Enchanted Garden Lesson Plan (Draft 2)

I have sent this to Lucie and Brielle at IS183: my IS183 supervisor and another staff member/teacher I will be working with for the Enchanted Garden camp week. It probably still needs work; I will see what they say! I did make some changes based on Seminar's feedback, so I think it is definitely improved from before!

By the way, I'm sorry about the formatting with some of the images; I did the best I could to reinsert the images into the blog format...

 

Enchanted Garden Lesson Plan

SECTION ONE:

Enchanted Garden: A Trip Through My Garden: A sculpture, creative writing, and performance adventure with nature. Students will begin with making their own garden sculptures, write narrative stories about them, and perform them for the group in graduated-sized groupings.

At left is a picture of an example for a project making Paper Flowers and Critters for 5-7 year olds.

AGE LEVEL: 5-7 years old

NUMBER OF CLASSES NEEDED: One; about 3-4 hours during a class full day

LESSON OVERVIEW: This lesson will address the physical, social, and mental developmental needs for this age group, this age level’s need for experimentation and independence yet attraction to teamwork, and it will encourage creative problem solving.

SECTION TWO:

DESIRED UNDERSTANDINGS:

As a result of this creative learning experience, the students will understand:

1. Art making can lead to creative writing, which can lead to performance art possibilities.

2. Sometimes separate performances can be combined to create one larger performance, with teamwork.

3. Thorough independent thought and experimentation can inform group collaboration.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

How do artists adapt their creativity to different forms and mediums?

How do artists express their creative ideas?

How are artists inspired by nature?

SECTION THREE:

PreK–12 Learning Standards for the Visual Arts Addressed In This Lesson:

·         1. Methods, Materials, and Techniques. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the methods,

materials, and techniques unique to the visual arts.

·         3. Observation, Abstraction, Invention, and Expression. Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and expression in a variety of media, materials, and techniques.

·         4. Drafting, Revising, and Exhibiting. Students will demonstrate knowledge of  the processes of creating and exhibiting their own artwork: drafts, critique, self-assessment, refinement, and exhibit preparation.

·         5. Critical Response. Students will describe and analyze their own work and the work of others using appropriate visual arts vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.

PreK-12 Learning Standards for Visual Arts Connections Strand Addressed:

·         6. Purposes of the Arts. Students will  describe the purposes for which works of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and architecture were and are created, and, when appropriate, interpret their meanings.

·         9. Inventions, Technologies and the Arts. Students will describe and analyze how performing and visual artists use and have used materials, inventions, and technologies in their work.

·         10. Interdisciplinary Connections. Students will apply their knowledge of the arts to the study of English language arts, foreign languages, health, history and social science, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering.

SECTION FOUR:

WHAT KEY KNOWLEDGE WILL STUDENTS GAIN FROM THIS LESSON?

·         As a result of creating in multiple mediums (sculpture, writing, and performing), students will become aware of the value of experimentation, as well as the connections between artistic mediums

·         As a result of working independently and then working in a group, students will understand the ways and value of individual creativity and how it can inform group creativity, creative problem solving, and teamwork

·         As a result of watching classmates’ performances and receiving attention and praise for their own, students will feel enabled to create in different mediums, and will develop ownership over their personal work and their group work

This lesson will address the physical, social, and mental developmental needs for this age group, this age level’s need for experimentation and independence yet attraction to teamwork, and it will encourage creative problem solving.

RESOURCES:

Van Gogh’s Depictions of Nature

The Tale I Told Sasha: book by Nancy Willard, illustrated by David Christiana

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

·         Reference photos from internet of flowers and creatures:

Amphibians http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/amphibian-info0.gif

 

   Insect Reference Worksheet images (for class discussions) from Wendy Campbell:

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING AND LEARNING

1. Students will create their own garden sculptures (flowers and “critters”) using multiple mediums in their sculptures, demonstrating their individual creative thought and desire and ability to experiment

2. Students will write imaginative stories about “trips through their gardens,” based on their creative sculptures, demonstrating connections between sculpture and creative writing

3. Students will create individual performance pieces based on their stories, and will fully participate in combining their individual performances to create group performances, demonstrating connections between creative writing and performance as well as demonstrating teamwork

4. Students will use materials safely as they move between mediums, and they will demonstrate abilities to be inclusive and to be creative problem-solvers and collaborators

SECTION FIVE:

PROCESS:

1. Read Tale I Told Sasha together
2. Discuss the book (short/ideation), View and discuss flower/insect diagrams and materials
3. Children create their garden sculptures (Lucie and Brielle’s lesson: “Enchanted Garden”)
4. Children write a story about a trip through their own garden that they have created (thinking about the little girl’s trip through her imaginary world, following her yellow ball)
5. Children turn their stories into individual performances (while they read it out loud, perhaps)
6. Children share the individual performances with the group, talk about them
7. Combine children into pairs, threes, or larger groups to combine their stories/shows: tell them to consider their partners based on how they feel their stories could work together
8. Children share group shows, talk about them
9. If possible, combine whole class into one performance once groups are done? (*progress from individual to entire group broken down into steps this way… have more steps, adding more people to the groups each time, before the final entire class?)

