Do you remember being in school and being excited about a project only to have that excitement dulled by endless worksheets. What if the worksheets were replaced with authentic projects that focus on "Empowering Students Through Art"?
I teach third grade reading and language arts.
The 52 third graders who make up my two reading/language arts classes are wonderful boys and girls who love learning. Both groups are made up of students at varying levels. There are students with special needs, and students who are working hard just to learn the English language. There are students who find reading a struggle, and students who are considered gifted in reading and need a challenge. We use the Daily Five strategy of reading instruction as we work together to become better readers. The students in my classes are also very diverse in their economic backgrounds with many of them struggling to simply get basic needs.
My Project
Throughout the year my students have learned to love reading. My students also hate worksheets, so I try my best to create different ways for them to show their understanding during reading without simply filling in a blank or matching a word with its definition. I have also found that my students love drawing and creating. It is my hope to use the materials requested for this project to allow my students to create and illustrate books during our unit of study on author Patricia Polacco. Patricia Polacco is an author and illustrator of many loved children's books. My students will study and compare the reoccurring themes in her books such as friendship and family. They will also reinforce their knowledge of our continuing study of the literary elements of characters (and character traits), setting, plot, problem, and solution. I would like my students to create their own illustrated books that use some of the same themes found in the works of Ms. Polacco.
This project will tap into my students' creativity and at the same time teach them more about literature.
By "Empowering Students Through Art" my students will be able to show their understanding through creating instead of my simply filling in a blank on a worksheet.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Petrea and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
