Fourth graders visited the second grade Showcase. They chose a piece of artwork that was interesting to them and wrote a response.

PowerPoint: Showcase Response

Writing Handout: 2nd Writing Response, 3rd Writing Response, 4th Writing Response

It is such a huge undertaking to hang up 300+ pieces of artwork. This year I decided to use our Showcase as a learning experience across grade levels. I created handouts that my 4th graders could use to reflect on the artwork they saw at the 2nd grade Showcase. My plan is to have each grade level write about the artwork they see at another grade’s Showcase.

I started the class by going over the questions with my students. I emphasized that what they wrote was their opinion – there weren’t any right or wrong answers.

Before making my PowerPoint, I talked with a group of 4th grade teachers to find out what would be helpful for me to reinforce in our art writing assignment. They told me they are working on having the kids write in complete sentences, with a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end.

After reviewing those three criteria with my classes, I told them that we were having a writing contest. I would be picking a few excellent responses to hang in the hallway alongside the art they had written about. Their writing had to meet the three criteria in order to qualify for the contest.

It was amazing what a huge motivator the contest was! I had them list out the three criteria they had to meet and offered to check their writing at the end to see if it it would qualify. I have never had so many students eager to get their answers written correctly!

Before we walked over to the Showcase, we had a quick Circle Time about art show etiquette. I was so proud that they were respectful of the artwork and were calm and focused while they wrote. As they finished writing, they sat down along a wall and got to free draw on the back of their paper.

I tried to keep everyone in one section of the hallway, for crowd control. But I did make exceptions for students who had a younger sibling whose artwork was displayed on the other side. It was such a great motivator for them to be able to write about art done by someone they know!

It was so much fun reading through their responses! I chose about 15-20 to display in the hallway next to the artwork that the student had chosen to write about. It warmed my heart to see students stopping and reading the responses. It was such a great way to connect art and writing while also making connections between our students!