Next, I asked them to think about what qualities of a superhero they would like. Of course, all sorts of funny answers came out; I won’t get into that. But, the laughing helps relax the new environment for most new students.
Then we discussed what do superheroes do with their abilities? We explored ideas of:
Protecting the community
Following the class discussion, I asked them to take a few moments in silence to think about themselves as a superhero.
They had to at least come up with:
Two special abilities they would like to have
What would they use their superhero abilities for
While they were thinking about it, I handed out the template sheets (free download provided below).
Once their thinking time was up, I explained that I wanted them to answer the questions on the sheet first and then stop.
While students were filling out their superhero profiles, I walked around the room to look at what they were writing. It was a great opportunity to begin to learn and gain some insight on my new students. It’s amazing how making them ‘transform’ into a superhero can reveal some interesting information you wouldn’t otherwise get from a traditional ‘getting to know you’ activity. Ok, I know imaginations run wild with the stuff and the fact that a kid wants to create frozen power balls doesn't mean anything, but you'd be surprised by some things you might be lucky enough to discover about someone with this lesson.
The next step was to introduce the art part of the lesson. You could choose any art technique to teach for this second part of the lesson. We focused on experimenting with oil pastel techniques; for example, smudging, etching, blending.
The art task was then set to draw them as a superhero. They needed to use a pencil to carry out the drawing first. And then use oil pastels, experimenting with techniques, to color and ‘bring their superhero character to life.’
Again, during the art time, I walked around visiting each student. Every single kid was engaged in the task. There was a fair bit of chatter, and to the outsider, it may have looked like a noisy classroom, but, all of the talking I overheard was about the task itself. The kids were bonding with their peers over it, sharing their ideas and superheroes. It helped build relationships all around, and the kids loved it.
So, if you’re looking forafun back to school activity that will help you get to know your students, integrates literacy and art, and will engage your kids, you may want to try the ‘Myself as a Superhero’ lesson. Grab the template download for FREE below:
Want to carry on the Superhero theme with a math session? Download a free copy of a Superhero Math Mystery down below (available in multiple levels). It also comes with a video hook to get everyone excited about the task. Click on the cover to find the free download in my TPT store.
It comes with this fun video hook to get their attention fast . . .
grab it all for free! click here!
A 21st century School Teacher, Mother, and Wife.
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