aro lesson plans

Artists Reaching Out (ARO) brings arts education to K-2nd Grade students at nearby schools, who presently have limited opportunities for enrichment in the arts. Volunteers foster positive mentoring relationships and cultivate young talent in the areas of drama, music and fine art, creative writing, and dance. Classes meet weekly and are taught by up to 4 teachers. The volunteer commitment is every Friday afternoon from 2-3pm at P.S 125. Furthermore, since each group is responsible for developing lesson plans for each lesson, some outside planning may be required. No particular artistic talent is necessary, but weekly attendance is extremely important.

Overview

The purpose is to explain how they each function as individuals in a community

Materials

n Paper Plates n Pens n Crayons

Warm-‐Up

Explain what a community is

Main Activity

The students drew their favorite things and the things that represented them on plates.

Evaluation

Unfortunately, we ran out of time and were not able to put all of the plates together to show them the physical representation of a community. It would have been beneficial to explain the representation of the community afterword and to give the students more specific things to draw on the plates.

Community 10/30/12

Kindergarten


Overview

Enabling students to show off their individuality and creativity by creating Halloween masks. The students will also work on their motor skills.

Materials

n Paper Plates n Scissors n Pens n Pencils n Crayons

Warm-‐Up

Start a dialogue about the upcoming holiday of Halloween and what costumes they are going to wear.

Main Activity

Start a dialogue about the upcoming holiday of Halloween and what costumes they are going to wear.

Evaluation

We found ourselves having to encourage many of the students to cut out the masks themselves because they were a little afraid of them coming out wrong.

Halloween Masks 10/26/12

Kindergarten


Overview

The purpose of this lesson was to allow the students to experiment with their creativity in a group-‐based writing project by making poems based on autumn.

Materials

n Colored Paper n Pens n Pencils n Crayons

Main Activity

We gave each of the children construction paper to design their own leaves. Then we created a poem of a diamond shape. The first and last word of the poem were fall and then the next two words were smells, next three sights, next four foods, then three, and two. Then we cut out all of the leaves and attached them to the paper where we wrote the poem together to create a poem collage of fall.

Evaluation

It was difficult to get the kindergarten class to come up with different words for fall then the ones we gave as examples. This lesson plan was fun but might be better suited to an older grade level.

Autumn Poems 11/9/12

Kindergarten


Overview

The goal of this project was to work with the students on their motor skills and their instructions.

Materials

n Feathers n Construction Paper n Pencils n Pens n Popsicle Sticks n Googly Eyes

Main Activity

We made turkeys and discussed the holiday of Thanksgiving. We traced the students hands, helped them to cut out the paper, and decorated them with goggly eyes, feathers and whatever else the students desired. Then we glued popsicle sticks to make the turkeys puppets.

Evaluation

The students loved this activity because it was timely and they could each take home their own turkey. It was also a quick activity so an additional component could be added to it.

Turkey Puppets 11/16/12

Kindergarten


Overview

The purpose of this activity was to have all the students work together. They got to practice following instructions and taking turns working together to make snow globes.

Materials

n Glitter n Hot Glue Gun n Hot Glue n Ribbon n Tiny Ornaments n Glass Jars n Mineral Oil or Water n Food Coloring

Main Activity

You take a jar and glue an ornament to the top. Then you fill the jar with water or mineral oil, glitter, and food coloring. Then you hot glue the top to the jar. You finish with ribbon to decorate around the jar and there you have a snow globe.

Evaluation

The students loved this activity and it was a very fun and festive activity. If possible to find smaller jars so that each student could have one would be ideal but might be too difficult to get done in one class period.

Snow Globes 11/30/12

Kindergarten


Overview

The purpose of this activity was to increase the independence given to the students to go station to station in creating sock snowmen.

Materials

n Socks n Rice n Pom poms n Googly Eyes n Hot Glue n Hot Glue Gun n Pens n Rubber Bands

Main Activity

We created sock snowmen. You start by filling a sock with rice and then placing three rubber bands on the sock to make it look like a snowmen. Then you hot glue gun pom poms to the front and goggly eyes.

