The Landscape of Independent Thinking

My second grade students are just wrapping up two weeks worth of landscape projects.  The focus of this project was originally to review the concepts learned in first grade with more emphasis on depth, detail, and composition.  As many projects do, it began to take on new meaning as work began.  What began as a simple lesson in drafting a landscape composition became a lesson in independent problem solving.

 As first graders, these students were asked to create a farm landscape similar to the style of Grant Wood.  They used water color and tempera paint.  This year, we reviewed the concepts so that everyone was working toward the same end goal, but the nature of their landscape and the art materials used was totally up to the students.  After several weeks learning and reviewing basic skills and procedures this was a great test to see if that time was truly spent wisely.  It is always tough to find the right balance of review and new knowledge during those first weeks of the school year.  In the end,   I was blown away by the results as were my students.  The energy in the art room while students were busily making their OWN artistic choices was markedly different than it is during  more teacher-driven lessons.  (Often unavoidable when teaching basic skills and procedures.)

 It was even more rewarding to see their faces brighten when I really played up the fact that they were not simply creating another project in art class.  They were also practicing an invaluable life-lesson in being independent, creative thinkers, finding and solving problems on their own.  This was accomplished with some adult coaching, but very little.  In our increasingly hurried world, it seems very easy to brush over the opportunities for coaching children through challenges are becoming few and far between.  In the rush from home to school, to daycare, to soccer, etc., etc. it is not always easy to stop and work through challenges that may come up; however, what may take an extra 5 minutes in the moment saves hours and hours of future of challenges.  Did allowing students to use many different materials at once make for a bit more planning and preparation on my part?  Yes, but it was worth every moment. 

Art to Remember Orders

 Art to Remember order packets have started going home.  Orders are due back to school by NOV. 2 or sooner! 

Orders will be filled and ready for pick-up before Christmas...the company has yet to give me an exact date, but it will be somewhere towards the end of November. 

More info to come on the item pick-up process! 

Its Fall in the Art Room

The leaves have turned and started falling, its getting colder outside, but the art room is aglow with all things fall.  Sometimes I shy away from the typical seasonal projects, but this year I decided to embrace it.  I'm really glad I did, because students have been loving it.

First graders learned about Henri Matisse and created Vegetable/Harvest Collages.  An idea I borrowed from a fabulous art teacher's blog, Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists.

Second graders are working on Oil Pastel pumpkin drawings.  They learned about using overlapping and how to blend colors.  We also started to practice the concept of creating the illusion of 3-dimensions on our 2-dimensional papers.  I was really amazed at how beautiful these turned out.

Centering in Kindergarten

Last Wednesday, my last kindergarten class of the day was sleepily traipsing into the art room.  As one student walked passed me on his way to the carpet, he through his back and said, "Ugh. School is rough!"  He wasn't looking at me or his teacher.  He wasn't seeking a reaction...granted this was from a student who has a flare for the dramatic...even taking this into account, I still felt that his comment was genuine.  It made me stop and think.  It also laid to rest any uncertainty I was still feeling about my quest towards Choice-Based teaching at the kindergarten level.  School IS rough for many students in many ways.  Period.  Especially during these early months of the year when kindergarten students are learning and testing...and learning again and testing again...the boundaries.  The kindergarten school day is much more academic than it used to be.  This means that the time left for simple behavior and social education becomes limited.  It doesn't go untaught by any means, but with the added pressure of getting students up to speed academically, these basic lessons about what it means to be a person out in the big world don't get the focus they need...in my personal opinion.  In order to feel as if I am making some effort toward rectifying this imbalance, it seems the least I can do is bolster our students' awareness of their surroundings, their community, and eventually the concept of a greater good in general.  Sounds like a lofty goal, I know.

So, with an eye toward the greater good, I'm finally making some headway on the next steps in the slow-but-sure implementation of Choice Based Centers in my kindergarten art room.  I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to take some time.  In fact, it is better if it takes some time.  I have also started gearing my projects and classroom procedures towards the eventual roll-out of full student choice.  I have found tremendously helpful insight in the book Engaging Learners Through Artmaking: Choice Based Art Education in the Classroom by Katherine Douglas and Diane Jaquith.  They very clearly state that the progression for teacher driven curriculum to full student choice should happen over time...for obvious reasons; though, for those of us who sometimes have trouble being patient when it comes to processes of this sort, fortitude is key. 

