Themes

Numbers and Words

Aim: To create a work of art that tells the Purim story using only numbers, words, and shapes.

Materials: Paper; markers or colored pencils; magazines, scissors, and glue for collage

Procedure:

1. Have students view and discuss the work of art below. Discuss with students:

• How is Indiana able to tell Esther’s story with so few words?
  
• What parts of her story does he tell?
  
• Does he really tell the story or just remind us of the story we already know?
  
• How can we tell stories or convey ideas through numbers, letters, words, and symbols?

2. Have each student try to convey elements of a simple, well-known story (for example, the story of the three little pigs) using single words, numbers, and simple drawings. Have students share their work with the class. Discuss symbols and the way we use recognizable symbols to communicate broader ideas.

3. Next, ask each student to pick a character from the Purim story and think of four words to describe that character’s role in the story. Point out the way Robert Indiana used alliteration in his painting and encourage students to use alliteration (or rhyming) in their work.

4. Have students combine these words with numbers, shapes, colors, and symbols to create their own retelling of the Purim story from their characters’ perspectives. Students may use collage, drawing, or a combination of both, but they can only use numbers, words, and shapes to communicate their ideas.

5. The Purim story is usually told in a narrative (the megillah). Indiana’s work is a kind of visual poetry. Discuss the different ways to tell a story. What other ways are there to tell the Purim story?