Before:
As I prepared for my lesson this week I felt confident coming into a subject and activity that was in my wheelhouse. I was excited to teach some visual art but I was also excited to have found a Plains Cree Myth that fit well with my lesson. I was a little nervous about timing but this class seems to engage really well so I think most students will be productive with the time that I have given them to actually create the artwork. Every time I do a creative lesson I am always a little nervous because there will be some students who need the whole time I allot for actually creating the product and there will always be some who finish it in four minutes.
During:
I felt pretty good this week as I was confident in the lesson and in my knowledge of the content. I think my set went well and that the students enjoyed learning about a Canadian artist and the myth about whistling at the Northern Lights. The challenge this week was having some students come and go as Day 5 means band sectionals. For the most part the students who came back part way through band did a pretty good job of catching up and engaging without having heard the set.
After:
This lesson went really well. Students were engaged the whole way through and they produced art that they were really happy with. The time to share at the end was great and the students were really engaged with each others paintings. There was a really nice and very unexpected moment. Since the beginning of the semester we have been challenged to “keep a kid in our pocket”. The “kid in our pocket” is a student that we’ve been challenged to keep in the back of our mind– they might need a little extra help or be someone that you can support during your time in the classroom, or just someone to get to know a little better about who they are as a student. When we shared our artwork with the class, out of nowhere, the “kid in my pocket” got a round of applause for his artwork from his peers. WOW! Who could have predicted that! The power of art for making all students feel successful. Great way to end a lesson. Also later in the hall I heard one of my students sharing the myth from my set with a student from the other 6/7 class. A very successful day overall.
For Next Week:
I’m going back to ELA- I think we’re on a roll with poetry and its something Rochelle would like us to continue with so I will do a lesson based on the work of Jack Prelutsky.
What went Well- The sharing at the end was very successful. The set went well and the closure. Students were engaged and productive during the time I gave them to create their artwork. They also made awesome art work!
What didn’t work- I was really happy with this lesson. Not sure if I will change much.
Will Whitten 