MATERIALS LIST:

·         Sculpture materials, assorted: paper, scissors, glue, pipe cleaners, fabric, ribbon, string, markers, crayons, pencils, erasers, glitter…

·         Writing materials: pencils, lined paper, construction paper, markers

·         Performance materials: (IS183 stage) space/room rearrangement

·         References: copies printed out for students

SECTION 6: REFLECTION

SPECIAL NEEDS CONSIDERATIONS- At this developmental stage, these are the needs the children have:

Notes: 5-7 Year Old Developmental

• “more” independence: EXPERIMENTATION
• Physical, social, mental skills developing
• Attention to friendship/teamwork/desire to “fit in”- teasing
• Be clear about norms/guidelines
• Encourage to solve own problems
• Tell what next day holds (keep excited)
• “I can’t do this”- be encouraging and praise, break down problems into steps/give a demo

As teachers, we will encourage experimentation and independent thought in the sculpture-making; physical, social, and mental development throughout the lesson; teamwork and friendship in collaborative performance creation; clear norms and guidelines at the beginning of their program (with Lucie and Brielle’s primary lesson); independent problem solving throughout (but particularly during sculptures, creative writing, and individual performance); hint at what the next day holds to keep them engaged; and encourage them when they say “I can’t do this” by praising their work and breaking down problems into steps (like the whole lesson has been broken into steps to move from individual work to larger group work).

ELL ESL CONSIDERATIONS- For English language learners, I have selected a highly visual picture book we will read together; they can still follow the story by the strong pictures. As teachers, we may also do the work alongside the students (if possible) to enhance comfort and ownership with the work. In addition, if there are any ELL ESL students, we have the ability to obtain an aide or to give them extra one-on-one attention. We would also encourage that student to write and perform their stories in their own language, if they would like, to teach us! (It would enhance the entire classroom’s experience and lesson.)

SPECIAL CONDITIONS- We need a room in which we can perform after we create sculptures and write stories; either the upstairs classroom at IS183 with the stage and tables, or a room in which we can easily move chairs and tables around (when we are done with them) to make open floor space

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT WORK: TO COME AFTER THE LESSON IS COMPLETED (TOWARD END OF MY INTERNSHIP)

RUBRIC:

Name______________________________ Class___________________________ Date_________________

Enchanted Garden: Sculptures, Stories, Performances

Standard:	Outstanding	Proficient	Poor	Unacceptable
Creative Thinking	Student created a garden with a large variety of mediums, a story based on the sculptures that reflects creative thought and imagination, and performance(s) based on stories that demonstrate creative thought, teamwork, and inclusiveness	Student created a garden with a small variety of mediums, a story based on the sculptures that reflects some creative thought and imagination, and performance(s) based on stories that demonstrate some creative thought, teamwork, and inclusiveness	Student created a garden with only a few mediums, a story (perhaps not) based on the sculptures that reflects little creative thought and imagination, and performance(s) based on stories that demonstrate little creative thought, teamwork, and inclusiveness	Student created a garden with only one or two mediums, a story (perhaps not) based on the sculptures that reflects almost no creative thought and imagination, and performance(s) based on stories that demonstrate almost no creative thought, teamwork, and inclusiveness
Craftsmanship	Student’s work is very soundly made and written (perhaps with demonstration of a medium’s mastery), and clean	Student’s work is well-made, well-written, and clean	Student’s work is less than well-made, well written, and/or clean (may or may not reflect an attempt to improve craftsmanship)	Student’s work is not well-made, well-written, and/or clean (and does not reflect an attempt to improve craftsmanship)
Focus	Student is intently and enduringly focused on creative thought, the creation process, and on teamwork and inclusiveness	Student is mostly focused on creative thought, the creation process, and on teamwork and inclusiveness	Student has some trouble focusing on creative thought, the creation process, and on teamwork and inclusiveness	Student is not at all focused on  creative thought and the creation process, and has severe trouble with teamwork and inclusiveness
Critical Response	Student’s responses to book reading and (classmates’) performances demonstrate creative and considerate thought	Student’s responses to book reading and (classmates’) performances demonstrate some creative and considerate thought	Student’s responses to book reading and (classmates’) performances demonstrate little creative and considerate thought (and comments may or may not be inappropriate or hurtful)	Student’s responses to book reading and (classmates’) performances demonstrate no creative and considerate thought (and comments are inappropriate or hurtful)

Critical Response: What challenges did you experience in doing this project and how

did you address them?

Lesson Tips:

·         Don’t give students the option to think “they can’t do it.” Don’t put the idea in their heads by saying something like, “Now, if you don’t think you are good at acting, don’t worry if you make a mistake at this part…” Just give them basic  directions to create and perform as necessary, and encourage and praise them throughout the progress of the whole lesson. If they ever feel “stuck,” help them break their problem down into smaller steps that are more solve-able.

·         AT ALL TIMES, ENCOURAGE AND PRAISE EXPERIMENTATION AND RISK-TAKING!

Flower and Creature Creation:

·         Encourage students to refer to the flower and insect diagrams as they create; encourage use of the diagrams’ vocabularies

·         Encourage students to make their own creations BASED OFF of the references (discourage “copying” references)

Writing Narrative Stories:

·         Encourage students to consider The Tale I Told Sasha  while they are writing their narratives (i.e. to think about a beginning, middle, and end to their stories, as well as how different characters might interact with each other, as well as “mystery”)

Creating Solo Performances:

·         Encourage students to consider “how their story would look if it were on TV:” how would characters move, speak, interact?

·         Encourage students to consider the order of their stories, if they get “stuck:” break their stories down into steps/ “scenes” to help them

Creating Group Performances:

·         Encourage students to find the places where theirs and their partners’ stories could “mesh” or combine; are there similar characters that could be friends? Similar plants that imply both students’ gardens could be found in the same field?

·         Encourage students to remember a beginning, middle, and end (like they did in their stories and solo performances)

·         Encourage, again, for students to consider “how their story might look on TV,” and to consider what the orders of their group performances should be, if they get “stuck:” break down into steps/ “scenes”