Well.... I did it.

I finally did it.  I realize that I should have some of my videos to view not only for students who are making up work, but for colleagues who are interested in them as well.  I've posted them to my YouTube where it can be easily accessed.

Two years ago I decided to flip my classroom and it was a game changer!  Like many art teachers, I follow Cassie Stephens. When she posted a few videos about "flipping" her classroom and showing instructional videos, I initially thought that would be too difficult. But I tried it out by recording my two girls demonstrating how to go through a day in art class for the first week of school and it was the SMOOTHEST first week ever!  I was less drained because I didn't feel like I was constantly repeating myself, I could walk around the classroom and watch the students at the same time "I" was giving directions.  It was also nice to be able to replay the instructions on kindergarten and pre-k centers for their first few weeks.

I was hooked after that!  I made up a schedule to keep myself ahead of my unit time tables and to hold myself accountable.  After the first year, I had a full year's worth of lessons recorded for grades 1-5 and half a years worth for Kindergarten.  This year, I focused on rounding out the videos in each grade level with more units, recorded more kindergarten, and began pre-k videos.  I have also started recording a few sub lessons so my students can still get a good art lesson while I'm gone.

Heading into my third "flipped" year, I hope to focus more on sub lessons and redo some of my older videos that are more long-winded in addition to building my 'library' of units.

I've streamlined a lot of instructional time, cutting it down quite a bit.  The students seem to retain more and I can keep myself consistent between classes - not forgetting to mention things and not feeling like I've repeated myself more than I actually have. I also don't have to stop for behavior problems or talking students and can quietly address it with them while the rest of the class still gets their lesson.

And let me just say, put in a little background music and you got yourself a video!  Those kids will stare transfixed.  It's magical.  Even my normally distracted students, who tend to talk while I talk or misbehave, are silent during videos.

Try it.  I guarantee, you'll never look back.

Birch Trees

An old post from last year that never got posted:

Fifth grade has FINALLY completed their foreshortened birch trees! They did a great job with them!

2nd Grade made stand up towns to create communities!  They each designed a small section (or street) out of cut paper and once they were done, they worked in teams to create neighborhoods, arranging the streets in different ways. One group decided on a big circle facing outwards so all the kids could play together in the big backyard it created,  Another made long streets and cul-de-sacs!  At the very end of the last day, we all put out neighborhoods together in one bi classroom community. I looked at the pictures and recreated some of the formations in the display window after the unit was over.

3rd Grade stained glass

Happy 2018!

We've been very busy in the art room this year!  I'll be putting recent works in a few new posts!

We did a stained glass unit with 3rd grade where we learned about the process of creating stained glass and designed our own window using rotating symmetry.  We used transparency sheets and sharpies.  After drawing the design on paper, I taped the plastic sheets on top and they traced their lines carefully with black sharpies (acting as the lead of the window).  I had them flip their sheet over to the back to color the shapes in, still using the white paper so they could more easily see their colors.  Flipping the sheets prevented the black from running into the colors so the works turned out nice and clean!

They were so focused and excited about these windows - and that's been a challenge this year!

Early finishers took a look at rose windows' radial symmetry and created a symmetrically colored rose window as I noticed a few students that didn't quite translate the rotating symmetry to the color part of the lesson.  I think the next time I do this project, I may have them do the colored rose window first before adding color to their own windows...

More Student work!

I am in love with this first grade project! Brand new one I tried out this year and we mixed our own colors, it involved several different techniques and materials, AND it fits in with them talking about different environments and what lives/grows there.

After the cactus pictures, we did the chilly penguins again, and I am currently teaching them about Dale Chihuly's glass-blown sculptures.  We watched video clips of glass blowing artists and the process they go through to create these masterpieces. They are decorating plastic cups and I am using a heat tool to melt them while the students watch - takes like 10-15 seconds. (Somehow I didn't even up taking many pictures of either of these projects, so I'll share later).

