AND WE ARE BACK.

HOLY MOLEY BATMAN.

We had 2 solid weeks off. It was awesomeness.

and....we started back to school last Monday. By Wed. I was crawling into bed at 7:30pm. Hey, don't judge. I might have slept in my clothes, just saying. Ewww.

Here's a sneak peak of the cool things we did this week. Just in case you're wondering, I make it a habit to never, ever, unless absolutely necessary start new projects the first week back.

So yes, that means their projects have a "sleep over" hahaha and hang out in the art room over break, and yes I have to do a quickie re-teach with each class, but at least now I have their attention and focus. Which we don't have the week before break, amiright? And I am not starting new projects with every single class the first week back, which is insanity.

Ok, check this out (so proud of these kids!):

What were you doing any day this week at 8:15 am? Because 5th graders were up to their elbows in Glue Batik. Guiding Idea: Lines can be expressive.

Some had to finish painting with acrylics.

After soaking and rubbing the fabric in water for a few minutes, we scrapped the glue off with paper clips.

See? Easy peasy.

Water stations at each table. Fuuuuuuuun!

Next, third graders are creating Monochromatic Landscapes:

Guiding Ideas: 3D perspective, color theory (students also had to mix compliments, tints and shades) and Landforms (Science connection). Student choice for materials.

This is her very first painting ever. She came from a school district with no Art!

Yes, they were able to choose their media, from drawing with colored pencils to oil pastels to watercolor to fabric collage. As you can see, most chose painting ^.^

Next up, it's 11 am and we have 4th grade and Greek Pots (2D). Guiding Ideas: historical reference, geometric pattern and modern self portraits. These self portraits should demonstrate something the student likes to do during their free time. 

Students researched the various Greek pots (lots of awesome websites out there- love the British Museum!) and either drew their favorite one or used a template.

This is my way to try out new materials to see if they are worth it: Crayola Gel FX Markers and Crayola Metallic FX crayons. Jury is still out on the markers (they dry up quickly):

There is a huge WOW factor with these. 

Then it's a quick 1/2 hour lunch and:

Kindergarten glazed their ceramic pots, which I have no pictures of, as I am sure you understand? imeancomeon. Guiding Idea: get through the class, joking!

but this is what my hands looked like...

Now it is 1:00pm and 1st grade is building some coiled clay pots, Guiding Ideas: proper clay techniques with attaching clay, form and function are related:

Score, Slip and Secure!

They could add on if they desired. 

This room has never been so quiet. Amazing.

Not bad for 7 year olds! Can't wait to see them glazed, magical!

2pm, last class of the day: 2nd grade, drawing Selfies! Guiding Ideas: Portraits can be expressive, using technology to aid our art making:

Students took photographs of themselves showing a mood or expression. They used this photo to create an expressive self portrait.

The background has to explain why they are making the expression. They are creating the background and then attaching the portrait separately, allowing for more creative freedom.

For those of you not familiar with elementary art, this was my day, every day last week, and a typical week. The crazy weeks are when we start new projects...

So coming up this week: Finishing, final assessment (class and individual critiques), my grades are due, students need to take photographs of their art and upload it to their Google Drive. If we have time, we will start discussing and planning our next project. 

And we are back! *hit the ground running!*

woooooooohooooooooooooooooooooo!

Divergent, The Hunger Games and Star Trek. Oh, and Elementary Art Ed.

 Best winter break evah! 

In between delicious naps and sleeping in, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm, I just finished reading, oh, sorry, I mean, inhaling, the "Divergent" series (yeah, yeah I know. The third book. But this is young adult so there ya go). This trilogy  about yet another futuristic dystopian society was a great, fast read. I will confess, I am not a young adult and I cannot wait for this movie in March.

This I how I felt after reading "The Hunger Games". I was so engrossed, so fascinated, so nauseated, so...

sad.

UGH.Why does our future have to look like THIS?

