Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ii) Production: Students will use acrylic paint to create an image of a story on a
large piece of cardboard pre-painted with gesso.
iii) Art Context: Students will concentrate on personal and emotional
perspectives of their family memory to create a meaningful painting of a life
lesson.
iv) Personal Perspective: Students will learn that they learn life lessons through
their family memories and important emotional experiences.
Social Issues / Concepts of the Lesson:
Family
Memory
Emotional Life
Essential Questions:
How is a life lesson depicted in a painting and what are the most important parts that
need to be emphasized?
State Goals:
STATE GOAL # 25: Know the language of the arts.
25.A. 1d Visual Arts: Identify the elements of line, shape, space, color and texture; the
principles of repetition and pattern; and the expressive qualities of mood, emotion and
pictorial representation.
In this lesson:
The students will show how their life lesson that they learned from a
family memory made them feel in their acrylic paintings. They will use
the elements of line, shape, space, color and texture to show those
emotions of the life lesson and special, specific family memories.
STATE GOAL # 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art
are produced.
26.B. 2d Visual Arts: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create works of visual art using
problem solving, observing, designing, sketching and constructing.
In this lesson:
1. Objectives:
Goal # 25 A. 1d
Goal# 26 B 2d
Goal # 25 A. 1d
Goal# 26 B 2d
Goal # 25 A. 1d
Goal# 26 B 2d
2. Assessment Criteria:
2. Assessment Criteria:
OBJECTIVE I: Students clearly explained how life lessons are expressed and how the artist
depicts a family memory through their work.
OBJECTIVE II: Students successfully participated in a small group discussion.
OBJECTIVE III: Students clearly sketch out their life lesson.
OBJECTIVE IV: Students successfully paint their life lesson using foreground, middle
ground, and background in a limited color scheme.
OBJECTIVE V: The student successfully elaborated to create a well written Artist Statement
and Thinksheet.
OBJECTIVE VI: Students clearly paint an acrylic painting of a life lesson learned from their
family members in a memory.
3. Learner Characteristics:
3.1 Developmental Rationale
This lesson is appropriate for fourth graders because as a nine year old, fourth graders are
often individualistic; thus, they will enjoy choosing a personal life lesson from a family memory
(Wood, 1997, p. 98). Wood states that nine year olds have a growth in coordination and
pushes self to physical limits (p.98). Since fourth graders have a lot of energy they will enjoy
painting on a large piece of cardboard and using acrylic paint to make a large painting will
allow them to express themselves. According to Wood, they are also self-aware, self-critical,
and possess intellectual curiosity; as a result, they will be able to use critical thinking and
brainstorming about their life lesson from a family memory (pp. 98-99). Fourth graders are
able to come with many ideas for their artwork.
Wood also states, fourth graders increased coordination leads to greater control and
practice with a variety of fine motor tools and task useful for vision and fine motor capabilities
(p. 100). Students will be drawing in their sketches and painting with a variety of paint brushes.
As declared by Wood, physical control an issue; knowing boundaries and staying within them
a physical and social issue for gross motor skills (p. 100). Students will be able to focus on
their individual, specific family memory life lesson.
According to Alice C. Pennisis (2013) Negotiating to Engagement: Creating an Art
Curriculum with Eighth-Graders, Penninsi states, they predicted students to make thoughtful
work from visually (preparatory sketches), verbally (discussion and dialogue), and in writing
(artist statements, reflective questions, critiques) to encourage thinking through art ideas, as
we considered the Deweyan idea that through reflection comes to understanding and meaning
making (p. 131). This lesson is appropriate for fourth graders because it contains most of
these reflective processes that will help them find meaning in their paintings. Students will
make sketches of their family memory life lesson and will make an artist statement reflecting
on their final product. At the end of the lesson the students will show their paintings to each
other for a small critique.
In the article Creative and Mental Growth, V. Lowenfield (1987) states that fourth graders
tend to exaggerate the size of the human figure but they sometimes grow out of this stage
around this age (p. 309). Lowenfield also declares, children begin to substitute other means
of expression to show emphasis, such as an accumulation of details on specific parts (p. 309).
This lesson plan requires the nine year olds to use acrylic paint to depict a family memory life
lesson which will require a lot of detail. The fourth graders will be able to handle the details of
portraying their family members and the environment their memory was in.
