Morning Sketches

Yesterday I introduced a new concept to my students through the morning activity. We opened the morning with a visual journaling art activity. In the activity, I showed the students a picture from a book, Owl Moon, and discussed with the students that they would be making personal connections to the picture. The instructions were given on our carpet area which allowed us to have a more intimate conversation about the activity. I asked the students to tell me some of their ideas about what sketching might entail. They were encouraged to not use erasers as this was not supposed to result in a perfect, final product. Finally, we discussed the learning goals for the activity, making personal connections to a picture and sketching.

When I sent the student’s back to their desks to begin working, there seemed to still be some confusion about the activity. I reworded the objection from “make personal connections” to “What does this picture make you think of?” With prompting from my SA I wrote this question up on the board as a reminder. I decided to wait a minute before giving further instructions about the activity as I noted that 90% of the students seemed to have begun to work. Quickly after, the students got down to work. The room was completely silent and the students were engaged in their sketches. I took this opportunity to walk around the room and ask students to explain their sketches to me. I also helped guide a few students when they got stuck. The students were open to sharing their sketches to me and I heard many great stories and connections to the picture.

In my lesson plan, I had decided that I wanted to play classical music. In the past when I have played music, I have started the music as soon as the instructions have been given. In this instance, I turned the music on after the students were settled and working. This time, the atmosphere did not change in the sense that students continued to be focused on their work. I discussed with my SA how the music provided an even safer environment for the students to share their sketches with me.

Once the students understood the activity, they far exceeded my expectations in making connections and creating sketches. One aspect of the activity that the students were challenged by was the notion that they would not be able to go back to their sketches and “finish” them. My SA and I discussed how they are used to creating a rough draft that leads to a final product. I explained to the students that we would keep their sketches in their art journals but they would not be taking them home or be given time to complete them. This was a great growth opportunity for students as it encouraged them to use their time well but did not force them to have a finished product at the end of the lesson. By placing the sketches in the art journal this will allow students to look back on their sketches and reflect on their progress throughout the year.

My SA and I decided that this lesson was successful and that the students enjoyed the activity. We decided that I would teach this lesson again next week, using a different picture. This will ensure that the learning goals introduced in the lesson will be remembered by the students and become familiar. This activity provides a creative way for them to be creative and get their brains going in the morning. Often morning activities involve writing which can be stressful for some students, particularly my students who need learning support in writing and reading. The students will continue to sketch in their art journals which will create a learning journey in art. For my own learning journey, teaching this lesson again will allow me to make modifications, reflect on how to enhance the assessment aspect, and continue to make personal connections with my students.