Blog Day 1

Every classroom no matter what the curriculum, should all aspire to have these three inclusive qualities to make learning valuable and meaningful to every individual. In every building I teach these qualities in a classroom will be a foundation to student conduct as to how to treat others in every situation. These qualities in a classroom are especially powerful to adolescents.  These life examples derived in an art room, from a young age produces structure for their following years to come and will positively affect all learning environments.  Welcoming an affirming environment, Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment, and High Expectations and Rigorous Instruction. Today these qualities were illustrated in my classroom through students taking turns telling the class about their life. We all shared hobbies, interests, and fun stories. For example, Ryker shared with the class he practices magic for fun and Cora loves to swim and is on a swim team. The students natural respect for one another while taking turns sharing would make any mom proud and should be a given in any situation. The natural interest among stories and hobbies shared by us all generated a natural sense of community and belonging. I can tell this semester will be a wonderful, bonding and creative experience for everyone. This why welcoming an affirming environment, inclusive curriculum and assessment for all students' unique, creative characteristics, and high expectations and rigorous instruction on my part brings out the best in a classroom, our cultures as a whole and serves as a moral servitude. Going forward high expectations and rigorous instruction will be firmly implemented; but for day one everyone did a wonderful job. This overall lesson plan integrates and assesses elements from art, design, and even elements of history (superhero origins, or cultural influences). As well as creative expression and imagination by allowing the students to identify their positive attributes and to design their superhero armor. I will be establishing rigorous assessment based on participation, creativity, effort, and how well students incorporate positive characteristics into their designs. Day one was a success on a steppingstone of many by incorporating their positive characteristic as a superpower. All students introspectively discovered their inner beauty to overcome daily obstacles thus showing high expectations. When the students unveiled their superpowers through learning a new art technique using wax crayon and watercolor they exercised following rigorous instruction. As Ryunosuke, Satro (Japanese Author) once said, " Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." Inclusivity is the power behind ending global war and it all starts here in art class.

Each lesson plan should encompass all the studio habits of mind for it to be truly effective. While certain habits might take precedence in delivering instruction and content, it's crucial to recognize the equal significance of all the studio habits of mind. In the introduction of our big idea in the overall lesson plan unit visibility vs invisibility we are discovering the hidden superpowers within us and making them visible through custom design. The students were handed a fun fact sheet to fill out about themselves that assisted in developing the big idea by asking, “What are your strengths?” The students Reflected on this question and similar questions throughout the lesson plan such as, “ What was Panik’s superpower? How did it help her? In addition, I asked the students how did her superpowers become visible?” This was based on a book I read to the class titled, What is My Superpower? In this book the students Observed Panik struggling to find her superpower as she successfully discovered her friend’s superpowers but was left bewildered to discover her superpower. This book was a good tool to help the students see themselves in Panik’s shoes. Following this book I asked the students, “What problems do you face during the day? And what helps you overcome those obstacles?” By processing these questions it helped the students scaffold their thinking in Envisioning their strengths. In addition through exploring their strengths, the students were able to Express by finding meaning in their attributes which benefited their social-emotional self-awareness. Once the students related their characteristics to those admirable of a superhero we played with some of the materials that will be a staple in future lessons. The students played with clay and I demonstrated the loop technique made from construction paper. During my demonstration, I guided the students to reciprocate my instruction step-by-step with their own materials so that they may emulate this in their designs if they choose to do so in the future. Once the students accomplished the loop, they succeeded in Developing Craft. While the students were playing with clay and construction paper the students were practicing the opportunity to Stretch and Explore with materials. I concluded the lesson plan with works by Stan Lee and Adrian Tranquilli. Stan Lee’s superheroes contributed to the iconic imagery and visual storytelling that defined Marvel Comics. Adrian Tranquilli’s work is a great representation of how elements of design are used in sculpture. Henceforth subconsciously implanting techniques that will be further examined in future artworks. Given the variety of artworks we analyzed as a class, the students were able to Understand Art Worlds. 

In summary, the class performed admirably, successfully achieving the objectives outlined in lesson plan one by uncovering their unique strengths. Through extensive class dialogue, they delved into the strategies that assist them in navigating challenges and identified the essential qualities we all possess to overcome obstacles. Their insightful responses and selection of impactful adjectives vividly demonstrated their comprehension of these concepts. The utilization of assessment tools in my lesson plan included the book, The book, What is My Superpower?  And answering questions based on that book. Throughout my lesson plan, I asked the students a lot of questions to keep the conversation going and prompt a variety of answers. I had a handout of a dead plant and I asked the students to write down and share, “What superpowers would you use to make this plant grow?” I received answers such as, “Sunshine Superpower, Water Wizardry: The power to summon and control water, allowing the plant to receive just the right amount of hydration to flourish. Growth Gaze: The ability to gaze at the plant and accelerate its growth with sheer concentration and positive energy.” This handout enabled the students to expand their thinking outside the box of superpowers and bridge the gap between their superpowers and Marvel hero superpowers. Another strategy I utilized, was asking questions that inspired the student’s thinking to revolve around building their understanding of visibility vs invisibility (Big Idea).  How are the superheroes’ powers invisible then visible? Where on the body are they generating from? Why do these superpowers become visible? What obstacles do they help overcome? The feedback I received from various students included, "The superheroes' powers might be invisible because they're inside them, like a secret strength. But when they use their powers, we can see them doing amazing things like flying or shooting lasers from their eyes." "Maybe the powers come from their hearts because that's where their courage and kindness are. Or maybe it's from their minds because they have to think about how to use their powers." "I think the powers become visible when the superheroes really need them or when they want to help others. It's like they shine bright when they're doing something good." "Superpowers can help superheroes overcome big problems like villains trying to hurt people or disasters happening. They use their powers to save the day and make things better." These responses reflected the imaginative and intuitive nature of the student's thinking, as they often conceptualize superheroes and their powers in creative and fantastical ways. These questions encouraged them to explore and articulate their ideas fostering critical thinking and imaginative expression.  I also checked the student’s unveiling of their superpower answer on their watercolor paper. I saw words like, “ smart, optimism, nice, caring.” These were all words that corresponded with the ideals implemented in my lesson plan.