I totally forgot to share a photo I took from my kindergarten class for THEIR reward day where they got "Free Choice" materials to make their own project - which they always love.  I talk briefly about waste with them and remind them they need to be responsible with the materials they use and HOW MUCH they take.  I find the very young grades and older grades are the most responsible with this.

This little girl made a bunch of paper dolls. She didn't want to glue them to her background because she said she wanted dolls to play with when she went home.


My second grade students completed their block printed snowflakes!  I made a mini mural I'll photograph later.

We're in the middle of Wayne Thiebaud sweets - they learn about 3D shapes in their classroom, so I actually taught them how to draw those FORMS before their teachers introduced it, hopefully it made things a little easier for them...  We are focusing on form and value (I'm focusing hard core on these two in 2nd and 4th since I reviewed last year and realized I've been kind of weak in those areas).



Yes, I also realize that I ALSO did 2 separate snowflake lessons with 2nd and 4th... different processes, but they both fit into their curriculum (snowflake Bently, symmetry, changing physical properties ect.), our county does a winter wonderland exhibit (got so sick this year, I actually couldn't turn anything in!). 4th Grade did melted crayon prints with sandpaper - always another big hit, especially when they realize they get to take the sandpaper home and all they need is crayons and an adult with an iron and they can do it at home.

I don't think I mentioned this before, but if anyone has questions on how I went about doing these lessons, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message! :)

Flying Machines for the future

My fourth grade students are just finishing up their "Flying Machines for the Future" project.  This is another one that I love because it has SO MUCH all packaged together.

We discussed Leonardo Da Vinci and looked at his inventions (something they also do in their classroom) and talk about how he was a visionary, far beyond the technology of his time period.  They were tasked with creating their own flying machine for the future when our technology has advanced way beyond today - in the case flying in space in a time when every can buy a rocketship (like the family car). They needed to design a ship with 3 unique features that may or may not be visible from the outside and write an advertisement trying to sell their product to others. They needed a name, what fuel it runs on, and how fast it travels as well.

They absolutely love this project.  The only thing I want to tweak now that I have done this twice is have them write that rough draft for their ad completely with their plan when we start. That way, the initial excitement about something new is still there to drive them before they realize they're doing a writing assignment in art.  Most of them still do a great job, but I think I can snag a few more that kind of lose the drive later.

Great project to revisit value and form (I previously mentioned I am pushing this hard with a few of my grades that seem to really lack knowledge in those areas).

Happy 2017!

The past 2 months have been FULL!  Got sick a total of 3 separate times in 2 months, which has never happened to me before! Felt like every time I kicked something, I caught something else.  Hoping that it's all out of my system now!

Time to catch up with what's going on in the art room!

My PreK just finished some winter tree scenes. They earned 10 marbles in their reward jar, so I had a reward day where we mixed colors straight on the covered table with our fingers! They are starting resist painted mittens soon.

The Kindergarten has completed their fish and I have finally transitioned them to whole class instruction, no more centers! We did a project on Kandinsky's concentric circles and are currently in the middle of creating mugs of hot cocoa - I was very impressed with their ability to create cylinders and the checker patterns this year.

Things keep pointing back to how valuable and effective it has been to pre-record all my lessons (Flipping my classroom).  It forces me to review every word I say, clip it down to what is needed and organize the information.  It's also very VERY easy to see what was lacking after a lesson that the students don't quite pick up because I'M watching it with them. I can go back and add a clip if I have time or I know to emphasize something before/after the video.  Either way, instruction is smoother, my ability to grow and self-reflect has drastically increased, and (NOT KIDDING) nearly ALL of those kids who constantly call out and interrupt while you're talking/instructing.... DEAD silent during the video.  More of them pay attention; yes, there are still some who don't, but I try to look on the bright side that at least the rest of the class can focus on instructions.  I can use proximity to encourage those few to watch instructions, or deal quietly with a bigger problem.  AND if a student comes late or didn't listen, I can sit them at the computer and replay the video (in part or whole) if I need to circulate to help the other students.

I'll save more student work for tomorrow! I am trying to build a really nice portfolio for my classroom and I am taking apart my old one today to start fresh!