Fall Zentangles

The lesson plan was inspired by Rene Magritte, we looked at the painting the “Son of Man” getting inspiration from the apple and then looking at his other works to find patterns and putting them together. The students were ask about what they know about patterns and then Mak talk more about patterns as they related to Zentangle. The students were given three stencils to choose from them and then they traced them on construction paper and cut them out.Then students were instructed to break the shape in the space with harsh lines and fill in spaces with different patterns. Then they glued the shapes to a piece of construction paper and added a fall background.

The classroom was set up so the students were sitting at the big table and then the supplies were off to the side on another table. This was a really good setup, because students weren’t distracted during instructions, and it made picking up supplies and putting them away organized and neat. The lead teacher was prompting students to add more and keep working to make their pictures, their best work. Especially towards the end when the students were getting antsy and distracted from the project. The lead teacher did a good job moving around the table talking to each student and asking questions about their projects.

The lead teacher did a good job at making sure each student was included by using names, asking questions about their artwork, and complimenting everyone about things they were doing well. The teacher could have expanded on the history of the artist and given more explanation in their demonstration. I think this class taught me that kids work faster than you think and I need to be prepared with more activities than you think you will need. It also made me think about how you need to be strategic about placing students, because if the students aren’t working well together it can throw off the whole class vibe.