3.2 Students with special needs
If one of my students has a mental disability I will talk to the student or their student aid to
see what they understand and modify the lesson based on what we discuss. If one of my
students has physical disabilities, I will make sure to do anything I can to help them such as
letting them use a different material, or subject matter. I will assign one of my students to
collect and hand out paint and cardboard to that student. There is an importance of knowing
the different levels of the WIDA learning levels shown below and how to use them according to
how much English the student/s know. It is significant for low ELL/WIDA level students to have
visuals, since they cannot understand what the teacher is saying or reading. Overall, the
pictures in the PowerPoint and the teacher giving demonstrations on how to do the work are
helpful to these students.
lesson helped the students appreciate the good times they have had with their families as well
as the challenging times.
Greg Hart (1989) states Lets give our students a sense of purpose by focusing their thoughts
and efforts on our most pressing problems (as cited in George, P., 1992, p.70). I showed the
students Hung Lius White Rice Bowl and they reflected on how the older sibling was feeding
his younger sibling who was starving and his hair was falling out. This painting brought world
hunger to students attention. I also showed the students Judy Bacas The Great Wall (1892)
painting and asked the students how can life lessons make change?
Background: The area of an artwork that appears farthest away from the viewer;
also, the area against which a figure or scene is placed (MoMA Learning).
Brushwork: The manner in which a painter applies paint with a brush (MoMA
Learning).
Color: The perceived hue of an object, produced by the manner in which it reflects
or emits light into the eye. Also, a substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that
imparts a hue (MoMA Learning).
Glaze: The term used for a thin, transparent layer of paint, particularly in oil painting
and acrylics. Glazes are used on top of one another to build up depth and modify
colors in a painting. It must be completely dry before another is applied on top, so the
colors don't physically mix (Evans).
Life Lesson: Something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned
(Dictionary.com) or something learned through experience (Merriam-Webster).
Memory: The power or process of remembering what has been learned; something
that is remembered; the things learned and kept in the mind (Merriam-Webster).
Middle ground: The part of the picture that is between the foreground and
background (MoMA Learning).
Palette: The range of colors used by an artist in making a work of art; 2. A thin
wooden or plastic board on which an artist holds and mixes paint (MoMA Learning).
Proportion: Refers to the harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole
(MoMA Learning).
Sketch: A rough or unfinished version of any creative work, often made to assist in
the completion of a more finished work (noun); to make a rough drawing or
painting (verb) (MoMA Learning).
Subject matter: The visual or narrative focus of a work of art (MoMA Learning).
Wash: A watercolour term for a flat layer of very diluted colour laid across the paper.
It can either be an even layer of colour or a graded layer which gets lighter. Also
Known As: In acrylic and oil painting, a wash is usually called a glaze. A glaze done
with an opaque pigment is called a velatura (Evans).
Visual Tri-Fold Board: The Tri-Fold Board will contain the lesson plan objectives,
images of artists paintings that relate to the concept, and vocab.
PowerPoint:
1st Slide: This is the introduction where the teacher tells the students we will be making acrylic
paintings about family life lessons.
2nd Slide: Asking the students what they think a life lesson is and giving them the definition after
discussing their definitions of a life lesson. A life lesson is learning from personal experiences
such as making a mistake and gives us knowledge or values to live by.
Slide 3: Giving the students a life lesson example from visual culture. According to Charlie, in the
movie Finding Nemo, Dorys parents state, When something is too hardThere is always
another way.
Slide 4: Giving the students another visual culture example from The Charlie Brown and Snoopy
Show. Elizabeth Green states Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary,
simply by doing them with the right people.
Slide 5: Asking the students, what are some life lessons you have learned from your family? (I
learned to not give up and to work hard). The students can brainstorm and reflect in a group
discussion.
10
Slide 6: The teacher will ask how did the artist named Judith Leyster depict a life lesson in this
painting called Two Children with a Cat (1629)? (Students will say the siblings are learning the
life lesson of having fun with your brother or sister and pet cat. Your siblings or pet can become
your best friend).
Slide 7: The teacher will ask what value is being learned in this painting called In My Footsteps
by Melinda Byers? (Students will state that the son is learning from his father the value of
studying late into the night and the importance of gaining knowledge and learning new things.
