Hall Displays are Up and Running

While I love the "newness" of a new school year, I'm a typical artist/hoarder and dislike the blank blank walls.  I try to get student work up as soon as I can (and I've already taken some things down and replaced with another grade level).  Here's what the halls in my school look like now, on the sixth week of school:

Construction paper 'flips,' fifth grade, Matisse inspired.

Color wheel clowns, first grade.

George Caleb Bingham inspired landscape paintings, fourth grade.

More landscapes, I love the color mixing on the bottom left.

More construction paper flips, and
some kindergarten Mondrian lines further down the hall.

Dairy Delight Dogs, second grade

Lascaux inspired cave paintings, third grade

I've been trying to keep up with kindergarten, and we're doing color scheme giraffes.  When I was gluing them together to get ready to hang, I noticed this:

I don't know that I've ever seen a more prime example of a reason to re-teach  a concept in my life.  Good thing I've got six and half more years with them to get them to understand primary and secondary colors. 

Student Well Being

Student well being is a rather odd title for a post about a third grade clay project.  Let me give you a little back story: last year, in September (the month we're in right now, as it were) a high school girl in our district committed suicide. With a firearm.  In the school bathroom.  It was shocking to our entire district and made every single one of us stop and think 'do I tell my students I care?' 'Do they all understand how important they are?'  
In my particular building, we had that student's youngest sister in fifth grade.  In the spring of last year, the fifth grade teacher (of the sister) died.  We also had another death last year (of another teacher's husband--it was so quick and unexpected).  It was a rough year, and we all needed extra lovin'.
With all of that backstory, if you're a regular blog reader of mine, you know that I never have a solid third grade clay project, and it's usually mid-May before I hurry up and have them make something out of clay. Last year I was overwhelmed with concern for my students and their emotional well being.  I wanted something tangible for them to know and see that they are great for being themselves. So, we used clay and monofilament to make these wind-chime-like things:

I had students brainstorm three words to describe themselves and write them in their sketchbooks.  We then rolled out clay slabs and cut them into four pieces.  We used those rubber texture things (what are those called???) on one side and alphabet pasta on the other.  They had to have their name on the top piece, then their three words.  I poked the holes as they turned them in, and fired them stacked, with their name on top.

Student work stacked and drying.

Pulled out of the kiln and ready to hand back.

I think I even strung them together before I gave them back to the students.  Then they used construction paper crayons and black cake tempera to add color.

This is a project I hope they have hanging somewhere in their home to see.  I do love them all (even the behavior challenges) and I don't ever want them to have tragic life endings.  
Say good things to yourselves, friends, that positive self talk is important!  And tell people good things too, the world can always use more niceness.

One final view of the back of the first one.

Where Have I Been All This Time?

I keep deciding to blog, what to blog . . . but I'm so busy.  I've had more to prepare for my classes lately, more knitting/crocheting to do for my yarn bombing, I'm trying to finish a quilt I started 16 years ago (because it seems so important to finish it right now, this second).

So what are my students up to?  Sixth grade finished some cityscapes and are working on a new project inspired by this artist, fifth grade is starting some printmaking  Andy Warhol inspired soup cans, fourth grade is working on Thomas Hart Benton style murals, third grade is working on radial symmetry,

second grade is busy making the calendars I tend to do every year, first grade just started these amazing chalk-and-paint insects, 

(we still have details to add) and kindergarten is trying to finish up some Wild Things.

I'm frantically trying to keep a healthy work/home balance (who does that well? Unicorns? Because everyone I know is always trying to do it better).

So I guess all this to say, I'm still around.  Still teaching, just not blogging as much as I probably should.

Some Egyptian Profiles LOVE THEM

A long time ago, in a district far, far away (not really), I printed off this lesson from Crayola, and stuck it in a binder.  It was probably, hmmmm, more than 10-12 years ago?  For some reason, I decided now was the time and of course I didn't read a speck of the directions.  Here's what I had my third graders do: they worked in pairs to lay (individually) on a piece of paper while their partner traced their profile with pencil.  Once each student was traced onto paper, they added their own details to make an ancient Egyptian:

Then block tempera was used to add color:

While students painted, I pulled small groups back to an empty table to use the Egyptian hieroglyphics stamps that I borrow from another teacher every year.  These white papers were later used for backgrounds, and scenes from daily Egyptian life were added.

