Chapter 7 QtC's

Chapter 7

Make a list of the sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of the content of your lesson through a constructivist approach. 

Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction?  How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?

Here is the lesson plan I created:

Lesson Plan: Site Based

Course: Art

Grade Level: 12th

Class Time: 3-1.5 hour periods and outside of class time expected

Unit Title and Unit Goals

Title: 3-D Construction, Assemblage with found natural materials

Goals or Concepts: Students should gain an appreciation for working on site with no man made materials. The students should learn how to use only what they have access to and create a conceptual sculpture on site. Students should learn about the area that they choose to work on and become more familiar with working in nature.

Standards:

1.1            Demonstrate the use of knowledge and technical skills in at least one specific medium.

2.2            Critique the use of structures and functions in a work of art, written and/or verbal (i.e.,

formal or informal).

3.2            Evaluate subject matter that reflects personal experiences and environments.

Instructional Objective: After viewing a selection of pieces by Michel Davo, the 12th grade student will be put in pairs, plan a site to work, travel to the site on school grounds and construct a 3-dimensional sculpture using only found materials from the site they chose, photograph the piece in its environment, and prepare a presentation to allow the class to view their piece.

Materials/Media:

Supplies/Tools/Equipment:

images of Michel Davo’s work

cameras

scissors

sketch paper

pencils

Other Resources: previous students examples, photos around the room of different Michel Davo’s work and other land artists, books on land art and natural material works.

Instructional Procedures and Design:

Set

Motivation Strategies: The teacher will share a brief history of land art and show a presentation on Michel Davo as well as show examples of previous students pieces. The teacher will explain the concept behind site-based works of art and natural materials. Students will be informed that their photos of their work will be displayed in the student gallery with reception for the community.

Vocabulary:

Site-based: picking a specific site and working with the site and basing every decision off that particular area

Earth Works: an artistic work that consists of a large-scale alteration or modification of an area of land in a configuration designed by an artist or of an artist's sculptural installation, as in a museum or gallery, of soil, rock, or similar elemental materials.

Key Questions:

Why is it important to only use natural materials?

When did this movement really take off and people starting doing more site-based work?

How do I create an artwork without using any man made materials?

Classroom Strategies- Instructional Preparations/Suggestions/Safety:

1.  The teacher should set up displays that contain examples of site-based art works.

2.  Review information on Land Art and its historical content.

3.  Prepare discussion questions about how to work with all natural materials.

4.  The teacher should have a variety of possibilities to show the students about site-based work.

5.  The teacher should explain to students how to capture the work photographically, and explain the reason that is so important.

6.  The teacher should allow students time in class to discuss their ideas and their thoughts on site-based work.

7.  Teacher will walk the school grounds as students have works days on their sites.

8.   The teacher should prepare a way to print photos of the students work to hand in the gallery.

Learner Involvement-Student Activities/Procedures

1.  Students will view the photos and books on Michel Davo and Land art.

2.  Students will listen to the teacher’s presentation and participate in class discussion (guided by the teacher prepared discussion questions) on site-based art works, land art, and earth works.

3.  Students will ask any questions they have concerning site-based works using only natural materials.

4.  Students will work in pairs with peers and discuss possible sites and ideas for the sites.

5.  Students will go out onto the school grounds and work on their site with materials from the site.

6.  Students will create a sculpture using only natural materials.

7.  Students will document process of building the sculpture by taking photos.

8.  Students will photograph the finished piece.

9.  Students will put together a photo presentation to present to the class on their process of working.

10.          Students will allow the elements to act on the sculpture by leaving it there for its life span.

Practice and Review: Teacher will rotate to around sites on the school grounds to monitor students and assist when need be, review concepts as students work on site, and giving assistance when necessary.

Learning Environment: (classroom set up/class layout of supplies, etc): Students will work with partner on planning for their piece, students will go out onto the school grounds to work during the class period.

Closure:

Clean Up:

1.  Students will clean up site if need be. .

Ending Comments- Address conceptual issues of site based work. Note final idea in sculpture.

Alternative Activities:

Special Needs Considerations- May have special needs students work closer to the building with teacher constructing sculptures.

Addressing Diversity- Have students research certain types of materials on their site and inform the class about them.

Evaluation Strategies:

Formal- Use rubric to identify use of natural materials and how the piece works with the specific site.

Informal-  With the class, orally review key concepts from goals and objectives. Display work in school gallery.

