Presenting Your Lessons

Katie said...

Can I ask how you present your art projects? Do you have a finished picture to show the kids so they have an idea of what you want from them, or do you just explain it and let them create?

That is a great question.  It depends on the project. 
I almost always will demonstrate steps to a project.  
Many times I don't have a finished picture to show them.

Right now, my 5th/6th graders (we have combined grade level classes.. which is a whole other blog post I could write to explain how that works) are working on these radial name designs.

When I demonstrated this project, I showed them a powerpoint slideshow about Islamic artwork and emphasized the repeating geometric patterns.

Then I sat down with the kids surrounding me and showed them how to fold the paper.  (You can see the steps in the original blog post) I demonstrated how to draw my name within a triangle.  Then, I set the kids off to work on that step. 

I have found that for me, it works best to break down the projects into small steps so there are not too many directions to remember. 

When several of the kids started to finish that step, I brought them back to the demonstration table and I showed them how to outline their name in sharpie and how to fold it and trace the image on a light table (last year I used carbon paper and this year I decided to use light tables, which was much easier).  That was the first class of this project.  If kids finished early, the could free draw for their sketchbooks.  I don't usually let kids go on ahead to the next step, because if there are more directions I want to explain them all thoroughly to the whole class before letting them start.

During the second class I explained and showed them how to color each of the sections and how to use the Crayola color switcher markers.  For this project, I did have a finished example to show them, but I felt that these projects always turn out so different that I didn't need to worry too much about copycat pictures.

Pretty much I ALWAYS demonstrate when possible.  I find that when I just explain something with words there is usually confusion. 

Even if it's something simple like how to color in neatly, I find that it will prevent a lot of questions or rushed work.  When I do a project with the younger classes, I always remind and review how to glue with a glue stick or bottle.  I demonstrate how to apply the glue to the back of what you want to glue and how to smooth it flat.

Sometimes I will show things on the white board while standing in front, but usually it is best to have the kids all around me so I can easily make sure they are all paying attention.  

Sometimes it helps to have a finished example, but then I notice that sometimes kids will end up copying things from the example.  When I demonstrate I try to talk them through many different options or ways to approach the project.

So, what do you do?  How do you present your lessons?  

Do you usually have an example to show the kids?

Art Teacher Blog Directory

Are you looking for more ART IDEAS?

Did you know there is an Art Teacher Blog Directory on Art is Basic?  There are currently 263 art teacher blogs listed.  You can spend hours just looking through these links and seeing all the wonderful things happening in art classrooms around the world.

Have you added YOUR blog to the directory?  I know there are some new bloggers out there who have just started writing about their classrooms this year. 

And because I can't write a blog post without a picture, here is a postcard I made awhile back.  I love how this one turned out.   I made a bunch of postcards for an art swap earlier this year.  It's pretty typical of my style.. bursting at the seams, an abundance of colors and imagery, a bit messy with some child-like imagery.  We decorated our daughter's bedroom with a yellow duck theme, so ducks seem to show up in my art from time to time.

Summer Art Challenge

I passed out Summer Art Challenge Sheets at the end of the school year last year.  Any of the students could participate in it over the summer and then turn in their artwork at the beginning of this year.  It is kind of like a summer reading program, where you record what you've read and get prizes.

Here are the basic parameters of the challenge:

"Welcome to the Summer Art Challenge!  You are invited to play along and stretch your creativity this summer.

These challenges are designed to keep the creative part of your brain playing over the summer.  They might be fun for a rainy day or a family outing.  Some of these may require adult supervision or help.  Your mission if you choose to accept it is to complete as many of the challenges listed below. 

Level 1:  Complete 5 challenges in any order.

Level 2:  Complete 10 challenges

Level 3:  Complete 15 or more challenges!

Documentation is important.  All challenges should be recorded with things such as a photograph, writing, a computer print out or an actual artwork.  Some of the finished work will be put on a bulletin board in the fall.  Use a folder to gather items.

Turn in your challenges when you return to school in the fall.

Small prizes will be given to those students who move up the levels.

Good luck!  Marcia"

 At the bottom of this post are all the challenges. 

Students brought in pictures of what they had made or the actual artworks.

This is a FAERIE HOUSE!

Glass fusing! 

I did not get a lot of participants, but the ones who did participate did a FABULOUS job!  I would do it again, because now that some of the kids participated others were saying they wished they had done it too.  I could repeat the same challenges and it wouldn't involve much work on my part.
 

