Alice: 1st Grade

My first time teaching lesson one, I had the students listen to the Alice in Wonderland
book online and then we had a class discussion about our dreams. The class talked about their
dreams, the good ones and the bad ones and how its okay to have both. We also discussed
how some people don't remember their dreams but everyone dreams. The next step was to
have them list ten things they have seen in their dreams, if they were someone who doesn't
remember their dreams, they could list things that they wished they could see in them. This is
the step that seemed to not go as planned. The students did not understand the importance of
planning before drawing and I had simply mis-gauged the age appropriateness of this step.
Assessing this, I decided that something needed to change. The students was bored, they didn't
fully comprehend the importance, it simply isn't working out. The next day I taught this to a
different class, I decided to have them list their ten items, but this time I asked them to draw
thumbnail sketches of these items as well. Once they have drawn and listed their 10 things, they
were allowed to color in their sketches. This went over so much better. The kids weren't as
confused, they were much more engaged with the lesson.
In lesson two we sketch out their final projects. If they finish this step then they are
permitted to begin coloring/outlining things in oil pastel. I notice a lot of students scribbling in
areas and leaving a lot of white area which makes it difficult to visually differentiate between
sections or objects. To improve this, I give a demo on the board of my expectations and how to
properly fill in the areas. I also walk around and give the students one on one feedback if I feel
they can produce better quality works.
In the final lesson, the students are to finish up their works by painting areas in
watercolor. Again, I go over my expectations of their work during a demo on the board and give
independent feedback. Overall, I feel that the students are engaged and thoughtful in the work
that they are producing for the age that they are. I am also impressed with their receptivity to
feedback and making adjustments in response to this feedback. They also really seem to love
the ability to use a variety of materials on one project as they don't typically get the opportunity
to do so. I think the next time I use this project I may even up the amount of materials used.