more resources - crayola...opportunities. dream-makers® materials guide classroom and art teachers...

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After you have networked with key people who can help you integrate your curriculum in practical ways, you might consider lifting your program to an even higher level. Seek out professional journals, conferences, and other opportunities to expand your knowledge base. Crayola.com is a great place to start! More Resources More Resources Apply for Grants Most school budgets are limited, so teachers find creative ways to supplement these funds. In addition to donations of materials, search for grants that support your program. Typically, grants are used to fund major equipment purchases such as easels, pottery wheels, or fees for artists in residence. Organizations such as your school PTA/PTO often assist teachers with funding daily classroom supplies. Request grant applications and build your case to show how additional funding can enhance student learning and contribute to their success! Crayola.com Visit Crayola.com to find thousands of teaching ideas, including Lesson Plans, Inspiring Ideas, Early Childhood Creative Experiences, and Art Techniques. Students can submit their original writing and art to Books & Beyond™. Explore children’s creations in the Gallery of Artists. The Calendar ties global events to classroom projects. Web site registration is free. Members receive access to special features, e-mail newsletters, and discounts at the: CrayolaStore.com Crayola ® Dream-Makers ® This national program encourages children’s creative development and learning in grades kindergarten through 6. Each year, a new theme is chosen that relates to national curriculum standards. Participants receive a full-color resource guide, which includes lesson ideas, examples of children’s and professional artwork, techniques related to art-based learning, and information on national exhibition opportunities. Dream-Makers® materials guide classroom and art teachers to collaborate and pursue independent work with students. For more information on how Crayola Dream-Makers® can enhance creative learning in your classroom, visit: Crayola.com/educators/dreammakers © 2003 Binney & Smith Inc. Crayola, Dream-Makers, Model Magic, Art as a Way of Learning, chevron and serpentine designs are registered trademarks, Books & Beyond, rainbow/swash and smile designs are trademarks of Binney & Smith. www.crayola.com/successguide For more information on Strategies For Success visit: Teachers Brochure_3_booklet 3/25/03 3:34 PM Page 12

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Page 1: More Resources - Crayola...opportunities. Dream-Makers® materials guide classroom and art teachers to collaborate and pursue independent work with students. For more information on

After you have networked with key people who can help you integrate your curriculum in practical ways, you might consider lifting your program to an evenhigher level. Seek out professional journals, conferences, and other opportunitiesto expand your knowledge base. Crayola.com is a great place to start!

More Resources More Resources

Apply for GrantsMost school budgets are limited, so teachers find creative ways to supplement these funds. In addition to donations of materials, search for grants that support yourprogram. Typically, grants are used to fund major equipment purchases such aseasels, pottery wheels, or fees for artists in residence. Organizations such as yourschool PTA/PTO often assist teachers with funding daily classroom supplies.Request grant applications and build your case to show how additional funding can enhance student learning and contribute to their success!

Crayola.comVisit Crayola.com to find thousands of teaching ideas, including Lesson Plans,Inspiring Ideas, Early Childhood Creative Experiences, and Art Techniques.Students can submit their original writing and art to Books & Beyond™. Explorechildren’s creations in the Gallery of Artists. The Calendar ties global events toclassroom projects. Web site registration is free. Members receive access to specialfeatures, e-mail newsletters, and discounts at the: CrayolaStore.com

Crayola® Dream-Makers®

This national program encourages children’s creative development and learning ingrades kindergarten through 6. Each year, a new theme is chosen that relates tonational curriculum standards. Participants receive a full-color resource guide,which includes lesson ideas, examples of children’s and professional artwork, techniques related to art-based learning, and information on national exhibitionopportunities. Dream-Makers® materials guide classroom and art teachers to collaborate and pursue independent work with students.

