Name of Project: What Are Stars?
Classroom, School: Kindergarten class at St. Paul Indian Magnet School
Cooperating teacher: Lori Larson
Grade Level: Kindergarten (ages 5 & 6)
Presenter's Name: Marco Suemnick
Subject: Drawing, Strengthening Imagination Skills
Curricular Link: Science, Specifically Constellations and the Night Sky, Reading, Storytelling
Overview of Project
During this project dealing with Constellations I hope to give a better understanding to the class
on what Constellations are. Focusing on that their are groupings of stars in the sky that make up images,
these images have stories that correspond to them. I would also like to give a better understanding on space
(distance, the stars are not that close).
Essential Question(s)
- What are constellations?
- Where can I see constellations?
- Why are the groups of stars noticed together?
- How far away are stars?
Subsidiary Questions
- Where does the light come from?
- What is a good place to see stars clearly?
- What are images?
- What are feet (in the distance scene)?
Prior Knowledge
The children are going to the day before read a book
("the book of the month") dealing with the night sky.
They have also written books dealing with sections of beginning middle and
end, this will help when stories are needed for the constellations that
they will make.
Examples of student or artist work
I am hoping that each student will understand what a constellation is and come up with a image real or their own constellation accompanying
it with a short description/story. Each student is expected to create a image/constellation on white paper then translate it on black paper by poking holes
into the black paper from the original image and then connecting with a white chalk making their own constellation to hang on the classroom door or
else where for their classroom competition.
I will be using as an aid in this project, children's books for pictorial image examples, I will be reading a short children's book containing about a sentence on every page (each page also contains a image) my own examples of constellation drawings (one real, one of my own) both with short example stories, as well as doing one in class for them to see the process of making.
Assessment
The children will demonstrate their understanding of the project by creating a drawing that is story based, and also by transposing that image to black paper and connecting the holes with lines the way constellations are most often seen in examples. I will know that the children understand the information given to them when I see a image made up by clusters of dots and the group has a story or a meaning.
- When you stand back from all of the work what do you see?
- When you look at your art work alone what do you see?
- Can you tell your story to everyone?
- Why do you think we used black paper instead of hot pink (example)?
Materials
Books, white paper, colored writing tools (colored pencils, markers, crayons) black paper, white chalk, silver
or white back drop paper, regular writing paper
All materials where found at CVA extra materials cabinet, purchased at target, or art supply store
Procedures
Door decorating outline for Friday 17th of 2006 for Lori Larson in St. Paul Indian Magnet School grade kindergarten. (Two part project)
Part 1
- Students will come in and read books that I picked up from the local library.
- I would like to start out by reading a book that contains several images dealing with constellations, (after the group good morning)
making observations through the book on stars and also solar eclipse.
- After reading the book discuss more on what constellations are and how they are images in the sky that have stories (beginning middle and end).
- I would like to prepare two to three large scale constellations and share the short story that goes with each constellation. Some will be constellations
that I have made up and others will be real constellations that they may recognize.
- After discussion and I feel they understand constellations to a certain point I will then demonstrate drawing another example of a constellation.
Using pencil and paper think of a picture, then create dots in key points of the picture connect with strait lines. I will then have them sit at
their tables and start on a exercise that will help relate the exercise to something they may have already done, connect the dots. With a picture
that I have pre made and copied have them connect the dots, this will give them a good transition into the connection of stars and making constellations.
The next step would be to draw out their images and also start thinking about the story that accompanies the image.
I would like to collect the stories from each of the students that day so that they are fresh in their minds.
- When the images have been completed on the 8x8 or 10x10 pieces of paper, I will gather all of the images and store them in a safe place until we
start the second part on the next Friday that I am in the school.
Part 2
In between classes I will look at the pictures and make note of were the main points on the picture are by circling
them. The picture will have a certain amount of circle indicating to the student were to make the star point at.
Also to include counting I will in one corner write the number of points so that see the number and count the points on the paper.
I will then give them a same size piece of black paper where they will then with a pencil poke through the image and through the black paper creating a black piece of paper with a grouping of holes in the key circled points.
- When that step is completed I will then give them a stick of white chalk so they will connect the holes on the black paper making their
constellation (I am not concerned with the grouping of holes making a real constellation).
- On the back side I will have each student write their name so that each image is recognizable.
- After that segment is complete I will have them form a circle with the image, one at a time share the short story and I will record that
so that we can line the door with the stories of the constellations.
- Once images are collected I will exit the school and find a appropriate distance to spray fix the chalk to the black constellation pictures.
- After I have the images sprayed and dried I will then return to the class door to install.
- Pre preparing a silver metallic paper for the door I will place the black pieces of paper on the metallic paper that will be
taped to the door creating a night sky filled with the kindergarten classes images. I would like to then line the parameters of
the door with the stories that they created.
- For the final assessment I will resort to a critique similar to the MIA's "What do you see / What makes you say that /
Why do you say that" format.
Teacher Reflection
I do anticipate some potential problems mostly with the possibility of 24 students being so close there being same images and stories, lack of focus and progress being slow. I will try to repeat directions several times in different ways. With in the lesson we will discuss stars, placement, image making, drawing, idea creation, numbers, reading, writing, process and story creation. This will work with what they have been doing because they have just finished making stories and are currently working with the book of the month about the night sky. The community will be able to view the work of the children because it will be visible on the door during school hours when the door is opened. Everyone who looks at the door will see the art-work and will be able to read the stories that work with the images that the 5th and 6th graders put together. I will get feed back from a critique from seeing the final out come of students projects,