Trust me people, I do not want to wave bye bye to my great-grand-kids while they are trying to save themselves from small children with assault weapons/zombie apocalypse/alien invasion/demon factions in skimpy bathing suits/robot uprising/widespread and contagious catastrophic disease (thanks a lot Stephen King!)/ gluttony and/or famine/thermo-nuclear war/massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions brought about by global warming and the rising of the oceans/ Monsanto/ the Four Hoursemen/life size fire ants... ok, that one I am a little sacred of. See ya kids! Have fun storming the castle! I'm outta here!

Almost every thing envisioned about the future is, just awful. I mean, why bother?

I have friends I know- I KNOW- are secret Doomsday Preppers (only because theirs is the house we are running to, you know, just in case) and I totally understand that unsettling times lead to fears about the future, but I do not want this for my future offspring. Do you guys? Really? Sure it's fun to read about. And yeah, Tris and Katniss are the bomb. But can you imagine your sweet great-great-grand-daughter, who kinda looks like you, running from a robot toddler? With zero electricity? But somehow they have computers? I don't.

When I picture the year 2060, I see a beautiful and exciting future, one with promise and light and knowledge and butterflies and unicorns...oh wait...

I prefer the future in Star Trek:

See? Isn't this nicer?

(Note to fellow geeksters: I am referring to the future of Star Trek (Original) and The Next Generation, not from the novels and other spin offs. Yes, I am aware of the horrible wars on Earth, but moving on...
 Hopefully by now you guys totally understand that I AM A MAJOR GEEK. In college, 1989, I wrote an awesome paper for sociology using Star Trek TNG as a metaphor for our modern society. It was incredible and I am still proud of it, what, 30 years after? ouch.)

Ahem. Sorry.

This future is about exploration, scientific discovery, diplomacy. World problems such as famine, poverty, disease, catastrophic weather have been eradicated through technology and compassion for humanity.

In this future, all knowledge is important. Education is valued. The Arts are valued. Here is a solution to a terrible option. It might seem naive. But I don't think so.

Art is, has always been, the mirror for society. We are showing you what is going on, what is coming. 

Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of a flying machine. 1488. Would have been considered science fiction.

And CHANGE IS HERE my friends. BIG change. Like it to not, strap yourselves in or jump ship.
There has never been a greater need for quality Art Education, taught by certified and trained Artist-Teachers in our schools. All levels. Accessible to every student.

With Art Teachers who aren't afraid to learn. 

How many of my fellow art teachers are afraid to use technology in their rooms, terrified that it might replace or worse, confuse us? How many of us just say NO to any new idea? How many of us are feeling desperate and unstable, after years of being the best teachers, the strongest teachers, the Teachers of the Year?

I did. Although I am a gamer,  I was totally anti FaceBook (narcissistic!) and Twitter (OMG Narcissistic!!) and texting (really??? you can't CALL me?) until...my kid wanted a Tumblr at age 15. I decided to Google it. And booooyo am I glad I did. That forced me to open my eyes. I understood then this virtual cyber world was not going away. It was in my house.

Right. So I play this but hating texting. Go figure.

It's in my classroom. It's in my sweet elementary school. Younger and younger kids have iPhones and tablets. Their own FB page and email accounts. Complain all you want, it is not going away.

Face it, the kids coming to us are different. In 20 plus years, I have never taught a group like The iGeneration (That could be a whole other dissertation/post!) Are you kidding, within 2 years my entire pedagogy (ugh, hate that word) has been upended! Do you know how unsettling that is???
Technology has leveled the playing field for our kids, and un-leveled it for teachers (thanks, Wooten, for this quote).

So I tried social media. I tried blogging. I tried Google Apps. I tried using an iPad. Baby steps--learning the lingo. Asking Google for help along the way. Asking my kids for help. Taking technology courses offered though my district. Feeling like a ding dong. Feeling pretty good.

My school is super fortunate. We have iPads for all the kids and our district provides a super secure server for them to use at school and at home. I know this is not the norm in other 1:X campuses. We are super fortunate, and hopefully we are trailblazing for other school districts.

Yes, using new technology in the classroom has it's challenges (IOS 7. Grrrr.), but for the most part, it has been a blessing. The transition has been smooth, and dare I say, fun?  I believe, more than I ever have, that I am making a huge difference in the kids I teach. They are making a huge difference in me as well.

