meaning. Ask them to choose one as a
group before explaining their choices to the rest of the class.
5.
08 Work in groups of four. Share your mural sketches
and ask your classmates about their meaning. Did they
get it?
Flexi Exercises
(To adjust to students’ needs, you can choose whether to use the activities below) 43
Prompt