Re-teaching: Most would occur in-process, troubleshooting as problems arise. 

Necessary skills for the mastery of this lesson plan: 

1.  Students will view the photos and books on Michel Davo and Land art.

2.  Students will listen to the teacher’s presentation and participate in class discussion (guided by the teacher prepared discussion questions) on site-based art works, land art, and earth works.

3.  Students will ask any questions they have concerning site-based works using only natural materials.

4.  Students will work in pairs with peers and discuss possible sites and ideas for the sites.

5.  Students will go out onto the school grounds and work on their site with materials from the site.

6.  Students will create a sculpture using only natural materials.

7.  Students will document process of building the sculpture by taking photos.

8.  Students will photograph the finished piece.

9.  Students will put together a photo presentation to present to the class on their process of working.

10.          Students will allow the elements to act on the sculpture by leaving it there for its life span.

Through this sequence of steps, students are exploring the concept and medium in a self driven manner. The students do their own research to understand the concept and meaning behind the project and from there spend time peer sharing and personally exploring ideas. This allows students to construct their own knowledge and explore the medium from a personal viewpoint rather than the point of the teacher.

Having the students research various artists that create natural, site based works allows them to explore all possible aspects of the medium. While students are personally exploring the project concept, they are constructing personal frames of reference and personal opinions about the medium. Students are creating their own knowledge base and are building on it through personal exploration and experimentation.

Laissez-faire lesson plans are entirely open ended forms of instruction that call for self exploration and experimentation. Asking students to create their own projects allows them to learn exactly what they want to learn. This increases motivation and a students interest in the subject. Having guidelines with no particular rules or regulations guides students into learning the desired outcomes but allows them to do so in their own ways. 

Chapter 6 QtC's

Chapter 6

What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning? 

How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions? 

I have spent quite a bit of time researching cognitive development and what children need to succeed and grow as individuals. I found a book that really exemplifies how I feel. I feel that each child has a uniquely different learning experience. As educators, it is important that we not lump all children into the same category and expect them to learn at the same rate and in the same manner. The book I found, titled "Play= Learning", gave me great insight into the importance of individuality both inside and outside of the classroom. Excerpted here: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9EaIvUQziRgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=children%27s+cognitive+learning&ots=Q8IiYoqQY1&sig=7cJ2XtX6FM9Tb_MYG_j9Ke32d1M, the book makes a reference to the novel "A Wrinkle in Time"stating that children are being programmed to parrot answers and knowledge without actually understanding it. The essence of "play" is that it gives children an outlet to de-stress, to have completely unstructured existence where they can practice their own creativity and apply their classroom skills to the real world. I found the above book to be very interesting and informative and showed me the importance of allowing kids to express themselves in and out of the classroom.

I think the most important aspect of memory and learning is creating material that has significance and importance to the students. They need to be able to relate to the material being taught. I feel it is most important that the students have a personal relationship with the material. I think as a teacher I will spend most of my time teaching material that is fun and relatable to both what the students are currently learning in their other classrooms and to their lives. Fun and play and creativity are importance aspects of the learning process that I see get put on the back burner all too often. With new schools standards and standardized testing, students are parroting what they are learning in the classroom, without really understanding it. Unless the material is taken out of context and applied to real life situations, the students will surely forget. School should be fun!

Thoughts on Class, 2/12

I was so intrigued listening to the various learning theories. I have always been very aware of how I learn versus how my friends and peers learn because I find it both strange and interesting. I know that I am a very visual learner. I rely heavily on the physicality of objects and models in science classes, textures in art classes, etc. I also rely heavily on construction to take the foundation of what I already know and use new knowledge to expand this foundation. I recently went to a lecture by William Labov, a renowned speaker and linguist, and learned quite a bit about the various ways children learn and taking that into account when teaching or presenting new information. Here is some background information and a bit about what he talks about and studies:  http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/sociolinguistics/labov/

I often like to listen to All Things Considered on NPR. Here is the segment I found with William Labov.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5220090

Here, and in his lectures, he speaks a lot about recognizing cultural differences in language as well as slang and actually utilizing them in our teaching. Understanding that every child is not on the same playing field when they walk into your classroom is important. Labov discusses the importance of recognizing these differences so that we might alter our teaching to better suit the needs of each and every child. Assuming that everyone is level might leave many kids behind. Focusing on differences and embracing them will allow us, as teachers, to create lessons that will not leave any student behind, rather help every student reach the same level. I think his information on linguistics can be applied to any and every subject and grade level.

