Classroom at the Ready!

I love the beginning of school.  Prepping is such fun--I get to make Art just for my kiddos, and show off a bit.  I'm pretty enamored of my door and entry area.

Welcome to Art Class!

I get so stoked about the kids coming and seeing everything--I really feel like they are more excited about Art when it looks inviting.  In the weeks before the kids come, I get my room looking all fun and exciting.  Take a look at my setup this year:

The reading center has seating now!

 Supply shelves are along the back wall and side wall by the door.  Everything lives in the same place every year, so all the students know exactly where to look for what they need.  

Above:  Drying rack and paint area.  The cart has pre-cut paper of various sizes on the top part so I always have the size I need in at least one class amount, so I don't start a lesson without what I need.  Nothing worse than having to cut paper right there as you are talking to the students, because you forgot to do it prior to their coming to class!

 I like to put up what the grades are doing, with standards.  Info posters for line and color theory are here now, as we are going through the rules this week and there's no real Art being made.  I believe rules and procedures are so important!  The colored bins are filled with items we commonly use, so that they can be passed out quickly.  Each table has their own corresponding color bin of glue, scissors, and markers.  Likewise, I have small colored bins with sharpened pencils and separate ones for erasers, for easy distribution.  Plus, I can keep track of the erasers--kids who love to stab them get outed pretty fast, since they're hurting their own stuff!  I can check at the end of class and, well, you know how it goes.  However, if we have true problems with it, I have a checkout system for erasers.  More on that another time.

Above you can see the teacher sink and organizational space.  To the left are the gray drawers for the K, 1, and 2 grades; 3rd grade flat work goes in the shelves right next to the drawers.  I have another set of big drawers for 4th and 5th.  You can see the magazine holders that house the sketchbooks for each class, on the shelves to the right.  I have the students make their own sketchbooks, and they are stored on the shelves for easy access. They get them to take home at the end of the year.  

Below:  I opened up the room a bit by moving the tables off of the angles they've been in for a number of years.  The angles were great for having kids not have their backs to me when I'm at the board; however, there was a real trade off in movement around the room.  It was tight in places, and after a couple of years I got tired of trying to get between tables.  Having them in straight rows gives more room for circulation.  I also placed two of the tables end to end (you can kind of see them in the second picture, and also below), as one of them only gets used with my largest classes.  This opened up the room further.

These are the two tables I put together to open up the room.

Of course we all know I love doing the bulletin boards at the beginning of the year.  I don't have any artwork right off, so I always make a couple of boards that look good while we are waiting for finished work to be posted on them.  Here are 3 of the 5 that are mine to decorate:

I can't take too much credit for this.  I got the idea from a Pinterest pin I saw (I'm sorry I can't remember who did it--I'd love to give them credit).  But the hours spent putting it together were all me!  The one below was logical to be on the opposite side of the doorway...gave me some balance and let me use the neutral paint squares.

The last two are on a corner.

Those first days of school are so precious--seeing students after a whole summer and how much they've grown (what do they eat, vegetables from Chernobyl?).  The  new littles come in--how kindergarten teachers do what they do is amazing.  They are so inquisitive.  Love them!

I've got lots in store for my students this year.  It's always exciting to get things rolling.  We will be working in 2-D and 3-D, in all kinds of ways--can't wait to get it all rolling.  In fact, next week pretty much all classes will be up to their elbows in paint or ink.  Yay!  Let's get this  party started!

5th Grade Reductive Prints, and Drawing Challenges

It's feast or famine with me.  I don't know how some folks manage to blog all the time.  Do they not have life stuff that happens?  Do they sleep?  I'm looking at going to our Thanksgiving break, and I'm determined to post some stuff that we've done this semester.  Gearing up to start Choice- Based Art in the second semester, we are doing all kinds of challenges so that we've used our various art supplies/mediums prior to me letting them loose with the whole Art Room at their disposal. 


The first major challenge after the drawing challenge of our sketchbook covers was to make reductive foam prints.  I showed them a PowerPoint on intaglio printing, and discussed how Styrofoam printmaking is sort of like intaglio, since we scratch our image into our plates.  If you're interested in the PowerPoint, you can email me at paschal@fultonschools.org.


We started out by doing a mind map in our sketchbooks.  Given a choice of 6-7 words, students developed a four-pronged mind map that had four legs/words and led to at least four degrees of separation from the beginning word they chose.  Their choices were:  courage, laughter, honesty, morning, curious, quiet, green.  Here's an example of one student's mind map:


If they wanted to, they could have more than 4 words off from the original word, and they could go more than  4 degrees of separation.  This student chose to make her print about clothes.  

