Art Rules and Procedures: TEACH AND SHOW them!

I stand among you to teach you.

To begin the year, I have made sure students are TAUGHT not TOLD the rules and procedures in my art class. I played a trick on them. I asked them to listen to the instructions, not do them. To my surprise  all but 2 (yes, two) students stayed in their seats. The rest of the class jumped up and began doing what I had said they needed to LISTEN to.  "Freeze," I said, "Stop."  I told them to sit down. "Two people listened, the rest of you did not." It was a good lesson for them in listening.   How well do your students really listen?

A new thing at some of my schools is implementing the old box on the whiteboard discipline tracker (A box drawn on the board that is empty:)   It's just waiting for those names of who create a disturbance, don't follow directions/talk and interrupt, etc.  I ask for a Name and give a tally mark, then another if they continue, then a final 3rd tally mark is their last chance. Then it's an office referral form. Out of 3 days of teaching only one student made the box with a name and a tally mark.  The listening has improved and directions are being followed.

Returning at some schools this year is the incentive for good behavior:  Secret Student.  I "randomly" pick from the pool of good students in one class, and t he secret students gets a special pencil.  You'd be surprised what students will do for that pencil.  But my main point is to maintain order, discipline and respect in the classroom so we can get some art done.  Students also develop their skills in  listening and doing as directed, plus some pretty cool art..

When talking to your students, remember: There is a BIG DIFFERENCE in SHOWING instead of TELLING students what to do.  Remember that when you give instructions.  That is why I show students WHERE to put pencils, art, etc. not just tell them. That visual is powerful!

Some wisdom to share to end this post. At our recent district inservice, we had a speaker, Kevin Honeycutt, who said, and I quote:  "If you had a year to live, what would you do to make a difference?  Help kids?"  Well, yeah, that is my hope for this year, not only teach them art, but help them find as Kevin says: "Your greatest weakness is your greatest strength waiting to be found."  And I think this applies not only to our students, but us as well.

 Happy Teaching!

Teacher Reflection and Planning

Yarn line projects: Creativity focus

Well, at last I am writing again!  Here's to summer almost over, and planning and reflecting on last year and what will be for the future.  At the end of the year I asked my 2nd-5th grade students to fill out a postcard  and on it, write about their favorite projects and what they learned. After reviewing 400 or so of them, I wrote down tally marks for each project completed, noting which were favorites, and any comment students made.  Then, I asked myself the following questions.  You see, as a result of my Masters class, I have learned it is always a good practice to reflect and improve my teaching methods/lessons.   Here are the questions and my answers. 

Year End Reflection

1)  What projects were most successful?  Why?
Mixed media; watercolor pencil, team projects, oil pastel, food projects, unusual techniques. 
Why?  Most had never used media before, Projects most successful had no parameters, but focused on creativity. Team projects!

2)  Why did some of the schools (I have 4) embrace the project while others didn't?
Attitude toward school in general, students' individual needs (Special Ed), Not sure. 

3) Why did I chose not to do some of the  projects I had on my Year Plan?
Lack of time, lack of resources (supplies),  was certain some schools it wouldn't work  due to students' special needs, not able to do because of space restrictions.

4) What could I do better to choose more engaging projects?
Pretest to find out what they know? Use more links to artists/art history, technology, think more creatively, find more resources (not just technology).

5)  Did I meet my goal I set  (real world applications)?  
Yes for some of the schools. 

6)  What goal should I address this next year?
The Learner   How they learn.

7) Will I use the goal to plan my lessons toward achieving it?
Yes

Then I made notes.  Find new books, put a creative spin on projects I've done before, but try it out on a few schools, keep incorporating new media, promote recycling, appeal to parents and teachers to help save recycled projects for art projects:  boxes, used bulletin board paper, pop bottles, used file folders, any used colored paper, etc.  Decorate rooms according to school theme. 


So, ask yourself some questions to this end. I hope this has helped you think and reflect and plan for the new year coming up.  I'm kind of excited about trying out some new projects on my students this year. Onward!

Art Games (For the end of the school year)

The last week of school I have the students play art games.  Here are some of the games my art students played or will play.  These games are also good to play anytime by anyone. They are thinking games, and challenging, yet fun.  Enjoy!  Of course, please give credit where it is due if you use these.  Most games were from a party book created by my sister, the late Dr. S. Bowman-Kragh.  She was a master game player and loved doing art with me, my Dad and my husband.  I thank her for the games that my art students enjoyed recently.  Now here are some of the games I used with my students.