QTC Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Explaining standardized test scores:
I did some research to better understand Stanines. This website http://www.nzcersupport.org.nz/marking/?p=75 helped put it into lamens terms for me and would help me explain it to Ingrid's grandmother.

Stanines
Stanines are used to compare an individual student’s achievement with the results obtained by a national reference sample chosen to represent a certain year level. Stanines divide the distribution of results for a year group into nine categories. Most students, when compared with their own year level, achieve around stanines four, five, and six. Stanines seven, eight, and nine represent comparatively high achievement for a year group, while stanines one, two, and three indicate comparatively low achievement.

It is important to remember that the national reference sample data for the PAT tests was collected in March. This means that when a test is administered at the end of the year it will be more appropriate to make stanine comparisons with the next highest year level. Stanines for the STAR test are available for several points in the year (For example for the Year 4 to 9 STAR Tests, stanines within each year level can be reported for February to May, June to August and September to December). The nearest time point to the date the test was administered should be selected for reporting stanines.

The figure below shows how the nine stanines for a Year level break the PAT:Reading scale into 9 regions. Apart from stanines 1 and 9 each the width of each region is the same. More information about stanines and how they were derived can be found in the teacher manuals.

I also did some research into how to best explain test scores to parents. This website http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=1&n=1 made it pretty simple. 

Stanine is short for standard nine. The name comes from the fact that stanine scores range from a low of 1 to a high of 9. For instance, a stanine score of

1, 2, or 3 is below average
4, 5, or 6 is average
7, 8, or 9 is above average

If a child achieved a stanine score that was below average in a particular area, the test revealed an area in which the child needs improvement. If the child achieved an average stanine score, the test indicated that he or she performed at about the same level as other students who took the test. If the child achieved a stanine score that is above average, the test results mean that he or she performed better in that area than other students who took the test

This website recommended that the teacher explain to the student why he or she needs to be tested in this manner. It also recommended that the teacher explain the scores and what exactly the scores mean. Often times they look like a foreign language but when broken down, are actually fairly simple to understand. 

Ingrid is especially strong in reading comprehension and science. She is average in social studies, and below average in math concepts, math computation, and spelling. It is important that Ingrid and her grandmother understand what the Stanine means vs the percentile so that she doesn't get too hard on herself and feel defeated. There are a few suggestions I would make for Ingrid to do at home. Obviously, Ingrid is not mastering some aspects of math and spelling. Often times, students need to experience another form of learning. A differentiated teaching approach could definitely be beneficial for Ingrid. I would recommend a tutor outside of the classroom that could give Ingrid one on one help in mastering these subjects. 

When looking for answers, I found a NY Times article that highlighted many different scholarly opinions. I always find articles like this helpful because they provide me with many opinions and viewpoints, allowing me to for my own. Check it out here : http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/how-to-improve-national-math-scores/

NCLB vs RTTT

We talked quite a bit about Race to the Top in class but I didn't feel like I received enough information to come to my own conclusions. I did a bit of research and found this website (http://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0235.htm) to be particularly helpful. See what you think.

Here are some highlights I found :

No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L.107-110) established an accountability system for states, school districts, and schools receiving federal education funds. It requires states and local districts to (1) have academic standards, (2) make annual progress towards having every student achieve the standards and closing gaps between all students and certain subgroups of students, (3) test students to see if they are learning, and (4) collect data on how they are doing. The law also requires states to identify schools and school districts that are not making enough progress and follow a step-by-step process for either turning those schools around or closing them.
The law makes its academic standards and assessment requirements a condition of receiving a federal Title I grant. Title I grants go through states to local school districts to help educate disadvantaged children. Title I is the largest federal education grant to states and local school districts. According to the State Department of Education (SDE), Connecticut school districts received approximately $123.74 million in Title I grants in FY 09.
Race to the Top Grant
As part of ARRA, also known as the “federal stimulus” act, Congress provided $4.35 billion for competitive grants to states to encourage education innovation and reform in four areas: (1) enhancing standards and assessments, (2) improving collection and use of data, (3) increasing teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution, and (4) turning around low-achieving schools. The RTTT scoring rubric awards states that apply for a grant a maximum of 500 points based on how well they meet the grant's various criteria.  Points are awarded in six areas with many subareas. Winning states must use the grant money to implement the programs and plans detailed in their grant applications.
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) is awarding Race to the Top grants in two phases. Phase 1 applications were due January 19, 2010 and awards were issued on March 29, 2010. Forty-one states applied for grants in the first round. There were 15 finalists and two winners, Delaware and Tennessee, which received grants of $100 million and $500 million, respectively. Connecticut finished 25^th and was not a finalist. Phase 2 applications were due June 1, 2010, with awards expected in September 2010. Thirty-five states, including Connecticut, and the District of Columbia have applied for Phase 2 grants. There is no set number of state awards and no set grant amounts. The USDOE has issued nonbinding guidance for grant ranges by dividing states into five categories based on student population. The range for Connecticut is $60 million to $175 million. Grants must be expended over four years starting from the award date.