The students all agreed that having the mind map really made a difference in how they chose their subject matter for their prints.  This was a great way to get them to think in new directions and to choose something that had some real meaning to them.  It made for some interesting choices.


Once they got their ideas solidified, they drew a picture of their planned print on a half-sheet of copy paper. The foam plates we were using were 6" x 12," so they it helped them to know what size their picture would be for their print.  I reminded them to keep from making too many little details, as they did not translate well onto the printing plate later on.   They also had to make sure that they made any words backwards, as they would be printed forwards when they pulled the print.  Most of them used tracing paper to make their drawings, if they wanted to put words on their plates.  I tried to discourage it, though, as it's so easy to make the mistake of putting one letter backwards...


Once they got their drawing finished, I gave them a foam plate and a ballpoint pen.  They put their drawing on top of the plate and then traced, with a lot of pressure, onto the plate. Afterward, they went back and retraced their lines on the plate, so that it would be deep enough to keep from getting filled with ink.

Sometimes the ballpoint pen does not leave a mark with the ballpoint ink, but as long as the image is pressed deeply, that doesn't really matter.

They began their printing process.  I like to use phone books and catalogs to put the printing plates on when they are inking; it keeps the table from being a crazy mess.  Once they finish inking, they have to turn the page for the next person.  

I set up two colors on one side of the table, two colors on the other side, and a third color at a different table.  Kids go up to the colors they need, ink their plates at the inking table, and then take the plate back to their own table and bray it on the paper there.  It keeps things from getting wildly messy.  They're responsible for keeping their own area cleaned up, and they get points off for lots of smudges.


When they have inked their plate once, they cut away anything that they want to stay that color, or they cut out things they want to make another color--either way works.  Below is an example of how it works. 


I actually took this off of the internet, but it explains it all quite nicely.  I apologize to whomever it belongs--there was no citation.  If it's yours, please let me know!



Here are some of the works the 5th graders produced. 



The kids did a great job.  They worked so hard to get good, clean prints.  Afterward, we had a gallery walk--the students took their best print, their original drawing, and their mind map and put it neatly on the table top where they sat, and set up a space for their peers to come look at the process they used to make their prints.  They were all impressed with each others' work and we had some great conversation about the process, the difficulties, and the rewards of developing a plan for their artwork before executing it. 

The gallery walk

FREE ART FRIDAY MASHED UP WITH ALIVE AFTER FIVE! RNE'S KIDLANTA ROCKS!

Okay, so I've talked about this but I want to recap because we have been so successful with this Free Art Friday initiative.  Thursday, May 16 was a big day for RNE at Roswell’s monthly “Alive After Five” community get-together in historic Roswell. Students had the opportunity to find the artworks they had made during Artist Day—I and Gina Steffensen took the public art that students made and put it all around the Alive After Five area. Many artworks were in plain sight, while other pieces were subtly placed for maximum surprise. All of the artworks were found and taken, some moved around, some pocketed. Each artwork had instructions on the back, and I was delighted to have some folks tweet their pictures with the found art!

If you don’t know what the public art buzz is all about at RNE, read on:

On Artist Day, every student attended an activity called “Public Art”, where they learned about Atlanta artists who make small artworks to share with the public. Once a month, they collaborate to make “Free Art Friday” happen; their work is put out for anyone. It’s free, usually somewhat hidden so that it’s a fun discovery, and meant to be either kept or redistributed. Artists tweet a picture that gives a hint of where one might find the artwork. Instructions with the artwork: tweet to the artists’ twitter feed with a picture of you holding the art you found. If you do, they’ll post your picture on their website. It’s a great collaborative initiative to share art with the public. When our students learned about it, they made 2” x 2” artworks to place for our own Free Art Friday at RNE on May 10--while the Atlanta artists were doing the exact same thing! 

How did this come about?  In March, the artist who started it—Atlanta’s “Evereman”—challenged the FCS art teachers to have their students join the initiative. I took it seriously and set up the Public Art activities for Artist Day.

Pretty cool...I got to make an artwork with Evereman.  He totally inspired me to rock the FAFATL idea.

