Outside My Window
How can art allow us to explore similarities and differences we have with those in our community?
During this lesson students will explore self and social awareness through drawing a picture depicting what they see outside their window in their community.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to practice perspective taking by drawing a detailed view from outside their window, and talking with classmates about the different views they each have.
Students will be able to develop an understanding of self by considering the role of place in their life.
Materials
- Coloring or art materials (i.e. colored pencils, paint, markers, crayons, etc.)
Preview Lesson Plan
Part One: Introduction
30 minutes
- Invite students to find a window in the classroom or space and prompt them to observe what they notice outside. Students may record their observations.Â
- After 1-2 minutes bring students back together to discuss their observations and create a list together. Note for students that although many students were looking out the same window, they may have noticed different things.Â
- Engage students in the following discussion prompts:
- Why do you think that we notice different things even though we are looking at the same view?
- If time, invite students to create a simple piece of art based on their view from the classroom. Give students time to share with a classmate and compare their art pieces.
- Say: Today you are going to go home and find a window or door to look out and write down what you notice. Think about what time of day you’d like to look out the window and really think about a view from your home you would like to capture so that we can get a glimpse into your perspective. Then, in our next class we will create a piece of art based on your observations.