Evaluation

This was one of the best lesson plans we had all year. The students got to take responsibility for going station to station to create their snowmen and also got to take home a piece of art that they created.

Sock Snowmen 12/7/12

Kindergarten


Overview

Introduce the ARO members and program. Get to know the students. Set expectations.

Warm-‐Up

Dance name game—each student makes up a dance move and says their name, then the class repeats it. If time, as each student makes up a dance move, add it onto the dance moves and names of the students who have gone before so that by the end there is a whole class dance. Go over expectations.

Main Activity

Since there was a fire drill and early dismissal, we ended up just doing the expanded dance name game. The students seemed to really enjoyed it, although we should have clarified that no one can repeat a dance move since some of the more shy students just did the same move as someone else. The class also got a little rowdy at times, but with the help of the teacher we were able to regain focus.

Evaluation

Since there was a fire drill and early dismissal, we ended up just doing the expanded dance name game. The students seemed to really enjoyed it, although we should have clarified that no one can repeat a dance move since some of the more shy students just did the same move as someone else. The class also got a little rowdy at times, but with the help of the teacher we were able to regain focus.difficult to get done in one class period.

Name Dance 10/12/12

Kindergarten/First Grade Combo


Overview

Community helpers/jobs. Thinking how parts fit into a larger image, what colors can represent

Materials

n Markers n Paper

Main Activity

Have each student color in a puzzle piece of a fire truck puzzle. Then assemble the puzzle as a group. The puzzle pieces have to be created before hand. Print out a coloring book example of a fire truck on a large sheet of paper. Cut the fire truck into puzzle pieces

Evaluation

The students enjoyed the activity, especially since they had been learning about community helpers all week. They successfully shared the markers with each other. The group lost focus when it was time to put the puzzle together. The kids were impatient while waiting for their turn to put in the piece they had made.

Fire Truck Puzzle 10/19/12



Overview

Celebrate Halloween! Learn to use and respect painting materials

Materials

n Mini Pumpkins n Paints, Paint Brushes n Glitter Glue, Googly Eyes n Cups, Paper Towels, Paper Plates n Hat n Pieces of Paper with Halloween Characters on them

Main Activity

1. Paint your own jack-‐o-‐lantern—each student gets to create his/her own Halloween pumpkin. Do they want to make it look like something? Play with colors?

2. Monster charades—each student acts out a halloween character drawn from a hat, and the rest of the class guesses what they are.

Evaluation

Due to bad behavior, we only had a few students painting pumpkins with us, but this turned out to work pretty well since they needed a lot of supervision when dealing with the paints. Very messy! However, they really seemed to enjoy the activity and were excited to be able to bring them home (we didn't think pumpkins would last until the showcase). After clean up, there wasn't much time for charades, but we got in a few turns. Two of the boys were butting heads, which made it difficult for everyone else to pay attention. We think that with this age group it is hard to do things where everyone has to wait while one person takes their turn. That being said, the students were really good at pretending to be different monsters!

Jack-O-Lantern Painting And Monster Charades

10/26/12



Overview

Introduction to music and beats. Learn about different types of weather. Explore being creative with movement

Materials

n Speakers n Paper n Markers

Warm-‐Up

Listen to fast and slow songs (we chose a few from Disney movies) and clap along to the beat as a group

Main Activity

1. Have each student draw his/her favorite season and what the weather is like during that season

2. Dance like different types of weather (eg. rain, snow, etc.)

Evaluation Doing three shorter activities was a good technique to help maintain focus, although we did end up finishing our planned lesson with time to spare. The students seemed to really like the music activity, and were pretty good at finding the down beat. But for drawing, they needed more frequent prompts to stay on task.

Weather Dance 11/9/12



Overview

Create art that explores the senses

Materials

n Small Paper Plates n Macaroni or other small pasta n Staples n Feathers n Felt n Sequins n Pompoms n Tissue paper n Ribbon n Glue n Markers

Warm-‐Up

Grab bag—have students reach into a bag filled with various materials and describe the texture of whatever they pull out

Main Activity

Tambourines—have students decorate pre-‐made tambourines filled with macaroni with various textures and colors

Evaluation

There was a fire drill so we really only had 20 minutes for our lesson. This made things a little rushed, but the students seemed to really like using a bunch of new materials. I think it also worked well to have one of us at each table and then a floater so there was less chaos overall.

