Age Appropriate

Age appropriate activities are important according to aplaceofourown.com because it allows children to get what they need for all areas of intelligence. It also explains that each child is different so their appropriate activities won’t be the same. That is important and the key to helping each child grow from what they already know. Examine each child individually and learn what helps them excel. On this website it also expressed that interests of the child need to be considered while choosing their appropriate activities. I focused on fourth grade while choosing my lesson plan. In our book it states that appropriate activities for fourth grade need to use vertical placement, size reduction, and overlapping shape to create space and depth. It also explained that fourth graders need to be able to draw with more realistic proportions and be more concise with their drawings. Fourth graders should also experiment with color by tinting or shading. The USOE fine arts rainbow chart is also a good resource to see what is appropriate for the age group you are teaching. Like it says for fourth grade that they should know line characteristic (gesture and contour), be able to experiment with positive and negative shapes, mimicking textures, etc.

My lesson plan:

Description:

Learning activity that introduces common types of precipitation while also teaching and practicing drawings with different perspectives, gesture drawing, use of value, color and texture, and observe and make the details of real objects.

Materials Needed:

·         stapler

·         overhead projector or blackboard

·         a copy of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (ISBN 0689707495)

Student Product:

·         Materials for a student group

·         colored pencils or crayons

·         three pieces of white 8.5 x 11 in paper

·         pencil

Objectives:

Kids understand the science terms by illustrating each type of precipitation.

Terms:

·         Atmosphere: the layer of air that surrounds the earth.

·         Precipitation: any form of water that falls to the earth from the atmosphere.

·         Rain: water droplets that fall from the atmosphere to the earth.

·         Freezing rain: water droplets that fall from the atmosphere and freeze to ice when they contact the earth or another object.

·         Sleet: water droplets that fall from the atmosphere and freeze into ice pellets before hitting the earth.

·         Hail: frozen water droplets that grow larger while being held inside a cloud by strong updrafts.

·         snow: ice crystals that leave the cloud and don't melt before hitting the earth

Teacher’s Resource:

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=1526

Pedagogy:

Read the humorous picture book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judith Barrett to the students. Discuss the different things that came out of the sky in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Ask if this is something that is fact, fiction, or opinion. Pass out the materials and explain that the students will be making a 34Precipitation Pamphlet &34 that will describe the common types of precipitation that we experience. Make the Pamphlet
Though there are many ways of folding the paper to make a pamphlet, for this activity I prefer having the students make a tiered pamphlet. I suggest making a sample pamphlet prior to guiding the students through the process.

To make a tiered pamphlet.

1.     Place two of the three sheets of paper on a flat surface; one exactly on top of the other with long edges on the sides (portrait orientation).

2.     Keeping the long edges adjacent, slide the top sheet of paper toward you so that the short edges are offset by about 2 to 3 cm.

3.     Place the next sheet of paper on top of the others and align the long edges. Offset it equal distance so you can see the tops of all the three sheets.

4.     Carefully take the short edges of paper closest to you and bend them toward the offset edges so that top sheet's bottom edge is offset 2 to 3 cm from its top edge.

5.     Crease the papers.

6.     Equally spaced along the fold and 2 mm from the fold, staple twice.

7.     Turn the pamphlet so the staples are along the top.

8.     If you did it correctly, you should have a six-page pamphlet that has tiered edges.

The pamphlet should look similar to this:

 ____________________________

|    -                -      |

|                            |

|  My Precipitation Pamphlet |

|                            |

|____________________________|

|   Rain                     |

|____________________________|

|   Freezing Rain            |

|____________________________|

|   Sleet or Ice Pellets     |

|____________________________|

|   Hail                     |

|____________________________|

|   Snow                     |

|____________________________|

Guide the students in illustrating and writing the descriptions for each type of precipitation

1.     Place a title on the top front page (i.e. My Precipitation Pamphlet)

2.     Have the students label each of the tiered edges with the different types of precipitation: rain, freezing rain, sleet or ice pellets, hail, snow

3.     Have the students lift up the top (title) page and draw an illustration of a cloud with rain coming out of it and hitting the ground

4.     Lift the next page and guide the students in illustrating and labeling how freezing rain leaves the cloud as a liquid and freezes when it hits the ground or another object (i.e. airplane, house, telephone line, etc.)

