Geography Puzzle Activity

This week, during a geography lesson, our professor gave us a geography puzzle
worksheet. It had a bunch of boxes with a picture in each. In each box was a picture that
could be decoded to a geographical place in the United States. Our professor did the first
one with us, and then we partnered up and had about 5 or so minutes to figure out the rest
of the of the pictures. Once our time was up, we came together as a class and talked about
the answers we got. Our professor decided to take this one step further, and gave us large
paper to create our own picture puzzles with. Each group chose a state and went from
there. Then, our whole class traveled from puzzle to puzzle and tried to guess which
location was drawn. My group chose Minnesota and drew the four puzzle pictures shown
above. This was such a fun way to test our geography knowledge, and we also learned a lot
of new information! I really hope I get placed in a class, in the future, that is able to do this
activity!!

Here is a picture of Haley, Chloe, and I's Geography puzzles on Minnesota:

Also--Here's a cool blog idea I found: https://pambarnhill.com/us-geography-scrapbooking-pages/

This booklet idea would be really effective to use before making these puzzles, while learning about the different states. Then, when it comes time to make the puzzles, students have ideas to help them think of puzzle ideas and a source they created to refer back to figure puzzles out!

Week 4 - Pop Art

For week 4, I chose to do my last project on pop art. My task was to research different pop
artists and the ways in which they create their art. While researching, I found a lot of
comic-looking pieces. I also stumbled upon a piece, much like mine, that was split into four
sections, each with the same image, but colored in different bright colors. This would be a
great project to do in a classroom! I did, however, find a few inappropriate works, so I would
never just set my students free to research these pieces. Instead, in my classroom I think I
would focus on showing and teaching my students about the kind of pop art I created, and
then have them create their own. The best part about this pop art is that you can choose to
draw so many different things! While I chose an elephant, another person might choose the
Reeses logo, a basketball, or a sun. The list is endless, really!

Here is an example of a similar version of my pop art piece!

If you scroll alllll the way to the bottom of this blog, you will find an amazing self-portrait idea:
http://www.mrsbrownart.com/2nd.htm
This lesson idea offers so many opportunities for students to investigate new and different ways
to creatively and positively use words. It also is a great community builder for the classroom!
This is definitely something I would love to do with my future class!

Week 3 - Jacob Lawrence Cubism/Realistic

For week 3, I chose to do my project on Jacob Lawrence Cubism/Realistic. My task was to
research Jacob Lawrence’s art and how he impacted the cubism and realistic art world.
Because this type of art I would never usually choose to take appreciate, this project really
opened my eyes! Through researching, I learned that he only sticks to painting with certain
colors, and his art also told stories about what people were going through at that time
period. In a classroom, I could see myself introducing who he was and his style of art, then
focussing on a piece of art and explain the story behind it. To wrap the lesson up, I would
have my students try to create their own piece of art that has a deeper story wrapped into it.
This is a great way to get students invested in something they might not normally pay any
attention to.

Here's a link to a different kind of realism art projected integrated with a science lesson:
https://aroundthekampfire.com/2014/09/learning-about-landforms.html
I think this is such a cool and unique way to get students in a creative zone in a different setting!

Here is the finished product of the activity in the blog!

Week 2 - Illustrator Art

For week 2 of our visual art project, I chose to do illustrator art. For illustrator art, my task
was to choose an illustrator and create a piece of art that is similar to theirs. I chose to focus
on the illustrator Eric Carlisle. Through researching his choice of mediums, I learned that he
likes to make collages to create his work. For this project, I focussed on his book The Very
Hungry Caterpillar, and created my own hungry caterpillar through a collage. I think this
would be a great activity to implement in an elementary classroom. I think I would have each
of my students sign up for a different illustrator and then follow the same steps I did;
researching mediums the artist uses and then creating a piece similar to theirs. Growing up,
I don’t recall every learning much about illustrators, other than my teacher simply pointing
out their name on the cover of a book. This would be an excellent activity to get kids excited
to dive into different aspects that go into creating a book, and also give them a deeper
appreciation for the art in them.

Here is an interesting blog that gives many ways to integrate art into the general education
classroom: https://minds-in-bloom.com/art-integration-for-classroom-teachers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MindsInBloom+(Minds+in+Bloom)
There are also several ways to integrate illustrator art into the classroom as well! One of my
favorite ideas I saw was to let students illustrate and write a sequel to their favorite book or
an alternate ending to their favorite story. That is such a great way to get them in the mindset
of the illustrator, while also displaying their creative sides!

Here's another interesting and creative idea from the blog I posted!