NCLB Standards:
 States must test each student in grades three through eight and grade 10 in specified subjects. Test scores must be reported by district, school, and by subgroups within a school. States must define AYP towards meeting the standard. The definition must:

1. apply the same achievement standards statewide;
2. be statistically valid and reliable;
3. result in continuous and substantial academic improvement for all students;
4. measure student progress primarily by test results; and
5. have separate, measurable annual objectives for substantial improvement of all students and students in each of the following subgroups: (a) economically disadvantaged students, (b) students from major racial and ethnic groups, (c) students with disabilities, and (d) students with limited English proficiency.

RTTT Standards:

A state receives a total of 24 points on its RTTT application if its longitudinal data system meets all elements specified in the American COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69).  This law awards competitive grants to states to enhance their statewide P-16 education longitudinal data systems to include 12 elements:

1. a unique statewide student identifier that does not permit a student to be individually identified by system users;

2. student-level enrollment, demographic, and program participation information;

3. student-level information about the points at which students exit, transfer in and out, drop out, or complete P-16 education programs;

4. the capacity to communicate with higher education data systems;

5. a state data audit system that assesses data quality, validity, and reliability;

6. yearly test records of individual students' performance on NCLB-required tests;

7. information on students not tested by grade and subject;

8. a teacher identifier system with the ability to match teachers to students;

9. student-level transcript information, including information on courses completed and grades earned;

10. student-level college readiness test scores;

11. information on the extent to which students transition successfully from secondary school to postsecondary education, including whether students enroll in remedial coursework; and

12. all other information necessary to address alignment and adequate preparation for success in postsecondary education.

No Child Left Behind Act

New Federal Testing Requirements (2002-R-0081)

Timeline of Requirements in the New Federal Education Act (2002-R-0168)

Race to the Top Grants

Race to the Top Grants and Charter Schools (2010-R-0002)

Online Courses in CT Secondary and Adult Education (2010-R-0070)

I found this website both informative, non bias, and helpful. I think the general idea and motives behind both acts are great- I just think we need to approach them differently. Lets get some teachers in office to represent us from an understanding and well informed stand point and then see what kind of progress we can make. Looking forward to that day.

Reflections on Class, 1/5

 Watching "Changing Paradigms" opened my eyes to a world of education I had never quite explored. Something that really stood out to me was the part about ADHD and medications prescribed for the "disorder". I was a hyperactive, accident prone child and young adult and was heavily medicated by physicians to keep this "problem" under control. My parents started digging deeper for information on Adderall and Rhitalin and other similar medications and quickly took me off of them after finding out information the doctors never told them. Did my grades improve after taking said medications? Nope. Did my attention span improve? Nope. Did I get in trouble less or hurt myself less? Sure didn't. So what's the point? I did some research of my own and found some interesting, if not saddening, information.

Below is an excerpt from a government funded website for health and medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670101/
           
       Early amphetamine treatment has been linked to slowing in height and weight growth in some               children. Because the number of prescriptions for amphetamines has increased several-fold over the past decade, an amphetamine-containing formulation is the most commonly prescribed stimulant in North America, and it is noteworthy that amphetamines are also the most abused prescription medications. Although early treatment does not increase risk for substance abuse, few studies have tracked the compliance and usage profiles of individuals who began amphetamine treatment as adults. Overall, there is concern about risk for slowed growth in young patients who are dosed continuously, and for substance abuse in patients first medicated in late adolescence or adulthood.

