The staffers had done a
great job of supplying everything I had asked for--the real question was
whether I had remembered everything I needed.
I had planned to
introduce myself with some photos and information and then do a classroom ice
breaker activity.
I had helpers hand out
three sheets of paper per student and gave the students about two minutes to
draw three separate things about themselves. Since I was giving them limited
time I told them I did not expect their best drawings, only what they could
quickly draw in two minutes. I prompted them to think about family, pets,
favorite sports and food, hobbies, etc.
After all drawings were
completed, we folded our drawings into paper airplanes.
Two things happened here
I had not expected: first, the students needed a lot more help than I expected
to learn to fold paper airplanes (some of them) and second, the impromptu quick
drawings ended up being an excellent pre-assessment of their basic drawing
skills.
I had the students throw
the airplanes all around the room, then gather three of them that they hadn’t
drawn. We gathered in a circle and as each student unfolded someone else’s
airplane they took a guess at what the picture was and who drew it. In this way
we learned new things about each other.
This intro activity took
longer than I expected, but I think it was worth it since I was trying to foster
community and get the students feeling comfortable with each other.
After the intro, I showed
them my visual PowerPoint about paleontologists and artists/scientists.
After the slideshow, I
had students work on painting their journal covers. I showed them a method of
using rubber cement as resist to create a dinosaur design. Students created two
covers, and then we moved outside for our excavation activity.
The students used
hammers, paintbrushes, and magnifying glasses to “excavate” dinosaurs out of a
plaster/sand rock. They each had 3 dinosaur skulls to find and 4 dinosaurs.
Back inside, now that the
painted covers were dry, I showed the students how to construct their journal
and how to bind it.
I expected that drilling
holes down the spine with the awl and sewing would be the most challenging
aspect of this lesson. I fully intended to help and support nearly every
student, taking turns. However, I was amazed at how quickly they picked the process
up. One girl bound three journals, another girl bound two. A boy, who appeared
to be younger than the rest, bound both of his journals mostly by himself.
I directed students who
had finished their journals to begin sketching their dinosaur finds into their
journal. Two girls attempted to render detailed drawings of their skulls and
skeletons.
I was surprised by how
young they were and how underdeveloped in some areas (why is folding a paper
airplane so hard?) and simultaneously amazed at the ways they exceeded my
expectations.
As our time was coming to
an end, I helped two students who wanted to take particular journals home bind
them quicker, and I also passed out my exit survey to all the students.
According to the exit
survey, a couple of the girls didn’t enjoy getting a little dirty during the
excavation, but most of the students enjoyed the digging part, and all the
students enjoyed making the journals. I had at least three follow up questions
to the “What is one question you still have?” about related topics.
Two things I plan to
change for tomorrow: first, I will discuss classroom expectations right away. I
had waffled on it because it’s only a two week course, and I felt I didn’t want
to waste time on it. Second, we will need to begin cleaning up much sooner in
the class period. The kids were a tremendous help with cleaning, but the
classroom is not an art room, and unfortunately there is a non-art class that
takes place an hour after mine ends. So, leaving a few supplies out here and
there for access the next day is not an option at all.
Overall, I think our first day of sketchbook making and digging for dinosaurs was a success!
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