AV_TwoLiveKappa

This an unused kappa I drew for an activity, re-purposed for a dictionary-searching activity. Why a kappa? The correct answer is: why not a kappa?

As an added bonus, I decided to color two of the handouts (one with Zebras, one with Copic Ciaos) and randomly insert them into the worksheet stack to be handed out during class. In both classes I ran this random-perk experiment, it seems the kids went crazy for the Zebra job but remained quiet-yet-enchanted with the CC.

Complicating these results, the Zebras happened to be randomly distributed to some of the genkiest kids in each class, while some of the quietest got the CC versions. This is kind of fitting since Zebras are quite in-your-face but CCs are more nuanced.

So do kids respond better to Zebras?  I'm still not sure. Perhaps it's just the more immediate punch Zebras have that makes immediate responses more vocal on the Zebrasiatic front, but I'll have to run another experiment.  I know the kids really, really like my CC-powered ALT posters, and I've had more than a few rando conversations based on kids' wanting to talk to me about them (which is really saying something since they usually don't have much confidence speaking their mind, particularly in English!), so I know CCs have a punch Zebras never could.

These were done on the basic linework, so the eyes are a little frailer and there's no signature thick outline around the figure (the second class got an updated sheet with 20 more words and a newly-thick-rimmed kappa with heavier-inked eyes).  I was a bit timid coloring this, but we pick it up in the next batch, going a little overboard even. 

He's holding a leek, by the way--the concept was a kappa using a leek like a guitar. Up next is the second run of the giveaway experiment. I screwed up the CC gut, but I'm happy with the cross shadows. 

Again, the kids exploded on the Zebra, but I spread the love a bit by including a few eyes-only-colored randos in the stack this time.  The kid who got the CC just kept staring at it and smiling, cheerily showing his delighted neighbors.  The kid who got the Zebra almost got in a fight over disputed ownership of the sheet--they hand the pages back as they receive them from the student in front of them, so I'm thinking he began handing the colored piece back and then balked to keep it for himself when he noticed it was colored! The page got some wrinklage, but survived well enough!  Anyway, that entire quadrant was really vocal about the piece, while the CC crew was just super appreciative and beaming.  What a contrast!

After the rows slowly buzzed about the quieter surprise--some sheets had just the eyes colored--one girl excitedly examined her sheet to see if she got one of the eye-colored versions.  She didn't, but one of the pages in my extras-stack had the final mode change (purple eyes!). So I traded her sheets and she was so, so happy! And I felt like a superhero.

I love this job. I can't believe this is my life.

Reuxben