Yoko Ono: To The Light Exhibition, By Jerry Hardman-Jones, The Serpentine Gallery

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post-With Answer Key

Yoko Ono: Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Image

In 1966, Yoko Ono created an art piece entitled the “Ceiling/Yes Painting” which entailed viewers climbing a ladder and using a magnifying glass to find the word “Yes” printed on the ceiling. The piece could be interpreted as meaning we should remain positive, (hence the  word Yes) and if we look closely (the magnifying glass) the positive is in front of us (just a guess).  One thing is certain, Yoko believes everyone should enjoy life.

Yoko Ono, wife of  John Lennon  (1940-1980) a member of the famous British rock group The Beatles, is still enjoying life and creating her magical art.   At  age 79, Yoko is currently exhibiting her work entitled “To The Light” at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

Yoko's Ceiling/Yes Painting. Photo Art Tower MIT

Excerpt:

“TO THE LIGHT, a major exhibition of the work of celebrated artist Yoko Ono, reflects upon the enormous impact that she has made on contemporary art, exploring her influential role across a wide range of media. This exhibition, her first in a London public institution for more than a decade, includes new and existing installations, films and performances, as well as archive material relating to several key early works. 

Ono’s continuing interest in the relationship between the roles of artist and viewer is evident throughout the exhibition. 

A number of works in TO THE LIGHT position both artist and viewer as agents of change. For example, a series of instruction pieces written especially for the Serpentine Gallery can be completed physically or mentally by the viewer, while the large-scale installation AMAZE transforms the viewer from the observer to the observed.”                  

Installation view, Yoko Ono- TO THE LIGHT Serpentine Gallery, London

 

Read more about her various pieces of art and  how you can become part of Yoko’s  exibition!

Note: Yoko Ono TO THE LIGHT-19 June – 9 September 2012

John Lennon (1940-1980) "Imagine": Photo fanpop

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

Level: Intermediate -Advanced

Language Skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: approximately 2 hours.

Materials: student handouts (from this lesson) access to news article, and video.

Objective:  Students will read the article and  generate ideas for creating their own art projects.

I. Pre-Reading Tasks

•   Organizer

Directions:  Have students use this pre-reading organizer by Scholastic to assist them in finding the main ideas from the reading.

Pre-reading Organizer By Scholastic

• Pre-reading Discussion Questions

Directions: Have students discuss the following questions in groups then share answers as a class after the discussions. Students can look the answers up on the web if they’re not sure.

1. Have you ever heard of Yoko Ono in your country? If yes, in what context?
2. What is she famous for?
3. Who were the Beatles? Did you like their music?
4. What is the connection between Yoko and John Lennon?
5. What happened to John Lennon?
6. How many members of the Beatles group are still alive today?

II. While Reading Tasks

•  Vocabulary-Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary or thesaurus for assistance.

1. To The Light, a major exhibition of the work of celebrated artist Yoko Ono…
2.  Ono also presents #smilesfilm, a worldwide participatory project that will be exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery…
3. Conceived as a way of connecting people across the world, the project invites people to upload and send images of their smiles by hash-tagging #smilesfilm…
4. Working as an artist, film-maker, poet, musician, writer, performance artist and peace activist…
5. Yoko Ono has influenced generations of artists and received numerous prestigious awards.
6. In her prolific career, she has embraced a wide range of media, defying traditional boundaries…
7. Born in 1933 in Tokyo, she is a pioneer of conceptual art…
8. A large scale participatory project, #smilesfilm reflects her pioneering vision of the power of mass participation.
9. Ono’s project at the Serpentine will tap into the transformative potential of the smile…
10.  Ono associates this transmission of positive energy with healing and peace.

• Reading Comprehension: Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the article, have them complete the following sentences taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

My___in film-making is to make___which includes___snap of every single human being in the world. Of course, I cannot go around___and take the shots myself. I need cooperation…’

Alongside her ___staged inside the Gallery, Yoko Ono ___a site-specific work near the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. A___participatory project,___ reflects her ___of the power of mass participation. 

Visitors from all over the___ can drop in to a specially-designed ___installed outside the Serpentine Gallery and record their smiles. These images will then be collected to make #smilesfilm, which will be exhibited in a___form on a ___at the Serpentine Gallery and presented globally in ___on a dedicated website, smilesfilm.com, and apps for ___and___. 

Word List

digital form,  #smilesfilm, screen, iPhone, a film,  a smiling face,  the whole world,  exhibition, large scale, ultimate goal, photo booth, pioneering vision, physical, world, iPad, presents,

• Grammar Focus: Identifying Parts of Speech

Directions: Identify the verbs in the following paragraph, then use the words to write a short paragraph  about Yoko, art, or any topic relating to this article.

