Ish

I wanted to add at least one book about Art, especially now that so many of these important programs are getting cut from our school districts. Peter H Reynolds (The Dot and The North Star) writes about a young boy named Ramon who continues to try and try at his career as an Artist in the story Ish. After several months, Ramon decides to give up on his artwork as nothing really looks the way that he had expected to. I saw a theme of perfection and expectations, that I see so many kids get down on themselves for. Later, his sister Marisol steals one of his crumpled up drawings, and in trying to retrieve it back from her he chases her up to her room, only to find that most of his art work was decorating her room. The title Ish came about as they would describe his art work. The  flowers weren't put into any kind of perfect vase, but they were placed in something vase-ish. They renamed most of his art work with an -ish suffix, and as they learn to appreciate the individual art work, Ramon becomes more passionate for creating art, moving on to abstract art with emotions.

This book calls on a theme of having an individual expectation, and being let down when things don't turn out how we may expect them. This art lesson could also teach a social story as art can be very expressive and relaxing, and what makes it great is the connection that we all can have with the art. Before reading this book, I would allow students to think of something that makes them happy, and then have them paint it. After painting, they could read this story and share their art work with a peer, and they could tell them what they like about it. If the artist doesn't like their work, they could re-create it to see if they can make something better with the support of their peers and the freedom in their spirit. After creating the art work, they could make a small blurb about the art that makes them happy, and then reflect on the process to see how creating something as an individual and putting your own personal touch on things is what makes art. This read is targeted towards k-2nd grade learners, and if I am ever lucky enough to teach in those grade levels, I would definitely use this book somewhere in the curriculum! :)