There is value in reading since they are both reading and there is a library of books behind the
father.).
Slide 8: The teacher will ask the students how did the artist, Jan Lang portray a life lesson in this
painting, See the Beauty? (The student will state that the small child is learning the importance
of nature from his mother since they are sitting in a field of flowers and grass.).
Slide 9: The teacher will ask what kind of life lessons are learned in a large family after viewing
11
the paintings of Lavinia Fontanas Family Portrait and Portrait of Bianca Degli Utili Maselli, half
length, in an interior, holding a dog and surrounded by six of her children? (The student will reply
that children in large families learn the value of sharing such as sharing clothes or toys. Children
learn that wearing hand-me-downs helps large families financially so using what you already
have is important. Always communicating and being together is important.)
Slide 10: The teacher will read the quote by the artist, Alice Neel: You should keep on painting
no matter how difficult it is, because this is all part of experience, and the more experience you
have, the better it is. What is the importance of the life lesson that practice makes perfect?
(Practicing helps improve your skills in any activity such as sports or painting). Students will be
motivated to not give up on their paintings. Students will view the painting Nancy and Olivia by
Alice Neel from 1967.
Slide 11: How do the familys facial expressions convey a memory in Alice Neels (1970)
The Family (John Gruen, Jane Wilson and Julia)? (The familys facial expressions are angry
and bored looking).
12
Slide 12: How do the familys facial expressions convey a memory in Alice Neels The
Westreich Family (1978) painting? (The family looks uninterested and impatient. They are ready
to be done with their family picure and the children would rather be playing. They are learning the
value of patience.).
Slide 13: How do the familys facial expressions convey a memory in Alice Neels The Spanish
family, (1943) painting? (The mother and children look tired, scared, and sad. The life lesson is
that families can get through anything if they stay together and are there for each other during
tough times.).
Slide 14: How are family traditions incorporated into life lessons such as, in the painting, Grace
13
Higgens in the Kitchen, by Vanessa Bell? (The girl is learning how to cook and making
homemade meals while using recipes passed down in her family.).
Slide 15:How is the girl feeling and what can she learn from these feelings in the painting, Lucie
Leon at the Piano, by Berthe Morisot? (The girl looks bored and uninterested in playing the
piano. She does not look happy. She is learning that sometimes we have to do things you do not
enjoy in order to succeed or to not give up on something you started.)
Slide 16: How did the artist Mary Cassatt depict this life lesson in the painting, Breakfast in Bed
(1897)? (This life lesson is the importance of giving back to your mother, such as on Mothers
Day for all the hard work she does for you. Letting your mother rest and sleep in is a life lesson.
Making your Mom Breakfast in Bed will make her feel appreciated.).
Slide 17: The teacher will read the quote, Hard times teach us the most valuable lessons.
Students will view these images where children are experiencing child labor, starvation, and
14
harsh living conditions. Students will think about how going through difficult situations can make
you a stronger person.
Slide 18: What is the importance of being there for your siblings in the following paintings such
as in Hung Lius Sister in Arms II and Sister Hoods (2003)? (Your siblings will always care for
you and will help you through hard times.)
Slide 19: What is the importance of being there for your siblings such as in Hung Lius White
Rice Bowl? (Helping your younger siblings eat is important when your parents are not around so
they do not starve to death).
Slide 20: How can Life Lessons Make Change in Judy Bacas The Great Wall (1892)? (Talking
15
about the life lessons can make change. Learning from and reacting to the life lesson can make
change.).
Slide 21: What is a wash? (A wash is a visual arts method resulting in a partially translucent
layer of diluted color.)
Slide 22: Who can define what is foreground, middle ground, and background? (The people are
in the foreground, the tree is in the middle ground, and the mountains are in the background.).
Slide 23: What are the foreground, middle ground, and background in Grandma Moses painting?
(The old couple is in the foreground, the ice skaters are in the middle ground, and the mountains
16
Slide 24: What are warm versus cool colors? (Warm colors are reds, oranges, or yellows and
cool colors are blues, greens, and purples.)
Slide 25: What side are warm colors and what side are cool colors? (The left side is warm colors
and the right side is cool colors.
Slide 26: How is color used in Miriam Schapiros painting to express a memory? (The artist used
mostly warm colors to express a happy, loving, and fun time but combined them with some cool
colors.)