The official challenges:

1.    Art Outing:  Visit an art museum while on vacation or in Madison (The Chazen Museum of Art or the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art).  Documentation possibilities:  a photograph of you at the art museum, a postcard from the gift shop or a sketch you drew of a favorite artwork.

2.    “Me” Collage:  Use magazines, photos and your own drawings to create an  “About Me” collage.  If you need inspiration, go to google images and search for “collage artist”.  Documentation: a  photo of your collage or the actual collage

3.    Read a graphic novel or comic: Go to your library and check out a book with images or comics.  For older kids, two good suggestions are The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck by Brian Selcznick.  For younger kids, Garfield and Walt Disney classic comics and stories would be enjoyable.  Ask your librarian for suggestions!  Documentation:  Write a short description of the book you read or create a bookmark for the book.

4.    Play with an online drawing game.  Print out your results.  Here are some ideas:

            http://mrdoob.com/projects/harmony

            http://jacksonpollock.org

            www.picassohead.com

            http://artpad.art.com/artpad/painter

            http://bomomo.com/

5.    Take an art class or summer workshop.  Visit the Madison Art Cart (the schedule is in the summer program guide at the mscr.org website) or make something in the art studio at the Madison Children’s Museum.  Documentation:  Your finished artwork or a photo of you making your artwork.

6.    Recycled Art:  Find discarded objects around the house (old junk mail, pieces of wood scraps, random toys or old stickers you don’t want anymore) and create a new inspiring collage or sculpture.

7.    Environmental Art:  Use leaves, rocks and other natural objects to make a piece of art.  Look up the art of Andy Goldsworthy for ideas.  Documentation:  Take a photo of your finished artwork.

8.    Photomontage:  Take lots of photos.  With permission from your parents, cut out faces or parts of the pictures and combine them to create an interesting photomontage.  Look up the photomontages of David Hockney if you need ideas.  Documentation:  Turn in the original artwork. 

9.    Collaborative Artwork:  Collaborate with a friend or family member and make a work of art together!  Documentation:  Photo of the two of you working or the finished artwork.

10.  Sidewalk Chalk Masterpiece:  Use sidewalk chalk in a creative     way to make a masterpiece.  Take a photo of your finished work.

11.  Comic Art:  Draw a comic about something that happened to you this summer.  Documentation:  Turn in the original comic.

12.   Fashion:  Decorate a t-shirt or sew a piece of clothing!  Ideas:  tie-dye, stencils, sew something on it, paint pens or fabric paint.  Documentation:  Bring in the item of clothing or a photo.

13.  Jewelry:  Make something to wear.  Ideas:  friendship bracelets, glass (go to Fire It Up Pottery!), beads.  Documentation:  Bring in the jewelry or a photo.

14.  Rock Painting:  Find the perfect rock outside.  Decorate it with paints and anything else you’d like.  Documentation:  Photograph it or bring in the actual rock.

15.  Sculpture:  Design an artwork to hang from a branch of a tree.  Take a photograph of the sculpture in the tree.

16.  Musical Instrument:  Create a musical instrument using materials around your house.  Documentation:  photograph or bring in the instrument.

17.   Building:  Using Legos, blocks or other building materials, spend an hour or so designing a unique construction.  Take a photograph of your masterpiece.

18.   Make a piñata using paper mache.  Break it with some friends!  Take pictures.

19.  Create edible art: Play with your food and turn it into an artwork.  Or, decorate a cake.  Take a photo and then eat it!

20.  YOUR CHOICE:  Come up with a creative activity to do by yourself or with your family.

Art Teacher Showcase Installment 4

The next Art Teacher Blog I will be showcasing is Jody Sebring's. 

1.  The name and URL of your blog   www.artfor1170.blogspot.com
2.  A brief description of your blog and why it is awesome.  Tell us where you live and work, what you do, etc.  Not sure I am at "Awesome" yet but it's new, since April and so much fun.  I teach in Clarkston Michigan for the Clarkston School District. I teach Pre K-5th grade art.
3.  An example of a tried and true art lesson favorite that you have taught. (could be in a workshop setting, school setting, or just with your own children or yourself, no exclusions here!)  Give me a link to a post about that lesson, so I can include a link and photo.  One of my favorites, and I say favorite a lot is the clay owls.  I usually do this project with fourth graders. I have the How to on my blog.

4.  A favorite, must-have art teacher or art technique book.  Any book on clay projects is a favorite. I have one in mind but I think it's packed in a box right now. It's by a Michigan art teacher and I think it's title is Clay Ideas.
5.  Your favorite product for the art room.  Just posted my favorite tool and it's my clay cutter!

