Designing a Book Cover: The Grumpy Lobster.

"Arno is a grumpy lobster. His friends always try to cheer him up, but they finally get tired of Arno's bad mood. Will Arno stop being a grump, or will he end up being lonely, too?" 

TASK: The students' task was to design a front book cover before they actually listened to the story. They had no idea of the main plot. In addition, they did not see the original cover of the book. The only thing they knew was the title of the story. Therefore, the teacher's  role was to guide the children in prediciting what will or may happen in the story. Again the first graders proved that they can make use of their imagination and fire it up. Have a look!

 

Creative Art Activities: Circles.

THEORY: There are many tasks that boost students' creativity. Different forms of art, including drawing and painting, are natural for children. It has been proved that not only these activities engage all the senses, but they also wire the brain for successful learning. When children play, sing, draw, and paint the motor skills develop. The sum of these different activities enhances emotional well-being. Finally, sharing the artwork enhances social skills. The Arts are not just expressive or affective, they are deeply cognitive.

TASK & RESULT: The students' task was to draw a picture on a sheet of paper with some circles on it. The drawings demostrate very different, creative approaches applied to the same sheet of paper. Have a look!

My Wishing Fish.

We have just finished reading a story entitled "The Wishing Fish". First graders were entirely involved in the storyline. Every time they read the story in the classroom, they felt free to express their excitement about the setting, intriguing events, unusual characters. Some follow-up activities included the class discussion about their wishes and dreams, designing their "personal" wishing fish.