Teaching with Heart

Whoever You Are

Posted by in Art, Social Emotional Learning

A pivotal learning experience during my practicum occurred during an activity about diversity. I framed the lesson by showing students three apples that differed in colour and size. As a class, students posed observations about the apples. I then proceeded to cut each apple in half, asking students, once again, what they noticed about the apples. Students engaged in a think-pair-share, then shared their thoughts about the visual demonstration: “Even though the apples all look different, they are the same on the inside”  “All of the apples are exactly the same…read more

Jul.13
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Shape Monsters

Posted by in Art, Mathematics

After learning about 2-D shapes, students were invited to make their own monster masterpieces out of circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. Students were provided choice surrounding the monster’s design, name, and colour palette, but were responsible for identifying how many of each shape they used in its construction.  It was rewarding to see how the students integrated their likes and interests into the activity as the monsters came to resemble their special creators in unique ways.

Jul.13
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Beautiful Oops

Posted by in Art

“When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful.” – Barney Saltzberg During my practicum, many of my young students were anxious about making mistakes. It was particularly evident in art, when students would ask for two or three new pieces of paper to get their creation “just right.”  I also realized that students had a tendency to replicate my models as opposed to transferring the ideas to their own creative pieces. While I recognize the importance of practice in learning,…read more

Jul.13
0

Camouflaged Butterflies

Posted by in Art, Science

During our Canadian Animals unit, students became fascinated with how predators and prey use camouflage for protection.  To demonstrate the idea of camouflage, I facilitated an embodied activity.  On a piece of yellow paper, I placed several coloured toothpicks.  I then asked student volunteers, one at a time, to pretend to be birds and pick up the first worm they saw. Once students all had a toothpick, we sorted them based on colour. Students immediately recognized how they were more likely to pick up toothpicks that did not match the…read more

Jul.13
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