The many faces of the Mona Lisa

Planning for the Portuguese Language subject for the 7th grade of Elementary School
II.

7th Grade Lesson Plan

Theme
The many faces of the Mona Lisa

Discipline
Portuguese Language

Content
Text genre – Biography

Duration
Four classes

Objectives
1. Write the biography of Leonardo da Vinci and other visual artists who made
reinterpretations of the work Mona Lisa. To carry out this activity, the student must:
• deepen the knowledge about the characteristics of the biographical text genre;
• to be able to properly use the linguistic resources required for writing
of this genre.
2. Relate each of the works studied to the historical context in which it was produced.
and to know its characteristics.
3. Become aware of the role of art in human life, awakening and/or enhancing the
aesthetic sense.
4. Interact cooperatively with classmates and/or other members of the group.
school community.

Material
For research: photos, videos, newspapers, magazines, books, encyclopedias, catalogs of
exhibitions, internet.
For the organization of the exhibition: poster board, atomic brushes, and A4 sheets for writing the
biographies and the description and histories of the selected works, computer and
printer.

Motivational activity
Ask the students if they have ever visited a museum and, if the answer is affirmative, if
they do this habitually. Talking to them about what museums are and what they are for
they serve these institutions.
Next, ask them if they have heard of the Louvre Museum, which is located in
Paris, in France, and invite them to visit this museum, which houses one of the most
famous works of art in the world – the Mona Lisa –, by Leonardo da Vinci.
Take the students to the computer lab, where they should access the Museum's website:
LOUVRE MUSEUM (in French).
Available at: <http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp>. Accessed on: 03/24/2010
LOUVRE MUSEUM (in English). Available at:
<http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en>. Accessed on: 03/24/2010
Note: At both addresses, it is possible to request the translation of the page.

Although the purpose of this visit is to see the Mona Lisa, to allow students to
"wander" through the virtual environment and appreciate other works.

Suggestion
Professor, if you find it appropriate, before accessing the Louvre Museum's website, use
internet resources to show students satellite images of the location of
Louvre Museum, its surroundings, the glass pyramid, etc.
It is important that before taking the students to the Computer Lab, you access the
site and get to know it well so you can guide students during the virtual visit.

Prior knowledge
Contact with the biography genre, which should have already been worked on by the students.
Biography: oral, written, or visual narration of the particular facts of the various phases of life
of a person or character (literary genre or not) in a book, movie, theatrical text,
optical disc, etc. As for the format, it can be developed in chronological order or in
narrative form.
COSTA, Sérgio Roberto. Dictionary of textual genres. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica,
2008. p. 42.

Strategies
For the development of all the necessary stages for the implementation of this project,
the following schedule is proposed:
Lesson 1 - Motivational Activity
Class 2
1. Talk to the students about the virtual visit to the Louvre Museum and gather their
Impressions about the work Mona Lisa. Explain to them that famous works usually
inspire reinterpretations and propose a research on the reinterpretations of the Mona Lisa and of
their authors, for whom they must write biographies. All the produced material will make
part of an exhibition, which will be called "The Many Faces of the Mona Lisa."
2. Organize the class into groups of no more than four students. One group will have the
original work and the others will be responsible for the study of one or more reinterpretations.
Website suggestions:
MONA LISA MANIA. Available at: <http://www.monalisamania.com/artmain.htm>.
Accessed on: March 26, 2010. (site in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE. Available at:
http://www.sabercultural.com/template/obrasCelebres/LeonardoDaVinciMonaLisa.htm
Accessed on: March 28, 2010.
Some reinterpretations: (Here you can only insert the links, if it is not possible to
insertion of the images).
by Andy Warhol
WARHOL, Andy. Mona Lisa. Available at:
http://mol-tagge.blogspot.com/2009/06/andy-warhol-e-romero-brito.html.
Accessed on: March 26, 2010.
b) By Fernando Botero
BOTERO, Fernando. Mona Lisa. Available at:
<http://ovilacondense.blogspot.com/2004/07/fernando-botero.html>. Accessed on: 26
Mar. 2010.
c) by Salvador Dalí
Dalí, Salvador. Mona Lisa. Available at:
http://kafee.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/visual-lies/. Accessed on: March 27, 2010.
d) by Mauricio de Sousa
SOUSA, Mauricio. Mona Lisa. Available at:
<http://www.monica.com.br/mural/alcance/alcance2.htm>. Accessed on: March 26, 2010.
e) By Vik Muniz
MUNIZ, Vik. Mona Lisa. Available at:
http://www.masp.art.br/exposicoes/2009/vik/. Accessed on: March 26, 2010.
f) By Romero Britto
BRITO, Romero. Mona Lisa. Available at: <http://mol-
tagge.blogspot.com/2009/06/andy-warhol-e-romero-brito.html>. Accessed on: March 27.
2010.
During this class, the groups will research the chosen work and its author, collecting
information about them. Talk to the students about the importance of relating to the
consulted sources, as they should be included in the biographical text that will be produced.
In the case of material collected from the internet, the reference should follow this pattern:
SOBRENOME Nome
if typed; in quotes, if handwritten). Available at: <website address>. Accessed on:
day, month and year.
Class 3
Conduct a class with the participation of the teachers of History and
Arts in which the historical context in which the works were produced is discussed and the
characteristics of each of them.
Class 4
With the materials collected during the research phase, the groups will write the
biography of the painter whose work they studied. It is interesting to combine
previously to the structure of the texts, so that they are standardized.
1. To ensure the proper execution of this stage, remind the students of the
characteristics of the textual genre.
2. After writing, ask the groups to exchange their texts with each other so that colleagues
they can contribute suggestions that improve them.
3. After reviewing colleagues' suggestions, rewrite the texts, making the
changes that they deem relevant.
4. Create a poster with images of the original work and text with Leonardo's biography.
da Vinci. Other posters should present the reinterpretations and other biographies.

Evaluation
At a predetermined time and in an appropriate location within the school environment, set up a
exhibition of the posters produced by the groups. The students must prepare to
explain to the visitors details of the works, such as the technique used, their dimensions,
as well as other information and curiosities about you. In this way, all the
the school community will be able to share in the learning built by the students during the
realization of this project.