Working with an Artist-in-Residence

When my principal first approached me about having an artist-in-residence work with me and my students, I was a little skeptical. I wasn't sure if I would like turning over my classroom to another person.

But I have really enjoyed having her work with me. She's been a great resource for my students and for me too! I went to her studio for several hours one Friday afternoon to help her roll out and cut all of the clay tiles we needed for my students. I felt like an apprentice learning from a master artist! 

My kids have really loved having her teach them. They're learning a lot from her about sculpture, clay, firing ceramics, and glazing. Here are a couple of pics of their pieces in process.

I assigned my students to find an animal the first week we were back in January. It could be a real animal, a mythical animal, or a new animal from their imagination (ps, this is a great resource of you want to teach your kids about silly made up animals). They had to research or make up facts about their animal, sketch it, draw it, and color it. Then, when the artist came to work with them, they had to sculpt it. It was a really cool project and I will definitely be doing something similar again. 

Have you worked with an artist-in-residence before? What did you like or dislike about the experience? Does anyone have an artist in residence come on a regular basis? 

Kelsey 

Impromptu art critique

I have an artist-in-residence currently working with my fourth graders to make clay sculptures (more on that later). While she's here, my third grade class has to clean up early to get out of her way since my third grade class is over at 10:50 and my fourth grade class starts at 10:50 (which is miserable, by the way). 

So while the artist is setting up, I've had to find something to do with twenty something third graders in the hallway. Luckily, I have a lot of third grade artwork hanging up right now from the kids whose artwork didn't make it in the Have a HeART for Art contest that is held in our county.

So I decided at the last minute while walking my third graders down the hallway to have an impromptu art critique.

I started off my asking students to raise their hands and then tell the rest of the class which of the heart artworks was their favorite and, more importantly, why it was their favorite.

Then, I asked questions like "which artist has the best use of shape in their artwork?" or "which artwork shows the best use of color?" And I would have students walk to their answer and point to it without touching. It was really cool to see differing opinions and preferences from all the different students. Overall, one of my favorite things I've ever made up on the spot.

Do you have hallway art critiques? What else do you do when you have a few minutes to burn at the end of a class?

Kelsey

Examples

Oh examples. Kids love them, I hate them. It seems like every time I make an example, I end up with a bunch of copycats and a bunch more meltdowns because their artwork doesn't look just like mine.

It's a struggle for me. On the one hand, I like the kids to have a visual to refer back to so I'm not bombarded with a million questions about what I've already explained. On the other hand, I'm not the kind of art teacher who likes a bunch of carbon copy artworks and the "mine's not perfect" fits are the bane of my existence.

So I decide based on the project. If my fourth graders are making collages about different kind of weather, they don't really need an example for that. But if my kindergarteners are drawing pigs for the first time, they need some sort of visual to rely on beyond just my verbal directions. (ps, here are my kindergartener pig drawings. I think they are freaking adorable.)

My first graders have been learning about Ben Franklin in their classroom. So I've taken advantage of that to teach about another famous inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. We've talked about both inventors and then about the process of inventing; first, you have to have a problem, next, you decide how to solve it, last, you draw the invention. I wanted my kids to include several things in their drawings that are better explained by visuals, rather than me just telling them, like notes and descriptions, the idea of motion, backgrounds, etc. So I made an example.

But instead of drawing a really nice drawing of an invention, I drew something that was just a little bit above most of their skill levels. That way, they still have something to strive for but it's not a constant comparison.

This project also works well for an example because each kid had to come up with his or her problem before I showed my example. And I was very clear from the beginning that no one could do the same invention as I did.

Every year, they blow me away with this project. I've never had kid not like this project. They all have problems they want to solve. This project really brings out their creativity. I'm constantly amazed by their crazy, creative inventions. When we're done with this project, I'm definitely going to post the finished products.

What about you? Do you make examples for your students? Or does it depend on the grade level and project? Do you have something that works better than an example of the finished product?

Kelsey

Clay!

My first graders have been working on a special surprise for their parents for Valentine's Day. Clay pottery! We spent one week making the pinch pots with Crayola air dry clay and by the time they came back the next week, the bowls were dry and ready to paint.  This is my first time using water colors to paint air dry clay and I have to say, I love it. I'm never going back to acrylic. (See my post from a few weeks ago about how to use liquid watercolors without all the hassle.)