Name Game
Materials: Notebook or plain paper, pencils 
                 and prizes 

Hand out notebook (It works best because it has lines) or plain paper and pencils.  Have students write their name VERTICALLY down the page. For example, Johnny would be written as:
J 
O
H
N
N
Y

What to do/play:  

Ask students to draw their face at the top of the page. Next,  ask student to think of other names (boy or girl) that they can create from their own name using the letters.  For example,  J= Jeremy, Joshua, Jilliann, Judy, Jeffrey......  O= Oscar, Oliver, Otto...etc., etc. 
Insist students not write their name for the first letter of their name.  (No Johnny for the J).  
Give students about 5 minutes to write as many names as they can think of.  Have them count up the total number of names and then give a prize for the student with the most names.  (My students had as many as 22.) 

Glue Stick Toss  

Materials: 
*3 Glue Sticks  per student
*Prizes (Candy, Pencils, Erasers, whatever)
*2 or 3 Containers with 3 compartments (a carryall with a handle used for cleaning supplies works great.)
  If you don't have containers with 3 compartments, then use three separate containers: one large and two medium sized bunched up together or tape together.
*Masking tape to label the inside of the compartment/containers and a toe line. 

What to do:

Use masking tape to make a toe line on the carpet or floor at least 5-6 feet away from the containers
Label two medium sized compartments/containers:  PRIZE and the largest container/compartment:  TRY AGAIN or SORRY. 

How to play: 

Have students line up on the toe lines (insist they stay BEHIND the masking tape line), hand  each student 3 glue sticks, and have them toss them toward the containers. You might have girls on one side; boys on the other. SAFETY FIRST!   Make sure no one is standing near the containers--some kids gets wild when they throw (not toss).  If students have a glue stick land in the containers with PRIZE they get a prize!.  If they get more than one glue stick  in each container or compartment, they get only one prize.  (This may sound brash, but you'll run out of pencils or candy fast if you don't control what you hand out. I know--I went through 3 bags of candy with 40 students in two classes.)

Art Class Artist 
Materials:
Manila paper (9 x 12)  Pencils  (no erasers on them)


What to do: 
Pass out papers and pencils.
Tell students there is such a thing as BLIND CONTOUR drawing.  Also that this has nothing to do with being blind. LOL.  The technique simply means that the student always is looking at what they are drawing WITHOUT looking at their paper.  (Be prepared for the deer in the headlight look and a few chuckles.) Tell students that they will all be drawing the SAME thing.  (Another questioning look.) Insist they can do this--just don't look at the paper. Tell them you will be watching so will see if they look at their paper.  Then tell them they will be drawing you.  

Have them find a starting point on their paper, then start drawing.  Let them draw for about a minute and a half.  Remind them:  I am watching--keep your eyes on me!  When they are done, just turn their paper over on the table.  After all are done, have them turn it back over.  (Be prepared for major laughs.)  Have the students sign their creations.  

I did these games with all my students at one of my schools yesterday.  I had about 200+ great drawings.  It was amazing to see how many really and truly kept their eyes on me the whole time and never looked at their paper.  What a group of great artists! We have lots of laughs, too!!!

Well, that's some fun things for you to try whether you are an art teacher or not.  Have fun and enjoy.
Happy End of School and the beginning of a relaxing (?) summer

Complementary Color Bingo

Ahh, Spring Break!  Time to write a blog post!  I came up with this idea and it has been SO successful!  I tried it with 3rd graders--who loved it the best.  This also proved as a good review of line qualities: horizontal, diagonal and vertical line qualities.

Complementary Color Bingo

Materials needed:  1 inch grid (pre-printed) paper  (manila or white)
                            ** 1 set of markers in red, green, blue, orange,
                                 yellow and violet (for each student)
                             Color wheels
                             Whiteboard
                              Expo Markers in same colors as markers
                             Completed Example

Procedures:

Review or teach horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  I have the students use the markers or their hands to demonstrate vertical (like climbing a ladder), horizontal (like the sun coming up) and diagonal (like going up a hill) with me as I show the directions the lines go.  We do this several times so they know which is which. I tell them they need to know vertical, diagonal and horizontal to do the project today.

Using the color wheel, I show them that any color across the wheel from each other is a complementary color.  "They are pairs of colors that go together really well; they are like good friends."  The most common complementary color pairs are red/green; blue/orange; and yellow/violet.  I have the students associate red and green with Christmas; blue and orange with Halloween; and yellow and violet with Spring or Easter. 

Next, I show them a grid pre-drawn on the white board, and the Expo Markers (set up on the rail of the whiteboard)  in the complementary color pairs.  Then I explain that we are going to play complementary color bingo.  Like real bingo, the way to win is horizontally, diagonally and/or vertically.  However, they must have 4, not 3 together to win.  

