Meri Lau
Meri teaches at Midvale Elementary School in Madison, WI, which serves PK-2 grades. When asked, “What is it like to be an art teacher?” she said, “When I work with young students, it’s like being on another planet with inhabitants that have their own language, perceptions and gestures. We share a sense of wonderment, search for beauty, feel each other’s pain and sorrow, celebrate together, and express ourselves through the arts. I never have a day where I don’t feel the honor and privilege of working in the public schools.” Learn about Meri’s adventures in teaching through the links below, and free to reach out to her with your questions at mlau@madison.k12.wi.us
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Learn more about Meri's school.
Meri teaches at Midvale Elementary in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2020, her student population includes 47% English Language Learners, 53% low-income students, and 10% students with disabilities. The approximately 440 students include 12% African American, 9% Asian, 34% Hispanic-Latino, 6% multi-racial and 39% white. The school has a Spanish Dual Language program and is paired with Lincoln Elementary (3rd -5th grade), bringing together two unique communities. Meri sees students for 60 minutes each week for art instruction, and typically teaches 22 or 23 different groups of students per week.
Hear about her philosophy of art education.
In this video, Mary Hoefferle interviews Meri Lau about her career path and the hallmarks of her teaching practice.
See Meri in action with her students.
In this section, you’ll see Meri teaching a kindergarten class on the fifth week of the school year. It’s a good example of how she uses children’s literature and children’s experiences in nature as a diving board into a lesson. Notice how she teaches them the rules of the art room through group singing and utilizes subtle class management strategies (using eye contact, gestures, and gentle prompts) to settle students for the lesson. P.S. You’ll also notice a gray rectangle over parts of the video to protect the privacy of a student.
Review examples of her curricular plans.
Even after 34 years of teaching art, Meri stills sits down each year to map out a cohesive, sequential curriculum plan for her classes. She plans in two big chunks — 1) a kindergarten curriculum, and 2) a first/second grade curriculum. She said,”The challenge in curriculum development is maintaining a balance of student engagement with the time constraints of our schedule. Another big challenge is the continual practice of advocating the importance of art education to parents, staff, teachers, administrators and community members. So, that is why I spend so much time in curriculum development — to ensure it supports the goals of both the art program and the school, and it motivates students to make connections to art in meaningful ways that they will value throughout their lives.”
KINDERGARTEN
- Review her Kindergarten Art Advice to gather a sense of general rules she follows when imagining the kinds of art experiences she wants to present to her students.
- See her We Build Community Unit, a common theme she uses to start the school year.
- Then, check out a sample unit plan from her yearlong kindergarten curriculum centered on the theme The Wonders of Nature. For more detailed lesson plans from this unit, check out Wonders of Nature Kindergarten Lesson Plans.
FIRST and SECOND GRADE
This Grade 1 and 2 Curriculum Sampler highlights at least 18 of Meri’s projects from the last few years, and this is a plan for a Bird Watching Lesson, co-written with Meri’s student teacher Alan Delacruz.
Pick up tips for elementary art assessment and class management.
ASSESSMENT
Meri sees over 400 students per week, so assessing their art learning happens mostly through observation of each student during class. Meri devised a simple checklist tool to track students weekly progress and a rubric for summative grading at the end of each quarter. See Elementary Assessment for details.
CLASS MANAGEMENT
Meri always plans the first day of class and the first project of the year with specific team building and routine establishment in mind. See this document for examples of considerations she makes to launch the school year on the right foot (coming soon!).
Meri created this Responsive Classroom document for her student teachers to help them formulate different ways for them to respond to student questions and behavior.
Explore examples of Meri's distance learning.
When schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meri shifted the focus of instruction on one big idea: Repurpose with Imagination. In this distance learning unit, Meri taught students to see household items with new eyes and to innovate new purposes for them. Each week she posed three questions: What’s the Big Idea? What can I make? What can I draw? Watch these videos to see how she:
- Uses tinfoil and string to create Action Figures on a Zip Line.
- Uses cardboard, dirt and water to create a Mudpuppy Painting.
- Uses paper to create 3D art transforming the Ordinary into Extraordinary.
- Transforms water-based markers into paint in a Close Up Flower Painting.
- Creates a Superhero Belt out of household items.
- Connect art learning to science through the Bee Ball, Bee Kind and Hungry Caterpillars of Wisconsin
Here’s the Midvale Virtual Art Gallery which showcases photos of the artwork students made while they were learning from home during the pandemic.