An important part of Kindergarten is developing representational skills. Children are artists in different ways and their skills develop at different times. Continued reflection and practice ensures growth and progress, but this looks different for every member in a learning community.
Thane recently shared his writing goal; to draw better. With the support of his learning community, Thane practiced and revised drafts of a pizza.
Thane's Pizza
Thane was beginning a new How To Book; How To Make a Pizza. With his recent writing goal fresh in his mind, I offered him the opportunity to work on one pizza drawing each day, using a photograph to help guide his work. During our share following writing workshop, he would have a few minutes to present his pizza and look for feedback and support from his peers.
You need tiny dots to show the spice on the pepperoni!
Try drawing lines for cheese.
The crust should be thick. Draw one big oval and then a little oval inside.
You need straight lines across to show the slices!
As Thane continued to make adjustments to his drawings, we introduced a small ruler, helping him to draw straight lines across his pizza- the use of the tool helped him to show slices! His peers admired how his pizza had changed and was looking more like a pizza.
A peer offered to support Thane in using all of the feedback he had received from his writing community. A thick crust, circles for pepperoni, and slices in the shape of triangles. Using his tools and the gentle guidance from his peer, Thane completed his final drawing of a pizza.
We unveiled his pizza during his final share, comparing it to his original drawing. His peers cheered and applauded. One friend called out, your pizza looks delicious!
The pride Thane felt in his work could be seen in his smile and the way he clutched his pizza drawing, holding it high above his head. Thane's Pizza is a story of persistence, growth, and how peers can help foster a love for writing and learning.