17
18
19
George, P. S. (1992). The middle schooland beyond: middle school organization: Practices
reflecting values. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development. (pp. 1-175).
Lowenfield, V. (1987). Creative and mental growth. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Pennisi, A.C. (2013). Negotiating to engagement: Creating an art curriculum with
eighth-graders. Studies in Art Education, 54(2), 127-140.
Walker, S. R. (2001).Teaching meaning in artmaking. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications Inc.
Wood, C. (1997). Yardsticks: Children in the classroom, ages 4-14: A resource for parents and
teachers. Greenfield, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/glossary#a
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/life-lesson
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memory
http://painting.about.com/od/artglossaryw/g/definition-wash.htm
http://painting.about.com/od/artglossaryg/g/defglaze.htm
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/drybrush
file:///C:/Users/Heather/Downloads/WIDA_booklet_2012%20Standards_web.pdf
http://www1.seattleartmuseum.org/eMuseum/code/emuseum.asp?style=single¤trecord
=1&page=search&profile=objects&searchdesc=Number%20is%2091.14&searchstring
=Number/,/is/,/91.14/,/0/,/0
Artist Websites:
https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/sh/articles/54/4/sh2013-54-4-rc2?show-t-f=fig
ures&wrapper=no
https://www.etsy.com/listing/271058602/fairy-tales-boy-and-girl-reading-desk?ref=shop_
home_active_17
http://www.explore-drawing-and-painting.com/acrylic-painting-techniques.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-life-lesson.htm
https://genevaanderson.wordpress.com/tag/hung-liu/
http://www.vlinder-01.dds.nl/cdr/paintings/judith_leyster.htm
http://www.hungliu.com/
http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2013/05/artist-of-month-alice-neel.html
http://www.aliceneel.com/gallery/?mode=display&category=12&painting=45
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wash_(visual_arts)
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/important-old-master-paintings-n
08825/lot.48.html
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=231652
http://women-artists.org/post/10106155235/alice-neel-the-westreich-family-1978-oil-on
https://www.etsy.com/listing/255424221/our-three-boys-three-boys-and-mama?ref=shop
_home_feat_4
20
https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/sh/articles/54/4/sh2013-54-4-rc2?show-t-f=fig
ures&wrapper=no
https://www.etsy.com/listing/271058602/fairy-tales-boy-and-girl-reading-desk?ref=shop_
home_active_17
http://www.explore-drawing-and-painting.com/acrylic-painting-techniques.html
http://sparcinla.org/the-great-wall-part-2/
http://www1.seattleartmuseum.org/eMuseum/code/emuseum.asp?style=single¤tr
ecord=1&page=search&profile=objects&searchdesc=Number%20is%2091.14&searchstr
ing=Number/,/is/,/91.14/,/0/,/0
http://www.hungliu.com/bio.html
http://www.nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/judith-leyster
5. Integration/Connecting Links
5.1 Idea Mapping
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Covering all tables with butcher block paper for possible spills.
22
Students will be instructed to roll up their sleeves or wear a paint shirt so they do not stain
their clothes with acrylic paint.
Students will be advised to not wash their dirty brushes or hands in the sink in order to not
clog them. Students will be given paper towels to wipe off extra paint off their hands and
brushes. All the students will then put their brushes in a bucket to be washed by the table
assigned to clean brushes.
Small buckets of water will be available for the students who need extra clean water for
their brushes.
Butcher block paper will be precut so they are ready to be placed on the tables.
Every student will obtain a paper towel, a plastic palette plate filled with acrylic paint,
different size brushes, and a shared container of water.
Clean-Up will be made faster by putting down butcher block paper on the desks before
the students start painting.
Paper towels will be available and students will dump out their water trays and wash their
paint brushes.
One table collects all the brushes, paint palettes, and water containers. These students
will clean the brushes out.
All students will bring their individual wet painting to the drying station.
7. Vocabulary:
Background: The area of an artwork that appears farthest away from the viewer;
also, the area against which a figure or scene is placed (MoMA Learning).
Brushwork: The manner in which a painter applies paint with a brush (MoMA
Learning).
Color: The perceived hue of an object, produced by the manner in which it reflects
or emits light into the eye. Also, a substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that
imparts a hue (MoMA Learning).