For more information on how Crayola Dream-Makers® can enhance creativelearning in your classroom, visit: Crayola.com/educators/dreammakers

© 2003 Binney & Smith Inc. Crayola, Dream-Makers, Model Magic, Art as a Way of Learning, chevron and serpentine

designs are registered trademarks, Books & Beyond, rainbow/swash and smile designs are trademarks of Binney & Smith.

www.crayola.com/successguideFor more information on Strategies For Success visit:

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Navigate the Materials and Supply ProcessBudgets determine in large part whether classroom supplies are available to meet curriculumdemands. Adequate learning tools—including textbooks, maps, art supplies, math manipulatives,and science materials—are essential for children to learn. Here is a quick review of the key stepsin the supply process.

Why Choose High-Quality Materials?Have you ever been frustrated when a microscope didn’t work? When crayons broke easily? Or when a tambourine made noise rather than music? Children can perform at their best only when they have tools that are not only safe but also function properly, are sturdy, and invite them to be creative. High-quality learning tools are essential for student success in every curriculum area, including the arts. To find out more about what to look for when you buy art materials, go to: Crayola.com/successguide

Your school’s art teacher can help you identify reliable sources for art materials and supplies.Call to order print catalogues or visit distributor and manufacturer Web sites. Ask for performance and safety information about the supplies. Check with experienced teachers to get their recommendations about quantities and getting the best value for limited funds.

Select Safe Art MaterialsSafety is foremost in the minds of all teachers. Binney & Smith has always made sure our products meet the highest safety and performance standards. We have demonstrated our commitment by being a founding member of the Art & Creative Materials Institute. Our products are certified in accordance with the Federal Labeling of Hazardous Art Material Act (LHAMA) under ASTM Standard D-4236. All product formulas are reviewed under a toxicological certification program and are maintained on file by Poisindex, with ready access to local and regional Poison Control Centers.

Decide What Your Students Need With your school’s art teacher, list all the art materials you think you will need for the year, based on your teaching style and plans to integrate the curriculum. Then work together with your colleagues to figure out where to find or purchase learning supplies. Here are a few recommendations from experienced teachers:

• Ask local businesses for safe, recycled or unused materials. Wallpaper books, outdated paint or fabricswatches, and a host of other items are often available for the asking.

• Think about what items might be obtained from parent donations, such as beads, yarn, cardboard, fabric,gift-wrap, or storage containers. They are usually eager to contribute!

• Save your valued art-supply dollars for core products, “must purchase” items only.

Collaborate with your school’s art teacher to develop a school-supply list to provide to parents at the beginning of each school year. Are there any school policies about what children must ormay bring to school? Be as specific as possible about how parents can support children’s learningthrough their purchases and donations.

What’s Your District’s Purchasing Process?Learn how the supply process works in your district or program. Find out who makes the purchasing decisions—it could be you, your principal, the art teacher, or a purchasing agent.There may be a warehouse for all your supplies, or you may use a combination of warehouse anddirect purchase from a catalog, teacher-supply outlet, or retail store. There might be a district,state, or cooperative bid process, in which case you will need to ask an experienced teacher howto get products specified on a bid list. Gather all the information you need before ordering.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998).Understanding by design.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision

and Curriculum Development.

Pinciotti, P. (2001). Art as a Way of Learning®:

Explorations in teaching. Bethlehem, PA:

Northampton Community College& Binney & Smith.

Katz, L.G., & Chard, S.C. (2000).Engaging children’s minds:

The project approach (2nd ed.).Stamford, CT: Ablex.

Hunter, M. (1995). Mastery teaching.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Hunter, M. (1996). Improved instruction.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory

of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences:

The theory in practice. New York: Basic.

Eisner, E. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind.

New Haven: Yale University Press.

Cadwell, L.B. (1997). Bringing Reggio Emilia home:

An innovative approach to early childhood education.

New York: Teachers College Press.

Anderson, L.W., & Krathwohl, D.R. (2001).

Taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’staxonomy of educational objectives.

New York: Longman.

ReferencesDear Educator,“How will I know if I’m a successful teacher?” New and seasoned educators alikewonder about this question! Each year you work with a diverse group of students.What does it take to lead a vibrant, curious community of learners?