Thanks for posting this idea. I love the idea of sharing

Jody

--
Jody Sebring
Art Educator
Pine Knob Elementary, Clarkston Elementary, North Sashabaw Elementary and the ECC

""Art is literacy of the heart"     Elliot Eisner

Here are some more pictures from her blog:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to be featured on my blog, then answer the following questions.  Please email them to me at marciadotcom@yahoo.com.  Don't comment on this post with your answers.  If you do email me your answers, you will give me permission to post a couple images from your blog to include in the blog post (with of course, a link to your blog).  If you only feel like answering a few questions, that is fine too.  I would also be happy to feature your own personal artwork.

1.  The name and URL of your blog
2.  A brief description of your blog and why it is awesome.  Tell us where you live and work, what you do, etc. 
3.  An example of a tried and true art lesson favorite that you have taught. (could be in a workshop setting, school setting, or just with your own children or yourself, no exclusions here!)  Give me a link to a post about that lesson, so I can include a link and photo.
4.  A favorite, must-have art teacher or art technique book.
5.  Your favorite product for the art room.

So, what are you waiting for? Email me today about your blog!!"

Budgets for Art

I was reading the teacherartexchange listserve from the Getty museum, which is a very cool list serve, and I felt really sorry for one teacher who only has $100 for a budget that serves 350 students.  She was wondering what other typical budgets were.  Here is the response I sent her, which might help you also to find good deals for your classroom:

"Wow, $100 per year is ludicrous.  I spend more than that each year for my own personal art supplies.  I agree with everyone else to gather the data about what you reasonably need to purchase each year.  My budget is different now because I am at a private school, but when I taught at a public school I believe I had about $2000 (give or take a few hundred, can't remember) for about 150 kids?  Then, when I taught at a middle school I had around the same amount $2000 for about 300 kids (although they rotated classes every quarter).  Each of these budgets was adequate and covered the expenses for these kids.  If you are truly stuck with this budget next year here are some tips for you.

-- set up an Artsonia.com account for your school.  Each year our school earns a couple hundred dollars through that site.

-- join freecycle.org and you would be surprised at what people are offering for free... in just one week I saw posts for yarn, fabric scraps and scrap wood.  You could also post specific requests for things you want.  I asked for Sesame Street toys for my little girl and got 3 big bags of books, dvds, stuffed animals, a sprinkler....  people like to pass along their used items to people that would enjoy them.   Plus, it's good for the environment.  It's also a good way to get rid of strange things you don't need anymore.

-- Post things in your school newsletter and send out flyers for donations of art supplies that people don't use anymore.. you could ask for things like buttons, crayons, markers, beads, fabric, yarn... lots of people have lots of craft supplies they buy and never use.  I even asked for aprons and one of our parents who owns a restaurant donated a class set of aprons!

--  When the kids have a supply list at the beginning of the year, see if you can add on some art supplies.. For example:  All first graders bring in a box of markers and a glue stick which are gathered for general use in the art class.  I have the students bring in pencil sharpeners, erasers, glue sticks, markers, black uniball pens and more.  One year I had each child in one grade bring in a ream of computer paper and 3 years later, we still are making sketchbooks from that supply.

-- See if your community has a Hardware Re-store.. ours is a habitat for humanity one I believe.  I have picked up ceramic floor tiles for pennies, wood boards, nails, all sorts of odds and ends for very cheap.

-- Check out thrift stores and garage sales.  I have gotten so many good things from garage sales.  Our local thrift stores have lots of hodge podgy craft items which you may be able to find use for.

-- Plead your case to your parent organization.  I have gotten support in the past from the parents for special projects and supplies. 

Good luck!  $100 is a very tough budget!!    Marcia

New Glue bottles= art teacher excitement!

Any art teacher out there will be able to relate to the excitement of receiving a box of supplies you've ordered!  It's like Christmas time!!  I am so excited about this new idea I read about on the Getty Art teacher listserve.  Clogged glue bottles were the bane of my existence.  The little glue bottles with the orange tops constantly got clogged and stuck and you just could not get the glue out without a long and yucky soaking process. The soaking, degunking, refilling and constantly trying to find glue bottles that worked for the little kids was driving me to madness.  Someone on the getty listserve posted this brilliant idea to put the glue in these flip top bottles.  Minimal clogging!  So they all just arrived yesterday and I spent about an hour (while the kids were working) filling them up and recycling all the gunked up glue from the old bottles (we had about 30 that I had been procrastinating on).  HOPEFULLy this will work better!  The glue comes out faster (obviously) so you have to show the kids how much to use.