Sometimes, ignorant (Not stupid. Ignorant.) people smirk or roll their eyes when I tell them I am an elementary art teacher. Because, to the ignorant, I am not a real teacher. I don't do anything of great value. Because, art is fun, but not really respected.
What they don't realize is that I am exactly where I need to be to affect change. Change for good. So maybe we don't hand over a terrible future.

You want to change the world? You want to make it better? You want to make a difference in thousands of people? Teach elementary art. Yeah, I said it.
 Talk to 5 year olds about the wonder and awesomeness of the future. Get them excited to solve problems we cannot. Teach them to create and value beauty in the world, from the smallest creatures to ships for space travel. Teach them how to express their ideas, their dreams and desires through art.

You cannot change an adults mind. Too late. You affect change with the young. It can be for evil (*tobacco industry*) or for good. All I know is as much as I love seeing Katniss shoot her bow to survive,  I would prefer my grand-kids didn't have to.

Happy Happy Happy, Happy Break!

Have a happy, happy Christmas and New Year!

Enjoy the break, we all need it! (Especially us Texans after being off for two days with Ice Storm 2013. Right??)

I plan on resting, eating good food, hanging with family and friends, playing video games and painting. There are some great movies out and I really want to spend as much time as I can with my girl as she is halfway through her senior year of high school. *sniffle*

I hope this time brings you contentment and gratitude of lacking nothing. And some lazy, lazy days.

This will be me by December 28. Cannot wait.

See you next year! Be safe!

Shout out to an awesome, way cool student!

 I have to give a shout out to this 5th grader, Victor, who has been coming in a couple times a week during recess to design our latest entryway mural installation.

It says, "Welcome to Donald, the home of the Dolphins"

The left side has this awesome dolphin and the right side is a drawing of our school. Victor is completely self directed. This is all him. I have just pretty much stayed out of his way!

I am going to have the other 5th graders in the art club help him with painting. It is a big job.

Last year's Art Club painted these 2 way cool murals, based on student artwork:

When finished, I think I will get the faculty and students to create ceramic tiles and dolphins. I can use those for a mosaic border, to cover that blue and tie it all together.

Thank you Victor! You are the BOMB!

My (kinda) messy room.

Ok, I admit it. I like organization. But that doesn't mean we don't get messy in the Art Room! I just like everything to live in its own home! 

Here's a typical messy kind of day, starting at 7:30 am

No 1st period, they are in play rehearsals, and then conference (planning), so easy early morning...

and then:

  after lunch: Kinder is painting seasonal snowmen (I read the book, Snowmen All Year). First they are drawing details with oil pastels and then they are adding snow with acrylic (it might snow here Friday! We are PUMPED! It's North Texas baby!)

Sweet! Messy hands, good thing I have CASES of Wet Wipes!

 

And good thing I have my 4th and 5th grade Art helpers who scrub brushes for me 

Whooooo hoooooo!

So, not too bad. Right?

ugh. No posts in weeks. Hate geting old :(

This knee thing KICKED me. UGH. So do not enjoy getting old and having body parts fall off. 

I spent a good week or two in my classroom in a chair with my leg propped up, so I had to re-do some lessons. 'Cause that isn't stressful. And since I was face level, kids coughed AT and ON me and I got sick---due to my medical issues, I tend to NOT be face level with the sweeties--so YEAH it's been a fun couple of weeks. I did have a very restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving break and hope you did too!

Since I had to do a quick lesson re-do, this was a great time to do some Observational Drawing of Fall Fruit. I had the BEST stuff: persimmons, gourds, mini pumpkins, pomegranates. The best part is I let them fully and over ripe, so they had cool edges and colors. And a little mold. Which is cool to draw. *heheheheheheh*

Fall Fruit with Zentangle Designs, 3rd and 5th grade

Guiding Idea: Lines and Color Create Depth

This was a great project for them to work on while I "facilitated" from my perch on the side of the room. The kids LOVED this. I had zero issues!

