VTS II, Week 11 - Read and Reflect

Five year old me on the far right, seated with my two
 younger brothers and holding my brand new cousin.

As a young child when my mother forced me to do something I did not want to do I clearly remember telling her,"When I get big, and you get little, I will make you go to bed early,""take a bath", or "not let you have candy before dinner". Whatever was being inflicted upon me I stubbornly insisted I would do to her whenever I was the one in power. (How this never ended with me getting a swift swat to the behind is a wonderment!)


As I read the Winner article I kept nodding my head in agreement. I have been guilty of laboring under the misconception for years that there is a correlation between the arts, attendance, and standardized test scores. I've spouted it forth to pretty much anyone who would listen! I've also maintained that the arts should not be required to support the core curriculum, that the worth of the arts should stand alone. As our culture returns to a visual orientation, the ability to comprehend, to think visually, is critical! From somewhere in the depths of my mind, I could not help but think, in the manner of five year old Sheryl, "When visual art is more valued that the so called core curriculum, I hope someone makes all of the classroom teachers support the art curriculum!"


So far, in my unit plan students have had the opportunity to use many of the ‘Studio habits of mind’. Before the end of the unit students will have participated in nearly all of them with maybe the exception of the community part of 'Understanding the Art World.'


After studying narrative in general , today I asked students to focus specifically on a story of change in their life.Today the first group of fourth graders used a simple graphic organizer to note details of their narrative, and to create a rough draft of their tile idea. I was quite surprised that two girls elected to tell / show the divorce of their parents. Additionally surprising, these two children sit across the room from one another, so it wasn't a case of one copying another's idea. I am used to girls of this age drawing pictures with hearts, flowers, and horses. I am NOT used to girls drawing pictures of arguments and documenting the pain of divorce. Wow, I don't think expression gets more authentic than that!


Next week we will conduct small group peer critiques on the rough drafts. I want students to have the opportunity to have others look at their drafts and to experience judging and defending their planned choice. I want their peers to see if the details of the rough draft convey the story being told.