Residency - Urban Arts Academy - La Kong - 4 Hours

April 23 Monday

Today was the day I got to do my lesson with the preschool class. Once I got there they had been finishing up some play time and I began to set up my table for the project. At five seats I set out one canvas paper, a mirror on an easel and two sets of oil crayons in the middle. We then had circle and I talked about what we were going to do and La and Hillary talked about what the other tables would have for them to do also. Right after circle I was surprised to see every chair was taken up at my table and they were all eager to start working. A few of the children made 1-3 portraits and were very focused on color and mixing them together. The project was very productive and I think everyone came over and got to make at least one portrait if they wanted to. After the lesson the rest of the day went on like it usually does and It was an overall very successful last day with Urban Arts Academy.

Residency - Urban Arts Academy - La Kong - 4 Hours

April 9 Monday

Today La and Hilary were back from teachers spring break and we all went about our usual Monday morning. We had a brief circle and talked about what they had worked on since the teachers were gone and talked about the new small projects they were starting. With Basquiat still as Artist of the Month, one table was for blind folded scribbling, another table had white boards and the last table was for crayon skating! From a while ago La had baked crayons into flat puck shaped blocks. They taped them onto cut fabric which we tied onto the shoes of the preschoolers and they walked around on a large piece of paper. They had a lot of fun getting to twirl around and chase each other while also making art. After art was snack and gym downstairs. Lots of drama and accidents in general today but they quickly made-up with each other and or changed their pants to clean pants. Brad was out today so there was a sub once again in our class. After nap, tables had play-doh, a puppet theater and white boards. Unfortunately by the time I was done for the day, a few of the girls had set up all the chairs for everyone to watch an on-the-spot puppet show. It was exciting although to watch them organize and advertise for their show at 4 years old.

Residency - Urban Arts Academy - La Kong - 4 hours

April 2nd Monday

Today I came in and because of the teachers spring break I worked with Dane, a substitute and Beckett the man I met the first time I communicated with Urban Arts. It was kind of confusing for everyone having a Dane and a Dana as teachers but the day was very successful. Our first project after circle was about the new artist of the month, Jean Michel Basquiat. They had learned about graffiti from a previous artist and today then made a brick wall out of paint chips. They also made crowns and glued airplanes onto maps from Minnesota to where Basquiat is from, New York. After we had snack and went to the “yellow” park for a long time. It was a very cold day but didn’t seem to make any difference to the kids just as long as they could be outside and playing. The whole recess consisted of me pushing them on the swings! I was transferred into another class after outside to help with lunch time until the other teacher came back and was present for nap time. After, I went back into my class for nap and at that point Brad was there and we then went down to the gym for the remainder of my time with them. It was a fun day, I made lots of new little friends and learned some new styles of teaching.

Residency - Urban Arts Academy - La Kong - 4 Hours

March 26th

Today I can in and talked to La about my lesson I will be planing to do with the preschoolers in a few weeks. They were currently working on drawings for their families. After about 15 or so minutes it was circle time and we introduced the newest student. We went around saying our names and what our favorite thing to do in our neighborhood is. After circle we started art. The first table was designing a areal view of roads and grass to be later continued with houses and cars. We used black construction paper for the streets and green glitter for the grass. At the second table they were dying paper for a separate Artist of the Week assignment and at the third table they were drawing images (people, cars, etc) to put on the street view scene. We then had snack, then we went down to the gym to play and back up for lunch. After lunch they all took a nap and after nap it was free play! The three tables were set up again for legos, play-doh and whiteboards. Today I had more time to talk to the teachers, get to know them better and come closer to the students as well. It was a good day.

Residency - Urban Arts Academy - La Kong - 4 Hours

March 19

Today was my first day at Urban Arts Academy with Preschool. When I arrived Beckett showed me to the classroom and I met La and Hillary. La lost her voice so Hillary, another teacher from MCAD filled me in on what we would be doing for the rest of the day. We started with play and drawing, then circle time where we went over introductions and everyone told me something yummy they ate over the weekend. A few students were too shy to talk but by the end of the day we were all friends. During circle we also talked about a project they were going to start after which was from a piece 'Shoestring Potatoes Spilling from a Bag' by Claes Oldenburg (Their artist of the week). We helped them at three separate tables. One table was dying socks for the french fry part, another table was stamping a burlap sack and the third table was pouring paint over recycled flower pots so they could have plants in the room. I was overall very impressed with how much they were doing during the day and also so excited to see all the creative freedom and play they got to have. After those projects was snack time then we all walked down to the park across the street. After park was lunch and nap time. After that they had time to play again. I didn’t know preschoolers were able to read and write! A great day at Urban.