Once they saw how observation skills (trick: tell them to "look" and "think" like a Scientist. They understand this terminology at this young age. Then add in the Artist part and make the connection.), mixing colors (families and complementary) can create 3D depth and realistic affects, they were super excited. The Zentangle design was an option, either in the drawing or as a border/frame.

Can you guess which two are 3rd grade?

 

The top two. Yeah, they LOVED this project. 

When they finished (and as they worked...), the kids pulled out the ipads and documented the process:

Adam created an Animoto about his drawing, step by step.

These guys are photographing their art for their digital portfolio. They played around with photo editing, which is becominng a Very Big Deal. I am fine with it, as long as the original is in the portfolio. 

Lesson for you younger whippersnappers: when you blow a tendon in your knee playing a game at Field Day you have no business playing (with your Principal!!!) do some Observational Drawings with the older kids. Extremely Important Skills. Awesome Process, Awesome Results ...and an easy way to recuperate...until Kinder comes. 

Until Kinder comes.

Use your kid's art to make awesome gifts!

Our kids have been using their iPads for taking high resolution images (using Snapseed) and saving them to their Google Drive. Parents, you can use these for amazing photo gifts for the holidays!!!

Check out Shutterfly:
http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts
Walgreens: http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=Main
Artkive:
http://www.artkiveapp.com

(Note to other art teachers: our districts' purchasing dept. has not approved Artsonia. I know.)

how cute are these??

Mummy Coffins, done and done!

they look amazing!

Remember this?

4th graders worked in small groups and created life-size mummy coffins, focusing on pattern, symmetry and historical reference (Ancient Egypt). They were encouraged to create a"back-story" for their mummy. One group did "Beaker" from the Muppets. And I was happy.

We also played around with hieroglyphics and Egyptian symbols, cool cool cool!

Each group got to choose their (dry) art media, from the following options:

crayon (regular and Metallic FX), marker (permanent and non), colored pencils (regular and metallic) and/or oil pastel (also regular and metallic).  Most groups went with mixed media (btw----I am trying NOT to influence them!!! Ha, I love me some mixed media!)

How we used tech: 

-Collaboration and Research:

Research and sketches of final mummy coffin, in the past, took 3-4 class periods:

      week 1: intro in the computer lab to visit websites, or see a movie, or something...

      week 2: get into groups, begin planning 

       week 3: continue sketching, pouring over books and handouts

       week 4: finalize sketch, trace body.

With the iPads and creation apps, students were ready in under 2 class periods, allowing for more time to create their work of art. Awesome.

-The Scribe:

To simplify the process, one student of each group was the Scribe and in charge of recording all pertinent information. Students were encouraged to write back stories.

This is something we never would have had time to do prior to the tech component. Some stories evolved into plays or multi-chapter stories. These were printed and displayed with the coffin.

-To Record and Assess:

Below, students are photographing their work for a sick member to show her what they had worked on that day. I love this, imagine how this will affect them in the workplace.

With tech, the process of art-making can also be an on-going record for friends and family members. There is a lot of excitement about the ability to share.)

The final assessment was a group video, with peer assessment. I encourage the kids to do the following:

1. introductions
2. explain what we are seeing
3. explain how this was made
4. describe your favorite parts
5. read the story (if applicable)

We keep this fun and positive. As far as the video went, I allowed each group the freedom to do it how they wanted. One group had a director and only one person in charge of filming. They shared the video with their group-mates. Other groups decided to each make individual videos. It was more exciting, and dare-I-say-engaging for the kids to run with this!

(personal observations:Students clearly possess intrinsic knowledge of tech. They were able to navigate easily between research sites, screen shots, photo editing and creation apps for image ideas, Sketchbook Express for sketching ideas, etc. Stuff I even didn't think of doing! They found websites that translated hieroglyphics to help with their art and story. I was very impressed. I just walked around, and the kids showed me the awesome ideas they came up with.
PicCollage (free app) is being used to organize information and generate ideas quickly. We have asked for this on every ipad, and the kids use it a lot, and waaaay more than cute-sy collages.

in the midst of all the organized chaos...

...why not crochet a scarf?