Have students revise poems for presentation. Display these poems together with pictures in the classroom, or better yet, some public place in the school community. For grades 7-12, we suggest beginning the lesson at step 4 above, and follow through to step 10. With this older group, we encourage the classroom teacher to lead the students on a journey beyond the walls of their classroom to create an enduring work of public art in their community. Mural projects teach many skills at the same time, including social, creative, and technical.
Mural projects teach responsibility to their peers, to the project, and to the public.
In the process of constructing a mural, the student, perhaps for the first time, will play an integral role in transforming his or her own environment. Aesthetically, mural painting or mosaic construction teaches students to understand color, line, and form. Students learn how to handle brushes, paints, and other artistic materials. Students must also make collective decisions in the areas of selection, revision, evaluation, color, and composition. Most of all, the mural process will bring great pride to the classroom, while providing an outlet for students to express their dreams for a better world.