Tambourines 11/16/12



Overview

Learn about characters, think creatively

Materials

n Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils n Paper

Main Activity

1. Character mad-‐lib—have each student create his/her own character by doing a mad-‐lib

2. Draw your character—then have each student draw the character they created

3. Share characters with the class

Evaluation

Since there were only five kids participating in ARO this week, we were able to work with each of them one-‐on-‐one, which helped them to stay on task. They all seemed to be really focused on the task at hand, and came up with some really great characters! It also gave them the opportunity to practice their writing skills.

Character Mad-Lib 11/30/12



Overview

Make snow globes and ornaments to celebrate winter. Create three dimensional shapes

Materials

n Model magic clay n Mason jars n Glitter n Felt n Colored paper n Tissue paper n Pompoms n Ribbon n Rubber Cement n Sequins n Glue Sticks n Cardstock

Main Activity

Build snowmen out of clay to place in snow globes Collage on shapes of cardstock to create ornaments. While students are working on ornaments, have a teacher glue snowmen onto the lids of the mason jars, then once dry students fill jars with "snow" (glitter/sequins/confetti) and screw on lid to make snow globes.

Evaluation

Our last class went really well. The students had a lot of fun with the clay, and the snow globes and ornaments both came out really well!

Snowman Globes 12/7/12



Overview

Introductory Lesson -‐ Talking to the kids about the program and learning names

Warm-‐Up

Talking to kids on carpet about who we are and about what we'll be doing with them

Main Activity

Name game -‐ Kids state name, adjective that describes them, and made a pose, and we went in a circle building off each others' names and poses

Evaluation

The kids really enjoyed an activity with moving around, and the teacher was very strict with anyone who was hyper. One thing we encountered a bit of an issue with was the idea of an adjective, they had a hard time grasping the concept and used words like "heart." Overall, the activity was a good first-‐day choice.

Pose Name Game 10/12/12

First Grade


Overview

To make drawings featuring the students names, and their interests

Materials

n Markers n Paper

Main Activity

Creating name art with paper and markers, decorating the name and paper with interests and colors the kids chose for their work

Evaluation

The name at project was very successful, the kids understood the assignment, enjoyed drawing their names and interests, and were well-‐behaved and friendly to us and to each other

Name Tags 10/19/12

First Grade


Overview

To use colored pencils, and to draw pictures of themselves.

Materials

n Paper n Colored Pencils

Main Activity

Drawing self-‐portraits with colored pencils

Evaluation

The self-‐portrait project went well. A few kids didn’t grasp the idea of a “self” portrait, and drew other people at first, but eventually everyone understood and cooperated. In the future I think it makes sense to spend a bit more time explaining the project and making sure everyone understands from the start; other than that, all of the kids were happy and enjoyed the drawing.

Self-Portraits 10/26/12

First Grade


Overview

Understanding how a puzzle works and how to put pieces together to create an image.

Materials

n Blank Puzzles n Markers

Main Activity

For this lesson, we gave each student a blank puzzle to decorate. After decorating the puzzles, the students broke them apart and tried to put them back together. Many students exchanged puzzles and tested each others.

Evaluation

This project was extremely successful. The students thought it was a fun activity and were excited to take home their puzzles to have their friends/relatives test them out.

Puzzles 11/9/12

First Grade


Overview

To create Thanksgiving artwork and to think about things we're thankful for

Materials

n Feathers n Googly Eyes n Glitter Glue n Paper Plates n Scissors

Main Activity

Tracing hands onto paper plates to make turkeys, writing things they're thankful for on the hands, and cutting out and decorating the hands.

Evaluation

Despite the time crunch (there was a fire drill), the lesson went very well. The kids were excited about the assortment of supplies, and they wrote very nice things about what they're thankful for. It was a very nice Thanksgiving lesson.