In any profession, the first prerequisite to success is to establish a clear missionand identify goals for self-improvement. As a teacher, you use curriculum standards as a framework for children’s learning. You take the lead to integratecurriculum, assuring that children have varied, challenging opportunities to learn.As you forge collaborative relationships, mobilize resources, and seek information,you are well on your way to success—with students and professionally!

Binney & Smith has been a partner with educators and families for a century asmakers of the Crayola® brand of high-quality art materials. We are delighted tosupport teachers in a variety of ways, including:

• the unique Dream-Makers® national creative arts program • national arts advocacy partnerships with schools, communities,

and arts organizations • practical ideas that encourage curriculum integration and sustain learning

This brief guide brings together a variety of practical insights from veteran teachers on how to increase opportunities for children’s success—from preschoolthrough grade 12—through integrated, imaginative teaching. We encourage youto explore www.Crayola.com, where you will find Art Techniques, Lesson Plans,and many more ideas to make creativity part of your students’ daily lives!

Creatively yours,Ron DeLongManager, Art EducationEducational CurriculumBinney & Smith

ContentsOur Goal: Intelligent, Creative Thinkers

Success Strategy 1Integrate Learning Plan EfficientlyAddress StandardsLink Curriculum Areas

Success Strategy 2Teach Effectively

Support Young Learners

• Build on Feelings of Competency

• Increase Knowledge and Understanding

• Develop Skills Leading to Mastery

• Encourage Connection-Building and Risk Taking

Set Up Integrated Learning Centers

Assess Children’s Learning

Exhibit Student Work

Success Strategy 3Collaborate!

...With Families

...With Veteran Teachers

...With Administrators

...With Artists in Residence

Success Strategy 4Speak the Visual

Arts LanguageWhy Visual Arts inthe Curriculum?

Art Elements and Principles of Visual Organization

Navigate the Materials and Supply Process

• Why Choose High-Quality Materials?

• Decide What Your Students Need

• What’s Your District’sPurchasing Process?

• Apply for Grants

References

More Resources

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Our Goal Intelligent, Creative Thinkers

Teachers who unify learning

across curricular domains build

strong futures for children.

Success Strategy 1Integrate Learning

The arts are essential to every learner’s success!

Wise teachers recognize the unique potential that lies within each child! Knowledge about child development and how children learn is the foundation for implementing effective teaching strategies. Successful teachers encourage children to think, communicate, and express their growing understandings about the world around them in imaginative, concrete ways.

A well-rounded education includes all subject areas and is taught by qualified teachers and specialists, guided by educational leaders, and supported by families and the community. Teacherswho unify learning across curricular domains—including language arts, mathematics, science, visual and performing arts, and social studies—build strong futures for children.

Students’ emerging artistic literacy enables them to creatively analyze situations, construct knowledge, and communicate their ideas visually as well as through language. The arts are essential to every learner’s success! This guide describes some imaginative, professional possibilities.

Plan EfficientlyCurriculum planning methods are diverse and continuously change as new information emerges about teaching and learning. You are probably familiar with these common lesson-planning tools and strategies to help integrate the curriculum:

• KWL charts and topic webs to identify learning possibilities and record accomplishments, generated with students (see Pinciotti, 2001)

• Constructivist curriculum strategies such as Reggio Emilia (Caldwell, 1997) or the Project Approach (Katz & Chard, 2000) in which students deeply pursue identified interests and experiences

• Use of Bloom’s Taxonomy and related strategies that support teaching by objective (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Hunter 1995, 1996)

• “Backwards” lesson planning approaches, beginning with assessment strategies and ending with a sequence of daily learning experiences (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998)

You can find more information about curriculum planning tools, including sample KWL chartsand topic webs, on: Crayola.com/successguide Whatever planning strategies you select,closely link your plans with curriculum standards and assessment techniques to assure that children’s learning is holistic, relevant, and meaningful.

