I've been out on sick leave this week. And being sick wouldn't be so bad . . . if it weren't for sub plans.
I think that's in the top five of "things a teacher hates to do" - writing sub plans. However, I went the cheapo way out of sub plans and bought really nice pre-planned lessons from Deep Space Sparkle (I totally recommend it!). My students worked on the "Dinosaur Stomp" sub plan while I was out. And one student totally wowed me when I returned. The week before I was out, I had taught the students "One-Point Perspective". I reminded them - as I always do - that practice makes perfect. Upon my return, I saw that the student not only completed the sub plan, but incorporated one-point perspective into his artwork, just because. He may have gotten some extra credit there . . . .
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Unit Overview: Students learned about the bones in the human body by discussing what bones do, why they are important, and watching "Them Dry Bones" from School House Rock. Students created skeleton designs using paper, cotton swabs, and glue in order to demonstrate an understanding of the skeletal structure. Any time I can incorporate an old educational video, I do it. School House Rock has to be one of my favorites! It covers tons of topics - from ELA, to science, to math, to political science. The videos are catchy and funny. My kids were laughing hysterically when the skeleton jumps out of the person and their body falls into a squishy pile (see "Them Dry Bones").
But these types of videos aren't just fun, they're informative and educational. After watching that video, we had a discussion about bones. I explained facts about bones, the importance of students being wary of breaking bones, and how to keep bones healthy. Finally, we built our skeletons. We also decorated them (because Halloween/Day of the Dead is close) to make them look festive. Every now and then, a student completely surpasses the expectations I have set for the class and reaches beyond the project's objectives to achieve something more . . . something greater. These are the moments I live for . . . the moments that make me proud to be a teacher . . . That's why I am going to begin this student spotlight. I want to show you just what young minds can do today. Isn't it amazing! But first, I guess you need to know the objective for this project.
Middle school students were asked to make something out of cardboard. The objective was "to create a cardboard construction that demonstrated architectural or structural integrity". Often, the words 'cardboard' and 'integrity' aren't used in the same sentence. Cardboard, even the corrugated stuff, weakens quickly, tears and rips, and isn't good for construction. So only a student with something radical in mind would think of making shoes out of the stuff. And not only did this student make shoes, she made shoes that work. She could wear them! Her design was more than structurally sound. She also took great care and consideration in the visual elements. She searched through cardboard to find a print that matched. And then she covered the bottoms of the shoes with the same color to match the print. Finally, she add the designer's touch - her favorite brand name - Gucci. This student demonstrates the 'above and beyond' kind of attitude that deserves attention. It deserves recognition. So if you get a package in the mail, let your kid have the box. They may just blow your mind with an 'out-of-the-box' creation. Unit Overview: Students created pumpkin zentangles using watercolor paint and sharpie in order to review line, shape, form and pattern. In order to help students review good craftsmanship, detail, and artistic creativity, I had students start off the year with a simple project. We drew pumpkins from observation and talked about how the lines of a pumpkin go from its stem to its bottom. This makes the lines look curved when drawn. Students then added pattern to create a zentangle.
For painting, students were given the colors on a color wheel. No black, no brown. I have noticed that students who aren't confident in their work tend to smear black or brown paint over their patterns to cover it up. Therefore, those colors were not available to them. |
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