So here I am, expected to have one of my most challenging classes spend 5-10 minutes observing the environment around them. To be honest, many people today, including myself, are so disconnected to the world, it's actually quite difficult to just sit and observe. I challenge you to set your watch, sit in silence for one minute and observe the world around you... go ahead, I'm sure you haven't done it in awhile... (One minute hasn't passed yet...) Ok, so how was it? Did it feel a little unusual? I'm sure it did. I've had adults laugh during this activity because they were uncomfortable looking at their surroundings in silence (you can do this in your office too!). So I thought instead of just having my students sit and observe, what would make it more interesting and not seem so weird? I think I found something that might work. Sound maps. Sounds maps are a way to document all the sounds you can hear. You need to mark the area of where the sounds come from in relation to you on a map. You can even record how many times you've heard them. Here are FOUR reasons why sound maps are great!1. They don't need to make sense2. They can be simple3. You're actually doing art without even knowing it4. There's no wrong way to do a sound mapWell actually... the only wrong way to do them is to not do them at all (; I can't wait to share what my students come up with and see your examples as well. |
AuthorKumu Kaʻai previously taught at Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Hawaiian Studies at Wilson Elementary School to K-5 students. Archives
March 2017
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