T.I.E.D. Together lessons intersect with art lessons in pre-first grade

Pre-first grade teacher Mrs. Laura Jensen opened the lesson by sharing Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Then students identified who is we and whose is his. The students eagerly agreed that we are all the “we” because we are all created by God, which means we are his.

Before reading Michael J. Tyler’s The Skin You Live In, Jensen asked her students why skin is important, and the students astutely responded, “we need skin to keep our insides in,” and “we need skin to protect us!” The Skin You Live In is a cleverly rhyming and deliciously creative story about the variety of skin tones and the tasty foods that share the same color.

After discussing the variety of colors in the book, Jensen explained the idea of “pantone” or color matching, and she showed a photographer’s beautiful composition of portraits and the pantones that correspond to each portrait’s skin color. Students then used orange, black, and white paint to mix up their own pantones- all beautiful shades of skin! Students enjoyed comparing their painted pantones to the photographer’s composition to see if they could match any of the pantones from the original piece.

The creative pre-first lesson is a continuation of the lower school T.I.E.D. Together curriculum. During the first week of the month, lower school students and teachers participate in T.I.E.D. Together lessons focused on Teaching Inclusivity and Embracing Diversity Together. Following the lesson, parents receive guidance on how to continue these meaningful conversations as a family.