How to play:  (I demonstrate how to play first  on the whiteboard so they understand it.) Next, students are put into teams of two.  Each student is given one set of markers.  Team partners decide who will begin first.   Partner A chooses a color from their set of markers, to fill in one of the grid squares.  For example:  Red.  Then  Partner B may "block"  the red with a green;  Partner A may start a  Blue square and Partner B "blocks"  with orange;  and/or  then do yellow  which can be blocked" with violet.   Partners can keep "blocking" each other or partners can switch colors anytime .But if students  are not keeping track of what color they are, their partner may win without their knowing.  For instance, if Partner A is blue, and Partner B is busy blocking  a red/green or violet/yellow in another area, they may foget to keep blocking the blue and Partner A may win with 4 blue in a row.  The main object is to try to win, but also block you partner with those complementary colors!  (See photo example below.)          Lesson written by:  LGates 2014

As the students fill in the grids, they unconsciously are making a design.  It's amazing to see what they come up with: shapes, faces, chairs, etc.  I ask students to turn their completed papers up, down and sideways to see different shapes, etc. they made. Always there are oohs and ahhs!

This is not only  fun team competition, but helps students  build team skills, good sportsmanship, strategic thinking, and they learn their complementary colors in a fun way.  I had both 3rd and 5th grades in one of my 4 schools do this project, then laminated their "designs" and put it up as a border near my ceiling in the room. 

**You can use tempera or watercolor paint for this project as well, however, it might be more challenging as they'd have to rinse brushes out between colors; and it would take more time.  The photo of this project shows a teacher tempera example.  It looks good on a whiteboard.  (There was no winner in this example.)
Also you could have students create their own grid with a ruler and pencil. However, I prefer the pre-made version. 

Teacher Example

Turkey ideas and stuff...

Thanksgiving Ideas to use for K-5 art students. UPDATED VERSION
Copyright November 2014LJGATES

Kindergarten 

Leaf Turkeys:
Gather some maple leaves or any leaves. Cut off the stems.  About 50 flattened for a few days under a heavy book will work. (You can do this with fresh leaves, but flattened works best.)  Demonstrate drawing a turkey: large circle for the body, oval wings, medium circle for head,  small circle eyes, small triangle beak; two rectangle legs, and sideways triangle feet on 9 x 12 construction paper.   DO NOT draw tail feathers.  Use 2 flattened leaves and turn over to the dull side.  Run a stream of bottle glue down the center. Glue on for the tail feathers with the shiny side of the leaves up.   You may have to overlap, but 2 will work. Use crayons to color the turkey, etc. Add a horizon line. Enjoy! :-)
Lesson Copyright 2013 LJ Gates

Kindergarten
Monochromatic Striped Turkey:
You'll need ONE crayon and white 9 x 12 paper per student.
Draw a turkey as above, except add long oval shaped tail feathers. Create horizontal stripes for the tail feathers, legs, feet and vertical stripes for wings.  Use only ONE color (monochromatic) crayon to color a pattern of "stripes":  brown or black or red, (whatever color they choose) in every other "stripe" on the turkey.  Color in the eye and head, but leave the beak and body white.  ;-)
Lesson Copyright 2013 LJ Gates

1st grade:    Dress Up Turkey
Show Sonia Delaunay's fashion designs or any fashion designer. Show your example.
* Pass out scrap construction paper (see Scrap Art post).
* Pass out 12 x 18 white paper, scrap paper, scissors, glue sticks.
* Crayon (Can use brown crayon to color in rest of turkey body. )
* Button (for eye) optional
  Have students draw with you with a black crayon or pencils.  Draw oval for body, rectangle for neck, circle for head, small circle inside head (color in), add 2 rectangles for legs, and 2 elongated triangles for feet.  Add 4-5 loops for tail feathers.
Then, let the students create.  Free-hand cutting is also a technique Henri Mattisse used, so you can also show some of his work. There are great videos on youtube.

