Pastels on Black Paper Process Art

This is a just a super simple art center provocation. I set out black paper, masking tape, and pastels, along with a jar of water. 

The girls here experimented with and discussed the difference between the effects of drawing with a wet pastel vs. a dry pastel. They decided they wanted to focus on writing names of their classmates and families, and consulted each other on how to do so.

There was so much wonderful language and collaboration going on. And this is why we have very little time for flashcards and worksheets!

Maps!

March Week 1

To coincide with the Iditarod start, we are learning about maps and ways we can travel. 

We started by talking about what maps are. Nobody knew! So we read Me on the Map and a REALLY cute book called My Map Book.

Map of My Heart

In My Map Book, there is a "Map of My Heart." We made a list of things we loved, and got to work making our own heart maps. We used sharpies for drawing and writing, and then painted with watercolor pans.

In the above map, the student likes fishing, boats, bikes, school, juice, and his family! So much practice sounding out words, spelling sight words, using spaces, and seeing an authentic reason for writing!

This student put a ton of detail into her work!

Here are the finished products!

Pirate Treasure Maps

 

We couldn't talk about maps without talking about pirates. This really got the boys interested. We looked at a few examples from How I Became a Pirate and My Map Book, and then worked with partners to make our own treasure maps. They had to label at least 5 items on their map.

This one has an island, some boats, 2 suns (!), and an X marks the treasure spot.

This one has a shark and a dragon!

Going on a Bear Hunt Story Map

Finally, we read Going on a Bear Hunt and made a map to sequence the story. I was afraid this would be too many directions and materials for them to manage, but I was happily wrong! They worked in partners for this one too, and now have the labeling thing down pat!

The idea for this one came from Buggy and Buddy.

I used the Nature Papers from Lakeshore Learning for a lot of this, but you could definitely use construction paper too. The snow was made from cotton balls, and we used colored pencil for the mud and labels.

Learning with Legos

This year I discovered Lego Education, and am so glad I did! The first kit I ordered is called Learn to Learn, and actually comes with a great curriculum linking construction and problem solving with reading, writing, and math. The materials come in individual pouches, so that each student has their own set.

One thing I've learned already is not to worry too much about all the pieces getting put back in the right bags. I designated a little tub as a "lost and found" for legos, and that is working well. I give each child a tray to contain all their pieces while working, and that helps as well.

I also learned to have kids sit at tables and NOT on the floor. I can't even count the number of times trays were stepped on and legos strewn about when we attempted this.

Wheelchairs

Our first challenge was designing and building a working wheelchair. I showed the children how to make wheels and axles, and they took it from there. Here are some of their designs.

Yes, the wheelchair above has a propeller on it! It was great to see how unique their creations were.

Once the wheelchairs were finished, they had to draw their design and write a sentence about it. My favorites were:

"My wheelchair is going up up up up up up up the hill."
"My wheelchair is SO cool."
"My wheelchair is bum." (It was tippy)

I'm so proud of this girl! She remembered how to spell the /oo/ sound, the CH digraph, and to add a silent E to the end of chair.

A to Z Class Book

For our second challenge, each child was given a letter of the alphabet, and asked to think of something that begins with that letter.

Next, they had to build it. I photographed each one, and we created an A to Z Lego book. The next day, they authored their book page by writing, "_ is for ____." For example, "L is for Lion."

This is a duck..

A horse..

And a fox.

I Love My Shoes Class Book

Pete the Cat books are some of our favorites.  The text is repetitive and sing-song, and the kids memorize them quickly.

In the past, I've used the Writer's Workshop model for writing, but it hasn't always worked for all students. Some kids are ready for it, but others (specifically those who aren't huge fans of drawing) can't stay focused or on task very long.

So lately I've been integrating writing more with other subjects. We still do journal writing about 2 days a week, but the rest of the week we are making class books and doing art/writing that goes along with our current theme. Last week we made a Pete the Cat book.

First, I took a picture of everyone's shoes.

Including my own :)

I printed them out, and had the kids write "I love my ____ shoes!" 

Everyone was motivated and worked hard.  When we were done, I bound the pages and we read the book together.

So far, the book has been a popular choice during independent reading times.  We happen to be working on color words at the moment, so this is perfect for practicing those!