Exploring Feelings through English, Art and Technology

Experience (Before Reading)

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and build context

• Show Vincent Van Gogh’s painting – Starry Night through the website www.vincentvangogh.org to activate prior knowledge as the students have done art appreciation of this piece of his work in Primary two.
• Get the students to talk about the painting and who was the artist who had painted it.
• Show another painting by Vincent Van Gogh – Sunflowers through the website
• Invite the students to talk about the picture and let them know that we are going to read a story about him.

Questioning Technique

• Starting with Cover Page – Who do you think these people are? Where do you think they are?
• Title page – Why do you think the boy look so sad?
• Teacher to continue ask questions for Pg 1 to 28 – Refer to PPT 

Invite students to respond to the book:

•  How do they feel about the characters in the story?
• What can you learn from Vincent’s life story?
• If Vincent is alive today, what would you like to tell him

Facilitating Assessment for Learning and Structuring Consolidation

Guide and ask students to pen down their understanding of the role of sunflowers in the story (Refer to worksheet on the role of sunflowers):

• What happened to the sunflowers at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the story? Students are to draw the sunflowers at each part and colour.
• What is the role of the sunflower? 
• Get the students to verbalise the use of colour yellow and the use of black and white illustrations alongside coloured illustrations 

Unit background:

Students learnt about Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting previously in their Primary 2 art lesson. This lesson will tap on their previous knowledge.

1)   Teacher asks questions to activate and recall (slide #2):

·      What do you remember about Starry Night?

·      What colors were used?

·      What kind of lines did Van Gogh use?

·      How did it make you feel?

2) Show samples of student’s past artwork and recap (slide #3):

– Foreground / Middle Ground / Background

– Warm and Cool Colours

– Rhythm

– Thick brush strokes (Impasto)

1)    Show an image of Van Gogh’s sunflower painting. (slide #4)

2)    Guide students to notice:

•  Warm yellows and oranges
• Repeated petal shapes → rhythm
• Short thick strokes → texture

3)    Go through learning goals. (slide #5)

1)   Teacher explains Rhythm in art and shows simple visual examples using lines & dots. (slide #6,7,8)

2)   Live modelling: Teacher demonstrates how to paint/draw using different types of lines & dots on a printed sunflower outline picture.

3)   Individual activity: Rhythm warm-up exercise (slide #9)

·      Give each student 1 printed sunflower outline picture.

(File: Part2_sunflower_rhythm_practice.pdf)

·      Instruct students to:

• draw short repeating lines on petals.
• add dots in the centre or around petals.
• try different rhythms (eg: Calm curved lines + spaced dots, Energetic zig‑zag lines + clustered dots)
• Discuss: Which rhythm matches their sunflower feeling?

1)   Teacher explains how warm and cool colors can be used to express feelings in art. (slide #10)

2)   Show visual examples of 4 different feelings in the sunflower paintings: Joyful, Calm, Energetic, Hopeful. (slide #11 & 12)

1) Each student pair is given 1 laser cut flower template and 1 backing board to paint. Explain to students why use sunflower templates instead of drawing their own. (slide #13)

(File: Part3_sunflower_template.svg)

*Note to teacher*

The use of pre-cut templates was a deliberate pedagogical scaffold to reduce extraneous cognitive load, allowing students to focus on expressive use of colour, texture, and rhythm rather than structural drawing accuracy.

2) Teacher instructs students to discuss and plan before painting. (slide #14)

• Discuss the feeling both want to show.
• Choose colors to use to express the feeling they have decided. (Joyful, Calm, Energetic, Hopeful)
• Which medium to use (oil pastel or acrylic markers, or both)
• Who will paint the flower and background

3) Inform students they can choose the pathway which makes them feel more confident to work on the painting. (slide #15)

Differentiation Strategy:

·      By Choice of Feelings:- Students are given 4 different emotions to choose from

·      By Pair Roles: – Instead of both doing the same thing, students decide their roles:

Flower artist or Background artist. Advanced pairs can switch roles halfway.

·      By Materials: – Students can choose oil pastels or acrylic markers

·      By Task : – Starter, Explorer, Artist

 

Both students discuss and complete the art lesson reflection worksheets.

