What do you think about when planning or teaching a lesson?

I consider the art history, materials, level of difficulty when planning or teaching a lesson. I plan for grades K-8 so my breadth of projects is larger than the chunks of K-5, 6-8, or 9-12. I never thought I would have been called to teach younger children but it just seems to be the way I have been guided. I hear from our Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher that her students were very disappointed that they couldn’t have art everyday. The day after the first day of art this year, the students were sad that they would have to wait a whole week. I enjoy the teaching of adults, and how they can be self directed but often they can also have similar challenges as little children because we all have an inherent need to be heard or understood, especially when we need assistance. 

Before a lesson I scan the room and troubleshoot. What equipment will I need? what might distract the students? What area of the room needs to be focused on or drawn away from? What materials need to be out? What needs to be inaccessible? 
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I consider my ability and materials available to me. I may connect the content to the bible passage of the school year (we are parochial, this year courage, firm, strong, and all things in love...) or to the lesson the music curriculum is studying. For expressionism we used Prokofiev”s Peter and the Wolf, connecting sounds of the instruments, to a visual of the instrument, and to perhaps the emotion, energy or movement that sound might have (what it might look like). I try to make as many connections to the world that surrounds the project so even if one element, "like my sister plays the flute and that is like a bird sound", the child can take that learning beyond the classroom.

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