Help me give my students manipulatives so that they can work cooperatively to create three-dimensional masterpieces. These building materials encourage open-ended play and allow children to use their imaginations and let their ideas come to life.
I teach grades K-8 at a small combined elementary/middle school in a rural Connecticut town. Each week, I get to see 135 students for art class. There is just one class per grade so many of the older students have been in class with each other since kindergarten. This has resulted in very strong relationships where the students challenge and support each other in a very unique way. There is a real sense of community in the school among both teachers and students. Many of the teachers either attended the school themselves or now have their children at the school!
My students love art and are always looking for new and exciting ways to express themselves.
Students are drawn to hands-on projects and working together to complete challenges.
My Project
When I am planning what projects to do with my students and how we will meet our learning objectives, I always try to take into account all of the different ways that students learn. When students finish their assigned projects they have the opportunity to work freely. I have a very limited amount of three dimensional building materials in my classroom, and I have noticed that many students want to utilize these. The building tiles, joints and interlox discs are all building materials that allow students to create three dimensional structures.
I want to embrace and encourage the overall interest in three dimensional building and cooperative work.
I feel like this will be a great incentive to help keep students that are less interested in two dimensional art engaged and willing to work on projects so they work towards time to free build!
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