Establishing a Choice-Based Art Program for Kindergarten

At the start of my 5th week of my second year as a K-2 art teacher, I am already re-evaluating.  Kindergarten is always a challenge for me.  It's a challenge I love, but a challenge none the less.  I think the real root of my problem is that I am afraid to take the leap towards what I know is going to be the best fit for me and my students.  I am stepping closer and closer towards establishing a choice-based curriculum for my kindergarten students.  The big hurdle is the implementation and the training period involved in starting a curriculum of this nature.  The other fear is how to keep track of ALL those different ideas and projects going on at once...and what do you do with the students who are constantly picking up new papers, making a few scribbles and then moving on to the next thing...is that even a bad thing??  This is always where my brain goes any time I sit down to truly start making plans...question after question..."what if" after "what if"'... however, I think the time has finally come.  I am going to force myself over the hurdle, tune out my inner-skeptic, and seriously start implementing what I because I think would be a really successful change in how I teach kindergarten art.

First steps: 


Room arrangement.  I rearranged my room to create a more "center" friendly space.   A few of my favorite features...I decided to use the sand table I inherited from a retiring teacher to hold drawing tools and books.  I also asked our school custodian to remove the leg extensions from one of my tables so that it is low to the ground.  This creates a really great alternate work space for students.  In the next couple weeks I will be utilizing counter space and drawers to create a collage center, a painting center, and a building center. 

Next steps:
Teach/train students how to use each station, expectations, etc.
Establish a tracking method for assessment.
Monthly project themes.
Establish work groups?...perhaps?
 

Soon to be Painting Center

Counter space and drawers will soon hold various Centers

Lower work table with leg extensions removed. 

Sand table as storage space

Art Fundraiser Projects Underway

All classes started their Art to Remember fundraiser projects this week.  They started out a little bumpy...my Monday classes will be re-doing a step next week, but by the end of the week I think we worked out all the hiccups.  This is the first time I've attempted this kind of project.  There are quite a few factors to consider when planning the actual art project aspect.  I have already learned a lot and know exactly what I would do next time--assuming I do this again...

1. Consider timing.  I chose to do the Fall fundraiser so that orders would be ready in time for the holidays.  This means we had to start the project very early on in the school year.  On the plus side, we get it out of the way right away, and it also guarantees a simple beginning-of-the-year project.  On the downside, this is obviously a more product-based lesson than most.  Early in the school year, this is a little tricky to achieve especially for kindergarteners. 

2. Keep it Simple!  I often have to remind myself of this at the K-2 level, but it is especially important for a project of this nature.  My Monday classes will be restarting their projects as a result of my failure to remember this!!  Live and learn...

3. Allow some room for student choice.  In the future I hope to put more fore-thought into the student-choice aspect.  Since this is a personal project that students and their families will likely be giving as  gifts it would be nice to involve some level of student choice that the result is more personal to them.  Bottom line, I think families will enjoy the result no matter what. 

For some great info on other art fundraisers check out this post from the Art of Education...http://www.theartofed.com/2012/06/08/the-ultimate-guide-to-art-fundraisers/

Dots, Ish, and Magic

School is back in full swing and we are loving our art rooms!!











Here is what we've been up to in art class these first few weeks...

 
Kindergarten artists started their year in art by creating Magic Carpets, (photos coming soon!) an idea I borrowed from Hope at Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists, a blog I discovered over the summer that has many wonderful project ideas. We started out by focusing on drawing lines of all sorts on our papers. Next, students added cut paper shapes to their magic carpets for another layer of line, color, and shape.  The overall goals of this project were to start refining drawing skills and to practice cutting and gluing.  Additionally, this simple project allowed space in those kindergarten brains for yet another set of new  routines.  Those first few weeks of school are so exciting, but can also be really overwhelming. We will be moving on to a watercolor and crayon resist project next...also fairly magical.



First grade artists are just wrapping up projects centered on the book The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. We read the book, then students were asked to create their own dots just like the girl in the story.  The message of the story is that one should never be afraid to make their mark.  First graders had a blast making their mark...





Second grade artists also enjoyed a book by Peter H. Reynolds.  We read the story Ish and discussed what it means if something is "ish."  It's not quite one thing, and not quite another...it's "ish."  We applied this concept to our drawings.  Setting out to draw something can often be a challenge and a frustration if it doesn't turn out looking the way it should.  Well, the story Ish is meant to remind artists of all ages that thinking and drawing "ish-fully," is quite a wonderful thing.









Much more to come next week as we get started on our Art to Remember fundraiser projects.  To coincide with this project students at all levels will be thinking about and discussing the idea of giving and receiving gifts--an art in itself!  Stay tuned...