As a teaching artist for SmartARTS (the education branch of the Greenville Metropolitan Arts Council of Greenville, SC) my mission is to present the arts in a way that integrates with a teacher's curriculum. Typically, I discuss the unit with a lead teacher for the grade level I'll be working with. Together we decide on particular themes and instructional goals to incorporate into the lesson plan.
Whether teaching in person or virtually, that process is explained in further detail on the primary school visits page. But here, we'll layout an overview for an effective, and interactive virtual unit of instruction. I've been doing various virtual classes and video productions both before and since health restrictions were put into place.
Elements of a Virtual School Presentation:
• Hidden Pictures (program recorded by SCETV) covers the basics of my presentation Suggested use for telling. Supplement with my live-feed guidance for student activities
• Character introductions from either The Island Rule (on SCETV), or Mort Finds his RootsSuggested readings from one of those books—leading to creating dialog between characters directed by the use of story cube dice (provided in advance) rolled by students
• Student illustrations created as directed by story cubes—filling their paper with elements (characters and environments). This could be guided by live-feed instruction & encouragement
• Use of SCETV presentation on creating Hidden Pictures from student-made illustrations Live-feed guidance adding hidden objects onto tracing paper overlaid on student illustrations
• Live-feed application of hiding principles to the natural world including camouflage emphasis with The Island Rule, or mushrooms' underground network with Mort Finds his Roots
• Follow-up this unit with Hidden Picture artwork display, or play the associated online board games available on Steam's Tabletop Simulator (introduced in the virtual visit).