This year, I came up with a new system to keep up with which piece belongs to which kid. Last year, I carved or had the kids carve their initials into the bottom before it dried. Disaster. Total disaster.  

So this time, I planned ahead. I have these old drawing board that I don't use (but probably should).

I laid them out, three per class because I have three tables per class. I put pieces of tape with each child's name on the board at their table.

They put their pot on their name. Simple as that.

The following week, the board were at their tables with their pottery, they grabbed them, painted them, and put them back.

And then the next week, I got out all the boards, wrapped each bowl in a small piece of newspaper and taped it up and wrote the names with a sharpie.

It took a lot of my prep time every day to prepare the boards and then wrap the bowls. But for me, it was totally worth it to not have the chaos of trying to decide if those initials are HB or MP.

Plus it helped me keep up with who was absent when we made the bowls. If they weren't there, they wouldn't have a bowl on their name tape. And that was a lot easier than listening to a kid who wants to tell you that he really did make one that so and so stole his bowl.

What about you? How do you keep up with your students' pottery or other three-dimensional work?

Kelsey

Kindergarten Art Centers

So I'm trying something a little different with Kindergarten this semester. I started looking at the new Arkansas Visual Arts Frameworks that will take affect in the 2015/2016 school year and this Kindergarten standard really stood out to me:

CR.1.K.1 Engage in exploration, imaginative play, and self-directed play with materials (e.g., art-making tools and materials, found objects) 

Imaginative PLAY. Self-directed PLAY. Yes. PLAY. Isn't that an awesome word? It gave me permission to act on an idea I've had for a while. I was making clay hearts with my Kindergarteners and to help them warm up their clay, I told them to play with it for about ten minutes before we started sculpting. You would have thought I asked them to fly out the window. Play? In school? After about thirty seconds though, I realized using the word play was the best thing I could have done for them. It gave them permission to get creative. They weren't worried about what they were making and whether it was good. They were playing. They were creating. They were making hot dogs and necklaces and pizzas and baseballs and hamburgers. I almost hated to stop them to teach them how to make a heart.

I realized then that kids don't get that permission to create without a specific outcome enough. Sure, I do free-draw days. We do Beautiful Oops! and learn that art isn't perfect and we can create without worrying about every single mistake. But something about the word "play" really turned on their creativity. I think kids need that freedom to create, knowing that their creation isn't permanent, in order to build those problem-solving skills and creativity.

So I created Kindergarten Art Centers. We're not going to do them every single week, but at least once a quarter or so, I want my kids to be able to create without consequence, to make and build and draw and trace without being worried about the outcome.

This week, I had my first three centers: Building Center, Drawing Center, and Project Center.

At the Building Center, the kids got to build with Legos (kindly donated by my brother). They got to work alone or in teams of two to build houses, towers, cars, whatever they wanted (except weapons). I also provided rulers for them to measure how tall or long their creations are. I know most kindergarteners aren't fluent in rulers yet so I figured why not give them some time to practice without the stress of being wrong. In addition to the art frameworks being met, I also added these Common Core standards that I felt they could be working on at the building center.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1
Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 
Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6

Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.

The kids are loving this center. It's the one they're most excited about from the beginning. Here's a picture of what the Building Center looks like when it's cleaned up (it's the picture I give to the kids so they know how it should look.) 

The Drawing Center has a bunch of "finish the drawing" and step-by-step drawing papers that I had printed earlier in the year for early finishers. I taped transparencies on top of them and just like that, they can be used over and over again. I've also found that Crayola's dry-erase crayons work best for these. I also used washable markers and first (as you'll see in the picture) but even with water, they still leave a lot of color behind. The crayons come off great though. I just throw a couple of damp cloths in the basket and they can do and redo them as many times as they want. I'm a big fan of tracing for younger kids but I've never known exactly how to do it until now. I don't want to teach them that tracing is an acceptable alternative to drawing when they're supposed to be making their own artwork. But this way, they're still getting that muscle memory and fine motor development from tracing but they aren't claiming it as their own work. 

I also feel that the Drawing Center is working on the following Common Core ELA standards: 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

And lastly, the Project Center. This week, my kiddos were going to be using markers and colored pencils to color their clay hearts from the previous week. I knew that giving them 35-40ish minutes to color a four inch tall heart would result in a disastrous amount of color and scribbling since Kindergarteners have little to know self-control or concept of how much is enough. So I thought this would be a perfect project to start using centers for. The kids would have about 12 minutes to color their hearts; enough time for my slower workers but not too much for my early-finishers/"I'm bored"ers. 

