Reflection #12: Field Experience

What we are doing in field is doing our lesson plan where we are trying to integrate process drama in 6th grade on the Ancient Rome unit. We told the story, "Roman Diary" where it is about a young girl that is Greek and she is on her way to Rome as a slave. She describes her experiences in her journal entries. She tells about the things she has witnessed and seen and how she has felt. We had the students act out being at an auction for auctioning her off to a master, there was an activity of a role on the wall where we had the students write the feelings of a Roman soldier going off to war. We had them write the feelings the soldier might have had being in this parade. Alot of the students wrote down that they thought that soldier might be scared and worried to go to war. On the outside of the soldier's outline, we had them write words that people watching the soldier in the parade might have felt. Most of them wrote down, proud, handsome, courageous, etc. We had an activity where we pantomimed them going throughout different places in Rome. The young slave girl rescued a baby in a fire and we had an interview with the three heroines and the class asked questions while they gave their best responses as if they were the slave girl.

So at the end of the lesson, we had the students make a journal entry of their own writing down their life as a servant and see how it would have been for them. Many students shared and they were really good! They truly got a feel of how it might have been being a slave in Ancient Rome. I think the activities helped them to understand those feelings.

Now the students have a better idea of what life was like for someone their age, but maybe at a very different social class than they are in. It helped them to gain a better perspective and appreciation for the people of Rome and their lives. It helps them to realize who they are in their own lives and how they can be aware of others and their needs and be more sensitive to them. Overall, I think they were grateful to enjoy the experience and the activities in process drama.

Reflection #11: Field Experience

What have I been learning about while being in field and using the creative arts? I have been learning a few things. I learned while giving the lesson about the different types of pillars that a lot of them are still used today and the places where they have been in used in architecture have been used in the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Utah State Capitol and so many other places I'm sure. It was just amazing to see the the shapes and lines and what distinguishes one pillar from another. This helped students to be able to understand and distinguish from the other pillars by their art form.

So what does this all mean to me as a teacher? It means that a lot of the art that was used back in the time of ancient civilizations are still being influenced today in our buildings that we see. It means that their artistry was passed down to us and we can appreciate where it comes from and from where it was originated. That meant a deal to the students in the classroom realizing that what they see and what buildings they are familiar with, they can know that it was the Romans and Greeks that influenced that type of artistry.

Now what am I going to do? I am having the students draw their ideal dream place using the four different types of pillars at least once to be able to know and distinguish how they are similar and how they are different from one another. I encouraged them to look at the shape and the lines and the form of the pillar and what type of pillar might be used on what type of a building. They were able to remember the pillar types very well and they are doing very well on their sketches of their ideal dream house.

Reflection #10: Field Experience

What am I learning about? What am I teaching about? I am learning a lot about the students in my field experience and learning more of what their needs are and maybe what my field partner and I can do to help them. We are teaching the Ancient Rome unit and it is our first day of teaching tomorrow. We are teaching on the geography and architecture of Rome. We are hoping to do our post/summative assessment by having the students draw their dream house using the different types of pillars we discussed in class.

So what am I going to do to help the students learn more about the drawing and the elements of art? I am going to teach them about the elements of art and what they can do to make their drawings stand out and be excellent. I want them to take time in their project and be proud that they did it.

Now what am I going to do? I am going to teach about the different types of pillars and why they used that specific type of pillar for a certain type of building. I hope that it will be fascinating and fun for them to stop and take a look around town or if they take a vacation to spot the different types of architecture and how this kind of art is still influencing us today.