February 16

<---- A sample of the project I made during an explanation. The 8th graders were practicing origami today. They learned basic folds on scrap paper. It took them a bit to catch on, since they were learning from two-dimensional photographs of how to fold along lines. It was a difficult concept for some, although others had done origami in elementary school and came in with prior knowledge of the subject. The teacher and I walked around the room and folded our own pieces for the students to view. It became easier if the students could watch the piece of paper right in front of them, rather than looking at images. The example pieces that the teacher and I were using were pretty small. If I were instructing the lesson, I would most likely use a very large sheet of colored paper and fold it against the surface of the wall in front. This would be easier for the students to see what folds need to be done where. The students were at much different paces than the instruction as well. Some fell miserably behind because they may have missed one step. Eventually, the teacher decided to start over, and when everyone was completed with a specific fold, they would hold it up in the air so she knew when to move on with her lesson. This process worked well. As the teacher went through the steps one-at-a-time, I walked around the room and helped the students catch up. The students then moved on to a bit more complex origami. The teacher handed out a packet of origami animals. The students made a ladybug and a dog today, as I practiced with them and helped them follow the directions in the packets. They were simply practicing with these animals, but their project will be a big version of these origami animals. From the packet, each student is supposed to select one animal and make it on a larger scale with better quality paper. These final products should be interesting!