In the summer of 2008 I attended the Korean Academy for Educators (KAFE) for a one week summer institute in Koreatown LA.  It was an amazing, insightful and packed weeklong session, with the top educators on Korea leading various workshops on the history, culture, geography and the arts.  Mary Connor and Helie Lee are the co-directors and have spent endless hours developing this seminar.  You will leave the seminar with so many resources, links and teaching strategies for bringing Korea to your students.  I highly recommend the institute for all educators.  Global learning is so important for our students of the 21st century.  California teachers are so fortunate to have this institute in their state, offered various workshops on Korea throughout the year. http://www.koreaacademy.org/

This year I developed a new art unit on Korea for my 5th grade classes.  We began the unit by viewing a wonderful film ‘The Glory of Korea’ produced by the KSCPP (Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project).  They offer educators an amazing array of free books, resources and films on Korea to promote Korea. http://www.koreanhero.net/

After viewing the film and discussing Korea, my students began sketching a Korean landscape, inspired by both the film and a large pile of Korean photographs I have printed for them, received from the summer institutes.  They drew Buddhist temples and statues, rivers, mountain ranges, cities and animals.  The next step was to make the clay slab rock sculpture upon which their sketches would be drawn.  Using a slab roller, I rolled out 50 pounds of clay!  Students brought in rocks, anywhere from 5-8 inches in size, wrapping them in a piece of cloth and draping the clay over the cloth.  They shaped the clay with their fingers and small sponges.  The bottom of the clay piece needed to be open and loose so that I could remove the rock as the clay just started to harden.  These ‘rockscapes’ were left to dry and fired in a kiln.  Using pencils and underglazes the students drew their Korean landscapes on the clay, using small brushes and sponges.  I love using underglazes on clay with young students.  They allow the students to color mix and paint the clay surface as they would if they were using watercolors.  When finished with the underglazes, the students apply a coat of clear glaze and the sculptures are then fired again, for the 2nd time. 

I love opening the kiln after a glaze firing!  It’s like Christmas!  The students and I were so pleased with the results, quite spectacular! 

I shared with my students at this point a powerpoint on the ‘Top Ten Reasons to Teach about Korea’, received from the KAFE institute. I also distributed gave them a handout listing the top ten reasons.  Their last segment of this lesson was to write a poem, format of their choice, on Korea or their sculpture.  Some chose a haiku, some chose an acrostic poem and others created their own format.  This literacy piece will be displayed with their ‘rockscape’ at our yearly art show in the spring.

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