Once all 1100 students had made the artworks, I and Mrs. Steffensen, our itinerant Art teacher, put instructional stickers on the back, laminated them, cut them all apart, and put magnets on the back. On Passion Day, I ran an Art Scavenger Hunt; my cluster found art I’d put out for them, then they came back and made art for Alive After Five later on in the month. Ms. Steffensen’s group made pizza magnets in their cluster, as well.

Friday, May 10 was the official Atlanta Free Art Friday. We placed 600 artworks around the school all day, in waves....students could find 4 and keep them--after that, it was up to them to let others find it, or redistribute it. Many students moved the art around for others to find. It was a terrific day--the air was electrified and everywhere you could hear students buzzing:
"Did you find some?"
"How many can we keep?"
"I found my own!"
"I found one on the ceiling!"
"I moved it all around!"
"I'm going to go make more!"
Art was flying around the school, and everyone was excited about the prospect of doing it all over again a week later at Alive After Five in historic Roswell. I took pictures and tweeted all day long--all the findings, all the hiding places, all the success, all the excited chatter. A wave of art advocacy was sweeping the school!  Atlanta artists tweeted back their excitement—no school in FCS had taken the challenge to such lengths—the students of RNE were stepping into the Atlanta art scene as a real force! The group from Passion Day had called RNE “Kidlanta”, after the artists who involve themselves monthly: Catlanta, Mariarta, Wishlanta, Ms. Atl, Everman, and others. We are officially Kidlanta, and we tweet with that name!

Thursday, May 16 was Alive After Five in Roswell. We dropped 500 pieces of art and another wave of about 30 pieces of special work done by the Passion Day cluster. All artworks were found, several people tweeted back with pictures, and students were seen all over with their parents, finding art and sharing it with others. It’s an exciting time in the Atlanta art scene and our students are right in there with the professionals! I'm taking the challenge to continue working with RNE’s Kidlanta to make public art through the summer and during the school year so that we can continue to have a presence in the Atlanta art world. Be on the lookout at Alive After Five all summer—you may find some cool art!



His grandma tweeted that this is his first art!



Kidlanta's first tweeted finders!  Thanks!!

Kidlanta, on the move.

ART IMPACT AT ROSWELL NORTH

Artist Day was April 26 this year and we took Roswell North to new heights with it. Every year, we shut the school down on one day, bring in 20 Artists and artistic groups, and circulate our 1100 students through the school to see professional artists at work--so they can see that the Arts offer an interesting vocation for those who want to do something creative! It's an amazing program and it's been going on for 21 years. Below are a few examples of Artists and their performances.

Cardio Kool Kids

Laughing Matters



Public Art with local artist Sarah Spivey

 One of the highlights of the day was a jaunt into the local art scene with the two Public Art activities.  Led by local artists, students got a chance to make a small piece of art to take home, and one to leave behind for RNE to participate in an initiative by Atlanta artists to share their work with the world.  It's called Free Art Fridays, and once a month the metro area is the drop zone for fun and interesting pieces made by these metro artists.  Our students had a great time making art to share.


They were really excited to get to send some art into the community.   All 1100 students at Roswell North got to make an art piece to take home, and one to leave for us to prep for Free Art Friday.   The Thursday before Free Art Friday was Passion Day at our school.  Every teacher took a group of about 12 kids and did some sort of activity about which they were passionate.  As a public artist, passing on my love for shareable art is exciting, and having 1100 works already in my possession was already a prospect that was truly happy!  I took 12 students on an Art scavenger hunt; we went looking for the little artworks they and their friends had made.  We took iPads with us and took pictures with the art as they found it.



Students in the Art Scavenger Hunt cluster





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scavenger Hunt students traveled around the school picking up art that had been "dropped"; when they had all found their specific artworks they returned to the classroom and made a bunch of art to drop at Alive After Five in Roswell for Thursday, May 16.  They could use any number of art supplies--clay, wood, paint, markers, model magic, poster board, etc.  Here's a sampling:

Check out the Kidlanta on the bottom right!  So cool.  After they finished their session with Passion Day, every student took off with art to drop for others to find.  I got to school on Free Art Friday morning and just plain bombed the school with hundreds of little artworks.  I started with my own classroom doorway.

  Everywhere you looked, high and low, art was stuck to something.  Free Art Friday was explained on the morning news announcements, and students were instructed to keep only four artworks, and to re-drop anything they found after that.  The whole school erupted in a frenzy of finding and sharing.  What a crazy, fun day.

Second graders stylin' with some art!