‘My ultimate goal in film-making is to make a film which includes a smiling face snap of every single human being in the world. Of course, I cannot go around the whole world and take the shots myself. Alongside her exhibition staged inside the Gallery, Yoko Ono presents a site-specific work near the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. A large scale participatory project, #smilesfilm reflects her pioneering vision of the power of mass participation. These images will then be collected to make #smilesfilm, which will be exhibited in a physical form on a screen at the Serpentine Gallery and presented globally in digital form on a dedicated website, smilesfilm.com, and apps for iPhone and iPad. 

III. Post Reading Tasks

• Reading Comprehension Check:  WH-question format

Directions: Have students use the  WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

• Essay Writing

Directions:  Have students choose a topic and write an essay.

1. Write an essay in which you describe the art of Yoko Ono. Use some of her examples from the article.
2. Yoko states, “ My ultimate goal in film-making is to make a film which includes a smiling face snap of every single human being in the world.” Write an essay in which you explain why such a project might generate positive feelings for people. 
3. Write an essay describing the Beatles, (e.g., where they came from originally, the type of music they were known to produce, how John met Yoko,  etc.).

Visit ESL Voices Modes of Essay Writing.

IV. Listening Activity:  True/False   Video Clip: Yoko Ono: To The Light Exhibition

John Lennon. In The Light exhibition

“To The Light, a major exhibition of the work of celebrated artist Yoko Ono…This exhibition, her first in a London public institution for more than a decade, includes new and existing installations, films and performances, as well as archive material relating to several key early works.”

Tags: John Lennon, The Beatles, Yoko Ono

Belief in Hell By Christine Hsu,   Medicaldaily.com

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key.

Growing up many children learned about the reward for being good, which was going to heaven. This idea of heaven and goodness was thought to deter youngsters from negative behavior.  However,  researchers have recently discovered that people are more “afraid” of going to “hell” and receiving eternal punishment, than the rewards of heaven. As a matter of  fact, this belief is so strong in some, that it has led to a decrease in crime in some areas! Excerpt:

“Religion is often thought of as psychological defense against bad behavior, but researchers have recently found that the effect of religion on pro-social behaviors may actually be driven by the belief in hell and supernatural punishment rather than faith in heaven and spiritual benevolence. In a large analysis of 26 years of data consisting of 143,197 people in 67 countries, psychologists found significantly lower crime rates in societies where many people believe in hell compared to those where more people believed in heaven. “The key finding is that, controlling for each other, a nation’s rate of belief in hell predicts lower crime rates, but the nation’s rate of belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates, and these are strong effects,” lead author Azim Shariff, professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Morality Lab at the University of Oregon said in a university news release.

Heavn. Overcomers Assembly Photo.

“I think it’s an important clue about the differential effects of supernatural punishment and supernatural benevolence. The finding is consistent with controlled research we’ve done in the lab, but here shows a powerful ‘real world’ effect on something that really affects people – crime,” he said… Previous research published 2011 in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion found that undergraduate students were more likely to cheat when they believed in a forgiving God compared to those who believed in a punishing God. “Here, we investigate these effects at the societal level, showing that the proportion of people who believe in hell negatively predicts national crime rates whereas belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates,” researchers wrote. Interestingly, in 2003 Harvard researchers found that the gross domestic product (GDP) was higher in developed countries when people believed in hell more than they did in heaven…

Angel with Flaming sword. Photo- The angels santuary.

“These effects remain after accounting for a host of covariates, and ultimately prove stronger predictors of national crime rates than economic variables such as GDP and income inequality,” they added. Researchers had accounted for factors like nations’ dominant religion (Roman Catholic, other Christian and Muslim), income inequality, life expectancy and incarceration rate.  “Supernatural punishment across nations seems to predict lower crime rates,” Shariff said. “At this stage, we can only speculate about mechanisms, but it’s possible that people who don’t believe in the possibility of punishment in the afterlife feel like they can get away with unethical behavior. There is less of a divine deterrent.” read more…

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

Level: Intermediate -Advanced Language Skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included. Time: approximately 2 hours. Materials: student handouts (from this lesson) access to news article, and video. Objective:  Students will examine and  discuss the possibilities of  life (heaven or hell ) after death.  Students will practice their language skills with a focus on reading comprehension.

 Pre-Reading Tasks

  • Pre-reading Discussion QuestionsDirections: Place students in groups and have them discuss the following questions regarding  the existence of satan (and angels)  in their countries.

1. In your country do people believe in angels and demons? If yes, explain why, if no, explain why not.
2. In your opinion, do you think belief in demons will deter people from committing crimes? Explain why or why not.
3. Hypothetically speaking, which would be more of a deterrent against committing crimes for you personally, belief in satan and demons, or in angels?