Every symbol system (math, music, words, visual arts, body movement) is really a language that makes it possible for people to communicate with each other. Art elements are the basis for communication in the graphic arts. The principles of visual organization describehow these elements are combined and used to create various effects. To see examples of each of these elements and principles, go to: Crayola.com/successguide

When teachers respond to and assess children’s art, they often use art elements and principles to describe what they see or expect, and to analyze how well an effect has beenachieved. What do you say when you talk with children about their art? For samples of ways to scaffold and encourage integrated learning by talking with children, go to:Crayola.com/successguide

Art Elements - line, shape, form, color and texture.

Principles of Visual Organization - unity, variety, balance, rhythm, emphasis, proportion,movement, repetition, pattern.

Success Strategy 4Speak the Visual Arts Language

Youth have a natural capacity to think creatively.

What do you say when you talkto your children about art?

Art Elements and Principles of Visual Organization

Why Visual Arts in the Curriculum?“What the arts teach is influenced by both what and how something is taught. That is, the arts, like other fields, can be taught in different ways for different ends. The aims of any field are not determined solely by its subject matter; they are also determined by policymakers and teachers whodecide what is important to teach (Eisner, 2002, p. 70).

Youth have a natural capacity to think creatively. They are curious and internally motivated to master cultural symbols and knowledge through their experiences. Learning is far more likely to transfer into children’s creative work when we encourage their individual capacities to create in different contexts and with a wide variety of materials. As children’s learning is strengthened, their knowing, critical and creative thinking, and feeling become deeper and richer.

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Careers often begin with a captivating hands-on experience ...

Administrators lend both excitement

and depth to student learning.

... With AdministratorsGood administrators are eager for teachers and students to be successful! A supportive principalor program director helps teachers find mentors, engage in professional development, and makeoptimum use of planning time. In addition to giving teachers formal opportunities to learn and collaborate with each other, strong administrators boost morale by working alongside all teachers.

Most administrators began their careers in a classroom, so they remember the challenges ofstarting out in the profession. A successful principal relies on successful teachers! These recommendations for working together come from both teachers and administrators:

• Always keep in mind how your work fits into the school mission, and how your initiatives contribute to the standing of your school and district.

• Invite your principal to be part of daily and especially compelling classroom experiences. Regularly share your successes with school leaders. Don’t wait for evaluation dates.

• Encourage your principal and school leaders to support induction for beginning teachers. Ask to be part of teacher recruitment programs, an indicator that you have a vested interest in improving the quality of teaching in your schools. Several teachers in Arizona documented a statewide teacher shortage, which led their state universities to launch alternative teacher-entry programs.

... With Artists in ResidenceSpecialists who have knowledge and skills beyond those found in your classroom can lend bothexcitement and depth to student learning. Imagine what students could achieve—in science,music, social studies, and literacy, for example—if they worked intensely for a week or two underthe guidance of a printmaker, choreographer, or builder of fine musical instruments.

Consider some of the following resources to enhance opportunities for children to connect withnew ideas:

• Work with local art agencies and your State Arts Councils (SAC) to bring specialists to share their talentswith your class. District matching grant funds and parent/teacher organizations are often the sources offunds for these events. Your local arts agencies and SAC can provide procedures, guidelines, and names ofartists in residence.

• Invite parents and others in the community to share their profession or avocations with your students. Some businesses have “brand ambassador” programs. Contact their Communication divisions for details.

• Ask local people who have special talents to share their craft or skill. Architects, florists, artists, archaeologists, college professors, and others are usually willing to share their knowledge.

Early experiences with new ideas can change the directions of young lives! Careers often begin with a captivating hands-on experience, such as touching fossils, discovering how a cello resonates, or peering through a telescope. Arrange to visit libraries, museums, discovery centers,college galleries and theater productions, farms, and environmental centers. Go often. Virtuallyevery community resource can be aligned with your curriculum and expand children’s horizonson their world.

