Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 Creativity Lesson Plan: Greek Mosaics CONTEXT I am located in a third grade classroom at Ashby

Lee Elementary School, in Shenandoah County. A brief introduction of my lesson will be implemented on Monday, November 18th, and the making of the mosaic will be completed by the students on Wednesday November 20th. Having the lesson implemented over two days will give the students a chance to learn what a mosaic is, and why the Ancient Greeks are known for their artwork. The students will then have time to plan their idea and brainstorm before venturing into new materials to make their mosaic. When: November 18th & 20th What: Arts in Greece, with a Focus on Mosaics Who: 3rd Graders Where: Ashby Lee Elementary School, Shenandoah County SOURCE OF IDEA/JUSTIFICATION The idea for this lesson plan came from several different places, including my cooperating teacher, myself, and the students Social Studies book as well. I wanted to explore how to incorporate my creative lesson in a cross-curricular way, so I chose to implement this lesson in connection with Social Studies. My third graders are currently learning about Ancient Greece, and were so excited to learn about a new place when I introduced the lesson. They couldnt stop chatting about how awesome Greece looked, and have been learning about the land and way of life. Part of the unit coming up will help the students understand Greek life, and how art played a role in their culture. Although the Greeks are known for their architecture, plays, poetry, and paintings, I wanted to focus my creative lesson on mosaics. I justified this lesson in the sense that my students usually only experience handson activities in art class. However, I wanted to bring a more creative aspect into the classroom and have the students combine different skills in order to create a mosaic. The students will have to write a few sentences about their mosaic and Greece as well, allowing them to practice their language art skills and sentence structure. After discussing with my cooperating teacher, we decided to keep the size of the mosaic to either a half sheet of
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Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 construction paper or half that size. Because of timing and supplies right now for 20 students, I didnt want them to be too large. Plus, once the materials are on the paper, they will stand out just as well. I worried at first that having the students create a mosaic about what they have learned about Greece would be limiting, but I think allowing them to use different objects and explore art in Social Studies for the first time this year justified it to me. I want them to show me what they have learned about Greece through art, and there are plenty of creative opportunities with this lesson. Students can choose any aspect of Greece they wish, and use the materials I provide in several ways. OBJECTIVES/GOALS 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, government (direct and representative democracy), and sports. 3.7 The student will explain how producers in ancient Greece, Rome, and the West African empire of Mali used natural resources, human resources, and capital resources in the production of goods and services. Understand The students will understand that art is a large part of culture, and varies by culture as well. The students will understand that mosaics are a form of art made from small pieces of glass or stone. MATERIALS Social Studies Notebook Half sheets of construction paper (teacher) Colored construction paper (teacher) Colored tissue paper (teacher) Variety of beans, rice, split peas (teacher) Felt (teacher) Exit slip/self-assessment (teacher)
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Know The students will know that the architects of Ancient Greece displayed mosaics in their buildings. Ancient examples still exist today. The students will know that art, such as mosaics, often showed scenes from daily life or Greek stories.

Do The students will create a mosaic depicting what they have learned about Greece. The students will explain how mosaics are used in Ancient Greece, as part of their exit slip.

Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 Glue sticks (students), tacky glue (teacher), hot glue (teacher, teacher use only) Plastic cups, Ziploc baggies Scissors (students)

