In-Class Art Gallery and Expository Writing Showcase

Upon returning from my last-minute mission yesterday, I brought a selection of 9 works of art for the students to view. The students first had to write down their thoughts and feelings while viewing Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” for their warm up activity.  Thereafter, the students meandered around the back of the room in our classroom art gallery.  The other works of art that comprised the showcase, including Salvador Dali‘s “The Persistence of Memory,” are featured in the photo grid below.

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The students walked around the part of the classroom made into a gallery and jotted down quick notes on what they observed about the pieces of art.  If time allowed, they then worked in pairs to create a brief newscast about either one of the works of art they preferred, all of the works of art, or about the entire art showcase.

In all classes we wrapped up today’s lesson with a showcase on expository writing.  Since it relates to only facts and is found throughout our lives, I showed examples of:

  • a to-do list
  • directions
  • a news article
  • essay types (description, cause and effect, problem and solution, and process/how-to)

I paid particular emphasis on the definition of expository (a.k.a. informational) writing as it informed the students of how this type of communication must be done assuming that the audience has little or no prior knowledge of the subject at hand.  This served as a segue into what the students will be doing during tomorrow’s Genius Hour.

Exposition

REMINDER:

  • The quiz over Lesson 8 of “Vocabulary from Classical Roots” Book C is tomorrow.  Here is a link to the review resources.
  • Tomorrow is another BYOD day in class for Genius Hour.  Any devices brought are the responsibility of the student who brings that device to class.

Homework:

  • Read for 30 minutes.
  • Study for tomorrow’s vocabulary quiz (see the reminder above for a link to the quizlet online flashcards)

PowerPoint:

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