This week, we wanted to expand our lesson off of last week's activity, where we introduced experimenting with watercolor. Last week we had trouble with the watercolor demonstration and we feel that the students didn’t grasp the concept of painting with watercolor the way we had hoped. First we introduced line by asking them to come up with their own theories of what line can be. After teaching them about line, we decided to have each of the students practice drawing lines on watercolor paper using pencils, and tracing them with sharpie markers. Afterwards, they would practice painting over top of the lines with watercolor paint.
We reworked our demonstration this week, and overall we found it to be much more successful than the previous week. We arranged our classroom in a “U” shape and had the students sit on the floor around a large red table cloth we taped to the floor (where they would be practicing drawing line and painting with watercolor). We taped a large sheet of watercolor paper to the board, and for the demonstration we printed out pictures of the steps for lines and painting (drawing with pencil, tracing with sharpie, using sponge to wet the entire paper, dipping paint brush in water, picking up paint on your brush, and then painting over the lines). During the demonstration, we completed each step on the large watercolor paper taped to the board, and gave the students a few minutes to practice each step on their own.
After the students experimented with line and painting with watercolor, we had the students come over to a corner of the room and where we read the book, Jeremy Draws a Monster. We asked the students before starting the book to try to look for all of the lines they see in the book. After reading it, we told the students that they were going to use the large watercolor sheets of paper that we taped to their tables to come up with their own story (maybe making their own creature like Jeremy does in the book). We went over the steps from the demonstration once more, and then let them go to their seats to start their drawing. They were to trace it with sharpie markers, and then paint it with watercolor like the experimentation we did earlier.
What We Learned:
Extra Activities This week we overestimated the amount of time it would take some of the students to finish their project. When majority of the class was finished with their painting we struggled to find something else for them to do. Next week it might be beneficial to have an extra activity on the side for the students to work on.
Sketchbook Time During sketchbook time today, a lot of kids were “finished” very quickly. We had planned to start the activity as soon as everyone arrived but some kids were still not there when students said they were finished. It was beneficial to have paper on the wall for the students to draw on when they finished their sketchbook. Next week we should put a new sheet of paper out for them to draw on.
-While some students rushed through the sketchbook time, some carefully took their time drawing and also told us a little about their drawings. We have really tried to take note on what the students say in class, there is so much to learn from the amazing ideas behind their drawings. Here are some quotes from the students:
*Julia- light blue marker on yellow paper makes the drawing appear green
*Ellie- “this is an angry women....because a bad guy took her shoes” [holds up sketchbook]
*Brandon- “it’s a storm that’s breaking the earth.....this is a house that the storm’s breaking”
*Emerson- “this is a dolphin that’s exploding by a hurricane in the water”
- Throughout the past six weeks, we have really struggled to intrigue Max and Jack. Since these two are a little older they really like to be challenged and be different from the younger students in the class. This week we really stumped them. Although they had the same assignment as the rest of the class, they seemed to really struggle to come up with an idea for a story to draw. They spent almost the entire class brainstorming. As teachers it was really hard for us to help them come up with an idea as we did not want to tell them what to do. We even tried to guide their thinking but Jack just kept telling us “I really don’t know what I want to draw,” with a worried look. Finally Jack painted an abstract painting and Max became interested in recreating the illustrations from a storybook.
What Went Well:
1. The Demo! This week, the demonstration went very well. We went over each of the steps for today’s activity very thoroughly using printed out pictures of the steps, while also demonstrating it. We also let the students practice each step on their own before moving on. This was very beneficial for the students. They definitely grasped the concept of the activity and how to paint with watercolor. Because they practiced it on their own before giving them the major activity, the students were for the most part able to work without having to repeatedly ask questions about what to do next.
2. The Videos!- Although we overestimated the amount of time it would take some of the students to finish the activity, when some of the students started finishing quicker than others, we decided to play a chain of YouTube videos we found dealing with line. The students really seemed to enjoy these and sat quietly with their snacks while watching them.
3. Order of Activities- Giving the students some time to experiment with drawing and painting before reading the story made it easier for us to transition to the next larger activity. While one of us was reading the story, the other one was able to transfer some of the materials from the floor (where the students were practicing experimenting with drawing and painting) to the tables. This is where they would be working with the same materials except on a large sheet of watercolor paper we previously had taped to the tables.
4. Taping the Watercolor Paper Down- By taping each students watercolor paper to the table ahead of time, it made it easier for us to write their names on the tape while they were working. It also made it less chaotic because the papers weren’t being moved around as the students worked, and it also gave the pieces a nice finished boarder.
5. Stories- Some students really got into the stories that they would tell through their drawings.
*Gabe- “I made red! Look! I made red!” (watercolor painting)
*Emily- Her monster hugs people.
*Brandon- His monster eats people.
*Gabe- “I drew a monster that says thank you for a toy”
*Max- said it would be cool to draw a nonfiction story
First of all, I love the set up for the demo! The red space on the floor where they can all gather together and not only watch a demo, but practice is was such an awesome idea! Not many teachers take the time to give the demo as well as give the students time to practice the skills before heading into the activity. They usually just demo then have the students start on their projects. I'm glad this worked so well for you because it is a stellar idea/philosophy! It is also awesome that you both are finding time to listen to what students have to say about their drawings and other works. The more time I spend with young people, the more I realize how creative and imaginative they all are. The stories they can come up with about the most mundane or obscure thing is astounding. Never underestimate the mind of a child, as you are obviously not! It's great that your classroom is flowing well so that you have those opportunities to talk with your students. When they can manage themselves and be engaged, we find ourselves not having to discipline so much, which allows for that communication with students. Awesome lesson and demo! You Rock!
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