On March 8th, 2017 I lead Lesson 1 at Front Street Study Center. On that specific day there were not very many students at Front Street, but I initially had the audience of three students, two USM student volunteers, and the two study center coordinators. Two of the younger students were very excited about the Puffins and Turtles and began drawing almost immediately. While they were drawing we discussed why these two species were endangered and what they could do to help protect them. At one point, another volunteer shifted the conversation to talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and quickly captured those students attentions for the rest of the activity. Eventually about three other students filtered in and made drawings within the 3 hours I was there.
Overall, I would say this lesson was a success. But I think this lesson could be adapted for older age groups and possibly made even more intricate. You could discuss the ecosystems that each of these animals live in, what they eat, etc. and create more intricate and detailed drawings on the paper. I also don't think that the younger students understood the reason for using white crayons on black paper, they didn't look at Tim's pottery work as much as I had hoped. I believe it helped a lot that I brought in my porcelain tile, as they loved to touch it and ask me questions about it. I noticed that some students went and grabbed some crayons of different colors and began to use them. Of course I let them use different colors because I think for younger students it was hard to grasp the concept of using just a white crayon on black paper.
For my next lesson I hope to use paint and color more. Younger students love paint and get very excited and energized by it. I learned a lot from my first lesson and look forward to the next one!
