Artist Workshop: Collage I & II

Collage I

Creating collages is a great way to express yourself in an abstract way. During class, we got the chance to create out own collages that focused on an emotion of our choice. In the first part of this lesson, we created an abstract collage. We started by taking a piece of white construction paper and folded it until it had eight different sections. From there, we were given different emotions to represent in an abstract drawing. Using these drawings as a tool, we then got to choose just one emotion to represent in another abstract art piece. We took a large colored piece of construction paper and glued a variety of papers from newspapers or magazines that would represent the emotion we chose. I chose to represent energy, so I did bright colors and comic strips on my blue paper to show several things happening. Here are my sample pictures:

How can you use it in the classroom? You can do this project at the beginning of the year in order to get to know your students better. You get the opportunity to see how children express themselves. As an extension, students can present their collages and explain why they chose the certain emotion to represent. 

Collage II

In the second part of this lesson, we created an abstract assemblage. We first wrote down words that described ourselves. Then, we broke those words down into categories of external and internal descriptors (interpersonal, intrapersonal). Once we completed that, we received small brown paper bags. Using the tools we brought to class, we got to represent our interpersonal selves on the outside and our intrapersonal selves on the inside. I chose to put mascara on the outside because that is an item I love. I also put some blonde hair on there because I have blonde hair. Another item I put on there was a smiling face because I always want to smile. On the inside, I out blue construction paper to represent the compassion that I have for people. In a unique way, this project can allow any person to represent themselves. Here is my sample:

How can you use it in the classroom? This could be an extension activity of collage I. Since students will have practice showing emotion through abstract art work, they will have no troubles with this activity. But since this is a more personal project, students could just share it in a small group rather than to the whole class. 

Teaching with Music

Music in the Classroom

As teachers, we want to give our students every and any opportunity to learn. Of course we know that the arts provide a great way to do this. But today, I am going to focus on music in particular. Music offers students a unique learning opportunity. According to Chris Brewer, here are some benefits and outcomes of using music in the classroom:


Credit: http://www.songsforteaching.com/teachingtips/classroomoutcomesofusingmusic.htm

As you can see, music can be used in a variety of ways to either catch students' attention, help them remember important information, or just to have fun! Music can also be used as a brain break for children. Fun songs can be played to give the students a break, you can even incorporate dancing too. Here is a fun little brain break activity:

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Rewrite Songs for Learning's Sake

A fun and creative way to teach your students new concepts, is to rewrite popular songs in order to teach that new information. People tend to remember concepts or ideas better when it is in the form of a beat. Here is an example of a song that I rewrote to teach the writing process:

To the tune of the “Hokey Pokey”

Writing Process

You put your prewrite in,

You put your prewrite out;

You put your prewrite in,

And you start to think it out.

You do the writing process,

And you twirl your pencil around.

That’s what the first step’s about!


You put your rough draft in,

You put your rough draft out;

You put your rough draft in,

And you start to write it down.

You do the writing process,

And you twirl your pencil around.

That’s what the second step’s about!


You put your revising in,

You put your revising out;

You put your revising in,

And you start to improve your writing.

You do the writing process,

And you twirl your pencil around.

That’s what the third step’s about!


You put your editing in,

You put your editing out;

You put your editing in,

And you start to make corrections.

You do the writing process,

And you twirl your pencil around.

That’s what the fourth step’s about!


You put your publishing in,

You put your publishing out;

You put your publishing in,

And you start to share your writing.

You do the writing process,

And you twirl your pencil around.

That’s what the final step’s about!


Written by: Alexandra Rice

This is just one of many different examples of what a rewritten song to fit educational needs can look like. Since I am minoring in literacy, I chose to do an ELA concept. But for math, this would be a great tool to use in your classroom. For most students, math does not come easy, but in a musical form, that just might help. You can teach students an educational song and then sing it with them every day, until the concept is memorized. As an extension activity, you could even have students create their own song composition. You can let them decide a concept for a certain content area or you can assign them one. From there, you can send students off to choose a song to rewrite in order to fit their concept. Then, students can perform it in the front of the class. This is very useful to the teacher because those songs can come in handy to continue teaching in the classroom! Since some students may struggle with this, it may be best to have students work in partners or even small groups. The overarching goal of this assignment would be to help students remember concepts that they may be struggling with. 

Visual Art

Best Practices

I took part in a presentation that dealt with the visual arts a few weeks ago. I learned a great deal about how this can easily be incorporated into the classroom in a fun and effective way. For the presentation, I focused on the best practices for teaching the visual arts. These practices are pretty general and can be used in any content area, but they would be very effective when teaching or incorporating visual arts into your classroom. Here are some of the best practices for teachers to instill:

• High expectations of student achievement
• Clear course methods and routines
• Variety of teaching methods and materials
• Supportive and cooperative atmosphere
• Content expertise
• Relates instruction to student interest
• Provides timely feedback
• Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
• Teaches to the multiple intelligences

Effective teachers clearly communicate to their students EXACTLY what is expected of them. Then from there, students can blossom and go above and beyond the expectations. I know I am a person who needs a explicit criteria for assignments, especially big ones, because I want to strive to challenge myself to go above average. This will be the same for many students! Provide an atmosphere that supports and encourages hard work and your students will follow that energy. One of these best practices that really sticks out out to me is the relating of instruction to students' interests. This is so important for teachers to do because it helps students to be more engaged and active in their learning. A way to find out your students' interests is through an interest inventory. This should be given at the beginning of the school year so that you can make a new game plan that incorporates their interests. Below, I have attached two examples of  interest inventories that you could use in your classroom, depending on the grade level. 

Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLafXHw9DIAvFsdiPvmhEB_-WUPlCGppS7Dd9MKdzImCI1GgaiXDv_kVo_3WYnVKdoatXbaBQmWMUm7jlNlfNizUTPWeKYv0FJUACmnH23t7pdtpbTjh2V4q9M9FTLtjs04adHyxlThL7/s640/InterestInventoryBlog.png 

Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnizGTS2v1up0UOFGbZgbJJTd2MeLf9NdUQ6koQa5fli8XJgihpgOuzaCwOXQR_ewVeplT2OwnTxMP6GTTO-1swy1sQbYBoP2Tw66m8dv435UOd7mqFWjfbYUR3HKwj7NDkUgCpEsLShQ/s1600/APPLE+INTEREST+INVENTORY.jpg 

Another best practice that stuck out to me was teaching to the multiple intelligences. As you know, I discussed this only my blog not too long ago. I believe that no two children learn the same, so it is important to understand that and act upon it. Now, when you first start school, of course you will not know your students' intelligence right off the bat. But, there are several resources online of different multiple intelligences' tests that you can give your students. This will help you when planning lessons because it will give you an idea of how you should be differentiating instruction in your classroom. Below, I have attached two sample multiple intelligence tests.

Credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/99/fd/b399fd5886939524d88d084f74cdf634.jpg

Credit: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/kristysstoryboardivfinal-110714124757-phpapp02/95/multimedia-presentation-of-learning-styles-13-728.jpg?cb=1310647920 

Now that we have talked about some general best practices, it is time to dive into some visual art specific elements to incorporate when teaching. There are critical elements that are specific to the teaching of the visual arts. Here are just a few of those critical elements:

• Students have hands-on experiences to produce artwork through different methods
• Students learn about various artists and their works of art
• Students learn about the meaning and beauty of art
• Students make decisions regarding the production of their artwork
• Students are assessed in a variety of ways

All of these elements create a well-rounded education for students to obtain that deals with the visual arts. These can be incorporated into other content areas. For example, when history time comes around, teachers could focus on artists from the different art periods and movements. They can explore their life's work and some of their key paintings. This would be fun for students because usually this is a new topic or idea to them. I mean, who gets to learn about different artists in history within an elementary classroom?! From there, you can have students work on an art project that may mimic the different styles of a certain art period. There is so much to be done with this and students would have a blast!

Artist Workshop: Painting

The Color Wheel

During Thursday's class we were taught the proper color wheel. I remember only learning this once in 7th grade, so I appreciated the review. The color wheel is made up of our primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. It is a great visual way to see how all of our unique colors are made. Here is the color wheel that I created in class with water color paint:

I love color wheels that are created with the use of the two triangles because it is a great visual reference to the primary and secondary colors. Our primary colors are: red, blue, and yellow. While our secondary colors are orange, violet, and green. Can you spot these colors on the color wheel? (hint: they are on the tips/points of the triangles). Now our tertiary colors can get tricky. But these are red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, and red-orange. Notice how the primary color is always named first? This is key to make sure you always do when referring to a tertiary color. Can you spot how these colors are made? They are combinations of the primary and secondary colors! They create a unique version of the two.

How can you use it in the classroom? This would be a fun activity to do with your students. Children usually love arts and crafts, so incorporating painting into one of your content areas would give you the opportunity to teach them this simple color wheel! Sadly, I did not learn the color wheel until the 7th grade, but this is something that should be taught in elementary. Once students know all of the colors and their different types- they can create them themselves! A simple way to do this is with the use of water color paints. It is not as messy as regular paint and is easy enough for students to mix colors together to create new ones.

Water Color Painting Techniques

I got the opportunity to learn different water color painting techniques that could easily be taught to students. There are different properties such as wet paint on dry paper, wet paint on wet paper, and dry paint on dry paper. There are also different brush techniques such as using the tip, side, and varying the pressure. Different textures can be used such as sponge, paper towel, and salt. These are just a few different techniques that can be used, but it is a great start to creativity. Here are the techniques that I listed that I got the chance to apply:

As you can see, these are all unique in their own way. There are many more ways that you can be creative with this.

How can you use this in the classroom? Earlier I talked about and explained the color wheel. Once that is taught, then you can teach students different techniques that they can use to apply their new colors on paper. For part of a project, you can require that they use at least three unique colors and techniques. This can be applied to any art project that you would like to incorporate into your classroom. For example, you may have students illustrate a story that they wrote as an ELA project. Students would have a blast doing this! They could incorporate their new color and technique knowledge to their illustrations.