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 Hours

March 9 Friday

Today was my last day working with Ashley Rudolph’s 2nd grade class. They finished up what they were working on and we went down to recess. Outside I got to know a few kids better from the class I hadn’t talked to very much which was nice. After recess they went to the cafeteria for lunch and then music. I stayed with Ashley and helped a few 2nd grade teachers with the economics unit market project. My part in it was to get the class into eight groups and make advertisements  for the objects they would be able to buy at the school market. They all came back from music and took a math assessment before I started the project. They listened very well, and worked very diligently for the rest of the day until we had to go home. Everyone finished all the parts including the most messy, painting. The day went by so fast it was unbelievable. I came out of Whittier happy and more comfortable in a classroom that I was before. I am so glad I picked Whittier as a school to work with, they made everyday I came exciting and welcoming.

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 hours

March 2 2018 Friday

I got to whitter today and the class was finishing up their math worksheets. They had started subtraction with hundreds. I helped a few catch up and help them realize it was all in their head and it wasn't as hard as they were making it. After we went down to recess and we had them all race up and down the field for something to do. After recess was lunch and then they're everyday dance time for about 5-10 minutes. We had been told that today there was going to be an assembly at 3:15 so there wasn't much time for extra work during the afternoon. They then had gym where they played a lot of running games. I didn’t understand how they could still have so much energy from the amount of running they had already done today. There was also a lot of kid drama today with at least 5 girls who cried over the duration of the day for about a minute then got over it and continued to have fun. After gym we had quiet time which is when all the students get to read books of their choosing and then learned a little bit of economics like they have been and then it was Friday fun until the assembly. Three students in my class got awards from Reading Marathon and got to take home fun books and a board game. And that was the end of our day! I brought half down to parent pick up and Ashley brought the other down to the buses. Another great day at whittier!

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 Hours

Friday February 23

Today when I came in I helped a group of 5 on a math worksheet practicing they're rounding up and down to the nearest ten. Then for the first time in about three weeks we had outdoor recess followed by lunch. After lunch they all did dance exercise like they always do after they eat. When it was time for the class to go to gym I stayed back with Ashley and five other 2nd grade teachers and we all discussed the economics unit and how they were going to decide to organize the unit. Ashley shared all the worksheets and a big money project they will be working until after I leave. Once gym was over they all came back and we had quiet reading time for a while until it was time for them to focus on money until the day was over. They all have handout timelines that they were continuing to fill in. They would normally have Friday fun like usual but today quite a few kids acted out and had a very hard time listening to directions so the rest of the day was dedicated to work. It was a tough day with a lot of drama and extra time spent on redirecting the class but over all it was another incredible day at Whittier.

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 Hours

February 9 Friday

Today we worked on many different projects and they did lots of reading and writing practice. They started a new origami unit for valentines day coming up next week and so for a portion of the day they made instructional origami heart handouts. On the handouts they rewrote exactly how to fold the paper in five steps and drew each step along side. I was excited to see them getting to practice they're drawing since I have only done art with them so far once. It was frustrating for them to draw so I helped by giving them simple direction of which lines to draw first and how it all becomes a picture in the end. We made  lots and lots of hearts and I even got to go home with somewhat where made just for me. The students and I after lunch and recess went off to music class where they watched a few videos of a choir-like song and then sung it together as a class. They then practiced four other songs they would be singing in an upcoming concert and played warm up games. After music we went back to the classroom to finish up other assignments, had reading time, Friday fun and then the day ended.

