VTS

Last weekend, I went to a fantastic training at the Museum of Photographic Arts that focused on Visual Literacy. Basically, Visual Literacy is based on the idea that images can be 'read' and that a person can gather meaning from the image. One of the ways we emphasize this in class is with the use of something called VTS - Visual Thinking Strategies. I was trained in this over a period of several years and was excited to get a refresher at the training.

In a VTS lesson we look at an image (piece of artwork usually) and discuss it. I use only three questions when asking the children about it:

1. What's going on in this picture?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What more can we find?

To value what each child has said, I will repeat their thoughts but not interject my own opinions or thoughts. I don't ever say, "That's right!" or "I agree."  I am simply mirroring what they have said (to be sure that I understood.)

When students have the opportunity to talk about art, something amazing happens. There is no right or wrong answer so kids are free to express their opinions. Their comments often build on what other students have said so it's clear to see that they are engaged in the activity, listening thoughtfully to what their classmates think. The experience teaches them to think critically and to give a reason to back up their opinions and feelings. It's always very interesting to hear what the children have to say - come in and join us if you can! I think you'll be very impressed.

Last week, we looked at this photograph at the top of the post by Dorothea Lange called Migrant Mother. Today, we looked at two pieces of art. The first is a sculpture by Francis J. Yellow called Hanta-po (Get Out of the Way.)

And the second is a color woodblock print referred to as Kitchen Scene by Japanese artist, Kitagawa Utamaro.

Talk them over with your child and see what s/he has to say...

da Vinci Experience

Last week, on Thursday, we traveled to the San Diego Air and Space Museum on a bus. Kekoa thought it took a long time to get there.

We talked to a man who worked there about the planes that were in front of the museum. Guy thought they were so awesome! We had a snack and then went inside. First we went into the da Vinci exhibit and started with a movie about da Vinci. We walked through the exhibit, looking at the machines and touching the ones that had green signs on them. A green sign meant that you could put your hands on the machine and try it out. The machines were models of the drawings he had put in his notebooks. Kamryn thought the inventions were really cool. Rhiannon especially liked the hall of mirrors because you could see your back and most times you don't get to see that! Maya's favorite part of the museum was the hallway that had da Vinci's paintings in it. Erika's favorite part was seeing a model of the wings we talked about in class.

In other parts of the museum, there were planes, helicopters and spacecrafts. We even saw an old fashioned car! There was a special room dedicated to astronauts. There were lots of photos of them and you could learn more about the planets. In the back, there were some fake people inside a helicopter and Sabrina thought they looked real. Chelsea thought that the fountain in the middle of the museum was beautiful.

The museum was interesting to Kaitlyn and Briana thought the trip was fun! Gina thought we all learned a lot about Leonardo da Vinci. We had a great time visiting the museum and hope we'll be able to go there again! Maybe next time we'll get to go on that cool ride. :)

*This entry was written by the kids!*

Reading Rockets - Resources for Parents

Reading Rockets "offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development."

I have added a widget (seen at the bottom of this post) to the sidebar on this blog that has some updates from Reading Rockets' website. One thing from the site that I think is helpful for all parents is the Recommended Books for Kids page. It has books listed by theme so you can find just the right title for your young reader.

Catching up...

I just uploaded a bunch of photos from the past couple of weeks, including the ones from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We all had such a great time there! We got to see the different stages in the life of a pumpkin - one of our science standards. It was a great opportunity to step out of the classroom and experience the science first hand. Here are the stages, minus the seed stage:

Ask your child to tell you about the stages and to talk to you about the other things we learned about pumpkins. You might just learn something new!