I read somewhere that the best way to launch your school year is to figure out what you value as a teacher and develop first day lessons to reflect those values. So, I took the time to reflect and identify what it is I value as an educator and here is what I came up with:
- Collaboration – I want kids to learn how to work in small groups and how to value the ideas of others and to use these ideas to develop their own thinking/learning.
- Solve Problems – By the end of the year, I want students to believe in themselves and their abilities. To develop this confidence I teach students to solve problems and to think for themselves
- Creativity – I want students to learn how to think outside the box and discover there are many ways to tackle a problem.
- Fun – not everything we do in class will be fun, but at the end of the day I want kids to be excited to return the next day!
Now that I identified my values, it was time to search for the activity that would set the tone for the entire year. After scouring the internet I finally landed on an idea…
What if we launch the year with Play Doh?
When was the last time these 9 and 10 year old students played with clay? Could I develop a lesson with Play Doh that reflected my values?
Just giving them the can and telling them to play with it wouldn’t be the most effective way of communicating my teaching values and may send the wrong message. I needed to put more thought into my plan.
I decided to begin the lesson with a few rules:
Rule #1 – The Play Doh MUST stay on your desk (my classroom has brand new carpet and the last thing I need is 28 students smashing clay into the carpet…not a great way to start the year with my custodian!!)
Rule #2 – Be Creative (any level of creativity will work…my goal with this rule was to let them know it’s okay to think outside the box)
Rule #3 – Collaborate (so often 9 and 10 year olds think if someone get inspiration from their work that it’s cheating…or they are stealing ideas. I wanted kids to know it’s ok to bounce ideas off one another or gain inspiration from a peer)
Rule #4 – Have Fun (I wanted them to find the joy in squishing the clay in their hands and making shapes with it. I didn’t want them to feel pressure to perform or satisfy anyone’s expectations but their own!)
Next I’d introduce warm-up tasks that would give everyone the opportunity to practice making things with clay. My goal was to help kiddos develop their confidence for the main task.
Task #1 – Make your favorite letter of the alphabet
Task #2 – Make your favorite food
Task #3 – How did you feel waking up this morning?
Once the kids had a chance to warm-up, I wanted to give them the freedom to create something for themselves. I set-up the following guidelines:
- Create ANYTHING you want
- Work alone or with a partner
- Get started right away
I felt these guidelines would give students the freedom to be creative, collaborate, problem solve and have fun! I’d give the group 10-15 minutes to create their sculptures and when the time was up, we’d do a “Gallery Walk”. We would slowly and silently walk around the room and observe the creations. Students would not be allowed to touch or comment.
After the Gallery Walk, we would discuss what they observed…
Which creations….
- Showed creativity?
- Showed collaboration?
- Showed having fun?
My hope is that discussion would reinforce my classroom values.
On the first day of school …
I introduced the Play Doh Activity. Students chose the Play Doh can they wanted. Before they opened their can we reviewed the rules. With each rule, they got more and more excited to begin playing.
Next, I revealed the first task, make your favorite letter. It didn’t take long for students to form shapes. Many began rolling snakes, tearing the clay appart or pounding it with their hands. Smiles spread across the room and I heard comments like:
“I don’t remember the last time I had Play Doh!”
“I forgot how soft it was.”
“I’m going to use my lid to help me make my letter.”
One at a time, they completed each of the warm-up tasks. As they worked, I walked around and had them share what they were creating. I loved seeing the variety of items and the creativity in their designs.
Then it was time to let them loose to create ANYTHING they wanted. For some, this freedom was exciting, but others were a little apprehensive and asked lots of questions to make sure I truly meant they could make anything!
When time was up we did the gallery walk. We slowly and quietly walked around the room and observed their work. Then we came together at the carpet to discuss the activity. I asked students to share which pieces of art showed creativity, collaboration and/or fun. It was a great conversation. Students saw value in everyone’s work.
The kids were so proud of the work they did and loved the unique experience. They learned that our classroom would be a place to demonstrate creativity, to collaborate with others, to solve problems, and to have fun!
Practice What You Teach 