23
Glaze: The term used for a thin, transparent layer of paint, particularly in oil painting
and acrylics. Glazes are used on top of one another to build up depth and modify
colors in a painting. It must be completely dry before another is applied on top, so the
colors don't physically mix (Evans).
Life Lesson: Something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned
(Dictionary.com) or something learned through experience (Merriam-Webster).
Memory: The power or process of remembering what has been learned; something
that is remembered; the things learned and kept in the mind (Merriam-Webster).
Middle ground: The part of the picture that is between the foreground and
background (MoMA Learning).
Palette: The range of colors used by an artist in making a work of art; 2. A thin
wooden or plastic board on which an artist holds and mixes paint (MoMA Learning).
Proportion: Refers to the harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole
(MoMA Learning).
Sketch: A rough or unfinished version of any creative work, often made to assist in
the completion of a more finished work (noun); to make a rough drawing or
painting (verb) (MoMA Learning).
Subject matter: The visual or narrative focus of a work of art (MoMA Learning).
Wash: A watercolour term for a flat layer of very diluted colour laid across the paper.
It can either be an even layer of colour or a graded layer which gets lighter. Also
Known As: In acrylic and oil painting, a wash is usually called a glaze. A glaze done
with an opaque pigment is called a velatura (Evans).
24
8. In-Class Activities:
Day One
Time
Learning Activities
_5_minutes
Orientation/Engagement/Motivation:
Purpose
Motivational Dialogue:
Association Questions:
Topic Questions:
25
Visualization Questions:
Presentation/Explicit Instruction:
lessons.
26
Structured Practice/Exploration:
family.
Association Questions:
1. Write about a specific family
memory that taught you something
about life. (Watching my family
work hard at the tree farm.)
2. What feeling did this memory
produce in you? (It made me feel
27
proud of my family.)
3. How has this memory changed
your life? (It has made me a hard
worker in my own life.)
4. How can I pass this life lesson on
to someone else? (I can teach
others to be hard workers in my
classroom.)
_5_minutes
Guided Practice/Feedback:
1. Write about a specific family
Closure
Questions to ask:
concept is.
28
Clean-up
Day Two-Five
Time
Learning Activities
Purpose
_5_minutes
Orientation/Engagement/Motivation:
in the review.
Presentation/Explicit Instruction:
29
_20_minutes
Structured Practice/Exploration:
family.
on a sheet of paper.
final artwork.
painting.
large.
Guided Practice/Feedback:
1. Write about a specific family
memory that taught you something
about life. (Watching my family
work hard at the tree farm.)
2. What feeling did this memory
produce in you? (It made me feel
proud of my family.)
3. How has this memory changed
your life? (It has made me a hard
worker in my own life.)
4. How can I pass this life lesson on
to someone else? (I can teach
others to be hard workers in my
classroom.)
What emotions do you want to express? (I
want to express happy emotions)
What emotions may your life lesson be
expressing? (Strong emotions)
Independent Practice/Application:
Students will be given an exploration in
acrylic paint in expression.
30
_10_minutes
Closure
clean up.
life lesson.
Questions to ask:
Clean-up
Day Six:
Time
Learning Activities
Purpose
_5_minutes
Orientation/Engagement/Motivation:
discussion questions.
_20_minutes
Structured Practice/Exploration:
31
their paintings.
_15_minutes
Closure
statements.
Review Questions:
1. Surprises (2.5):
This semester I taught fourth graders at St. Mary School. One of my first substantial surprises
32
was that I had eight boys and only two girls in my class, which made behavior management more
challenging. The boys possessed a lot of energy and liked to move around. My students were
very interested in the PowerPoint I made on the first day where they viewed many artists
examples of family life lesson paintings such as Alice Neel, Hung Liu, and Lavinia Fontana.
Another surprise was on day three I felt a lot more comfortable and in control while teaching in
our new art room, which was originally used for storage of our lesson supplies and preparation
area. Moving from the homeroom to the art classroom felt less chaotic, since my supplies were
already set up in the room and the students respected the room. I was astonished the students
were enthusiastic about clean up time, which gave me time to do a closing reflection with them
each day.
