In April last year, my J2 class made kites. I needed to learn how to teach the process and they needed to make something. It was spring after all. It was warm outside and in last quarter. We were also in trailers which meant we had no sinks or running water nearby. I brought it in gallon jugs, and we had more than enough. They were provided with all of the materials: sumi paper, dowels (cut to size), glue, paintbrushes and string. They began with constructing the frame of a small Edo kite, then laminated (glued 2 layers) their paper before attaching it to the kite. The last thing they did was paint their images. The process took a lot longer than I’d planned, but the outcome was worth it.
I should also mention, that along with the creative side of this was a language packet appropriate to topic with vocabulary lists and other little “goodies” included.
One significant aspect of this project for me was that the massacre at Virginia Tech had just taken place. With two of my own in college, I was more than unnerved. In the end, I was the one who needed a change of pace.
