These are a few of my favorite things...

Every week on Thursday mornings in my class, we put on some kind of instrumental music, turn down the lights a little bit, and start painting. (Oftentimes, before school on those days, I start singing the song from The Sound of Music in my head "These are a few of my favorite things...". ) Painted Reflection Journals have become one of my favorite things to do in first grade. It is a time to really focus in on a topic with a different lens. Sometimes we read a book and reflect on the message. Sometimes we think about a field trip we took as a class, and think about what we took away from it. Sometimes we think about the social dynamics in the class and think about how we interact with each other. No matter what the topic, even the most reluctant artists are willing to share their ideas through pictures because often in their minds, this is not art, it's thinking.

This week, I pulled out the journals for the first time and several students exclaimed their happiness at what that meant. They know that they will be able to paint and draw and think and write and share their ideas. When I first started using painted reflection journals six years ago, I wasn't sure about the value of this kind of expression. I had hoped that the children would go deeper sometimes and was frustrated that I didn't know how to encourage that. I am glad that I persevered because a few years in, I saw why this is such an important piece of our classroom culture. One of my students was a little boy who was having some difficulty in other areas of the classroom, but he loved painting in our journals. Looking at his book, his art was quite abstract and often was a splash of various colors. However, when it was his turn to share with the group (and he always chose to share with the group), he had some of the most profound connections. The art he created was carefully planned - he chose colors and shapes for a reason and expressed a deep understanding of whatever we were thinking about. He was able to share his understanding in this format better than in any other way. From that year on, I have never doubted the power of this medium.

This week, we explored the different materials we use - watercolor pencils, oil pastels and water color paints - and experimented how they work together. We talked about how in first grade we will add a sentence to help explain our thinking more. I shared some of my past reflections as examples, which I really had never done before. I liked being able to open up to students in a new way. In our sharing after painting, we heard that many children were thinking of their families and chose colors that reflected their feelings. I am looking forward to next week! For more information on painted reflection journals, please click here.

In thinking about my last post with compass points, I wonder how much the students need art to express their understanding? I also wonder what kind of prompts elicit deeper thinking. Are inter-personal relationships a "better" topic to reflect on? Is it better to start with a story or a topic we are exploring in class? I also wonder what the students would say about how (or if!) they learn and grow through this type of thinking. Does this time of the week excite students as much as it excites me?