II. While Reading Tasks

•  Vocabulary Word InferenceDirections: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary or thesaurus for assistance.

1. Religion is often thought of as psychological defense against bad behavior..
2. … the effect of religion on pro-social behaviors may…be driven by belief in hell and supernatural punishment…
3. it’s an important clue about the differential effects of supernatural punishment and supernatural benevolence.
4. Religious belief generally has been perceived as a monolithic construct…
5. “These effects remain after accounting for a host of covariates…
6. Researchers had accounted for factors like nations’ dominant religion…
7. “Supernatural punishment across nations seems to predict lower crime rates…
8. At this stage, we can only speculate about mechanisms…
9. Shariff noted that because the findings were based off of correlational data, they do not prove causation.
10. Although these findings may be controversial, dissecting the associations between specific belief…and …behaviors is an important first step for social scientists…

• Questions  for Reading Comprehension True / FalseDirections:  The following statements were taken from the article.  If  a statement is true, students write (T) if  a statement is false they  write (F)  and  provide the correct answer from the article.

1. Religion is often thought of as  sociological defense against bad behavior.
2. “The key finding is that, controlling for each other, a nation’s rate of belief in hell predicts lower crime rates…
3. …it’s an important clue about the differential effects of supernatural punishment and supernatural benevolence.
4. Religious belief generally has been perceived as a small construct…
5. Once you split religion into different constructs, you begin to see similar relationships. In this study, we found two similarities that go in opposite directions.
6. Previous research  showed that undergraduate students were more likely to cheat when they believed in a forgiving God…
7. In 2012 Harvard researchers found that the gross domestic product (GDP) was higher in developed countries when people believed in hell more than they did in heaven…
8. Researchers said their findings support previous findings that a society’s predominant belief in either heaven or hell strongly predicted a country’s crime rate.
9. Supernatural punishment across nations seems to predict lower crime rates,
10. …it’s possible that people who believe in the possibility of punishment in the afterlife feel like they can get away with unethical behavior.
11.  This research provides new insights into the potential influences of cultural and religious beliefs on key outcomes at a societal level.

•  Grammar Focus Using Adjectives to describe a photo.  Directions: Have students choose one of the  picture from this lesson and write a descriptive paragraph using adjectives. For a review of Adjectives visit ESL Voices Grammar

III. Post Reading Tasks

• Reading Comprehension Check WH-question format Directions: Have students use the  WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article. WH-How Questions Who or What is the article about? Where does the action/event take place? When does the action/event take place? Why did the action/event occur? How did the action/event occur? Discussion/Writing Tasks Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. After, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics.

IV. Listening Activity 

 Video Clip: Heaven & HellIntroduction: Keith Morrison from Dateline interviews John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopal bishop from Newark, N.J., on the beliefs of heaven and hell.

•  While Listening Tasks

True  /False statements Directions: Review the statements with students before the watching the video.  As students listen to the video if  a statement is true they mark it T  if the statement is  false they  mark  it F and provide the correct answer. The following statements are from retired bishop John Shelby Spong:

1. I think hell exists
2. I  don’t believe in life after death and it has anything to do with reward and punishment.
3. Religion is in the guilt producing control business.
4. If you have heaven as a place where you are rewarded for your goodness, and hell as a place where one is punished for your evil, it’s difficult to control the population.
5. Hell is an invention of the church, part of which is a control tactic.
6. There’s a sense in most religious life of reward and punishment in some form.
7. The church wants people to  grow up, because grown ups can’t be controlled.
8. Thats why they (the church)  talk about being “born again”  because when you’re’ born again you’re still a child.
9.  People need to be born again because  they need to learn how to be adults again.
10. Every church claims that they might be the “true” church,  and they have some ultimate authority to prove that they are right .
11. The idea that the truth of God can be  bound  in any human system, by any human  creed, by any human book, is almost beyond imagination.
12. God has created religious systems to try to help people to walk into the mystery of God.
13. God is a “parent” figure up in the sky.

• Post-Listening Tasks- Questions for DiscussionDirections: Place students in groups and have them discuss the following questions.

1. Retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong made some very convincing points. After listening to this video has your personal opinion of heaven and hell in the afterlife changed? If so, explain in what way. If not, explain why not.
2.  Did  you agree with everything John Shelby Spong said?  Discuss which comments  you agreed with and which ones you tended not to agree with.   Were you shocked by anything John Shelby said? Why or why not?
3. With your group members, make up questions that you would like to ask John Shelby Spong.

ANSWER KEY: Belief in  Heaven and Hell.