Author's Pen

Here is a great writing example from one of my students in Author's Pen. On the first day of class, I asked them to write a description of what makes for good writing or a good book. This is what Brittany had to say:

"First of all, I really only like fantasy with a bunch of action, with drama and passion, an author that's not scared to kill off a main character, a touch of funny here and there, an adventure, a road trip, then a dramatic battle at the end with a big boss. Great descriptive paragraphs and a sort of mystery intertwined in the plot of all of it. A book that has a betrayal of a friend and sucks you into it. If they say something funny, you laugh. If something sad happens, you cry. That is what I look for in a book and what makes a book good."

I love this job!

Summer School 2010: Rhinelander, WI

Summer school in Rhinelander just ended last Friday. It was really fun and I learned a lot. I taught two courses--Author's Pen and Thinking Beyond the Box. I was a little worried about teaching classes that were not art classes, but I am actually really grateful I had the experience. It was a challenge, but I got a whole new perspective on my own teaching abilities and gained a lot of confidence.

I wish I had started this earlier so I could have tracked the whole four weeks of school, but I will do a basic overview.

I taught students going into 3rd through 6th grade. Author's Pen was an interesting class to teach and really eye opening. My students' abilities were all over the board. Some students were amazing writers and others needed a lot of help. I was shocked at how few students knew how to spell very simple words. The thing that stood out to the most as an art teacher was the lack of visualization skills in a lot of students. They really had a tough time visualizing or imagining something happening and then putting it in writing. I have a lot of ideas now for incorporating writing into my future art curriculum. I think all students would really benefit from this.

The Thinking Beyond the Box class was a bit more up my alley. I used a lot of art related projects. I had originally planned to play a lot of group games...based on the previous teacher's lesson plans I was given. She did a lot of "icebreaker" type games, which I am really not a fan of! Thank goodness it quickly became apparent that students weren't too crazy about them either. So I shifted gears and presented students with a series of building projects. I brought in all the recycled materials my mother has been hoarding for me and every couple days I would present students with a different challenge. They really loved it. I was amazed at how engaging such simple materials could be. They seemed starved for the opportunity to work through the building process and then make something.

All in all it was a fantastic experience, and I feel really lucky to have been given the opportunity to teach in a district where no one knows me at all!