Address StandardsCurriculum standards can be a beacon to guide your daily classroom practice! In addition tostate standards for K-12 students, many districts have their own standards. Schools may alsorely on national curriculum standards for each content area. Head Start has its own standards.States and early childhood organizations have licensing and accreditation criteria. Be sure youhave copies of, and understand, all the standards that apply to your classroom or group. These

standards can help you decide this key question: What do I want my students to know, understand, and be able to do?

Standards for teachers include state requirements for initial and continued certification, as well as national standards for new and experienced teachers. The standards for teacher preparation can lead you to resources that support development of professional-practice programs for your students. Successful teachers, who align their curriculum with standards, exemplify these qualities:

• Exhibit a strong working knowledge of their subject matter and student development.

• Organize curriculum to facilitate student curiosity about and understanding of central themes, concepts, and skills.

• Use knowledge of student development, subject matter, instructional resources, and teaching strategies to make topics accessible and meaningful to all students.

Link Curriculum AreasExperienced teachers know that an integrated curriculum makes it possible to offer studentsbroader and deeper learning opportunities, while at the same time addressing multiple curriculum standards. In fact, it is likely that students whose learning is integrated will exceed the standards in their performance on assessments! Collaborating with specialists—art teachers,music faculty, and media experts, for example—is an excellent way to locate materials and activities that best support your curricular objectives.

The diversity within every community, including families, professional and service organizations, and businesses, is a powerful source of ideas and resources for integrated curricula. Curriculum-planning tools such as KWL charts and topic webs naturally lead to ideas and areas for investigation that overlap subject areas. Curriculum standards are filled with opportunities to bring together the language arts, visual arts, social studies, math, science, and other key areas of learning!

You may be wondering where to begin. Does one curriculum subject fascinate you? Do you pursue an engaging avocation? Are you widely traveled? What unique skills do you possess?Veteran teachers often use their own expertise as a springboard to develop integrated learningexperiences. Your enthusiasm for a topic naturally spills over into student interest and multipliespossibilities for learning. This is one way you can start the curriculum-integration process, byusing your own learning experiences as a foundation.

• Incorporate grade-level expectations and state standards to help ensure that students understand core concepts. Look for opportunities for students to write, use mathematical skills, research local implications and interview experts, and demonstrate and apply their knowledge through the visual or performing arts.

• Analyze each day’s learning experiences for their effectiveness in increasing student understanding and enthusiasm for learning. Why did some experiences captivate and engage children? How could others beimproved to generate more energy?

Additional suggestions for working with your principal or other administrator to embed standardsinto every aspect of your program can be found at: Crayola.com/successguide

What do I want my students

to know, understand, and be

able to do?

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When you stimulate children’s thinking, you enable them to intelligently reflect on curriculumcontent. During this thinking process, children begin to grapple with the meaning of their experiences and how their knowledge relates to new information. In doing so, they increase their knowledge and understanding of subject matter and become increasingly skilled in usingthe languages of each discipline.

When students talk with adults and each other about curriculum content—for example, language arts, books and illustrations, authors and illustrators, and the creative process—they are encouraged to discover, explain, share, and explore questions. These are some commonstrategies that successful teachers use to help children think divergently and creatively:

• Choose topics and problem-solving opportunities that can be approached in a variety of ways and that have multiple solutions.

• Work with children to create topic webs or KWL charts of ideas they are eager to pursue. Map key ideasand concepts. Identify related themes. By creating a KWL chart, you and the children can identify whatthey know, what they need or would like to learn, and what resources they need. This type of chart is alsoexcellent for tracking what students have learned.

• Support inquiry into alternative perspectives. Encourage “possibility thinking” through experimentation,talking with experts, and reading.

Success Strategy 2Teach EffectivelySupport Young LearnersBuild on Feelings of CompetencyEducators who support learning provide daily opportunities for students to be personally engaged in the learning process. Strategies that tap into children’s prior knowledge and individual perceptions of an event, story, or topic offer you profound insights into a child’s culture and experiences. You can then help students build on, and make the most of, their curiosity and understandings.