I also found this bit to be interesting:
            Boys are diagnosed with ADHD 2−4 times as frequently as girls. The frequency of diagnoses increases steeply from age 3 to about age 8, and increases at a slower rate or plateaus through the teen years. In a study of almost 10,000 Australian children taking medicinal stimulants, the highest prevalence of ADHD was 5.5%, and was found in 14 year-old boys ³³.

Did we ever consider that it just boys being boys and kids being kids?
The above website helped change my perspective and make me more aware of the drugs doctors prescribe. Always do you own research!

On  lighter note, I found this website: http://www.thersa.org/events/video
and was sucked in for hours. Check out http://www.thersa.org/events/video/vision-videos/mark-earls-and-alex-bentley
All pretty interesting. Could spend days on that website....

Thoughts After Class, 1/31

Todays presentation was interesting and helpful! I learned a lot about assessing students and the pros and cons to various forms of assessments. Listening to the real life situation presented by Brian was also a huge help, especially considering the similarities between my situation and the art teacher in the email.  I started thinking about the prospect of parent teacher conferences and got very worried! Dealing with parents seems both stressful and intimidating. I did some research and found this website listing all the things parents should never say to teachers. So true! Here are some of the more humorous ones, if you can call them that:

"Henry is acting out because he's bored in class."
"As a teacher, you spend your life trying to make school interesting and challenging," says Carolyn Bower, a former kindergarten teacher in Bangor, ME. "When someone says class is boring, it means you haven't done your job." The statement also may not be entirely accurate. "Parents often say this in response to a teacher bringing up a behavior problem, when the actual issue is a lack of self-control on the student's part," says Tingley. So instead of starting off with an excuse, find out what's really going on and promise to speak to your child. If you truly believe he's not being challenged, steer clear of hurtful generalizations and mention a specific problem and solution: "Henry seems to have the multiplication tables down. Could we give him something more challenging?"

"We're going on vacation for a week. Can you put together a packet of my daughter's work so she doesn't fall behind?"

You may think you're doing the responsible thing, but unfortunately, this typical request is a bit insulting. "You're implying you can replace teaching with a packet of worksheets," says Jan Copithorne, a middle school special education teacher in Highland Park, IL. On top of that, "it's a lot of extra work to anticipate everything that will happen in class over a week and put it together for one child." Because kids miss so much when they're kept out of school, Copithorne advises against pulling them out for an extended period, unless there's a truly important event or a family emergency. If you're set on your plans, ask the teacher for a general overview, like what chapters will be covered in each subject, and accept that your child will need to play catch-up when you get home.

"I know my son doesn't want to take your honors class next year, but he needs it for college so I'm insisting he sign up for it."

Some kids need a little nudge; others know their limits. You probably have a pretty good idea where your child falls, so be honest with yourself, then ask for the teacher's opinion-not her endorsement-about signing up for advanced classes. "No teacher wants to see a student forced into a place he doesn't want to be," says Tingley. (And no parent should, either.) "What often happens is the kid who isn't yet ready for the challenge ends up getting demoted to a regular class, which then feels like a failure," says Tingley. Karen Patterson, a high school language arts teacher in Upper Arlington, OH, has also seen students who sign up for too many high-level courses "absolutely self-implode." Sometimes, "a kid may love and want to take advanced history and language arts, but Mom is making him take advanced math too," says Patterson, who advocates a less-is-more approach, pointing to the benefits of a lighter workload: more time for extracurricular activities, which also look great on college applications. 

"My daughter and her friends don't speak to Beth because she's not in their group anymore. That's not bullying; they have a right to choose their friends."

No parents want to believe their child is being cruel to other kids, so when a teacher brings up an issue like bullying, it's tempting to play it down. And yet, "teachers don't make those calls lightly, so when we do, we need parents' help in reinforcing lessons," says Bower. This can be trickier with girls than boys, since female altercations tend to be more insidious, says Tingley. But you can help "stop the stuff you see." Ask the teacher what behavior she has witnessed in the classroom and talk to your child about why whispering behind another student's back, or passing notes about her, is wrong. 

I also found some very funny parent-teacher interactions that should lighten the mood : )

A parent sent a box of cake mix and a can of frosting with a note to the teacher saying that it was for her daughter’s birthday later that week and would she please make it?

Excuse note: “Susie will be checked out early today. We are getting her hair and nails done.”

Several years ago a parent wrote me a note (both parents are doctors by the way) that said, “_____ is feeling a little tired this morning. Could she please go to the clinic to take a nap sometime today?”