5.     For the sleet or ice pellet page have the students draw a cross section of the atmosphere showing how sleet leaves the cloud as liquid and passes through cold air and freezes into ice pellets that look like fertilizer granules or bean bag chair Styrofoam beads

6.     Have the students illustrate and label the hail page. Have them show the ice pellets going up and down inside the cloud to form hailstones and then dropping out and falling to the ground when they are too heavy for the updrafts to carry them

7.     Have them use the snow page to show how ice crystals form while in the cloud and stay frozen until they hit the earth. They may even like to draw some snowflakes.

Assessments:

·         Give the students a pre-test on the different types of precipitation prior to teaching the lesson.

·         Have the students create a graphic organizer showing many, varied, things that are associated with precipitation.

Adaptation/ Accommodations:

Integrate drawing into science to better understand precipitation process.

The lesson plan I chose fits the criteria for fourth grade on UEN.org and is appropriate for this age. The criteria met:

a.     Draw objects from a variety of perspectives; e.g., directly beneath, bird's-eye view, below, from the level of the surface upon which it sits.

b.     Use blocking-in, gesture drawing, and/or stick figures as start-up skills for drawing.

c.     Portray cast shadows as having shapes different from the objects that cast them.

d.     Use value, color, and texture to create interest.

e.     Observe and render the details of real objects with a high degree of accuracy; e.g., veins in a leaf, wrinkles in a cloth, mortar between brick, ridges in bark.

Art vs. Craft

On answers.com it claims that a craft is a project that uses objects and art to make the final product. Art is defined on Wikipedia as symbols arranged in a way that affects the feelings and thought of a person.  On sculpture.com it explained that the difference of art and a craft is the process it takes to get the finished product. In the book an example of art is a drawing and a craft is spool weaving. I think art and crafts are both important and neither one is more important than the other. It is important to teach the difference between the two. Both projects show artistic creativity. It might be easier to do art projects because crafts take time. Art projects and crafts help express individual creativity, which is important in teaching art.

Motivation

I am motivated to learn when I can relate the subject to my life and when I can visualize what is being taught. When I see how the material being taught will help me reach my overall goal in life I am more open to learning. I feel my students will be motivated when they see the importance of what is being taught. The book says that motivation needs to be short. If a teacher drags on with examples or directions the kids will be less likely to learn because they are bored. On the website suite101.com it said that students will be motivated if teachers stay positive. This is important to keep kids involved and willing to learn. It also said that providing praise and rewards will help students to keep working hard. On howtodothings.com it expressed that students need to see that they can succeed in the class so they will want to try. I believe these are important to motivating students. If a child isn’t motivated they won’t learn what they need to and you will fail them as a teacher.

How to Teach An Artist Statement

I would start teaching an artist statement by showing examples of art statements and explaining what an art statement is. In the book it says that kids need to look for individual styles of artists, look for the technique, and look for the importance of the features. I would help students understand this by showing them art work and have them point out what they see and what they think the artist was trying to say. On about.com it explained that an artist statement is a written statement that explains an art piece. I would also explain that the statement can be informal. I would also express that statement should build an understanding of the art work and help inform your audience of why you did what you did. On the website mollygordon.com it explained the artist statement as a recipe. I would help teach my students how to write an artist statement as if making food. For example the ingredients are the reflection you have about your art work. I would have students gather their “ingredients” by making a list of descriptive words and answering questions like:

                What do you like best about your art piece?

                What connections do you feel with your art work?

                How does your work make you feel?

                Why did you do what you did?

                How would you explain your artwork in words?

I would then make the students mix their “ingredients” and form their artist statement. I would then have the students let the “stew simmer” by leaving it and coming back to it. This can help better express what you are really trying to show. I would then have my students “taste” the statement by reading out loud to see if it flows and makes sense. I like this example; I think it would be fun to use this with my students. I think it would break down and show what an artist statement is.

Bamboo Tree

Painting the bamboo tree was calming and helped me feel relaxed. It was a different way to paint, but I enjoyed this project. I like the way my leaves improve and I am happy with the overall result.

My Bug Henry

My bug Henry was fun to make and he makes me feel happy. It was fun to make a creation that was based on a bug. This assignment help put my creativity to the test. I am happy with how Henry turned out.