Hello AITs,
Thanks for stopping by, AITs. For this month’s Q & A session, we’ve brought back some of the most frequently asked questions from last year.
Please do not hesitate to reach out and submit a question you may have about ArtsAround lessons. We are happy to help! Check back for more throughout the school year.
Q: I am a new AIT teacher with the HWCDSB. I am wondering if the arts around program will be updated with more lessons as we progress through out the term. I see there are lessons for weeks 1, 2 and 3 for each grade. Will more lessons be posted as the weeks progress? Thank you for your help. Talk soon.
A: Yes, there will be more lessons posted, but right now the lessons there must be taught in the order you see them. Do not skip any. There is more than enough to do right now, as you work your way through the ones that are there. In the audio I did at the beginning of the workshop you worked on before starting as an AIT, I explained why ArtsAround releases only 2-3 lessons at a time. Go back and listen to my message, under the Dashboard at the ArtsAround site, because everything I said will make more sense now. If you want to know what lessons are coming, then press on the Teacher Guide and Information title and you will see two documents, one is titled Short Range Plan which you need to give or email to your Principal and the other is Integrated Drama Themes which tells you the title of every lesson that is up and coming, in Drama, which you should give to every classroom teacher. That is because you are encouraging them to use these titles to integrate with their own lessons. There is one of each of these for every grade from K to 8. If you only breezed through the Teacher Guide before you started, go back and really look at it now. It also sheds some light on what is taught in Drama, gives you professional readings including more rubrics. Just focus on the Drama section for now. Work your way slowly through just the Drama section of the Teacher Guide. Get familiar with terms and the difference between Drama and Theatre, too. I will have this posted under News and update you with ‘what to look for’ every few weeks, so do not forget to check out the News section at the ArtsAround website every two weeks.
Q: Am I to do drama with the primary kids as well or am I doing music with the primaries and drama with the juniors and intermediates. I noticed that the lessons posted for the primaries are more geared around music! Sorry for all the questions!
A: No this is exactly what you need to do if you are stuck. Ask me questions. Good on you for reaching out. The K kids have integrated lessons so although it looks like music, they also dance and will be doing drama activities too. This will go on all year long. Remember to really study the Integrated topics that are listed at the website, so you see what the topics are for lessons for the entire year. Everything you need is at your fingertips. Spend some time, getting to know the website and where everything is, so you can easily reach what you need. Also, listen to my audio until it sinks in. All primary classes are also in the lessons so music, dance, and drama, appear in most lessons, too. Their, added bonus is, that these students get to travel the world. You will see what is coming ahead by looking at the Long-Range Plans and Integrated Themes I mentioned earlier. You are doing just fine. One day, this will click in - just like learning to ride a bike did many years ago. Soon, it will be automatic and that’s when you can relax and really have some fun! Once your learning curve subsides, you will LOVE your choice at becoming an AIT!
Q: How do I have time to fit in assessing every student?
A: Good question. There is no way you can assess every student in 2-3 classes. However, it is important that you make time in each class for assessment. Here’s how. If you have 28 kids and you know there are 10 lessons, if you want to make sure you see all 28 kids divided over 8 lessons = 3-4 kids per lesson. Since there are 10 lessons, that gives you time to use the last two lessons to just choose those kids you think may be weak or are in trouble. Be sure your Assessment Binder indicates every class, and you create an order to keep track of who you missed. Also, there is direct observation while kids are in scenes, working in groups or with a partner. Stand back and watch the whole class. You can gain a lot by observing. But do not forget to tell those kids who are weak what they need to do to improve. If you can’t get to it, call them out of class while you are in your planning time for a quick coaching session. If you want to know what lessons are coming, then press on the Teacher Guide and Information title and you will see two documents, one is titled Short Range Plan which you need to give or email to your Principal and the other is Integrated Drama Themes which tells you the title of every lesson that is up and coming, in Drama, which you should give to every classroom teacher. That is because you are encouraging them to use these titles to integrate with their own lessons. There is one of each of these for every grade from K to 8. If you only breezed through the Teacher Guide before you started, go back and really look at it now. It also sheds some light on what is taught in Drama, gives you professional readings including more rubrics. Just focus on the Drama section for now. Work your way slowly through just the Drama section of the Teacher Guide. Get familiar with terms and the difference between Drama and Theatre, too. I will have this posted under News and update you with ‘what to look for’ every few weeks, so do not forget to check out the News section at the ArtsAround website every two weeks.
Q: How often should I be looking at the ArtsAround website?
A: I suggest you take 5-15 minutes out of one planning time per week, to see what you may have missed. All articles are dated so that is an indicator. Sometimes our team cues you in the lesson to go and look at such and such article, too. For me, I have a list with titles I read so I see quickly what I have missed.