Week 2
Day 6
Objective: Listen to bird hunters share stories and expertise, and paint background of bird collage
Materials/Resources: Local hunters, bird stories (see materials section for suggestions), scroll paper, paint
Invite bird hunters in today to tell and read stories to the students, and to have the students ask them questions about their birds.
Encourage students to relay newly acquired knowledge to classmates in whatever way they are able: verbal retellings, sharing written sentences, drawing pictures to represent what they learned, etc...
Have students share their artwork with the hunters, and use the Visible Thinking Routines to guide conversations
While students are engaged with hunters, work with a few students at a time to create your background for your collage.
Use scroll paper that is big enough to fit all of the birds, and decide on a layout for the seasons. Break the paper up into sections big enough for each group of birds, and help students paint a background for each season.
Day 7
Objective: Give and receive feedback. create final draft of bird drawing
Materials/Resources: Original bird drawing, printed bird images, colors, plain white paper, colored pencils, crayons, or markers
Students will receive feedback on their first drafts of their bird drawings.
Use See, Think, Wonder Visible Thinking Routine to begin discussions on student artwork, then give directions for providing and receiving feedback with peers
Depending on your class size and ability level, this can be done whole group, in small groups, or in partnerships
Remind students that their feedback should be kind, specific, and helpful, and focused on the shape first, and then pattern/color
Give some examples of what kind, specific, and helpful comments are
Model the feedback process you would like them to go through
Allow students to give and receive feedback, and then have them work on their final draft of their bird drawings.
Make sure that the original images they were using for inspiration are available to them, and that they have each of their drafts to refer to for guidance
Day 8
Objective: Put together seasonal bird collage and prepare for/start VoiceThread recordings
Materials/Resources: Original bird drawing, printed bird images, colors, plain white paper, colored pencils, crayons, or markers, bird collage background and birds
Work with groups of students to attach each collage bird to the scroll paper with the seasonal backgrounds. Use the time you are working with each group to have discussions about each bird and each season. This will help to prepare them for their Voice Thread presentations.
Use today to have students reflect on the transformations their drawings had. Allow students to observe others work, and notice how the drawings changed with careful observation and attention to detail
One way of observing each student's work would be to do a gallery walk around the classroom.
Day 9
Objective: Begin recording images and expertise using VoiceThread on student iPads
Materials/Resources: Student finished final drafts, iPads with VoiceThread app installed
Have students spend some time telling each other about their birds. They can use information they've heard from the local hunters, things they've heard in the stories you've read, and stories from personal experience
One way you can differentiate this is by having the more advanced students write down their facts and experiences. Some may be able to verbalize better than write, so do what works best for your class. The goal is to get students talking about what they know about their birds.
Begin recording students using the VoiceThread app as they show they are ready.
Directions for uploading a photo of the artwork and creating a student voice over can be found below.
VoiceThread.pdfDay 10
Objective: Present artwork and record images and expertise using Voice Thread
Materials/Resources: Student finished final drafts, iPads with VoiceThread app installed, finished bird collage
Have students present their artwork to the class! Each student should have the opportunity to share their drawings and information they learned throughout the unit to the class.
Use the What Makes You Say That? Visible Thinking Routine to guide class discussion
Guide students in comparing and contrasting characteristics of their different birds
Encourage the student sharing to share everything they know about their birds
Share the final product of the seasonal bird collage with the class
Finish the VoiceThread process with the rest of the students
Share work with school, parents, and community!