October 8, 2013
Natalie's Lesson
Big Idea - Imagination
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A Brief Overview
Natalie gather everyone in a group so everyone could be close and engage in the reading. Even though everyone was not able to sit in front or visibly see the book as she read, she held the book to her side, showed everyone the pages after she was done reading the pages, and even switched sides after each page to give each side an equal chance to see as she was reading, which was thoughtful but also gave all the kids an equal chance to see and engage in the reading. Throughout the reading she stopped and asked the class what they thought was happening or what might happen next in the book and even asked multiple people to get varied perspectives. At the end of the book, she simply said the end and closed the book right away, and it might have been more effective to let the class look at the last page a little longer just to get them to think a little bit about how the story ended or just take in the illustration and get a feel for the artist’s artistic style.
The class was then sent back to their seats to talk about the book. Natalie started out asking the class about what they thought imagination was and again asked more than one person their thoughts. This was a great way to plant in the big idea but also to get different perspectives that could deepen their understanding of the topic. She then gave a dictionary definition and linked the definition to an image from the book, which materialized the meaning and put the word into context. Natalie then asked how JeJe used his imagination. I raised my hand to answer the question, however since I had already answered a question, she had me wait in order to get different people to answer and get different responses. She then talked about line and color and different ways you could use them, referencing the book and other images to solidify these concepts.
Natalie then moved into the demonstration and showed the class different drawings she had made explaining their significance to the class. She then drew a parrot and explained the process as she started drawing, explaining different types of lines she could use to makes different effects. She added that we could use different types of lines possibly from the book or lines that we just know of and want to use. Moving to the next step, Natalie explained that we were to add one color to each drawing with watercolor. She chose to add green to her bird, which is not accurate but she it was her favorite color and we were able to pick whatever color we wanted. She mentioned that we still want to see the lines because it was an important part of the pictures. She explained that brighter colors required less water yet did not fully explain how to use watercolor, which some children would have troubles with if they were unfamiliar with that media, so I would have gone more in depth with the watercolor demonstration. She did not use the word imagination during her demonstration, however she did mention it while she was recapping the steps for the activity.
As Natalie was walking around, she got involved with everyone, asking them what their ideas were, complementing what they had already done, and referencing their ideas to what they had learned from the lesson or book. She mentioned that all of their creations made sense or did not have to make sense, like a bunny with insect legs, because they were using their imagination. There was not too much time to create three animals, and I feel like children would be able to incorporate more lines and color and plan their creations out if we were to only create one of two creations in that amount of time.
Again, during the critique, Natalie had people volunteer to show and explain their drawings. As they shared, she mentioned and commented on their lines and colors when they mentioned them or if they did not and linked those concepts back to the book. At the end of the lesson, she ask the class how they felt to use their imagination to create these drawings, which I thought was a great way to get them to deepen their learning and take everything they have done and use those experiences as a means of reflection.
The class was then sent back to their seats to talk about the book. Natalie started out asking the class about what they thought imagination was and again asked more than one person their thoughts. This was a great way to plant in the big idea but also to get different perspectives that could deepen their understanding of the topic. She then gave a dictionary definition and linked the definition to an image from the book, which materialized the meaning and put the word into context. Natalie then asked how JeJe used his imagination. I raised my hand to answer the question, however since I had already answered a question, she had me wait in order to get different people to answer and get different responses. She then talked about line and color and different ways you could use them, referencing the book and other images to solidify these concepts.
Natalie then moved into the demonstration and showed the class different drawings she had made explaining their significance to the class. She then drew a parrot and explained the process as she started drawing, explaining different types of lines she could use to makes different effects. She added that we could use different types of lines possibly from the book or lines that we just know of and want to use. Moving to the next step, Natalie explained that we were to add one color to each drawing with watercolor. She chose to add green to her bird, which is not accurate but she it was her favorite color and we were able to pick whatever color we wanted. She mentioned that we still want to see the lines because it was an important part of the pictures. She explained that brighter colors required less water yet did not fully explain how to use watercolor, which some children would have troubles with if they were unfamiliar with that media, so I would have gone more in depth with the watercolor demonstration. She did not use the word imagination during her demonstration, however she did mention it while she was recapping the steps for the activity.
As Natalie was walking around, she got involved with everyone, asking them what their ideas were, complementing what they had already done, and referencing their ideas to what they had learned from the lesson or book. She mentioned that all of their creations made sense or did not have to make sense, like a bunny with insect legs, because they were using their imagination. There was not too much time to create three animals, and I feel like children would be able to incorporate more lines and color and plan their creations out if we were to only create one of two creations in that amount of time.
Again, during the critique, Natalie had people volunteer to show and explain their drawings. As they shared, she mentioned and commented on their lines and colors when they mentioned them or if they did not and linked those concepts back to the book. At the end of the lesson, she ask the class how they felt to use their imagination to create these drawings, which I thought was a great way to get them to deepen their learning and take everything they have done and use those experiences as a means of reflection.
Reflections
I thought the book was a great choice for Natalie’s big idea. Both the plot of the story and the absence of text on some of the pages required them to use their imagination. The questions she posed were engaging and required them to use their imagination as well. The activity was creative and a great way to build off of imagination. Using only one color to depict something is near impossible, so they were forced to think of new ways to think about the creatures they were drawing.
If I were to change anything in the lesson, I would have explained in more detail how to use watercolor because again some children might not be familiar with this media and things might get out of control. Possibly using watercolor pencils would be an effective in-between to scaffold this new medium. Most children would be familiar with color pencils so to fill in slightly with watercolor pencils and go over with the brush would be a great way for them to understand how watercolor works.
Also, I do not believe there was enough time for most people to create three creatures. To rush an activity might cause some students to not incorporate certain concepts like line. If they were to just make one creature and focus on details and lines, it would really get them to understand and explore the idea of making and incorporating different types of lines, and it would deepen their understanding of line.
If I were to change anything in the lesson, I would have explained in more detail how to use watercolor because again some children might not be familiar with this media and things might get out of control. Possibly using watercolor pencils would be an effective in-between to scaffold this new medium. Most children would be familiar with color pencils so to fill in slightly with watercolor pencils and go over with the brush would be a great way for them to understand how watercolor works.
Also, I do not believe there was enough time for most people to create three creatures. To rush an activity might cause some students to not incorporate certain concepts like line. If they were to just make one creature and focus on details and lines, it would really get them to understand and explore the idea of making and incorporating different types of lines, and it would deepen their understanding of line.