Mood Painting: Using Descriptive Language By Michelle Alfaro

I’m in the mood for… Background- I am a first grade teacher. We teach very basic writing skills. We begin with the simple rules of capitalization, usage, punctuation, spelling (CUPS). I usually start off the year with a lot of Daily Oral Language practice (DOL). We move on to writing simple sentences that include a subject and verb. Eventually we move away from sentences that begin with the word I, because every simple sentence then begins with I like, I see, I want,... With time we become Rachel Ray and come up with juicy sentence that make a complete sentence in one sitting. The juicier the sentence the yummier and more gratifying the sentence will be. At the end of the year we go back to the I sentence but in the form of an opinion or a description of how they feel. This is where we sometimes run into trouble. We revert back to “I am happy” and no more juice. Just dry toast and this is why I chose this topic. Introduction I have had some experience with instruction with Brain Education (powerbrainedu.com) and it focused on linking the brain with music, kinesthetic movement, concentration and a whole body connection. It really makes learning more interesting and fun for the kids. One of the first things we learned in order to get our minds ready is the infinite sign. It quiets your mind and allows you to relax and get let things go. ( I need to this exercise more often) First we begin with very soothing quiet relaxing music, sort like a spa like atmosphere, (Enya works well). You simply turn on the music and begin with the sign making sure to overlap, tracing it over and over again. After a minute or so the students will close their eyes and this will lead to a sense of relaxation and free your mind. This will allow us to move to the next step of identifying how we felt during the exercise and if we had any real thoughts while we were letting our brains wonder.

Objective and Rational Participants will be able to focus on their inner thoughts and emotions. Given the opportunity to express themselves through water colors and music, the participants will express one of those moods in writing. They may choose to write about a personal experience or describe something that actually puts them in that mindset. Each participant can share with in their small groups. A small illustration can be painted to go with the stories. I work in an elementary school setting. We need to teach using multiple learning styles. This lesson incorporates the so many of the senses that many students will experience some sense of attachment to their work. The music will make a link to their memory bank and help the students recall. The selection of music you select will affect the outcome. The painting provides a hands on experience, and let’s face it all ages get excited by paints. This experience leads to a shared reading and writing experiences.

Materials/ Procedure Materials- Watercolors Paintbrushes Watercolor paper folded in sixths (Construction paper should work just as well and is usually much cheaper) Cups of water Cleaning Wipes Crayons Music clips (your choosing) Songs I choose for this TIW, Van Morrison- Brown Eyed Girl, Maxwell- This Woman’s Work, Philharmonic- Flight of the Bumble Bee, Nat King Cole- Unforgettable Procedure- 1) Have each group of 4 at tables. Play relaxing music and on chart paper model the infinity sign (using a crayon). In box 1 have participants close their eyes and focus on the music. They will continue to make the sign. 2 min. Have them open their eyes and observe their work. 2) Brainstorm words phrases that come to mind during the activity and chart them. 3) Now have participants but crayons away and trade it for a paint brush. Explain that as before they will listen to music, this time they will use watercolor to illustrate their sense of mood using lines. Show example of relaxation. Each piece of music will be played for two min. They do not need to close their eyes.

Procedures Continued 4) The next four boxes will have an illustration of how they felt during that song. Now share your work with your partner at your team. 5) Have them observe their work and pick one that they felt the strongest connection to. This is the mood, emotion or song that they will write about. In the final box participants will brainstorm their own list of ideas. They may write phrases or words about the mood, music, or a personal experience. 6) Looping- Now frame one of the words or phrases. Use that framed word to begin your narrative. 10 min. You will have special paper to write your prompt. Feel free to use any genre and give it a title. Here are a few options to help guide your writing. By no means do you need to use any of these. Write about what put you in that mood. What memories do you link back to the song? Write about a place you see yourself when you were painting. 7) Participants may share their writing among their team mates. 8) Leave your work on table next to your painting. We are going to take a Gallery Walk to admire all the work. Extensions- I left this portion open. I want us to discuss and contribute how you think this will work for you. I have ideas but I would love to hear what you think first.

Bibliography I owe most of my teaching practices to constructivist theory. As an