Elementary Classroom
Following your elementary classroom observation, describe how art materials, visual forms, images, or activities were used in the classroom by answering the following three questions (200 words total):
1. What form of arts integration or interdisciplinary learning units have you observed? In what ways were the visual forms investigated, learned, discussed, or produced in the classroom?
Unfortunately, most afternoons I come during independent reading and writing time and don’t normally see integrated art into the material. However, every Tuesday afternoon, I have the opportunity to see science being taught in my fourth grade class. During science time, the students are normally engaged in some sort of experiment or investigation. In these experiments and investigations, the fourth graders make many observations, which require them to make sketches in their science notebooks. My host teacher really encourages the students to make these sketches as detailed as possible so that no detail will go unnoticed.
2. Was there a Big Idea or theme used? If so describe. Were students working with narrative, observation, imagination, and / or visual thinking?
As I mentioned above, the students primarily work with observation. However, I would also say that the students’ work with imagination because when the fourth graders are making predications, they sometimes are required to make a sketch pertaining to that prediction.
3. What suggestions would you have for integration and interdisciplinary learning for this unit or lesson you observed? Try to think how you could make the learning more meaningful, connected, and deeper. Be specific.
Since I come during the students’ reading time, I think it would be a good idea to integrate art into read aloud time. For example, my host teacher could read part of the book Savvy (the book my class is currently reading) and then have the students draw the setting of that particular part. After students have time to draw and color their picture, they can each share their drawing and see the different interpretations students had of that particular part of the book!
1. What form of arts integration or interdisciplinary learning units have you observed? In what ways were the visual forms investigated, learned, discussed, or produced in the classroom?
Unfortunately, most afternoons I come during independent reading and writing time and don’t normally see integrated art into the material. However, every Tuesday afternoon, I have the opportunity to see science being taught in my fourth grade class. During science time, the students are normally engaged in some sort of experiment or investigation. In these experiments and investigations, the fourth graders make many observations, which require them to make sketches in their science notebooks. My host teacher really encourages the students to make these sketches as detailed as possible so that no detail will go unnoticed.
2. Was there a Big Idea or theme used? If so describe. Were students working with narrative, observation, imagination, and / or visual thinking?
As I mentioned above, the students primarily work with observation. However, I would also say that the students’ work with imagination because when the fourth graders are making predications, they sometimes are required to make a sketch pertaining to that prediction.
3. What suggestions would you have for integration and interdisciplinary learning for this unit or lesson you observed? Try to think how you could make the learning more meaningful, connected, and deeper. Be specific.
Since I come during the students’ reading time, I think it would be a good idea to integrate art into read aloud time. For example, my host teacher could read part of the book Savvy (the book my class is currently reading) and then have the students draw the setting of that particular part. After students have time to draw and color their picture, they can each share their drawing and see the different interpretations students had of that particular part of the book!
Art Classroom
Following your art room observations describe (200 words total):
1. The content of the lesson: written and spoken objectives, and resources used
For the lesson I observed in art class, the students picked a sea creature to draw (jelly fish, sea turtles and dolphins were the most common), wrote their name inside the sea creature and drew a pattern in the spaces of each letter. The sea creature, name and patterns were all drawn in pencil first. The students used watercolors to fill in the letters of their names and used black sharpie to outline the pattern (to intensify the pattern).
2. The teacher: her / his teaching strategies and format / process of the lesson as presented
The teacher first showed the students pictures and videos of different patterns they could use on their paper. The teacher kept the different pictures of patterns up on the smart board so that the students could refer back to them throughout class. Before handing out art supplies, the teacher also made sure that the students understood that a pattern is a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a regular/recurring arrangement.
3. Student engagement of the lesson: classroom atmosphere, environment, and classroom behavior management
The students really seemed to enjoy this lesson! The classroom did seem to be quite chaotic at times seeing as different students were at different stages of their artwork throughout class. After looking at the finish products and discussing them with the students, I found that most of them loved drawing the sea creature they chose. The most difficult part of the lesson was making the different patterns within the sea creature and in the spaces of the letters.
1. The content of the lesson: written and spoken objectives, and resources used
For the lesson I observed in art class, the students picked a sea creature to draw (jelly fish, sea turtles and dolphins were the most common), wrote their name inside the sea creature and drew a pattern in the spaces of each letter. The sea creature, name and patterns were all drawn in pencil first. The students used watercolors to fill in the letters of their names and used black sharpie to outline the pattern (to intensify the pattern).
2. The teacher: her / his teaching strategies and format / process of the lesson as presented
The teacher first showed the students pictures and videos of different patterns they could use on their paper. The teacher kept the different pictures of patterns up on the smart board so that the students could refer back to them throughout class. Before handing out art supplies, the teacher also made sure that the students understood that a pattern is a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a regular/recurring arrangement.
3. Student engagement of the lesson: classroom atmosphere, environment, and classroom behavior management
The students really seemed to enjoy this lesson! The classroom did seem to be quite chaotic at times seeing as different students were at different stages of their artwork throughout class. After looking at the finish products and discussing them with the students, I found that most of them loved drawing the sea creature they chose. The most difficult part of the lesson was making the different patterns within the sea creature and in the spaces of the letters.