As time goes on, if I'm still really liking centers, I'm planning on adding a Sculpting Center (Play Doh) and possibly even doing a Painting Center on some day when I'm feeling really adventurous. 
I also think I might start doing shorter lessons with small groups in a center every once in a while. Some kids need extra time to get it while other kids just get bored and paint black all over their papers. I like the idea of condensing my instruction/project down to 15 minutes and teaching it three times to three much smaller groups while the others are in other centers. This wouldn't work for every lesson, obviously but I think some concepts could definitely be better taught this way. Sometimes I feel like I only get 15-20 minutes of solid instruction/work time out of a 50 minute period anyway after I spend so much time on getting 22 Kindergarteners to come in, sit down, listen/participate, go to their tables, work, and then clean up at the end anyway! 

Since I have an aide in Kindergarten, I can get away with spending more time with one group and letting her monitor the other two centers that don't need as much attention. If I didn't have her, it would be more difficult to instruct one group and keep the others on task as well I'm sure. I'm thankful for my aide every single day!


What about you? Do you do art centers with your Kindergarteners or any other grade? If so, what have you tried that works? What have you tried that's failed? What are some of your favorite centers to use?  


Kelsey
Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. 

My favorite watercolor trick

If you're like me, you hate those little trays of watercolor cakes. They're the worst. Yes, I use them from time to time and every time I feel like it's just so wasteful. They're so easy to ruin.

I much prefer liquid water colors. But they require so much more prep. You have to squirt however much paint of each color in a palette for each kid.

But this week, I found a better way to do it. On Monday, I made the palettes, two wells of five colors because my first graders would be sharing them among two kids. They painted their clay pots and then returned the palettes to the counter. Instead of rinsing them out, I left them over night. They dried up for the most part. Some of the wells had more paint left than others so some had a little bit left in the morning.

I simply added water to each one and voilà, ready to use again. 

Tuesday's group used them, put them back, I added water, and so on an so forth. It's the best part of watercolor trays and liquid watercolors all rolled into one! 

For comparison, today I had to make a few new palettes today. On the right is all new paint and the left is paint from three days ago with water added. It really doesn't get overly watered down. 

What do you think? Would this work for you? Am I the last art teacher in the world to figure this out? 

My own art

As an art teacher, it seems like I never have time to make my own art. But lately, I've been trying to carve out some time specifically for making art. My new obsession: clay miniatures. I've posted some pictures below, not because I like showing off, but because I hate showing off. I'm trying to get myself more used to showing my art to people. Here we go!

Tiny Super Bowl Spread

Tiny Apple Pie

Tiny Pulled Pork, Cole Slaw and Beans

Tiny Burger and Fries

Tiny Italian Meal Prep

Tiny Chicken Nuggets and Mac and Cheese

Tiny Pot Roast

Tiny Salad

Tiny Sandwich and Chips with a Pickle

Tiny Blueberry Scone

Tiny Steak Dinner

Tiny Tart

Around my classroom

This year, I've been really putting more responsibility on my students to clean the room, do their work the right way, etc. I've keep a bunch of visual prompts and reminders around the room to hold them accountable. Here are a few of my favorites:

What do you think? Do you have any poster ideas I could add? What works for your kids?

Kelsey

Bulletin Board!

We've been working on this board all week in art. All of my students, 1st through 4th, wrote and drew what art is to them. I love how it turned out. Yes, my room will probably be littered with no longer sticky post-it notes before too long but oh well. 

Oops. I forgot to blog for a whole year.

Well as usual, I'm not very good at blogging. But here we go again. I'll give it a shot. I'm at the same elementary school where I started out last year. My first year was super crazy and good and terrible and scary and fun and so many more things. I'll try to post about it soon. 

Also, I go back to start a new year tomorrow. I feel 100 times more prepared than I did last year. I actually feel like I might know what I'm doing. I know the people I work with, I know my kids, I know some lesson plans. I'm actually even feeling almost confident enough to possibly present at an art educators conference in November. We'll see. I have to decide and submit a proposal by Friday. 

Additionally, I got married this summer! My kids will now call me Mrs. Fortune. Although I'm pretty sure it's going to take months to convince my kids that had me last year to not call me by my maiden name. But at least my kinders won't know my previous name. 

After all of that, I'll leave you with a photo of a rubric that I made for this year (thanks to Pinterest obviously). 

Until next time!

Kelsey