SUPPORTING TEXTS

Leveled Reader: Making Mosaics by Cerise Wilson

This leveled reader allows students to learn more about the process of making mosaics, and touches on the history of mosaics as well. Along with their Social Studies text, this would be a great supplement. Although I didnt use this book with my lesson, it would be great to use in small groups or as an extension of the lesson. After my cooperating teacher goes more in-depth into the art of Greece as they progress into the topic, I may use this with small groups. It could also be used as a read-aloud in order to promote small group discussion. If reading this passage aloud, I would stop at times in order to allow students to brainstorm ideas about mosaics, and re-cap the historical information that was being discussed. The tools in the article are ones that I didnt need to use during my lesson, since we didnt use glass and grout, but perhaps for older students this could be more possible. Either way, this books information would provide good exposure for students to read about the mosaic process when using actual glass and stones. PROCEDURE MONDAY: I will introduce the students to the arts in Ancient Greece, spending time on mosaics in particular. I will have a Power Point created to introduce the students to what mosaics are, and how the Greeks used them within their culture and architecture. I will explain that
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Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 mosaics are made by tiny pieces of material, and although a lot of mosaics are made from tile or glass, we will be using material such as paper, felt, seeds, and beans. I will explain that the Greeks used mosaics as a form of art to depict things that were important to them, such as people from important stories or the olive trees they were grateful for. I will ask the students to pretend they were a person living in Ancient Greecewhat do they think the Greeks may have created in their mosaics? As the students brainstorm, I will write some of their ideas in a web to organize them (this is attached). We will discuss a few of these ideas, and I will also show students an example of how I sketched the outline of my picture. Then, I will remind students of their task, and explain the different materials that I will have for them on Wednesday. Students will go back to their desk and I will give each of them half a sheet of paper to begin outlining what they want their mosaic to be. WEDNESDAY: Since the students will have outlined their mosaic, I will set up stations for them to begin crafting it. I will have a station containing the beans, peas, and rice in one area, and a station with paper, felt, and tissue paper in another station. Students can use multiple materials, and take them back to their desk to work if wanted. I will call small groups of students at a time to get their materials and begin working on their mosaic. They will have about twenty minutes before library time, and thirty minutes after library to work on their mosaics. Students who arent able to finish during this time will also be given time at the end of the day to finish their mosaics. Materials will be kept in the classroom in order for students to continue with their mosaics if needed. As the mosaics lay to dry, students can talk to their peers about their mosaic, as well as do a walk through gallery of the different mosaics. I will also ask them questions during this time. CLOSURE Upon completing their mosaic, students will complete an exit slip in which they will write at least three sentences about their mosaic and why it shows something that they have learned about Greece. They will also complete a self-assessment in order to reflect upon their work and if they completed everything correctly. The students havent been
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Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 exposed to self assessing, so it will be interesting to see how they handle this. I will also talk to individuals about their mosaics in order to allow them to express something about their work and gain insight into why they created what they did. ACCOMMODATIONS/ATTENTION TO DIVERSE INTERESTS, CULTURE The connection of this creativity lesson with Greece is a great way to explore a different culture in itself. Paying attention to what was important to the Greeks is a great way to explore what is important in our society as well. The third graders are delving more into this as we began to talk about Greeces contributions to our culture as well. Seeing that the Greeks provided democracy, architecture, and some arts to us is a wonderful way to bridge the divide between two cultures. Talking about Greece shows how humans rely on one another for a better way of life. These subjects, and exploring different interests, can lead to a lot of discussion about different interests and the importance of respecting other cultures. DISPLAY The mosaics will be laid out to dry, and provide a walk through gallery for the students. Since the mosaics do have a lot of materials on them that can be picked off easily, I decided that hanging them in the hallway may not be the best idea. The students will be able to share their mosaics with each other during the walk through gallery, as well as during some share time if they choose to share with everyone at this time as well. These mosaics could also be put into plastic sleeves and put into a class book. If I were to do this lesson in the future, this is how I would approach the display of the students work. For the class Im with now, talking with their peers, myself, and being able to look at everyones work was something they were excited about. They dont participate in any activity like this one, so for them, this was a great way to share their first craft that was made outside of the art room. ASSESSMENT Assessment will be based upon completion of a mosaic, a writing of three sentences about the mosaic, and a self-assessment checklist. I will also prompt questions to students about their mosaic, and gauge their understanding from these interactions. Students will
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Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 be asked to explain why their mosaic expressed something about Greece, which is a great way to help gauge their understanding. I will observe while walking around and interacting with the students as well. REFLECTION Wow! What a lesson! The students truly seem to enjoy learning about a different place, and since the beginning of learning about Greece, were engaged with pictures and information about the foreign land. I wanted to explore mosaics with the students, and introduce the topic with a hands-on activity. The students are getting a more in-depth look at the different arts in Ancient Greece, and Im glad they were able to experience something more tangible with my lesson. A positive of my lesson was the students excitement about having art in the classroom. Its made me sad this semester learning about how to incorporate more handson activities into the classroom, but then not seeing those beliefs implemented. I think my idea of having hands-on activities in the classroom was that it was too difficult to implement and thats why it hasnt been at all. However, with a little planning, and willingness to have a messy classroom, it went great! And boy was it messy! I asked the janitor after school if I could borrow a vacuum because I felt guilty with all those pieces of rice on the floor. There was rice in places I didnt think it could be, and I found a piece in my bag when I got home. It was a fun reminder of the kids having a good time with Social Studies and being allowed to be messy. My cooperating teacher was very open to the mess and allowed me to take up a good chunk of time during the day to have students work on their mosaic. I think introducing an informative slideshow about mosaics was a great start, so Im glad I started

Jennifer Custer December 4, 2013 with that. I explained to the students that the Greeks used small pieces of glass and stone in their mosaics, and that our beans/rice/lentil/paper materials were to represent those. I asked the students to create a mosaic that showed their understanding of Greece. Part of me is glad I did this because its a way to express their knowledge in a different way. However, I wish I would have emphasized that the Greeks portrayed what was important to them now, what is important to you? Since I didnt do this, I would maybe have that question as a writing prompt in order for the students to explore their thoughts. If they could do their mosaic over, what would it portray? Overall, Im pleased with my lesson. The students seem to understand that mosaics were an important part of Greek culture, and that the arts allowed them to express different things they were thankful for or experienced in everyday life. The final products looked more like collages, but I think for third grade, it was perfectly fine. I remember doing a glass mosaic in seventh grade, and I think I was able to scaffold this assignment just right for third graders. Im also glad that I allowed students to mingle while creating their mosaic, and provided a safe environment for them to use the materials they wanted as long as they were able to justify their mosaic exhibiting a characteristic of Greece. Aspects I would have changed included checking about the work area that was provided. I did help make more room by allowing the students to take materials in cups back to their desks, but in the future I would have a larger area for hands-on activities. In my future classroom I would try my best to have an area for hands-on activities, but for this lesson I was happy with using what was provided in the classroom to make it work. The kids enjoyed it, and connected their craft with what they had learned about Greece! Fun lesson!
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