Reflection #14

What: Art in the classroom... Is there time for it in the classroom and is it worth it to make the time for art?

So What: My cooperating teacher at Edgemont Elementary was not very good at incorporating art into the classroom, but she was also not opposed to the idea of putting art in the classroom. She has realized that the students learn SO much more through art, and enjoy class so much more when they are able to do art.  One of the ways we incorporated art into the classroom was through a Reader's Theater.  Our lessons, during the 2 weeks, were about the events leading up to the American Revolution so we decided to find a Reader's Theater about those events, and low and behold, we found something that fit what we were teaching perfectly!  It something about the Stamp Act, Tea Act, Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, etc... It was great!  And, the best part was that it had 26 parts, exactly how many students were in the class.  We practiced this play for an entire week and the students performed it on Friday for other students and a few parents.  We helped the students project their voices, get into character, and really get a sense of the time period they were acting out.  It was 100% successful!

Now What: I think art is such an amazing thing and I really enjoyed listening to other people's way of integrating art into the classroom during class today.  I hope that creating my art journal will encourage me to put art ideas into my journal and keep it updated and filled with ideas that I find enjoyable and what students would find enjoyable as well.