Pilgrim Turkey example

2-3 grades  (Even 4th and 5th like this, too)
Food Turkey:
You'll need lots of grocery ads (alcholic drinks ads, feminine products ads,  removed as well as anything not school appropriate as we don't want to promote anything like this at any grade level)
12 x 18 manila drawing paper
Scissors
Glue sticks
Pencils
Buttons (for eye) optional
This was extremely successful this year for 2nd graders . (And in years past with 3rd grades).
With 12 x 18 paper in the horizontal position, draw turkey as directed above in Striped Turkey, except make a medium-large oval for the body.  Use other shapes as directed above. Add tail feathers,  Add a horizon line behind the turkey so he is standing on the ground.  
Pass out grocery ads and let the students go wild!  They must glue on whatever they  cut out  immediately!! *It will get lost in the pile of ads, if they don't. Be prepared for some fun looking turkeys.  You'll hear, "I found chocolate; I found pizza, I found...." At one of my schools: The most interesting was a chocolate milk shake with a straw for the tail feathers; and a piece of cantaloupe for the face with a blueberry in it for the "eye" of the turkey. Others filled their turkey bodies with chocolate, pizza, paper towels (?) and other fun stuff.  Lesson Copyright 2013 LJGates  :-D

5th graders with their food collage turkeys

4th-5th grades
Thanksgiving Party in an Elevator
12 x 18 white drawing paper
Pencil
Colored Pencils/Markers
This has been used even with high schoolers and they loved it.  I used it with 5th graders. 
Have students discuss their best Thanksgiving memories, food, etc. Then have them imagine having a Thanksgiving party in an elevator.  Have them draw on paper that is in the vertical (up and down) position. What are they doing at the party? Who is with them? What are they eating? Be as creative as possible. 
Have them share their "party" drawing with the class.  Be prepared for laughs.
P.S.  When I did this at the high school level, one boy did a grill with flames, hot dogs, etc., When I asked him how could tell it was in an elevator, he said," What elevator?"  I said, "Didn't you read the assignment on the board?"  "Huh? Elevator, he said, oh..."  And he quickly drew in some doors, buttons, etc. LOL.  We all had a good laugh.  Lesson credit:  Incredible Art Dept online.  I adapted it.   :-K

Teacher Journal

When I began teaching this year, I decided to keep a journal.  Every day when I get home, I spill out my day on the pages: both the good and the bad.  The simple act of writing my thoughts to paper helps me vent, and be done with the day!  Of course, I also write joys of the day.  Yesterday:  One of my 4th grade students said, ".....best lesson ever."  My heart warmed.  On the days when I feel I can't go on another day, a smile from a student, a little side hug, or a comment like above really helps me realize I am teaching for the joy of doing so, and my job is to teach the students about art. At the end of the day I mostly feel I succeeded.
So, teachers, grab a pen, write down what's happening in your teaching life. By the way, I have only gone back through my journal one time: I was looking for something specific on one day. But other than that, I probably won't read it until the end of the year. And then, I hope to say, I was successful and I will be ready for another year next year. 
Better get writing....

MAT Cards I made. Inspiration for many!

Fortunately Flip Books

Fortunately, over a year ago I found a wonderful book entitled, Fortunately written and illustrated by Remy Charlip. The title and author's name intrigued me, so I bought it at a used book store for 25 cents.  Published by The Trumpet Club, copyright 1964. ISBN 0-440-84755-9. 

Fortunately, thanks to two great fifth grade teachers in my master's class, they showed me how to make a flip book. They have students make them for science, reading, etc.

Making art lesson plans for this year,  I thought it would be fun for my art students to make flip books.  Students would draw the illustrations for it,  and learn the definition fortunately, folding paper and making their books.

Fortunately,  this project turned out to be a good lesson in language arts, drawing, writing, creativity, folding paper, plus observing and following directions.  I am amazed at the stories the students wrote.  Of course, other new words were learned as they learned how to spell more words for their stories.  One student realized that he could begin with  fortunately and end his book with fortunately.  The students colored the fortunately pages, and left the  unfortunately pages (black and white) just like in the book.
Unfortunately, many didn't finish after 2  30 minute class periods, but they got to take them home. Fortunately they will finish them, and fortunately they will share with their parents, friends and family. 


How to make a flip book:  1) Line up two 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper vertically, making the botttom sheet a half inch or inch higher, but still keep them in a stack as below.

                              
2)  Take the bottom, flip the paper up to bend it and fold to make a crease about 1/2 inch or 1 inch from the bottom of the  two lines made from doing so.  Make a good crease and fold.

 3) Turn the papers so the folded pages are facing down. Make sure both pieces of paper are lined up and  folded together. Staple about a 1/4 inch from the fold to make the pages into a book.
 
                                         

                 


Students can write the title and draw their pictures in the horizontal position (as shown  below) or they may turn the "book" vertically and  write and draw their illustrations inside.  My students chose Fortunately as their titles. Students were also required to have an illustration that summed up the story of their book on the "cover" as seen below.

We discussed having a colored drawing to attract attention that would make people want to read their books.  Did you know that most cover art for books  are created AFTER the book is written? I hope you try this with your students, friends, or your own kids.  Fortunately it will be fun!