This line is just too funny to resist.  I had a mother accuse me of being responsible for her daughter’s loss of virginity. (BTW, I am female and teaching 2nd grade at the time). To say I was speechless would be an understatement. And if you knew me, being speechless is out of character. I had warned this little girl repeatedly to sit down properly in her seat. But she insisted on sitting on the chair as if she were getting on a horse, swinging her leg over the back of the chair and then sitting. Yep, it happened. As she was swinging the leg, she lost her balance and ended up straddling the back of the chair rather hard. I immediately sent her to the nurse because she was in a lot of pain. I got a letter the next day saying I was responsible for the little girl losing her virginity (there was some bleeding) and how were they going to explain it to her future husband. This had to have been a couple of decades ago. I guess the husband, if there is one, got over it.

Ummm.... SERIOUSLY?

When I taught kindergarten I had a mom call me at my home before school had started and asked me where she should buy her son a glue stick.

Reading all of these stories was comforting and made me feel a bit better about my future with parents. Least of all, this makes me realize we're all in this together.

Chapter 14 QtC's

Explain four formal and informal assessments you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.

Here is a sample lesson plan I created:

Lesson Plan: Site Based

Course: Art

Grade Level: 12th

Class Time: 3-1.5 hour periods and outside of class time expected

Unit Title and Unit Goals

Title: 3-D Construction, Assemblage with found natural materials

Goals or Concepts: Students should gain an appreciation for working on site with no man made materials. The students should learn how to use only what they have access to and create a conceptual sculpture on site. Students should learn about the area that they choose to work on and become more familiar with working in nature.

Standards:

1.1            Demonstrate the use of knowledge and technical skills in at least one specific medium.

2.2            Critique the use of structures and functions in a work of art, written and/or verbal (i.e.,

formal or informal).

3.2            Evaluate subject matter that reflects personal experiences and environments.

Instructional Objective: After viewing a selection of pieces by Michel Davo, the 12th grade student will be put in pairs, plan a site to work, travel to the site on school grounds and construct a 3-dimensional sculpture using only found materials from the site they chose, photograph the piece in its environment, and prepare a presentation to allow the class to view their piece.

Materials/Media:

Supplies/Tools/Equipment:

images of Michel Davo’s work

cameras

scissors

sketch paper

pencils

Other Resources: previous students examples, photos around the room of different Michel Davo’s work and other land artists, books on land art and natural material works.

Instructional Procedures and Design:

Set

Motivation Strategies: The teacher will share a brief history of land art and show a presentation on Michel Davo as well as show examples of previous students pieces. The teacher will explain the concept behind site-based works of art and natural materials. Students will be informed that their photos of their work will be displayed in the student gallery with reception for the community.

Vocabulary:

Site-based: picking a specific site and working with the site and basing every decision off that particular area

Earth Works: an artistic work that consists of a large-scale alteration or modification of an area of land in a configuration designed by an artist or of an artist's sculptural installation, as in a museum or gallery, of soil, rock, or similar elemental materials.

Key Questions:

Why is it important to only use natural materials?

When did this movement really take off and people starting doing more site-based work?

How do I create an artwork without using any man made materials?

Classroom Strategies- Instructional Preparations/Suggestions/Safety:

1.  The teacher should set up displays that contain examples of site-based art works.

2.  Review information on Land Art and its historical content.

3.  Prepare discussion questions about how to work with all natural materials.

4.  The teacher should have a variety of possibilities to show the students about site-based work.

5.  The teacher should explain to students how to capture the work photographically, and explain the reason that is so important.

6.  The teacher should allow students time in class to discuss their ideas and their thoughts on site-based work.

7.  Teacher will walk the school grounds as students have works days on their sites.

8.   The teacher should prepare a way to print photos of the students work to hand in the gallery.

Learner Involvement-Student Activities/Procedures

1.  Students will view the photos and books on Michel Davo and Land art.

2.  Students will listen to the teacher’s presentation and participate in class discussion (guided by the teacher prepared discussion questions) on site-based art works, land art, and earth works.

3.  Students will ask any questions they have concerning site-based works using only natural materials.

4.  Students will work in pairs with peers and discuss possible sites and ideas for the sites.

5.  Students will go out onto the school grounds and work on their site with materials from the site.

6.  Students will create a sculpture using only natural materials.

7.  Students will document process of building the sculpture by taking photos.

8.  Students will photograph the finished piece.

9.  Students will put together a photo presentation to present to the class on their process of working.

10.          Students will allow the elements to act on the sculpture by leaving it there for its life span.

Practice and Review: Teacher will rotate to around sites on the school grounds to monitor students and assist when need be, review concepts as students work on site, and giving assistance when necessary.

