Kristina & Jennifer: Marking Time
2021-2022

Grade Level(s) and Subject(s): 

Big Idea: Marking Time

Inquiry Question: Can time be measured in ways that we can understand?

Describe your project.

‘Marking Time’ started with the question - Can time be measured in ways that we can understand? We engaged in painting and drawing activities that included abstract representations of how we divide up our days. We talked about what we see through the classroom window and how we thought about windows throughout the pandemic at home. Through our drawing process a student became interested in illustrating his dreams which led to a discussion of dreaming, the subconscious and how this also distorts our notion of time. We included plaster casting in our process as well, which allowed for more pragmatic concerns about measuring time. 

What references or influences did you draw from when creating your project? What changed this year from past CAPE projects?

Coming out of last year, I think our sense of ‘time’ is a little distorted- we talked about that with students in the framework of the project so that checking in emotionally as well as dealing with issues of time-management could develop organically in the context of our inquiry. We also had many new freshman this year, and wanted to have even more flexibility to adapt to unknown needs and proclivities.

Describe how inquiry was introduced to your students. 

We started with a simple drawing project prompted by the discussion of how we spend our days. What time of the day feels like it's going faster or slower? Can we represent this visually?

Choose 1 academic learning standard and 1 arts learning standard. Describe how it was incorporated into your project.

Visualize relationships between two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMD.B.4

We mixed plaster to pour into molds and  sometimes manipulated the shape (as in in balloon casting). We also scratched into soft wet plaster to create negative spaces, and cast things like string into the paster objects.

Repurpose objects to make something new

(VA:Cr2.3.PK) a.  

We repurposed plastic to make our plaster molds, and we repurposed wooden boards that we used in a past project to create a background for our landscape.

What were your central concerns for your CAPE work this year and how have your concerns evolved since the beginning of the year?

We were concerned about social and emotional aspects of coming back to school after the upheavals of the last two years. We explored different group dynamics and learned how different students listen, communicate, and lead. We also wanted to approach the pragmatic concerns about time-management in a fun way.

What did you learn about how your students learn this year? What did you learn about how you teach?

We were grateful that we tend to plan units where there are opportunities for adaptability and multiple avenues of exploration. We found that a few students are very responsive to 3D making, whereas they had little patience with drawing, but they could all learn from each other. One student also helped frame the eventual path of the project by describing and drawing the narratives from his dreams. This lead to our Surrealist landscape for our final exhibition.