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Some #WIP time lapses of projects in the works!

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October: Notan Jack-o-Lanterns, Cubist Skulls and Texture Collages!

Phew. October was fast and furious. Which is why I am just getting to posting about it in mid-November. (Forehead slap. Shrug. Move on.) I decided that I wanted to divide projects up by grade level this time around. The theory was that I’d be able to easily identify projects this way if they were only associated with two grade levels. It worked quite well. Here’s a rundown:

Kindergarten/1st Grade: Texture Collages

This project was a GREAT exercise in learning about texture and collage. I dipped into my big, old suitcase of random stuff and was able to make use of tulle and batting. Additionally, throughout the weeks that I did this project, I could often be found rummaging through recycling bins for corrugated cardboard, which, when peeled, makes a great example of bumpy texture.  This project was HEAVY prep. I will remember this for next year. I created three stencils (ghost, kitty and pumpkin) and to save student work time, I created the foundation shape for the collages before the students began collaging, which entailed me tracing the shapes before each class. It was time consuming and there is a lot I would improve logistically. 

In addition to the shape prep, I had to also prepare the texture itself. I designated a large bin to texture and even had a couple of classes help tear, cut and collect when I wasn’t fully prepped, which, was basically the entire time with this project! On a certain day I had Kindergarteners helping with the this part of the process, one student exclaimed “This is fun!” It totally validated what we were doing and it dissolved any doubt in my mind that it was the right direction. Logistically, just need to note the challenges for next year. 

2nd/3rd Grade: Notan Jack-o-Lanterns Notan is a Japanese art form that plays with light and dark, positive and negative balance through use of paper cutting to create identical elements that essentially reflect to create a whole picture. This project looks simple but it actually is quite challenging for young brains when it comes down to layout. Students were given some instruction on different jack-o-lantern facial features and the main challenge was getting across the fact that they were only to draw HALF the face and that the first cut, even if it is not exactly on your line, is the ONLY cut. Next year, I plan on really driving this point home so it’s clear because I had a lot of kids who wanted to TRIM off parts of their pumpkins because their cuts were not exact. The symmetry is lost when this happens, though, so it will be important to touch on this more the next time around.

4th/5th Grade: Picasso-inspired Cubist Skulls Conveniently, October is Picasso’s birthday month AND Hispanic Heritage Month, so this lesson has a lot of potential to teach some valuable lessons. Initially, when I was developing this, I was going to have it be more of a freeform study inspired by Picasso’s Black Jug & Skull lithograph. After doing my own, I decided against it because I felt my students would need more structure, especially since I have such a limited time with them. So I opted for a guided skull drawing on black paper with some Cubist features. The commitment level to this among students was varied and there was some frustration from kiddos who seemed to have low self-efficacy in art. Despite this, if students remained committed to seeing this project through, followed instructions and did their best, the results were great. 

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September: Line Study/Radial Symmetry

Wow, one successful cycle of my A/B art teaching schedule complete. I learned SO much and my students did, too, and it’s only September! I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring.

Here are my major takeaways from my first two weeks:

• Wash hands frequently! It never occurred to me before that specialists come in contact with just about EVERY student in their schools. I walked away Day 1 with an unfortunate little Kindergarten bug that I hope will just inoculate me for the rest of the year!

• Do not underestimate my ability to truly inspire and impact students, even if they seem like they’re not listening. I have been graced with waves, hugs, high fives, CUSTOM ART (🙌🏼), smiles, and a mild but meaningful school-wide fame since the first day and it totally humbles me in the most amazing way.

• Embrace the possibility of having to improvise. I had a most unexpected thing happen last Friday. The last day of my first complete teaching cycle. My 2nd grade class entered, took their places and I began to go through the sequence of my lesson. When I reached the point where I found I needed to print additional worksheets, I went to my desk and attempted to turn on my computer. After a widespread power outage in our town, I knew I would need to turn it back on so I made conversation with my class as I did so. I asked if anyone else’s power had gone out and, of course, more than half the class’s hands shot up. As I’m waiting for my computer to boot back up, nothing is happening. I try again after a few seconds, continuing to fill time with idle chat (I will be doing an entire blog post later on the value of performance ability in teachers...it’s funny how being in this position is tapping into my years on the stage). Finally, after repeated attempts, I look at my class and say, “Well, that’s not working so guess what? Half of you are going to do what I had planned for you and the other half of you are going to try some 4th/5th grade work! And guess what? I haven’t prepped it so you guys are going to watch me prep!” They were thrilled! Out of this process, I established an impromptu student job of being the Process Photographer. The kids got to see part of the prep/finishing process that will take up much of my time and that I will teach my upper grades this year. When it comes to art, finishing is one of my greatest joys. Figuring out how to mount and display is seriously the best part of art! As soon as I was done prepping materials, I called out my Fast Passer (another job that came out of this experience) and soon, everyone was seated again. I divided the class in half so that one group was looking up at our big screen at examples of their worksheet (we’re learning about lines...I’ll get to the actual meat of the project shortly) and the other half was looking at the dry erase board I had been using to teach my upper grades. After some quick explanation, I had everyone working again and I was completely floored. These 2nd graders were doing a more advanced version of the unit than I had anticipated for the primary grades. Why?! How?! Which leads me to my next takeaway.

• Sometimes simplification truly means teaching the same thing to every grade. I should know this from raising two children of my own, one of which is particularly artistic. While I designed this lesson to teach the basics of line work and give my younger students practice opportunities, I should not forget the organic and understated lessons they might learn from doing a more advanced form of the lesson. It was truly amazing for me to watch these little people doing this work.

Although my approach to next projects will be different (3 separate projects, divided into K/1, 2/3, and 4/5), I think this initial go for everyone’s creative juices flowing and allowed me to get to know the students and their varying interests/abilities in the arts. 

Project Details: Primary grades worked on line study with a practice sheet I created. We learned a fun song about lines and I did some demos for them to help them remember all the different styles. Elementary grades did a more advanced line study and created radially symmetric patterns by folding a square sheet of paper into quadrants. They then designed one quadrant and followed a tracing sequence to create the pattern. There was a high margin for error so it was a great exercise in following directions, too! The Display:

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Rainbow Branches Project

I love time-lapse. I have used for years as a way to document all of my creation processes. In fact, I may have to do a few throwbacks to some old favorites from teaching and creating over the years. When I think of core art concepts, one of the very first things that always comes to mind is an understanding (and, for me, an obsession) of color. Color theory is one of my favorite subjects and the wonderful thing about it is it can be used as an indicator for people’s emotions and natural demeanor. I use it often as a way to analyze how I am feeling, how to address the state of my more challenging students (think Zones of Regulation) and I plan on bringing a more in depth study and use of it in my classroom practices on a more therapeutic level. If you want to get super nerdy, ask me about my copy of Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color, originally published by Yale Press in 1963. I have a copy in my classroom. If you know me, also, you are aware of my penchant for spray painting things. (In fact, this particular project was the inspiration for the name of this blog!) I knew that I wanted to create a set of rainbow branches for the Western wall in my classroom to frame a particular art mantra I want to instill in my students. So the search began midsummer for the perfect set. They had to be bare and branchy and easily accessed. While running on one of my favorite trails one day, I laid my eyes on the very ones I should use. As I returned to the spot I found them, it crossed my mind that, perhaps, someone else might have spotted them and taken them before me. Then, I remembered, that no one is as quite as cookoo as me and sure enough, there they were, waiting for me and my pruning sheers.

The video above only shows the preliminary results. I will be sure to post a final image of the completed project.