My students kept saying, Im done, Im done, Im done towards the end of the project. Every
time a student said they were finished, I showed them where they can enhance their life lesson
painting by incorporating details and told them to fill in white spots. On day five, the
demonstration went well, but there was not a lot of time due to the students being in mass and
coming back late. I did not realize how quickly the time went. At first, I did not think I needed
two extra teaching days, but they ended up being helpful since everyone was able to embellish
their paintings with details utilizing either Sharpies or fabric. Everyone successfully finished his
or her family life lesson paintings.
2. Best
a. Student responses (2):
The student responses were great. The students were able to learn, comprehend, and
communicate the definitions of foreground, middle ground, and background. During my day four
demo, I reviewed how to paint the large areas quickly; the students remembered that they have to
utilize a big brush. Then I explained how to paint and emphasize details with small brushes to all
the students since the majority of the students already had their large areas done. I also showed
them how to add shadows. Using Dr. Staikidis advice, I talked about contrast and how it is
important for the first layer of paint to dry before doing details. The students effectively
discussed the video and vocabulary with prompted questions. There were also good individual
questions being asked. Problem solving occurred when students did not know what to paint next
so they would ask me numerous questions. I told them to incorporate lines to show blades of
grass, to clean up their edges that were still showing the white board, and adding layers of paint.
b. Questions/Dialogue (2):
The questions and dialogue went well. The students were very excited to answer questions.
When I asked a question, several students would raise their hand and wanted to answer. For
example, I asked students questions individually and throughout group discussions. On day one I
learned it is important to ask students what they see and how they strive to depict their life lesson.
33
Also, on day three I used a sterner voice when I needed the students to listen to instructions. I
told the students I need you to do this instead of asking, can you do this? I made sure to wait
for them to be quiet and told individual students to listen. During closures I reviewed and asked
the students questions about foreground, middle ground, and background and warm and cool
colors. When a student did not know the answer I called on another student for more elaboration
and clarification.
On day six, I used a students artist statement as an example for the rest of the class to explain
what details should be written. Jennifer commented on how several students continued to say
Im done but I would help them think of ideas to write down individually. The students
answered the questions on the front and I used Gabis advice to have them make the questions
into a paragraph on the back.
c. Problem & Solving (2):
On day three, some of the problem solving that occurred was students would say I need a new
brush, but I would tell them they can use their paper towel to get some of the excess paint out of
it. I learned that when I shared my personal experience, a lot of the students wanted to use the
same life lesson as me. In the next lesson we brainstormed their own life lesson ideas through
word mapping on the white board together. Several of the fourth graders have short attention
spans, and they like to move around. They also love to talk. I learned to redirect the students by
having them listen to Olivia. On the last day Jennifer commented that I was doing a much better
job at classroom management since the students silently listened to me when I asked them to stop
for a moment to clearly discuss the artist statement requirements.
I learned that giving positive feedback to students such as Alex is helpful to them. On day two, I
demonstrated differentiated learning when I gave Alex positive feedback about his sketches,
which made him feel proud of his work. Since he finished early, he was able to complete his
Think sheet when previously he was not able to. It is interesting to see how different students can
get tasks done in different ways. Drawing out his ideas before writing them down was very
helpful for him to be able to communicate his life lesson in his Think Sheet.
d. Organization (2):
I made sure to allow enough time for clean up everyday. On day three, the students worked
together to clean up and I asked individual students to collect paintbrushes, paint palettes, or
water dishes. As well, I had the students who were finished with their projects pick up pieces of
fabric on the floor. At the end of the lesson on the fifth day, the students were able to reflect in
the closure. Dr. Staikidis declared I had a beautiful share with all the students pulled into a
small circle on the rug. I had the students discuss their life lessons and what family members
were depicted in their paintings. I was glad that everyone finished their projects on this day so
we were able to focus on their artist statements and reflection of their artwork during the last day.
I am glad I had the extra day to teach, since I felt like a real teacher getting everything ready by
34
myself. It was a lot of work getting all of my painting supplies cleaned up by myself, but I did
have my students help with a lot of the cleaning. It was challenging being in the students
homeroom again since the boards are so large and their desks are so small. I told the students to
spread out so they had more space to work. The students also had to clear all of their desks after
their morning warm up, so I could not set up supplies or table covers until the students were
already there. I did get my water dishes and paint palettes ready early though and asked certain
students to help pass out materials. I felt more prepared being in the art classroom again on the
following Tuesday.
e. Quality of Students Work (2):
After evaluating the students artwork, I believe the students life lesson paintings are of high
quality. They all finished covering their large areas and embellished their paintings with Sharpie
and/or fabric details. On day five, Kelly commented that the students appeared very thrilled,
are creating excellent artwork, and that I gave them beneficial recommendations. On day six, Dr.
