Lesson Reflection: Feb.12, 07 -- Valentine's Pop-Up Card

I think that today's Art lesson went really well. I was trying to come up with a Valentine's Day craft that would be fun to do with the students, and I remembered making these pop-up cards when I was in Gr.5. Since then, I started making pop-up cards on every occasion because I thought it was so much fun. I think that the Grade Ones would love it too, but I wasn't sure if they were capable of making this kind of pop-up cards or not, because it is kind of complicated. Knowing that the practicum is the place where I can try new things and take risks, I decided to go for it.

I made my own card beforehand, as a model for the students. I also prepared step-to-step instructions that I can stick on the board and point to as I show them how to make the card. This way, if they got lost when they were doing it on their own, they could refer to the board. I demonstrated to them twice, just to make sure that they understood it. For the first time, I showed and gave the instructions. For the second time, I asked them questions like "What do I do next?" and "Do I draw on this side or that side?", so they were participating and not only listening. I believe that letting students talk allow teachers to know what they understand and what they do not. After making sure that they were comfortable with going back to their desk and working on their cards individually, I handed out the papers.

Most of the students drew very nice hearts, and their cutting skills were not bad a all! Only a few of them asked me for another piece of paper because they cut it wrong, which was better than what I expected. I was impressed! They have empowered me by showing me that they are children that can take on challenges, letting me know that I can take on challenges too. Overall, I think that my instructions strategies worked well today, and I would keep going from here.