ELEMENTARY

Banks B., outdoor chalk walk photo portfolio, grade five.

Leigh Drake

During the earlier months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I searched for ideas to keep my students engaged in their art-making through virtual learning. There were so many great internet resources and amazing teachers who were willing to share their experiences during this trying time. This included online conferences, Facebook groups, message boards, and more—fresh ideas to add to my artist toolkit.

During most summers, I teach photography camps at our local museum of contemporary art, and itʼs absolutely one of my favorite classes to teach. I get to try out new concepts and ideas that I can then bring back and try out in my own classroom. Iʼve done this assignment with my photography campers and thought it would be great to adapt for students learning from home through our virtual learning platform.

This assignment encouraged students to get outside, get some fresh air, and be creative in a different space.

Interactive Chalk Walk
For most teachers, virtual learning (or a hybrid situation) became the new way in which we needed to teach to move forward during the pandemic. In our school, we used a virtual learning platform (Schoology) to teach our students. For each of my classes, I provided a selection of assignments for students to choose from. I knew not all of my students would have access to certain supplies at home. Through an artist choice board, students could select options based on their interests and supplies they had readily available.

Banks B., outdoor chalk walk photo portfolio, grade five.

One of the options from the choice board included an interactive chalk walk. This assignment prompted students to choose a scene they would like to draw with chalk and to photograph themselves inside the scene as if they were a part of it. This assignment encouraged students to get outside, get some fresh air, and be creative in a different space.

Banks B., outdoor chalk walk photo portfolio, grade five.

Progress and Feedback
Students chose their scenes based on their interests and passions. I asked them to submit progress photos of their chalk scenes through our virtual platform. Their peers could then give constructive feedback and suggest ideas for poses as needed. Chalk the Walk was a great way for students to work outside and explore different surface areas and media usage. This assignment allowed for the mixing of drawing and photography to capture a moment in time.

Banks B., outdoor chalk walk photo portfolio, grade five.

Conclusion
The finished artworks captured each student’s unique identity and character. As a teacher, it gave me a little more insight into who my students are.

I feel that providing student choice promotes student voice, and that should be the essence of an art program—give them the tools for success and watch them soar with their own passion and ideas in creating works of art.

Leigh Drake is a visual arts teacher at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and a contributing editor for SchoolArts. leigh.drake@vbschools.com
Chalk the Walk