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This project is one that K5 students completed back before the winter break, but I'm just now getting around to sharing it. Their classroom lessons at the time involved understanding maps and how places are represented geographically, as well as learning about how communities function. In Art, we did a project inspired by the shape of South Carolina. I wanted students to be able to recognize our state's outline. I started the lesson by holding up a poster-board cut-out and asked students to identify the shape. I was surprised that not one single student got it on the first try, in any of our five classes! Their first answers were always a triangle or a heart. After I gave them a clue or two, eventually someone in each group was able to name it. Students started their artwork by tracing the shape onto colored paper. The next task was to tear and glue tiny pieces of paper to fill the inside of the shape. We learned the vocabulary word "collage". Students started by completing the outside edge first. The other main objective for this lesson, in addition to recognizing the state's shape, was for students to be able to accurately judge shape and size. I wanted them to choose appropriately-sized pieces to fill their space. I told them it was like they were creating their own puzzle pieces. . . they had to look at the space on the paper and tear a piece that would fit perfectly in each little spot. You can see that some kids were very careful to choose and place pieces with a lot of precision! The tearing of the paper also helps develop fine motor skills and build strength in their hands. One student noticed that the paper he tore was already in the shape of South Carolina- he was so proud to show me! It took two class sessions to get most of these finished, but by the end, students were very proud of their finished collages! In the week between the first day of the lesson and the second, I asked students to be watching for the shape of our state in our community- on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and billboards. Many students came back ready to share the places where they had recognized South Carolina's shape! As you might imagine, having this many tiny pieces of paper in our art room made for quite a mess. But kindergartners are great helpers, and with lots of little hands we were able to get the room back in order! It was a successful project, and one that our kids really seemed to enjoy!.
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