ited supplies, taking turns, and com-munication. Reviewing and Reinforcing After another ten minutes, the process repeated. This time, I asked students two questions: “What do you notice has been repeated in several areas, and where might you need to add more?” and “What areas seem neglected?” I encouraged them to think about how they could connect areas by draw-ing between the original squares. I reminded them about repeating and extending the elements they began at previous spots. Reflecting At this point, I asked each group to hang their craft paper on the wall and gave them a chance to take in the developing artwork. I asked them to describe what they saw, noticing areas that grabbed their attention or areas that needed more attention. Are inter-esting forms beginning to emerge? What could you do to make it feel more unified? What’s working? What isn’t? Innovation The final step was to add color. I placed a few of the same color oil pastels at each table, but each table received a different color. I encouraged them to think about how color could be used to elevate the work. I modeled each step of this activ-ity for students. Since it was a collab-orative work, it was essential for each participant to understand the expecta-tions. Group success varied depending on the skill level and the developmen-tal maturity level of participants. I also took time to travel around the room to encourage quality effort and ideas and to minimize the scribbling to which some students tend to revert. This activity required learners to work collaboratively, share resources, reflect, react to surprise, generate new ideas, review progress, and celebrate group success. Practicing collaborative skills was the perfect way to start the school year. Thom Knab is an art teacher at Dodge Elemen-tary School in East Amherst, New York and the president of NAEA. tkvolley15@aol.com NATIONAL STANDARD Creating: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work. RESOURCE VA ST: bit.ly/2MDtvJU Collaborative tabletop drawing with bold lines and a pop of color. 24 SUMMER 2021 SchoolArts
School Arts Magazine Summer 2021: Page 24
