Sarah Shannon - Orange Block

Elementary Classroom
Following your elementary classroom observation, describe how art materials, visual forms, images, or activities were used in the classroom by answering the following three questions (200 words): 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? Many different forms of arts integration were present in different lessons in the elementary classroom that I observed. Most of the forms were through literacy lessons and included drawing with materials such as colored pencils and crayons. In a reading lesson, the students were learning about visualizing and did an activity where they drew the scenes they had visualized during a read-aloud. Another time art was integrated into a lesson was in science when the students were learning about weather. The students described and drew the weather and weather forecast for the week. I observed art integrated into a math lesson around Halloween, when the students colored and cut out haunted houses and put math problems on the windows of the house. 2. Was there a Big Idea or theme used? If so describe. Were students working with narrative, observation, imagination, and / or visual thinking? Throughout the lessons that I observed in the classroom, I did not see any Big Idea being used to connect the different subjects or to integrate art into the classroom. Each lesson was, for the most part, individual, with a few integrated art activities alongside the lesson. The students used visual thinking when doing the reading lesson about visualizing and they drew the scenes that they saw in their heads. The students used their imagination during a science lesson about germs when they did an activity asking them to imagine what a cartoon version of certain germs would be and then to create them. The students used observation when doing the weather activity in science. They went outside to observe the sky and their surroundings, then were asked to draw and color what they had observed. 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. In order to make these integrated lessons more meaningful for students, I would start by putting more of an emphasis on the art lesson within the integrated lessons. The students would mostly draw or color as part of a lesson and it could benefit them greatly to be presented with other materials and art activities. In order to create a truly integrated

lesson, more time would need to be spent talking about famous artists and features of artwork other than simply drawing a picture or coloring. If the students learned more about different kinds of artwork then got to do activities of different kinds of artwork, it would stretch their imaginations and create more meaning for each lesson. It would also make art projects connected to lessons more memorable if they were more creative than a simple drawing.

Art Classroom
Following your art room observations describe (200 words): 1. The content of the lesson, written and spoken objectives, and resources used. During my time observing in Rock Bridge Elementary, I never had the chance to observe the students in their art classroom. However, I do remember specific lessons from my art classroom when I was in elementary school. One lesson I remember, in particular, was about Pueblo storyteller dolls. In the lesson, we were taught about the storyteller dolls, what they represented in Native American history, and how they were used. Our objectives were to learn about the Pueblo heritage and the importance of storytelling in their culture. We were to then create a Pueblo storyteller doll in the style of those made by the Pueblo Indians. 2. The teacher, her / his teaching strategies and format / process of the lesson as presented. My elementary art teacher, or what I remember of her, was that she loved teaching art, was patient with slower artists (like myself), and she also kept a quiet, well-behaved classroom. Although I do remember learning about different kinds of art, artists, and art in different cultures, it seems that we spent less time on the beginning lesson and more on actually creating the pieces. This makes sense to me though, because many of our projects took more than one class period and she wanted to give the students as much time as possible to work on their projects in class. 3. Student engagement of the lesson, classroom atmosphere, and environment. In my elementary art experience, most of the students in my class were always, for the most part, relatively engaged in the lessons. We did such fun projects that students wanted to listen so they would be able to participate when the time came to create for themselves. The atmosphere of the classroom was relaxed, yet productive with all the students working hard on their projects.

Sarah Shannon - Orange Block 4. Classroom behavior management From what I remember of my elementary art classroom, the art teacher was always keen on keeping a quiet and productive classroom. She would address students that were disrupting others or talking without permission by asking them to be quiet and pay attention. I think a difference between my art classrooms and classrooms today is the use of a safe seat. I dont remember teachers using this at all to refocus or discipline students when I was in school. I remember mostly being punished by having to sit against the wall during recess as a form of discipline. But, I do not remember there being a large issue with this in my elementary art classroom. 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. When I was in elementary school, I always loved art class. The atmosphere of the art classroom was always fun and relaxed- a place to create things. In the regular classroom, there were always many other things going on simultaneously and it had more of a fast-paced, hectic atmosphere. I truly believe that the lessons that my art teacher integrated, for instance when we learned of the Pueblo Indians before creating our storyteller dolls, were the lessons that I learned the most from.