Hand Turkeys 11/16/12

First Grade


Overview

Students learned to put pieces together to create a functional object

Materials

n Paper Plates, Printed Paper, Colored Pencils/Markers, Pipe Cleaners, Feathers

Main Activity

The masks were pre-‐prepared and the students were able to decorate them and attach a stick to hold the mask up. The mask was created by cutting a paper plate in half and cutting out large door like oval shapes from the bottom of the plate half to almost the top of the plate half. The sticks to hold the masks up were created by rolling paper into a skinny cylinder. Students creatively decorated these sticks by wrapping pipe cleaners around them

Evaluation

We were scared to take on this lesson because we thought it would be too complex for the children. However, it was a success and the students loved it! It was a good idea to cut out the masks before hand because the students were pressed for time.

Hand Held Masks 11/16/12

First Grade


Overview

To end the semester we created scrapbooks to hold the two-‐dimensional work that the students created with ARO

Materials

n Construction Paper n Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils n Pipe Cleaners n Glitter Glue n Stickers

Main Activity

Since we had been collecting the work of all the students after every ARO lesson, we were able to have each student create an ARO memory scrapbook. First, each student bound the pages of a book (construction paper) with pipe cleaners. Then each student decorated the cover of his/her book. And finally each student was handed back his/her work to glue into his/her book.

Evaluation

This lesson was extremely rewarding for each student. The students were able to reflect back on their past work and share their work with other students, as well as their teachers. The students were also excited to take their scrapbooks home to share with their family.

Scrapbooks 12/7/12

First Grade


Overview

Our plan was to introduce ourselves to the 2nd graders, to explain what we would be doing during our ARO classes, and to talk about art in general. We thought that a simple visual arts project would be a good way to start off the year!

Materials

n Paper, Colored Pencils/Markers, Music

Warm-‐Up

For our warm up, we introduced the class to Mesoamerican art and showing them examples of stone masks from Mesoamerican art books.

Main Activity

For the main activity, we wanted the kids to listen to music while sketching their masks based off of the examples we had given them. We wanted them to present their masks to the rest of the class at the end.

Evaluation

After showing the examples from the books and explaining the project, the school teacher told us that she wanted us to have the masks ready by the end of class. Therefore, we had to improvise and try to get everything done in one day. Instead of sketching, we told them to go right to coloring in and cutting up the colored paper. The kids loved the books and tried to imitate the shapes of the eyes and mouth. We did not have enough music to last through the whole class, but while it was playing the kids seemed to work quietly. By the end of class, everyone had made at least one mask and attached Popsicle sticks to the bottom to be able to hold them up. The one thing that I think we would do differently is to bring very simple examples with us to show the kids what we are asking for.

Mesoamerican Masks 12/7/12

Second Grade


Overview

For our third class, we decided to have the kids practice drawing emotions and responding to music through visual art.

Materials

n Construction Paper n Markers n Pencils n Honduran Music

Warm-‐Up

In order to introduce the main activity to the kids, I made and brought in an example of what we were all about to do in class. I explained my reasons for using certain colors and designs

Main Activity

The main activity was to write one's name in a creative way that showed how one felt at that moment. Since the kids were very excited about this project, they decided to draw things that made them happy. We helped those who were stuck by telling them to draw whatever they did that day around their names. Afterwards, we gave out new sheets of paper and asked the kids to listen to two Honduran songs (without lyrics) and describe them to us. Then they were given the choice of continuing their name drawings or starting another one that represented what they heard in the music

Evaluation

I would say we did well in terms of timing. On top of it, the kids seemed to really like this lesson plan. It was also very helpful for us to have them write out their names. Overall, it was a successful lesson.

Music and Art 10/26/12

Second Grade


Overview

The purpose of our fourth class was to practice doing more a complicated art project: scratch art.

Materials

n White Paper n Crayons n Black Pastels n Tooth Picks

Warm-‐Up

Kate brought in an example of scratch art that she had made for the class, I believe. There was a brief explanation of what we were about to do together.

Main Activity

1. Drawing abstract designs in crayons onto the white paper

2. Covering the abstract designs with black pastel 3. Using toothpicks to draw fall-‐themed things (like

leaves, etc.)

