Field Reflection-Elementary Classroom
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?
A lot of art is integrated with math and literacy. Everyday the students work on small moments, personal narratives and to aid in their writing they draw pictures of what they will explain on each page to assist in what they want to say. In first grade, this is super important when they are trying to figure out what they want to say. They are just learning to write so they are using pictures, something they are more familiar with producing, to help them learn to structure their stories. In math, the students use drawings of diagrams or small pictures when learning about addition and subtraction.
The students are given a lot of freedom in their drawings. My host teacher doesn't give them many restrictions, so the students have an opportunity to be creative.
2. Was there a Big Idea or theme used? If so describe. Were students working with narrative, observation, imagination, and / or visual thinking?
The Big Idea of "Stories" are used to tell what ideas or messages they want to display through their writing. I have seen some students use their pictures to represent "Relationships". The students are showing some development in their knowledge of shape and size. For example, they know to draw a parent bigger than themselves to display the age, and relationship.
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.
When working on their personal narratives, I would make the art integration more meaningful by explaining the ideas of "Identity", "Relationships", and "Stories" by reflecting on how their drawings represent these ideas. The students seem to be understanding how they can use art to represent these ideas, but they could gain a deeper understanding with a discussion/reflection about the ideas. When students start to write without these images to aid in their stories, I would have them work on a project to create an image that represent their story before or after the writing process.
A lot of art is integrated with math and literacy. Everyday the students work on small moments, personal narratives and to aid in their writing they draw pictures of what they will explain on each page to assist in what they want to say. In first grade, this is super important when they are trying to figure out what they want to say. They are just learning to write so they are using pictures, something they are more familiar with producing, to help them learn to structure their stories. In math, the students use drawings of diagrams or small pictures when learning about addition and subtraction.
The students are given a lot of freedom in their drawings. My host teacher doesn't give them many restrictions, so the students have an opportunity to be creative.
2. Was there a Big Idea or theme used? If so describe. Were students working with narrative, observation, imagination, and / or visual thinking?
The Big Idea of "Stories" are used to tell what ideas or messages they want to display through their writing. I have seen some students use their pictures to represent "Relationships". The students are showing some development in their knowledge of shape and size. For example, they know to draw a parent bigger than themselves to display the age, and relationship.
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.
When working on their personal narratives, I would make the art integration more meaningful by explaining the ideas of "Identity", "Relationships", and "Stories" by reflecting on how their drawings represent these ideas. The students seem to be understanding how they can use art to represent these ideas, but they could gain a deeper understanding with a discussion/reflection about the ideas. When students start to write without these images to aid in their stories, I would have them work on a project to create an image that represent their story before or after the writing process.
Art Classroom Reflection
1. The content of the lesson, written and spoken objectives, and resources used
The first graders sectioned off 6 squares on a piece of paper and were asked to create 3 geometric shapes and 3 organic shapes in their previous class. This time they were told the difference between warm and cool colors and were suppose to color geometric shapes with warm colors and organic shapes with cool colors. They were asked to focus on color in the lines in an up and down motion after they outlined the shape. After students completed this, they were asked to choose another warm/cool color to fill in the negative space around the shapes.
2. The teacher, her / his teaching strategies and format / process of the lesson as presented
The teacher modeled how to draw the shapes to review with the kids. A discussion was had about what warm and cool colors were before students began coloring. The teacher walked around the room and met individually with the kids to assess if the students understood the shapes and concept of warm and cool colors.
3. Student engagement of the lesson, classroom atmosphere, and environment
The classroom was a little chaotic when the students were working. One student was not working on the project and was in and out of her chair. Most students were more focused on their conversations than working on the project especially when the teacher was dealing with the student who wasn't working on the project. The students were engaged in the discussion and the review.
4. Classroom behavior management
While the teacher was talking to the student who wasn't engaged in the lesson, the rest of the class seemed to disengage from the activity. The teacher was talking to the student who wouldn't work on the project, but it didn't seem to effect the child's behavior. The teacher eventually sent this student to the "safe seat" to work on her project, but when the teacher wasn't looking the student was distracted by things around her and didn't end up finishing the project.
5. Compare the art classroom to the regular classroom in regards to the teaching strategies, lesson presentation, student engagement, classroom atmosphere, environment, and behavior management.
This art teacher doesn't have her own classroom so she has to travel to the classroom. I feel that in an art classroom, the students may have been more engaged in that atmosphere. My host teacher seems to have better control of her class, but that could be because she spends more time with them as opposed to the limited time the art teacher has with the students. The teaching strategies were a little different. The art teacher did a lot more modeling, where my host teacher does more discussion and has students model as examples which keeps the kids more engaged. My host teacher handles behavior management more promptly than the art teacher did. Usually with the first offense, my host teacher sends the student to the "safe seat", where the art teacher gave the student more time to turn their behavior around.
The first graders sectioned off 6 squares on a piece of paper and were asked to create 3 geometric shapes and 3 organic shapes in their previous class. This time they were told the difference between warm and cool colors and were suppose to color geometric shapes with warm colors and organic shapes with cool colors. They were asked to focus on color in the lines in an up and down motion after they outlined the shape. After students completed this, they were asked to choose another warm/cool color to fill in the negative space around the shapes.
2. The teacher, her / his teaching strategies and format / process of the lesson as presented
The teacher modeled how to draw the shapes to review with the kids. A discussion was had about what warm and cool colors were before students began coloring. The teacher walked around the room and met individually with the kids to assess if the students understood the shapes and concept of warm and cool colors.
3. Student engagement of the lesson, classroom atmosphere, and environment
The classroom was a little chaotic when the students were working. One student was not working on the project and was in and out of her chair. Most students were more focused on their conversations than working on the project especially when the teacher was dealing with the student who wasn't working on the project. The students were engaged in the discussion and the review.
4. Classroom behavior management
While the teacher was talking to the student who wasn't engaged in the lesson, the rest of the class seemed to disengage from the activity. The teacher was talking to the student who wouldn't work on the project, but it didn't seem to effect the child's behavior. The teacher eventually sent this student to the "safe seat" to work on her project, but when the teacher wasn't looking the student was distracted by things around her and didn't end up finishing the project.
5. Compare the art classroom to the regular classroom in regards to the teaching strategies, lesson presentation, student engagement, classroom atmosphere, environment, and behavior management.
This art teacher doesn't have her own classroom so she has to travel to the classroom. I feel that in an art classroom, the students may have been more engaged in that atmosphere. My host teacher seems to have better control of her class, but that could be because she spends more time with them as opposed to the limited time the art teacher has with the students. The teaching strategies were a little different. The art teacher did a lot more modeling, where my host teacher does more discussion and has students model as examples which keeps the kids more engaged. My host teacher handles behavior management more promptly than the art teacher did. Usually with the first offense, my host teacher sends the student to the "safe seat", where the art teacher gave the student more time to turn their behavior around.