Students drew with pencil and added color with colored pencil.  

Finally, we used metallic tempera block paint for a bit of sparkle (I don't love this paint), cut out the profiles and glued them to our white background papers:

Close up of a background.

I do love how they turned out and I think they'll be a great addition to our art show this year!  Anyone else have lessons they've held onto for a decade or more before finally following through and teaching it?

Some Simple Symmetry

Like many of you (I'm sure) I cover symmetry every year with multiple classes/grade levels.  For my third graders, we look at Stonehenge and talk about radial symmetry and do a project.  (Who can forget this horribleness?) I've done symmetrical name designs before and third graders really struggle with block lettering, and so it was really a hassle.  I've done simple designs in the past where students fold square paper into fourths and draw three lines and one shape (which is very successful), but I was a little tired of it.  This year we did our initials, (no block/bubble lettering) and I love them:

We finished these up in December, and I was REALLY needing some winter break (ie I didn't take any "in process" photos because I didn't even think of it).  Here's what we did: students started with a 9 x 9 square piece of paper, and folded it in half, unfolded, folded in half the other direction, unfolded, folded diagonally, unfolded, then diagonal the other direction.  Finally, we folded it all up to a triangle (using the lines we'd made) and drew our initials (just first and last), making sure to go from the bottom to the top of the paper in pencil.  I checked them (making sure their letters were big enough) and then showed them how to fold that to the inside and rub a marker on the back to transfer the graphite.  Done correctly, the letters morph together making a whole new shape:

Once all the pencil has been transferred, all pencil lines are traced with permanent black marker.  Finally, neon crayons were used to color a symmetrical design.  I am very happy with how these turned out, and they're brightening our hall:

You'll note this is the same bulletin board from back-to-school.
I say, "Make something that works the whole year!"
You're welcome.

I love how an R made an accidental maple leaf!

One more thing: I did have students glue their finished designs to a 12 x 12 piece of construction paper when they were all done to dress them up a bit (kind of explains the crooked gluing in the above photo). 
Only thing left to do is to post a sign of our lesson objectives asking viewers to try to figure out the students' initials.  Then sit back and wait for the questions that will come from it.
Happy art teaching!

Sometimes It Takes A While To Get It Right

I've taught elementary art for seventeen consecutive years.  Seventeen, and there are still so many times when I don't get it right.  But sometimes, the universe smiles down and everything just 'clicks' together.  (I think sometimes I can even here the CLICK as it all comes together in students' heads).
My third graders go on an art history journey every year starting with the Lascaux caves.  We're up to Stonehenge now, and all along our journey we take notes in our sketchbooks using graphic organizers.  Here's what my white board looked like after third grade yesterday:

That circle with dotted lines running all through it is pizza.
You know, to drive the point of radial symmetry home.

It was such a good time.  We learned history, math, and made some scientific predictions.  It works better for students if I write what they need to write on my white board while I do a Smart Notebook presentation on the Smart board.  After 17 years, I think that I've almost got the correct/engaging amount going on in some of my Smart Notebook lessons (you can get the Stonehenge one I used yesterday here, scroll down until you see Stonehenge).
It was THE BEST with all three of my third grade classes this year--magical and wonderful and why we all became art teachers in the first place.  And I'll know the universe is REALLY SMILING on me when one of those magical lessons coincides with an administration observation.
Art teach on, friends, you're making differences in lives every day.

Half Person, Half Animal, All FUN

I blogged about this lesson years ago, and if you want more of the how to (and a look at the craziness my life was four years ago, click here).  Third graders are FUNNY.  And they like to BE FUNNY, so it's perfect for them!

We talk about art history all year in third grade and think about questions like "why do we have art?" and "what does art do for people?" When we get to this point of art history, about 8000 BC or so, we talk about the ancient village of Catal Huyuk.  (You can also learn more here or here)  The points I want them to remember is that Catal Huyuk was mostly built the way it was for safety, and there were drawings/paintings on the walls of the homes just like the nomadic tribes who painted on cave walls.
Here are some of the interesting ones from this year:

There were a lot of half horses and half fish this year.  I love that they have to work TOGETHER and do some problem solving.  I wish I would've had students do some writing about them, because their writing adds an element of kid-truth that you can't dispute.
Enjoy your day, art teacher friends!