Blog #6: So Long, Farewell!

Fall field is over and it's now time to go back to big kid school. What a great experience it has been to work at Valley View Elementary with my fourth grade class. I learned a lot about how important it is to keep the students engaged in their learning. It requires a lot of planning and practice to get to a point where teaching is easy, but I'm patient.

One thing that really became apparent is how important art is in the curriculum. The teacher I was working with didn't incorporate much art, or anything fun really, into her lessons. There were so many times the students would be bored and I would think about better ways to teach the lessons that would allow the students to get up and moving. In my classroom management class we learn that students need to do three things every day: 1.) talk, 2.) laugh, and 3.) move. Art, drama, music, etc. are great ways to allow the students to do this.

As much as I sometimes dreaded all the work required for my art class it really has taught me a lot about things I can do to make my own classroom more enjoyable for the students I teach.

If I were an Indian

So for my field experience I got to teach my fourth grade class about the prehistoric indian tribes in Utah. It was a lot harder to plan lessons than I thought it would be. Debbie and I spent 4 hours last week planning three lessons. Blah! But it was fun to see the kids react to our teaching. They enjoyed all the fun activities we planned for them. We also taught them a song that my mom wrote about Indians and they LOVE it! Ms. Ellsworth really likes it too. She wants to perform it at their end of year presentation. It's amazing what music can do to help kids learn. It's been fun to see them learn and get enganged in the classroom.

Valley Who? Valley View!!!

Phew....One week in field. It's been a nice change of scenery from the education building. I am in Ms. Ellsworth's fourth grade class at Valley View Elementary in Pleasant Grove. This is my first time working with the older grades and I'm not going to lie...it's kind of boring! ha ha! The students are old enough at this point to do a lot of work on their own. It's not a babysitting job so much any more. It's getting much better as I learn the students names and know a little more how the classroom operates.

I will teach my first lesson on Friday so we'll see how that goes. I'm pretty excited actually. I think the kids will enjoy some fun activities that keep them engaged. Their social studies hour is normally pretty boring so hopefully they like the lesson Debbie and I have prepared.

Blog #5: Visual Arts

Last week we learned about visual arts and the different elements of art. It was a really fun subject because we got to do a lot of hands-on activities to learn each concept. It's interesting to learn about the elements and principles of art in class and then to see them come to life through different illustrators and artists. I went to an art museum this week and it was fun to be able to analyze the art and kind of sound like I knew what I was talking about! :)

I will use visual arts in my classroom and let my students explore and find their inner artists. I believe that understanding brings greater appreciation and we could always use more of that in the world.

Blog #4: Music Makes the World Go Round...

This week we learned about music and the benefits it brings to the classroom. I absolutely love music and I definitely plan on incorporating it into my classroom. I grew up in a very musical family so music has been a big part of my life. I am a big believer of using music to teach concepts that otherwise could be difficult to learn. I still remember songs I learned in elementary school. I think music opens up the mind to learning new concepts and aides in other areas of learning. I really am excited to share songs with my students and help them learn in an artistic way.

Blog #3: Dancing Queen!

This week in class we learned about different ways to incorporate dance in our lessons. I think this has been my favorite section so far. There are so many fun ways to express yourself through dance. It really is an opportunity for the students to express their feelings that may otherwise be difficult using words.

I remember dancing in elementary school to learn different subjects. One of my favorite memories was learning the "mummy dance" in sixth grade to help understand the Egyptian culture better. I am excited to incorporate creative dance in my classroom. There really are so many ways to do it that is fun and comfortable for everyone. Yeah for dance!!!

Blog #1: Art in the Curriculum

We have been learning about the importance of integrating art in the classroom and core curriculum. I strongly agree with the things I have been learning. I think art helps students broaden their minds to new ways of problem solving and helps them overall with their school work. I was lucky enough to be exposed to many different forms of art growing up and I believe it was to my advantage. I really can see how my exposure to the arts has helped me in my school work, social life, and problem solving. I am very much pro-arts in the classroom and I look forward to finding fun ways to incorporate it into my classroom.

Blog #2:Drama in the Classroom... :)

We have been learning about how to use drama in the classroom and how to incorporate it into our core curriculum. I think it's an excellent way to let the students shine in something and have fun while doing it. There are many fun drama techniques out there for me to use in my future classrooms. Some of my favorites are role playing, debates in character, a panel of characters from a story, and alternate endings to a familiar story. I think that any of these activities could be used in addition to the core curriculum. I think integrating arts will help students be more creative in their problem solving skills and allow them to have a little bit of fun.

Back to School!

I just began the Elementary Education Bachelor program at UVU this past week and this blog will be the story of my journey through my Creative Arts Methods class. I am really looking forward to learning more and preparing to become a teacher. Hopefully my growth will become evident over the next two years.