Sunday, July 12, 2015

A Quick Lesson Plan


There are some things that every teacher knows, and that is everything is planned. At least that is what they tell you while you are in your classes in college. Any teacher can and will tell you that any plan you make is more of an outline. This outline can go right out the window depending on the day. The problem that specialty (physical education, art, music, etc.) teachers face is that their plans or outlines build on one another. I have found that if you think of your lesson plans as outlines or guides that can change from moment to moment and that can change and evolve with what the day brings, then your lessons go much more smoothly. I try to make my lessons with this in mind. The following is one such lesson.

            About a month and a half before starting this project tell your students to start to bring in empty milk gallons. As the students bring the milk gallon in wash them, not just rinse them. Depending on the grade cut the jugs in quarters or halves. Besides the milk jugs you will need: masking tape, paint, feathers, dragon eyes, sequins, and glitter, string, scissors, glue, and glue sticks.

As the students get finish with the project they are working on before they start this lesson, and let’s face it each child will finish at their own pace and time, just make sure they finish when you have stated the due date is. Have them place one of the pieces of milk jugs over their face. Then trace a place for eye holes over their eyes. Have them cut the eye holes. Since the edges can be sharp have them place masking tape all over the milk jug. Once the tape is applied have the students paint the mask the color they choose. Try to make it to where the child paints and tapes the mask the same day. This way the paint is dry for the next class. Once the masks are painted have the children decorate them in the style of the culture you are teaching them. You can have a different culture and degree of difficulty for each grade.

            I decided that I would have different cultures for each grade. Kindergarten would learn about and make masks from Africa. First grade would learn about and make masks from different Native American tribes. Second grade would learn about and make masks from the United Kingdom. Third grade would learn about and make masks from Greece. Fourth grade would learn about and make masks from China. Fifth grade would learn about and make masks from Egypt. That is the end of elementary school where I live. You could go all the way through twelfth grade. Just as with elementary you would need to make the degree of difficulty harder as you moved up in the grade. You would not expect the same skill level from a kindergartners as you would twelfth grader. You would also want to use different supplies for the students in higher grades.

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