Week 1 - Graphic Art

These next 4 weeks, our class is working on a visual arts project. Each week, for 4 weeks,
we sign up an art project. For week 1 of our visual art project, I chose to do my project on
graphic art. While I was researching, I found a lot of graphic design, computer generated
art, something I was trying to stay away from since I do not have computer programs
necessary for that. After researching for a bit, I happened upon zentangle art. This is
something that I had tried a few summers back, but didn’t enjoy much. I decided to try it
again for this project and ended up loving it! I chose to start with tracing overlapping a
bunch of circles on my paper, and then I researched different designs to draw in them. If I
chose to do this with a class, it would definitely have to be with an older elementary class
because of the intricate designs and the lengthiness of the project. I would also create a
worksheet that had different design ideas on it for my students, because even I found
myself getting frustrated with trying to be creative with them! All in all though, this would
be a great, fun way of getting my students to appreciate the details in complex artworks.

Here's an example of the zentangle artwork I created!

Here's a link to a blog with a fun idea of having students design their own iphone apps:
http://www.jennyknappenberger.com/art-integration-lessons-to-engage-our-students-in-the-modern-world/
Not only can this academically be tied in with technology, it also gives students the chance to
use and display their creativity throughout the classroom! Such a neat idea!!

Tableau

This week our class learned a new way to study and understand historical art. What we did
was called a “Tableau.” Volunteers from our class went to the front of the room and did a
sort of live action recreation of it. The volunteers did their best to re re-create what we saw
in the painting with props, and then also tried to recreate the motions they believed were
happening at the time. Then, everyone sat in silence for a few minutes. We took in the scene
and contemplated the feelings and various things the people featured had going on in their
personal lives at that moment. Then, we asked the live characters questions that we had
come up with and they answered. This activity did such a good job of giving me, a
22-year-old, a deeper learning connection with the art piece. I know for a fact that it would be
an excellent way of doing the same for a class full of elementary students!

Here is a picture of what this looked like in the middle of the activity:

Here is a blog that shows how they did a Tableau in their first and second grade classrooms:

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/k-6-art-4660763/tableaux-vivants-living-pictures-performance-3655520159

Shoe Box Activity

This week our professor asked us a question, “If you found out all of a sudden you had to
leave your home, and only had a shoebox to bring with you, what would you put in your
shoebox?” We could’ve chosen to bring very sentimental items...or practical items. I chose
Phone charger/phone, watch charger/watch, journal(s)/pens, Bible, a picture of my family,
chapstick, and my nalgene. My items were kind of sentimental, but more practical. This was
a great way to get students into the mindset of how things really were on the oregon trail.
While we were doing this in class, our professor threw in a twist. She told us that our wagon
broke down and we could now only choose one item from our box to travel on with. We had
to think very hard about what was most important to us to keep forever. I chose a picture of
my family, because my family is truly what’s most important to me! Everyone placed their
chosen artifact on one table and we had a class discussion about the different artifacts
people chose as most special to them. All in all, this was such a great activity to get students
excited about social studies, and to put that time period in a relatable manner.

Here are a few pictures of the 1 thing each of us chose to keep:

Here is a link to another blog with some other fun ideas to simulate what life was like during this period: http://www.journeyofasubstituteteacher.com/2017/01/teaching-about-oregon-trail.html

This would be a great way to get students to picture other important aspects about the oregon trail!

Puppet Show

This week our class worked on creating dramatic plays from children's books. Haley, Chloe,
and I decided to create a puppet show based off of the book 5 Little Monkeys Jumping On
The Bed. We started by rereading the book and then making it into a script. To make the
puppet show a little interesting, we added our own commentary from the monkeys into the
script. We continued by creating our own puppets out of printouts and popsicle sticks and
sets out of cardboard and construction paper. While none of us were completely comfortable
with performing in front of a group, I really found myself enjoying every aspect of this activity!
This would be a great activity to use in a classroom. It involves intentional interactions with
books and allows students to express themselves at whichever level they feel most
comfortable.

Haley and after we cut out the puppets!

One of the four backdrops I created!
Here's blog with tips on how 

Here's a blog with tips on how to establish rules and criteria for dramatic plays in the classroom:
https://2peasandadog.com/2016/08/ideas-for-teaching-drama.html
It was written by a 6th grade teacher, but I think it has great tips that can be useful to any teacher!

Cultural Backpack Activity

This week our class worked on our cultural backpacks.Typically, this would be done in an elementary classroom where each student writes about their current lives. Since my class is full of older students, we chose a specific grade to focus on. After choosing the grade, each of us wrote out a few words on several different lines that described who we are and what we love. I chose to do my cultural backpack on my life during 2nd grade. I had so much fun reminiscing back to this time in my life! Overall, this is a great activity to use to get to know your students and their backgrounds. This also does a fantastic job of helping each student realize that their stories are unique and special!

Here's another neat idea for getting students to introduce themselves to their new classmates, as well

as sets the mood for self-appreciation: 

https://www.twolittlebirdsteaching.com/2018/08/7-favorite-first-week-of-school-activities.html

This would be a perfect first week of school activity, topped off with each student sharing their finished product with the class when they are done!