Social Skills Lesson Using Cooperative Art!

I had a Grade 5/6 class who needed help in working together. I introduced the project to them by first having a discussion on teamwork.

Each student was then given a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper with a design on it. They were told that they had to create designs using colour on their paper. The only rules were that they had to use marker where I identified with an X, pencil crayons in the other spaces, and they were not allowed to use any logos.

They were then told that their piece would be assembled together with the other students in the class to create a word. I did not tell them what the word was! Despite many requests to reveal the word, I informed them that they would have to wait to see it when everyone was finished.

I used 24 sheets of paper to draw the letters on. A letter/number code was used on the back of each sheet so that I would have an easier time assembling it.  Each student would receive 1 piece of the puzzle to create their design on. I also made sure that the sheets were mixed up before distributing them so that the students wouldn't solve the word before the completion. This added to the mystery.

Once they were finished, I outlined the letters in black to make the word stand out. I then laminated it before hanging it on the wall in their class.

The design turned out much better than I expected and the students were thrilled with their masterpiece! I hung it up in their classroom as a reminder of their collaborative project and what the word "Respect" means. At the end of the year, I moved the design out into a hallway in the school so that more students could enjoy it.

Canadian Remembrance Day Art

I wanted to do something special with all of the students in our school for Remembrance Day this year, especially because of the recent attack on Parliament Hill and the killing of two of our soldiers on home turf.

I had every student in the school make a red poppy, and had the students in grades 3-6 make an additional poppy in white. I made the background of our flag with construction paper and glued all of the poppies on it.

The finished product is 3 1/2 feet by 6 feet. I have a sign beside it thanking our soldiers. It's nice to see the student's reaction when they see the finished product and know that they contributed to it. That's what motivates me to create more cooperative projects in our school!