Learning Environment: (classroom set up/class layout of supplies, etc): Students will work with partner on planning for their piece, students will go out onto the school grounds to work during the class period.

Closure:

Clean Up:

1.  Students will clean up site if need be. .

Ending Comments- Address conceptual issues of site based work. Note final idea in sculpture.

Alternative Activities:

Special Needs Considerations- May have special needs students work closer to the building with teacher constructing sculptures.

Addressing Diversity- Have students research certain types of materials on their site and inform the class about them.

Evaluation Strategies:

Formal- Use rubric to identify use of natural materials and how the piece works with the specific site.

Informal-  With the class, orally review key concepts from goals and objectives. Display work in school gallery.

Re-teaching: Most would occur in-process, troubleshooting as problems arise. 

Many types of informal assessments could be used in the art classroom. With this lesson plan, I would observe and question the students behavior. During the process, I would ask the students challenging questions about what they are doing. Another informal assessment I could do would be to collect the students sketchbooks at random throughout the semester. They will be asked to draw something daily in their book and I will take them up at random to assess their work and progress. Another informal assessment I could give would be to have students explain their work while in process. Asking students to stand in front of the class and describe their plan, progress, etc. would allow me to test art vocabulary, creativity, and their ability to stay on task. A fourth informal assessment I could do would be to play a word association game with the students. I would create guidelines asking students to name artists, names of various artworks, and techniques used in this form of art. With the game method, I could test vocabulary, art history, elements and principles of design, etc.

As far as formal assessments are concerned, I would begin with a paper and pencil assessment. Testing students knowledge in this manner is a productive way to gain a good grasp on what students have learned or have yet to learn. Another type of formal assessment could be to have students give a planned, oral presentation on an artist or work of art centered around this lesson plan. A third type of formal assessment could be to have students critique their own work and the work of their peers. Students would be aware of the date of the critique in advance and could plan questions and thoughtful feedback on their own work and the work of their peers. A final type of formal assessment could be to bring in an artist and have the students plan questions in advance to ask him or her. Students would prepare a thoughtful and reflective array of questions that both implies what they already know and what they are interested in learning.

Compare norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments:
Norm-referenced assessments: compares performance to that of peers.
Criterion-referenced assessment: indicates mastery or non mastery of specific topics.

I can see pros and cons of both. There is a certain danger to comparing students to their peers. Age standards, as far as art is concerned, is a very western idea. Students begin in the scribbling stage, move forward around age 5 to the schematic age, etc. The problem with assuming that all students will stay within these guidelines like their peers assumes that they have all the same cultural and societal influences. For example, in Africa, children tend to draw the figure with an enlarged head, even into the  Decision Stage (ages 14-16), because African culture places more importance on the head and mind than any other part of the body. A pro to comparing students to their peers is that it gives the teacher a frame of reference. Often students who do not fall into the same stage or "talent" level of their peers is because they could be suffering from an emotional, physical, or learning disability. The stages of artistic development are a good evaluator for judging students emotional and mental health. This website describes the stages of artistic development in great detail: http://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/the-stages-of-artistic-development

As far as criterion-referenced assessment is concerned, I think the pros and cons are very similar. I think this is helpful because it tells the teacher exactly what the students knows or does not know. However, these types of assessments are often biased to convergent thinkers. The problem with giving students an either "pass" or "fail" leaves no room for divergent thinking or creativity. I can see the benefits of using this in art when it comes to art history or the elements and principles of design but I don't imagine this would be a beneficial method of testing when it comes to creativity. Check out this website for more information on criterion and norm-referenced methods of assessment : http://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/2008/05/22/norm-referenced-vs-criterion-referenced-language-tests/

Assessing students in art can be confusing and challenging but I imagine one can only treat it as any other subject and ignore arts subjectivity. All opinions aside, students need to be tested on their ability to follow directions, their mastery of art vocabulary and art history, their cleanliness, tidiness, and beahvior in the class, and their attempt at thinking divergently. Creating a grading rubric such as this for the art classroom would hopefully rid of some of the grey area and make for a successful assessment process.