Lesson Plan Reflection

Introduction

Arts-integrated education is increasingly recognized as an effective way to deepen student understanding, promote engagement, and connect abstract concepts to real-world experiences (Goldberg, 2012). In designing a lesson that integrates the arts into a science topic, photosynthesis, our goal was to help 6th graders grasp complex scientific ideas through creativity and active participation. This reflection explores the planning and execution phases of the project, highlighting the challenges, decisions made, and lessons learned about interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

Planning Phase

Designing an art-integrated science lesson on photosynthesis was both exciting and challenging. Working as a team of three, we aimed to simplify scientific terms and processes through artistic expression, making the topic easier for young learners to understand and remember. However, communication within the team posed obvious challenges. Without wishing to be critical, both of my teammates had strong ideas but found it difficult to reach consensus, leading to lengthy discussions during the planning process.

One particular point of contention concerned the selection of an appropriate art form for the course. Following Goldberg's framework for distinguishing between “learning with the arts” and “learning through the arts” (2012), we wanted to provide opportunities for students to learn through creating art and experiencing art. However, it was impractical to include poetry, singing, drawing, games, and music all at the same time within the constraints of a 30-minute class period. In order to move forward, my teammates and I pushed together and proposed focusing on poetry and music - two mediums that are both creative and time efficient.

Overall, I contributed heavily to the planning of the course by designing about 80% of the slides and organizing the detailed structure of the course. To simulate photosynthesis, we prepared materials such as soda, leaves, and plates for a simple experiment and conducted several rehearsals to anticipate possible problems. In addition, we adapted the poetry section into a “Rap Your Poem” challenge to make it more engaging and interactive. We taught students the basic haiku format and provided about ten sample poems to inspire them. Finally, to increase engagement, we included a role-play acting game where each student acted out a different part of the photosynthesis process, combining science, acting, and memory retention.

Implementation Phase

In the classroom, the atmosphere was vibrant and student participation exceeded our expectations. Students were eager to create imaginative poems and raps that reflected their understanding of photosynthesis in creative ways. The hands-on experiments and performance games energized students and supported Burnaford, Brown, and Doherty's (2007) findings that arts integration not only deepens content understanding, but also increases motivation to learn.

However, there are real-world challenges to implementation. Science experiments, while carefully designed, are often sensitive to environmental factors. On the day of class, lower room temperatures delayed the expected chemical reaction between the soda and the leaves. Originally, the experiment was designed to be conducted with room temperature water, but because the reaction was less pronounced, we had to quickly adjust to use warm water. This quick adjustment allowed the lesson to run smoothly and demonstrated the importance of flexibility and emergency planning in integrated art instruction.

Despite some minor setbacks, the overall learning objectives were achieved. Not only did the students improve their understanding of the science content, but they also engaged emotionally and creatively with the material, indicating a deeper internalization of the concepts (Eisner, 2002).

Conclusion

Reflecting on the planning and implementation phases, this lesson reinforced my belief that arts integration is not a superficial addition to learning, but an important way to deepen understanding, especially for a complex subject like science. While there were challenges with team communication and experimental unpredictability, these experiences enhanced my leadership, adaptability, and instructional design skills. Most importantly, seeing students express scientific knowledge through poetry, rap, and performance reaffirmed to me that when the arts and academics are thoughtfully blended, learning becomes not only effective, but joyful. As we continue to design interdisciplinary curriculum, these reflections will guide me in creating educational experiences that are more responsive, creative, and student-centered.