Lesson: Sea Turtles
Art Theory: Random Art
The kids got to learn all about sea turtles during the week. On Friday we got to create a sea turtle egg and sea turtle using the methods of "Random Art." We rolled a dice to make decisions for us. Surprisingly, the kids had a really hard time with that. The idea was that not all art has to be a complete replication of reality, some art can be more abstract. We used a dice to decide what colors and patterns were used. Each students got their own dice to really mix up the options.
After we read a book about sea turtles each child returned to their seat and we drew the outline of an egg together. Then the kids rolled their dice to see how many cracks they would draw in their egg. After that, we drew the outline of a sea turtle together. I am learning that slow steps is key. Once each child had their turtle we brainstormed a list of colors and assigned them to different numbers. Then each student rolled their dice and colored according to that number. It was funny how many of them were upset when the dice told them to color their turtle red! However, once they accepted it didn't have to match reality they had fun with their multi-colored turtle.
There was one challenge I was quite unprepared for. They couldn't read. At least, not all of them. As we brainstormed a list of colors the kids couldn't read the colors I had written. Thankfully, Ms. Fenn had colored cards otherwise we would have been in trouble. I learned that day to not only teach in slow steps but to be keenly aware of the zone of proximal development for each age group. Overall, the lesson was a success for both the students and me.
Here is some of their work:
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