Evaluation

Part 1: Some kids took too long and had trouble with the idea of abstraction. Part 2: This was a very messy process for most of the kids. Part 3: Some kids also wrote down what they were thankful for. Although some things were more challenging than others for the kids, by the end everyone was thoroughly enjoying the project

Scratch Art 11/9/12

Second Grade


Overview

The purpose of this Thanksgiving-‐themed lesson was to make a work of art together and to have each kid "bring something to the table," so to speak

Materials

n White Poster Board Material, Colored Pencils, Scissors, Glue Also, for this project, I drew a large cornucopia on the poster board, as well as yellow corn, blue corn, apples, potatoes, apple pie, slices of pie, green beans, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and a turkey. I then scanned them and printed out extra copies of each. Lastly, I also printed out large block letters spelling HAPPY THANKSGIVING and cut them out

Warm-‐Up

During our warm-‐up we asked the kids what holiday was coming up soon and what their favorite part of this holiday is. We also introduced the idea of a "cornucopia" as a fancy word for a food basket, etc.

Main Activity

The kids were each given one drawing of a food type to color in with colored pencils. As they were drawing, we taught them concepts of "shading" and tried to show them how to make the drawings look more life-‐like. We gave out extra drawings to those that finished quickly, as well as one of the letters in HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Both the kids and the ARO teachers cut out the drawings, but Kate was in charge of pasting them onto the cornucopia poster board

Evaluation

Even though we had not prepared for the fire drill at 2:30, we managed to get everything done by cutting a name game exercise we had planned for the warm-‐up. All the kids were enthusiastic and everyone seemed to work really hard on coloring in the food and letters. Although it got a little chaotic, we found all the letters in the end and everything fit onto the poster. We took pictures of the poster when it was done, including one with the ARO teachers. (Email me if you would like to use it for anything!) Overall it was a successful class

Cornucopia Poster 11/16/12

Second Grade


Overview

The purpose of this lesson was to make musical instruments to explore rhythms and beats

Materials

n Brown Paper Bags, String, Beans, Crayons

Warm-‐Up

First, we asked all the kids to repeat certain beats that we clapped. Then we divided the class into two (by tables) and gave each side a different beat (Kyra and I guided the right half, while Kate and Allie guided the left half). The last thing we did in the warm-‐up was a clapping chain (one person starts with a beat, the next person repeats it and then makes their own, etc.). We explained that we would be making maracas/shakers and continue making beats

Main Activity

For the main activity, we asked everyone to decorate both sides of a brown paper bag with geometric designs. As soon as someone finished, they could go to Kate, who would fill up their bag with the beans of their choice. The teachers helped kids tie their bags together.

Evaluation

We didn't have time to practice making rhythms with our shakers, but most of the kids started shaking them anyway when they were done making them. The kids were generally super happy about the project and enjoyed the sounds.

Shakers 10/26/12

Second Grade


Overview

To foster an appreciation for Hispanic heritage, specifically Costa Rica

Materials

n Big white sheet paper, colored tissue paper, pompoms, feathers, construction paper, markers, glue

Main Activity

Made the Costa Rican flag by collaging using the specific colors of the flag (blue, red, and white). Made Costa Rican food, such as tortillas by making cones out of construction paper and making tomatoes by collaging red materials together.

Evaluation

The diversity of materials and colors kept the students engaged. Our group was thrown into this activity when we got to the classroom, so there had been no preparation. One big project with separate components that could be divided up among 2-‐3 groups was successful.

Costa Rica 10/19/12

Second Grade Special Education


Overview

To excite the students about Halloween and to introduce them to a new visual arts material: paint

Materials

n Paper plates, colored paint (preferably washable), sponges, feathers, pompoms, paper towels (to clean up)

Warm-‐Up

Clapping game: each student claps a certain rhythm and says his/her name, and then the other students must repeat the student's name and rhythm.

Main Activity

"Sponge Monsters": give each student one plate for the "monster" and another plate with assorted paint colors. Give each student a sponge. Have each student draw a monster design on the plate, and then instruct the student to fill his/her design in with paint (using the sponge as a painting tool). Then have the students add additional materials as they like (pompoms, glitter, feathers, googly eyes).

Evaluation

It was a really great lesson. The students really enjoyed working with paint, and it related well to what was going on in their lives (excitement about Halloween). Make sure not to get pre-‐soaped sponges.