Staikidis asserted that my students work is lovely and they loved painting. They all concentrated
on their family life lessons in their paintings; as a result, their paintings express personal
meaning. They all put a lot of thought, time, and effort into their paintings.
3. Ideas for Improvement
a. Student Responses (2):
Sometimes students would try to talk over each other while answering questions. To improve
this, I will inform students that I will only call on students who are sitting quietly.
Acknowledging the students that were listening attentively influenced other students behavior.
On day three, some of the students had negative comments about their paintings so I told them to
keep their feedback or comments positive. On day four, I showed my students the Disney Top
10 Pixar Life Lessons YouTube video that Erin showed to her class. My students were very
engaged and listening closely to the video. The volume would not turn up very loud so I made
sure to tell them to watch the video quietly. The student responses were good when I told them to
add details in the demo. The students remembered the definitions of the vocabulary such as
foreground, middle ground, and background, as well as warm and cool colors. I continued to
practice saying I need you to instead of can you? I am improving on classroom management
such as during the video and demo since I am feeling more confident in the classroom.
Jennifer said I used my voice and made sure students were silent and paying attention before
talking. Additionally, Jennifer affirmed the students had a good time reading their artist
statements to the class and there were stories behind all of the life lesson paintings. I included the
shy students who did not want to speak in front of the class by reading their artist statements for
them.
b. Questions/dialogue (2):
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Not rushing through the group discussions helped the students expand more on their life lesson
ideas. In order to create more dialogue, I asked the students for explanations of why they chose
their life lesson and how they planned on depicting it. My demo could have been a little more
thorough on day four. Jennifer commented that I could have gone more in-depth with the
demonstration by telling them to paint the details slowly and to take their time. I did go around to
students individually to help them add details. I made some notes of what to say during the demo,
but writing down more notes would help me.
One of the students always wants to tell me stories about his gator or 4-wheeler when I need to
help other students with their paintings. Sometimes I feel like I have to ignore his stories or just
give short responses, since he is always calling my name to tell me a story. On day five my
teaching partner Kelly gave me several helpful ideas including: I need to make the students
attentiveness a requirement with strong communication, to stop teaching if another student is
speaking, and ask the students to raise their hands before talking.
c. Problem & Solving (2):
My weaknesses were that I did not possess everyones focus sometimes when reviewing terms or
artists during day two. When I told the students to have all eyes on me, some of them still did not
actually have their eyes on me and instead of waiting, I just continued on with the lesson. I
learned to be more forceful with my voice so the students knew that I was in charge of the
classroom. My demonstrations needed to be more comprehensive so they would think more
about composition after viewing my painting.
On day three, several students did not understand how to paint the large areas, so I made sure to
execute responsive teaching. I told them I needed them to put their tools down and have eyes on
me. I held up a students painting who was doing a great job on painting the large areas with
washes to give a visual example of successful washes. I needed to spend more time on presenting
my demonstration since they did not comprehend the washes.
On day six, Dr. Staikidis informed me it is vital to do a group brainstorm for artist statements.
I read my life lesson artist statement to the students in response to this feedback. Dr. Staikidis
also wrote, Lots of times, students dont really understand without explicit modeling. Dr.
Staikidis stated that I needed to clearly communicate my expectations of them. I showed every
students artwork to the class while the student read their artist statement. Jennifer declared I
needed to keep an eye on all of the students while working with students individually in order to
watch out for behavior problems. Jennifer also stated that I needed to ensure that all of the
students were listening and not having side conversations while students presented their artist
statements. Next time, I will make sure to inform my students of the lesson expectations and be
observant while teaching.
Organization (2):
Some changes that I made are my students seating arrangement and my management strategies.
