Fairy Tales with Friends

Illustrating the Imagination of Youngsters

Description/Analysis:

This was the first lesson I soloed with. This lesson idea was a collaborative integrated lesson proposed by faculty member that worked at  ADL and the local elementary school, Hiawatha School. The idea to illustrate stories written by third grade students excited me and I was ready to organize and execute this lesson. My mentor teacher was confident and supportive in my abilities even though soloing this early into student teaching was unconventional. I jumped right in and started the dialogue with the third grade teachers via email. My mentor teacher and I went over to Hiawatha School a few days later and created an organized plan for the remainder of the lesson. We organized a video chat for the 7th grade students to meet the 3rd grade students. We planned a the final celebration, where the 3rd grade students came to ADL to make a book page with their 7th grade partner. This lesson plan had many components and required a great deal of communication and organization. This lesson ended up being very successful and modifications were made when necessary. This lesson was a nice transition into my scheduled official soloing period.

Student were engaged in this lesson because they knew they had to get their work done before the celebration with the 3rd graders. The students had to stay on task because there was scheduled online check-ins with their 3rd grade partner. This rigid schedule helped the students pace their time while working.

Reflection/ Modifications:

I really enjoyed taking on this lesson as my first soled lesson. It was not my original idea to collaborate with the third graders, but I was able to make the lesson mine. I had the freedom to take this project in whatever direction I choose. I wanted the students to be able to learn  and understand the components that go into creating a narrative and illustration. The students had the freedom to choose whatever 2D materials they wanted to work in. They were introduced to many different materials and techniques. I taught the students how each medium can produce a different mood. Some students understood this concept, and some students just choose the medium that would be the easiest for them. I wish more students pushed themselves to go out of their comfort zone and try something new. Many modifications had to be made when trying to digitally connect each 7th grade student with their 3rd grade partner. My goal was to have the students create a professional relationship with their partner, in which both parties provided feedback to one another. Any issue the class ran into with technology, was resolved with open communication to the third grade students and teachers. All the issues worked themselves out and the final celebration was a success!

A modification I would make for the future, would be to make this project for accessible for students with disabilities. One of my students is nonverbal and was exempt from this project because it would be too difficult to communicate with his third grade partner. I originally had this student paired with another 7th grade student, but his paraeducator decided that it was too difficult for him to be involved. I wish I could problem solve a solution in which everyone could be included. The student that was exempt from this project proceeded to make beautiful artwork independently from the class.

Additionally, I believe that students worked really hard on their illustrations because they needed to be a mentor to their third grade partner. Giving the students the responsibility to be a role model allowed them to focus on making their artwork for another individual. Students that would normally never come in outside of class, often came in before school and at lunch to finish their illustration because they did not want to let down their partner. Because stduents went above and beyond, this lesson was very successful. I felt proud of myself for organizing this complicated lesson plan and executing it with success.