(File: Part2_sunflower_reflection_worksheet.pdf)

*Note to teachers:

There will be an opportunity for students to display their artwork at the end of Part 3 Microbit lesson through a gallery walk.

1)   Teacher recap Art lesson & go through learning goals for this programming lesson. (slide #2 & 3)

2)   Introduce Micobit and what it can do through a video and some examples. (slide #4,5,6)

3)   Explain briefing how coding works (slide #7)

*Note to teacher: Preload the AB-buttons.hex program into each Microbit before conducting the lesson.

1)   Working in pairs, instruct students to collect the activity materials in slide #8.

2)   Students connect the battery pack to Microbit by looking at the images. (slide #9)

3)   Instructions to students (slide #10):

–       Refer to the activity worksheet questions. (File: Part3_microbit_level1_worksheet.pdf)

–       Ask each other questions about the story.

–       Press buttons on Microbit to respond:

Button A → YES

Button B → NO

–       Write the reasons in the worksheet.

*Note to teacher: Preload the AB-buttons.hex program into each thumb drive before conducting the lesson.

1)   Students connect the Microbit to the laptop using USB cable by looking at the images. (slide #11)

2)   Live modelling: Teacher demonstrates step-by-step on how to modify the codes before students work on the activity.

• Import the AB-buttons.hex from the thumb drive into MakeCode editor.
• Modify the “show string” code to either icons or short messages.
• *Note to teacher: Inform students to write positive messages. (slide #13)
• Pair Macrobit and download the codes.
• Show the new messages on Microbit

3)   Pair activity: Customise button codes (slide #12 & 13)

• Instruct students to discuss and agree on the icons/messages they want to change. Remind them to choose positive icons/messages.
• Teacher walks around class to observe & address any technical issues.

1) Teacher connects the technology to the story:

“In the story Camille and the Sunflowers, kindness made Camille feel better. Today we will use technology to express our ideas and encourage others.”

2)   Students paste the cardboard holder behind the sunflower and insert the Microbit and battery pack. (slide #15 & 16)

Instruct students place the completed sunflower artwork with the Microbit on the table.

1)   Walk around and observe classmates’ work.

2)   Press buttons and see different responses.

3)   Complete reflection worksheet. (File: Part3_microbit_reflection_worksheet.pdf)

After gallery walk, instruct students to:

1)   remove Microbit & battery pack

2)   write a Short positive message on the circle template provided

3)   paste it on the sunflower (to cover the hole)

*Note to teachers:

Create a “Kindness” wall in the classroom by putting up the students completed sunflower artwork.

Context: Extension lesson after Level 1 & 2 (button input and code customisation). Focus on:

·      Understanding how Microbit uses radio communication to send messages

·      Recognising how technology can be used to communicate kindness

Teacher says:

“Today, instead of just responding, your Microbit can also communicate with others, just like how we share kindness with people around us.”

*Note to teacher: Copy the radio-send.hex and radio-receive.hex files into a thumb drive before conducting the lesson.

1)   Recap level 1 & 2 learning (slide #2)

2)   Review button input and custom responses

3)   Introducing radio communication and explaining same radio group concept. (slide #3)

1)   Organise the students and inform which pair groups are to be the sender and receiver.

Eg: group 1 → 2, group 3 → 4, etc..

2)   Emphasize that both groups must have the same “radio set group” number.

3)   Live modelling: Teacher demonstrates step-by-step on how to import and modify the Sender and Receiver codes in MakeCode editor before students work on the activity.

*Note to teacher: Remind students to write short positive messages.

4)   Pair activity: Sending Secret Encouraging Messages (slide #5 & 6)

• Distribute instruction worksheets to the Sender and Receiver group accordingly.

(File 1 : Part4_microbit_level3_sender_instructions.pdf

(File 2 : Part4_microbit_level3_receiver_instructions.pdf)

• Inform students to discuss and agree on positive messages they want to send to the other group.
• Students test their codes by checking with the assigned receiver group.

Teacher Role:

• Ensure correct radio group setting
• Support students with downloading code
• Prompt students: What message are you sending? Why is it encouraging?

Reflection Questions:

• What did you learn today?

• How is this different from button A/B?

• How can Micro:bit show kindness?