iteachk2010
Senior Member
I decided to update my September journal that we use during Writer's Workshop. We always start the year with drawing before we get into writing. I adapted some ideas to fit what we do in my room.
Here is the link: My Drawing Journal
The journal starts out with tracing and drawing different kinds of lines. Then drawing those kinds of lines to finish a picture or draw a shape. Next, they use the different lines (straight, slanted or curved) to draw hair and facial expressions. They draw their own face and then a friend's face. After that, they use shapes to draw a person. They draw themselves and a friend. Last, there are four pages where they draw themselves in different settings.
When I intro a setting, I ask what they will see in that setting. i.e. park-tree. I ask them what shapes they could use to draw a tree. Students draw one on a dry erase board. I try to have kids share their drawings so they can see that there is more than one way to make a tree. Then I draw some on the teaching easel. As they suggest other things, I add them to my drawing on the easel to make the setting. As I draw, I do a lot of thinking out loud. I make mistakes and change things. "Hmmmm. I think the pond needs to be bigger." "Maybe the duck should be swimming in the pond, not sitting in a tree." I make sure they see me erase. I'll ask a student to show me how to draw something like the sun.
We discuss if they have ever been to that setting. If they have been to that setting, I ask, "What kinds of things did you do?" If they don't have a personal memory, I ask what they would do in that setting. Last, they draw their own picture in their journals.
You can have students revisit their journal pages to add labels when they are ready.
Some students are not developmentally ready for the more detailed person/setting. We all have those students who draw spider people-big head and legs coming out of the head with no body. Meet them where they are at.
It is a great idea to give students opportunities to look at themselves in mirrors. Have them name different body parts. Ask questions like "What shape is your head?" "Do your arms come out of your head?" "What is between your head and body?"...
One idea I saw this summer was to have students cut out shapes and glue them onto paper to make a person.
You could also have them use different pattern blocks to make people.
We found that due to the Covid protocols that were in place for the past couple of years, students struggled with oral language, communication and writing because they didn't have the variety of experiences or interactions as they normally would have. (This is another reason why we need to have "play" in our kindergarten classrooms.)
Here is the link: My Drawing Journal
The journal starts out with tracing and drawing different kinds of lines. Then drawing those kinds of lines to finish a picture or draw a shape. Next, they use the different lines (straight, slanted or curved) to draw hair and facial expressions. They draw their own face and then a friend's face. After that, they use shapes to draw a person. They draw themselves and a friend. Last, there are four pages where they draw themselves in different settings.
When I intro a setting, I ask what they will see in that setting. i.e. park-tree. I ask them what shapes they could use to draw a tree. Students draw one on a dry erase board. I try to have kids share their drawings so they can see that there is more than one way to make a tree. Then I draw some on the teaching easel. As they suggest other things, I add them to my drawing on the easel to make the setting. As I draw, I do a lot of thinking out loud. I make mistakes and change things. "Hmmmm. I think the pond needs to be bigger." "Maybe the duck should be swimming in the pond, not sitting in a tree." I make sure they see me erase. I'll ask a student to show me how to draw something like the sun.
We discuss if they have ever been to that setting. If they have been to that setting, I ask, "What kinds of things did you do?" If they don't have a personal memory, I ask what they would do in that setting. Last, they draw their own picture in their journals.
You can have students revisit their journal pages to add labels when they are ready.
Some students are not developmentally ready for the more detailed person/setting. We all have those students who draw spider people-big head and legs coming out of the head with no body. Meet them where they are at.
It is a great idea to give students opportunities to look at themselves in mirrors. Have them name different body parts. Ask questions like "What shape is your head?" "Do your arms come out of your head?" "What is between your head and body?"...
One idea I saw this summer was to have students cut out shapes and glue them onto paper to make a person.
You could also have them use different pattern blocks to make people.
We found that due to the Covid protocols that were in place for the past couple of years, students struggled with oral language, communication and writing because they didn't have the variety of experiences or interactions as they normally would have. (This is another reason why we need to have "play" in our kindergarten classrooms.)