I used different ways of keeping their attention. I fixed the nametag strings by tying them tighter
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so they would not play with them. In future lessons I need to make sure all the Think Sheets
questions are understandable to the students grade level. The first painting cleanup day felt
unorganized; thus, the following days I assigned specific tasks to each student during cleanup
time. In the next class, I gave certain tasks to certain tables. I needed to have a plan for asking
students questions about their life lesson details and what details would help viewers understand
their life lessons. I needed to make sure they are making their life lessons clear. In the next demo,
I showed the students how to use Sharpies on their paintings and how to use fabric. On day five,
Kelly recommended I should dismiss the fourth graders at the end of my demonstration. On
day six, Jennifer mentioned I needed to plan out the very end of the class in order to prevent
misbehavior.
d. Quality of Student Work (2):
On day four the students quality of work improved, but they do needed to spend more time
doing finishing touches. Some of the students kept talking to each other during the class and
were getting distracted by each other. I told them I need to see you working. I really needed to
be careful with the sitting arrangement next Tuesday.
On Thursday, day six, the students finished up their details with Sharpie markers and glued on a
bit of fabric onto their paintings, which really embellished their paintings. On this day, I taught
in the students classroom so Gabi and the students helped with setting up. Sean and a lot of the
other kids were hyped up from the Cubs winning the World Series. There was some messing
around that occurred; thus, I instructed the students to go back to their seats and keep working. I
helped Alex by pointing out which animals still needed to be colored with Sharpies and which
ones still needed faces. When the students were at their stopping points, I told them to draw on
the back of their boards. Jesse drew a very detailed dragon with graphite on the back of his board
from looking at a book of dragons.
4. Conclusion (2.5):
I really enjoyed teaching in our new art room and felt more prepared even though I had a great
amount of supplies to set up. All of my classmates were very supportive and helpful during my
lesson and the rest of the lessons. The students had a great deal of fun creating acrylic paintings.
The students paintings started to look more finished after day four and the extra days, but I still
wanted them to focus on more details using Sharpies and add a little bit of fabric to make their
paintings pop. Giving the students positive feedback helped them to improve their artwork.
While student teaching, I learned that utilizing differentiated learning, having good management
skills, and being well prepared are vital qualities in being a successful art teacher. The students
learned about several vocabulary words and academic language. After typing up my students
artist statements, I think the students learned and reflected a lot about life lessons such as
working hard and not giving up. I am looking forward to displaying the fourth graders art work
in the art show next week. I think all of the students will be excited to show their family
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Excellent (3
Average (2
Poor (1 point)
points)
points)
OBJECTIVE I: Students
clearly explained how
Student clearly
expresses a life
Students
expression is
Students
expression is
somewhat clear
unclear on a life
an artist may
on a life lessons
depict a family
memory through
may depict a
family memory
work.
their work.
family memory
Score
through their
work.
OBJECTIVE II: Students
Students
Students
successfully participated
successfully
somewhat
participate in a small
in a small group
participated in a
participated in a
group discussion.
discussion.
small group
small group
discussion.
discussion.
OBJECTIVE III:
Students clearly sketch
Students life
lesson is clearly
Students life
lesson is
depicted in their
somewhat clearly
depicted in their
sketch.
depicted in their
sketch.
sketch.
OBJECTIVE IV:
Students
Students
Students
Students successfully
successfully paint
somewhat
unsuccessfully paint
successfully paint
using foreground,
using foreground,
using foreground,
middle ground,
using foreground,
background in a limited
and background
middle ground,
background in a
color scheme.
in a limited color
and background
limited color
scheme.
in a limited color
scheme.
scheme.
OBJECTIVE V: The
student successfully
The student
successfully
The student
moderately
elaborated to create a
elaborated to
elaborated to
create a well
create a well
Statement and
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Statement and
written Artist
written Artist
Thinksheet.
Thinksheet.
Statement and
Statement and
Thinksheet.
Thinksheet.
OBJECTIVE VI:
Student skillfully
Students skillfully
shows
show some
to no understanding
understanding of
understanding of
of acrylic paint.
acrylic paint.
acrylic paint.
a memory.
Total:
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3. Learner Characteristics:
2. Handouts
Thinksheet 1:
Name:
Family Life Lesson
1. Write about a specific family memory that taught you something about life.
5. What three colors would best represent your life experience? (You will receive black,
white, and brown.)
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Thinksheet 2:
Name:
Artist Statement
Please describe the life lesson you displayed in your painting.
Explain what happened in this memory and what is occurring in this image.
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