Residency -Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 Hours

February 12 Monday

Today at Whittier it was African American Parent Involvement Day, so when I came there were three or four parents with younger children attending the class. We started off with them, making origami hearts again but this time making ones that would be hanging up on display outside the classroom and in the school. Then we focused on reading and writing, catching up on other work and then indoor recess. After lunch it was time for gym and the students worked mainly on learning new jump roping methods and practiced coordination. After lunch they read, and practiced they're parts in a performance they would have the following day. We all split into groups and it took a lot of patience and focus to get everyone engaged in what part they needed to read and when. They also learned about the basis of money and economics today. The fact that it wasn't always paper money and coins used to get things but it was about trading things like animals, foods, and other natural resources as a way to get what you need. Today was all about practice, routine and cooperation.

Shadow - Sioux Trails Elementary - Marjorie Fedyszyn - 6.5

February 5 Monday

Today we got to Sioux Trails Elementary very early and got all of our supplies into the first classroom to prep before the day started. Our project was fabric self portraits that everyone got to make themselves. First Marjorie showed photos of famous self portraits and gave simple first steps to starting the assignment. We laid out background and skin tone fabrics for the students to come up and pick from and they all got to work quickly. We both walked around helping and reminding the students of the right directions if they forgot or didn’t hear correctly. We worked with three 4th grade classes and she is going back for another four days to finish the project with them. We had a lot of time to get to know each other and talk to other teachers during lunch. We talked with one english teacher about her interest in fiber arts as well and were able to discuss the project with a few others near by. It was an all around very fast-paced day and really great to be able to work with around 60 kids total.

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 hours

February 2 Friday

When I got to class today they were working on their fairytales they've been writing for a few weeks. I walked into what looked like has been a stressfully day for Ashley so I just made sure all the students stayed focused and were working on what they needed to be doing. After than was indoor recess and lunch. The students had the decision to either go to another classroom to play or sit in the room and work on the story still. For a few they lost the privilege of recess for not getting anything done during work time, others just wanted to keep working. After that it was off to music class. First we went over notes and what they meant and then all got into a large circle and learned the cup game step by step. She ended that lesson by telling the students that we could go faster and try that but for the ones who haven't got it down perfect yet would then be left behind and it would be much harder for them to get it right again. We then sang songs and waiting for Ashley to come get us. Once we came back they had a spelling test and we talked about their lack of following directions and how to determine if they should be allowed snacks if they don’t follow the rules. For the rest of the day they continued on their fairytales by writing their final drafts and drawing covers and illustrations for the inside. I worked one-on-one with a few students who were having a hard time focusing and who felt insecure about their handwriting then it was Friday fun. It was a long work filled day. They all got all done and it was overall successful!

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolph - 5 Hours

Monday January 22nd

Today we started with math review and they started a test to be finished later. Because of the snow day half of the class stayed in the room and half went outside to play. I was outdoor duty with the other teachers and introduced sledding to the kids who the majority had never sled before. After lunch it was gym, I stayed there with three different teachers and two classes while we all got to play basketball, jump rope and tag. We then got to create stories by writing up story boards and step-by-step outlines within four separate groups. I walked around and worked individually with multiple students proofreading their spelling with them and helping them cultivate a story that made sense for the content they wanted to use. That work went up until a little after 4. Another extremely productive and successful day for me and the 2nd grade.

Residency - Whittier International Elementary - Ashley Rudolf - 5 hour

Friday January 19th

The first day working with 2nd grade at Whittier International Elementary was wonderful! The afternoon started with math worksheets and reflex exercises on the computers/iPads. After recess and lunch we all went to art where the students were learning about owls. Our project was to start a drawing and watercolor owl to create a mural of the class. A few of the students were having confidence issues with they're pictures and it made me interested to find out how I can help. I reminded them that this was the first day working on this project and the best way to to get better is to practice! I learned a lot about the students individually and what they needed from they're teachers to succeed in school. We kept working on reading and story forming. Students were given cut outs to put in order of the way the story was told. After it reaching about 3:30-3:40 pm they had earned 20 minutes of Friday fun which gave them the opportunity to play in the classroom and use toys. It was a successful day.

Residency - Urban Arts Academy - Tamar Ghidalia - 1 hour

I met with a former preschool teacher and right when I got there I filled out internship and placement paperwork before he talked me through a packet of rules, and pointers for working with children. He also showed me all around the school and specific important dispensaries that I will need to be aware of as an assistant for the teacher. I met 4 other teachers letting them know when I will be starting also.