Children who are nurtured and respected as they learn are likely to experience increased feelings of competency, peer cooperation, and confidence. Successful teachers use techniques such as these to build students’ senses of themselves as successful, self-directed learners:

• Encourage children to talk about their efforts. “Tell me about your project.” “What steps have you completed?” “What is left to be done?”

• Seek community connections. “Who else in class (or in the school, community) can offer you additional ideas or resources?”

• Recognize each child’s individual work by identifying and encouraging uniqueness. “Tell me how your work is different from or similarto another project, model, or sample of fine art.” “Which class projects are really unique? Why?”

Increase Knowledge and Understanding

Help students build on their

curiosity and understandings.

Experienced teachers can offer invaluable guidance to new teachers as well as support for each other.Seek out distinguished teachers in your state, community, and school to learn from their successes.

These are some qualities of teachers (and their students) to look for as role models in your quest for professional excellence! Ask yourself questions such as the ones suggested here to guide yourobservations of their work and how you implement what you learn.

•Skilled teachers demonstrate flexible teaching styles for different types of content and with different student capacities. How do they reach students with special needs? What strategies do they use to work with children and families whose first language is other than English? How do they engage children whohave various learning styles and interests?

• Effective teachers exchange timely information about the purposes of assignments with parents and encourage their involvement. Why do diverse families feel welcome in the classroom and an integral part of their children’s education? How do teachers honor diversity and the contributions of each person?

• Exemplary teachers focus on knowledge and its application, rather than just “covering” topics. How is the curriculum integrated? Which experts contribute to children’s learning? How is learning assessed? How are the results of the assessments used to further improve children’s education?

Success Strategy 3Collaborate!

Seek distinguished teachersand learn from their successes.

... With FamiliesFamilies are children’s first teachers. Students with involved parents, no matter what theirincome or background, are more likely to succeed in school (Fege, 2002). Research consistentlyshows that:

• Engaging parents and families through special school programs makes a difference in student achievement.

• Involving families and community leads to higher-performing schools.

•Organizing parents and community can help hold schools accountable for results.

Communities today are diverse, so tailor collaborations with families to fit their circumstances, experiences, and expectations. If one does not already exist, work with your district’s or program’s leaders to develop a written parental involvement policy. Keep these key points and recommendations in mind:

• Find ways to increase the capacity of school staff and families to work together to support children’s life-long learning.

• Empower families by offering opportunities for them to build social and political skills and connections.

• Make sure parents, school staff, and community members view children’s educational development as a collaborative enterprise.

For a wide range of practical, detailed suggestions about collaborating with diverse families, go to: Crayola.com/successguide

... With Veteran Teachers

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Encourage students to take different

perspectives, pose new problems, seek

out novelty, and muse upon the world.

Set Up Integrated Learning CentersChildren learn in many places besides desks and chairs. Consider designing your classroom withattractive learning spaces that integrate subject matter. You probably will want to set up severalcenters to address curriculum topics and appeal to students’ diverse learning styles.

An art studio is one ideal way to bring curriculum content to life! This space highlights art connections with every curriculum area and compels students to explore their artistic knowledgeand skills. These are just a few suggestions to get your art studio started. Many more practicalideas are outlined in Art as a Way of Learning®: Explorations in Teaching (Pinciotti, 2001).

• Choose a theme—focus on curriculum content. If you are studying Central America, the studio might highlight weaving or pottery, for example.

• Select a location that is accessible, has open shelves and table space to display resources, and encourageschildren to work independently or in small groups.

•Gather related resources (art materials, artifacts, books, maps, reproductions). Encourage children and theirfamilies to contribute. Use recycled materials such as cardboard rolls from Hallmark gift wrap.

Assess Children’s LearningSuccessful teachers encourage students’ continued growth and development. Meaningful assessment includes teaching for understanding, developing ways for children to demonstrate what they know, analyzing the results, and taking steps to address student needs for improvementas revealed by the evaluation.

