Artifact I: Students explore a shaded play area in search of unique textures to assimilate into their collections.

Artifact 2: This student has found that a wire grate can create a very interesting latticed pattern. This happened to be a vent that pulled outside air into the building. When students held their paper near the vent, the paper would stick to the grate, “Like magic!” To dispel this misconception, I opened a conversation about air conditioning units and the physical properties of air. The students listened–but I think they preferred their original hypothesis.

Artifact 3: This student had the bright idea to capture the texture of her shoe’s sole.

Artifact 4: This student proudly shows off the textures she found. Each student was allotted one crayon–so the fact that she has multiple colored textures on her paper tells me that she cooperates well and acknowledges the benefits of sharing.

Artifact 5: This was an example of found textures that I created to visually demonstrate to the students my expectations for this activity. Later, we all compared the work we had created (Allows students to self-assess their work) and discussed the many textures of the world.