Week One

Moving from Secondary to Elementary is a huge adjustment. My new schedule begins teaching at the High School once again, but instead of the Studio Art/AP Studio Art Class I am in an Art I class. Right after the Art I class my CT and I travel to the Elementary School beginning with a 3rd grade class, then 1st grade. We have prep time, lunch, and then the afternoon continues on with 4th grade, 2nd grade, and then Kindergarten. Art is on a three day rotation. The Elementary does not have enough room, so both Art and Music are across the street in a trailer. The environment is very small and classroom management is very difficult. Students cannot be moving around throughout the area, because there is just not enough room. There is only one sink other than the bathroom sink, and often the students are not able to clean up after themselves due to the lack of space. The students are also generally riled up from walking outside to get to the classroom.

The Art I class focuses on learning the Elements and Principles of Art and Design. The students in this classroom are very well behaved and are working very hard thus far. They are beginning with a personal narrative focusing on unity. The students brainstormed ideas about what their interests are with sketches of the image. Then, students created collage of all of these items and had to either through color, shape, repetition, proximity, etc. create unity throughout.

This week I am mostly observing the Elementary and helping when possible. Kindergarten is working on designing a mat using pattern and markers with inspiration from the book, Fat Cat Sat on a Mat. The students painted a cat, cut it out, and then outlined the major shapes before gluing the cat on the mat.

First grade worked on cityscapes learning background, foreground, and middle ground. They began by creating a cityscape using cool colors, then created a background using warm colors, with a black road in the front. The students put yellow windows on the buildings and then cut out the buildings and glued them onto the landscape.

Second grade is working with radial design, tracing leaves that they drew, four times. Next the students chose to outline the leaf with either warm or cool colors and then created a background design using the opposite color theory. The students will continue on by creating a watercolor wash on the paper.

Third grade is creating an alien landscape. They brainstormed drawing six aliens. Then the students chose three color strips to create space, and gave each strip a "haircut" to create terrain. The students added oil pastel on top to add depth and details.

Fourth grade is painting a background using flowers, swirls, polka dots, etc. This will be used to matte their skull that they created on foamcore.

Week 1 Projects K-4

This will be a huge step trying to work with classroom management here and getting used to the age level difference. Students on IEP, who are EBD, or are ADHD are much more evident than when they are high school or middle school ages. The students have a difficult time sitting still and paying attention. They are just beginning to learn how to act in a classroom. The students follow a stoplight system A (green) R (yellow) and T (red). If the green A gets turned, they must be quiet for five minutes. If the yellow R gets turned around the students need to be quiet and put their heads down for five minutes. If the red T ever gets turned around the students must take a day off of Art and the day will be focused on relearning the rules and how to act. If students are well behaved and the rest of the class gets to yellow, they may be tapped on the head and are allowed to continue working on their project quietly. If an individual is not acting appropriate there are also personal stoplights that act as a warning for the student and they will be written up for which rule they were not following. Since the tables are so small there are demonstrations that need to be done on the tables, the students need to stand sideways around the table so everyone can see without leaning in front of other students.

ART Turned Around