Sponge Monsters 10/26/12



Overview

To incorporate music into the curriculum.

Materials

n Paper plates, beans, stapler, decorating supplies (feathers, pompoms, sequins, markers), glue

Warm-‐Up

Asking the students what they know about music, what instruments they play and like.

Main Activity

Making bean shaker musical instruments. Decorating two paper plates and then putting beans in between the plates and stapling the paper plates closed.

Evaluation

The students really enjoyed decorating their plates and working with beans (a new material). It got pretty loud at the end with everyone shaking his/her instrument, so maybe a more organized way of ending the session would be advised. Also advise to purchase big beans rather than small ones as the small ones fell through the cracks in the plates if they weren't stapled tightly.

Bean Shakers 10/26/12



Overview

To explore a different material-‐-‐clay-‐-‐while learning about Thanksgiving

Materials

n Model Magic Clay (6 packs: 2 red, 2 yellow, 1 green, 1 blue)

n Tissue Paper n Bowls (to make "cornucopias")

Warm-‐Up

Asked questions about Thanksgiving and had students raise their hands and volunteer what they knew/liked about Thanksgiving.

Main Activity

Making Thanksgiving foods (primarily fruits and vegetables) out of Model Magic.

Evaluation

This lesson was quite difficult. Most of the students were not able to make food out of clay and ended up just playing with it and rolling the clay into balls or snakes. The lesson might be a good warm-‐up for another activity, but it couldn't have lasted for more than 20-‐25 minutes. The problem is that the students take all of the clay that they are given roll it into one ball at the very beginning, so they run out of clay very quickly and can't make anything because it's all a muddy brown color.

Clay Thanksgiving Cornucopias

11/16/12



Overview

To teach the students that you can't use different materials to paint (other than just a brush) and to give the students a taste of intermedia (visual + music).

Materials

n Large pieces of white poster board, markers, scissors, paint, potatoes, ipod + speakers

Main Activity

This is what we had in mind (it didn't go as planned). Give each student a piece of poster board, have them draw a large shape on the board and then cut it out. Then we would use potatoes (cut in half) to spread paint over the poster. Each student would spend the first 2 minutes working on his own poster board. Then, they would rotate to the person next to them and paint for 2 minutes on that person's poster. They would rotate until they returned to their own original poster. While doing this, they would listen to different types of music in order to let the music inspire their painting process and to see how music influences artistic production.

Evaluation

This lesson was a complete failure. First, introducing music was a bad idea. As soon as we turned on the music, the kids went wild (this is also likely due to the teacher being absent for a substantial period of the class). The students started running around, jumping on each other, punching each other, and yelling. We turned the music off, but by this point they were too rambunctious. We didn't even open the paint and instead colored on the poster board and made crowns. We played a game of hot potato on the rug (in a circle) to calm the students down. The project was definitely too ambitious. Another problem we also faced with this lesson was sharing, a concept that the students are not yet comfortable with. For this reason, it is probably better to come in with very prepared materials so all the students have to do is some type of assembly of the materials. The students are not ready to do something like rotate and have other students work on their "own" projects.

Potato Painting 10/26/12



Overview

To have the students get excited about the winter holidays and to incorporate different materials that they hadn’t used before.

Materials

n White Poster-‐Board, Markers, Buttons, Construction Paper, Felt, Pipe Cleaners

Warm-‐Up

Talk about winter

Main Activity

The students decorated pre-‐prepared snowmen. The teachers cut out three circles from white poster board in descending size for the body and stapled them together to make snowmen. Then, one was handed out to each student along with markers, buttons, orange felt noses, and pre-‐cut hats made from construction paper. The teachers twisted pipe cleaners into arms and stapled them onto the snowmen.

Evaluation

This activity was remarkably successful. The best part was that a large part of the activity was already prepared, so the main job for the students was decorating the snowmen. This way, each student had a nice piece of finished work to take home. It definitely would have been too much if we had had the students cut out their own snowmen and staple them together.

Big Snowmen 12/7/12


aro lesson plans

Documents

grade students

young talent

arts education

lesson plans

weekly attendance

particular artistic

halloween masks

fine art