Consider some of the following strategies shared by educators that may help you assess children’s work:

• Design tests or projects in which children demonstrate what they learned. Choose assessment measures thatprovide the clearest evidence of learning and enable all children to demonstrate their skills. “Backwards” curriculum-planning strategies start with deciding how student learning will be assessed. Think out of the box!

• Provide opportunities for students to evaluate their own work. This helps them understand the value in takingstock of what they learned. Always participate in student self-evaluations to offer guidance and support.

• Help students maintain their own portfolios. Include samples of their work from all subjects. Encourage continuity of portfolios from grade level to grade level. Make sure families, students, and teachers confer and review the long-term content of each child’s portfolio. When children and families look back over time,portfolios often reveal hallmarks in learning that are not obvious in the short term.

Wondering what kinds of assessment questions to ask to be sure students have grasped concepts aswell as facts? Looking for projects to assign that will enable students to show how they can applyand interpret their knowledge? Examples of ways to measure learning outcomes at each of Bloom’slevels and other assessment resources are available at: Crayola.com/successguide

Exhibit Student WorkChildren are very aware of whether or not others cherish their work. We demonstrate that we value student explorations, their critical thinking and creativity, and its products, when we provide them with sufficient, high-quality materials and time to complete in-depth projects. Visual displays are one memorable, public way in which students demonstrate their achievements. Experienced teachers recommend these strategies for assuring that exhibits are valuable learning experiences for both their creators and viewers:

• Choose locations that meet school safety guidelines to display children’s projects. It’s safety first in the creation of any exhibit!

• Compose exhibits so they clearly address the curriculum focus and related standards. Consider including the standards and lesson objectives that will help others understand the focus.

• Include every student’s work. If the display is juried, ask all members of the learning community to review thework and make independent assessments based on criteria aligned with school board-approved standards.

Encourage Connection-Building and Risk TakingTeachers inspire unique opportunities for student reflection by exploring a wide spectrum ofcognitive reasoning possibilities. Imaginative ideas and a sense of wonder often result whenchildren are encouraged to take well-thought-out risks in their work.

What are risks? Intellectual risks involve trying out new ways of thinking. Risk-takers tacklethorny issues and challenging problems, such as preserving the natural environment or achievingworld peace. Encourage students to take different perspectives, pose new problems, seek outnovelty, and muse upon our world. Challenging questions energize students and teachers to findmultiple connections among ideas!

Everyone involved in engaging projects is likely to discover cultural patterns, aesthetic insights, personal meaning, and a wide range of emotions when you encourage risk taking in the classroom. These are a few strategies for doing so:

• Energize students. If they solve a problem one way, encourage them to explore answering the same problema different way. Make it clear that other possibilities always exist.

• Build on prior knowledge and past experience. Children come to understand the logic behind gaining knowledge when they can relate it to something from their own experience.

• Wonder! Encourage children to be in awe about the world around them. Take every question seriously.Encourage students to ask more questions until they find satisfaction with their findings.

Develop Skills Leading to MasteryChildren whose thinking is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d can construct their understandings in increasingly elaborate and flexible ways. Teaching strategies that expand children’s critical thinking enhancemany skills. When students are creatively engaged in learning about any topic, they expand theirrepertoire of problem-solving skills. These skills, which are relevant to other disciplines, aregradually mastered and used as tools for further learning.

Children’s interactions with each other and adults are enhanced through strategies such as demonstrations, modeling, joint problem solving, and by conveying your own commitment and enthusiasm. Experienced teachers rely on these approaches to develop mastery of contentand skills:

• Find out what children know, are able to do, and are curious about.

• Probe possibilities beyond the obvious. Encourage students to ask “what if?”

• Model and encourage learning in action. Childrenlearn in multiple ways, such as using their voices,moving, handling objects, experimenting, and bylooking. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences(Gardner, 1983, 1993) is fascinating and valuable for planning learning experiences that are tailored to each child.

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