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the artful library
The art room is changing! It’s fun. I saw some books arranged in spectrum order and have pondered the idea for a while. Yesterday, I finally took the time to do it. I think I was smiling the whole...
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titanic studio time
upon seeing colorful tin foil in the paper drawer, a decision is made to involve foil. it turns into the titanic. after discussing the creative cycle, a sketch is sketched and the titanic is...
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funky paintbrush fun
while i am very much enjoying the process of clearing and reorganizing the studio, i do have moments when i look around and feel like the cabinets have thrown up all over the classroom. it’s a gross...
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whack-y wednesday!
i got these awesome hedgehog nail brushes a while ago and i let the kids use them after we do clay. they seriously love these things and, of course, some students use them every chance they get! some...
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what would happen if . . .
. . . all of the materials in the art room were accessible, orderly, and fun to look at – for the students and the teacher? what is the value in the clearing of cabinets and the increase in student...
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how can we teach students to be more creative?
less teacher input more resources and research (and more and more and more) less “hand-holding,” passing things out, and picking helpers more accessibility, responsibility, and independence less...
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displaying art: whose voice is coming through?
how student work is displayed speaks volumes. displays can speak more loudly of the teacher, speak in a balanced way of both students and teacher (like here, i think); or speak more loudly of the...
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Decking the Halls
I’ve started decorating the school with art. This feels like kind of an odd thing to admit to. A few years ago I may have made the proclamation that I am not here to decorate the school, thank you...
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Clothespin Galleries
At the beginning of the year I asked my principal if I could hot glue clothespins all over the school to hang student work. She said yes without hesitation. I asked if i could put them anywhere I...
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Love Changes Everything! (Teaching Art from the Heart)
I scrolled down through some previous posts and very compassionately took note of my need for control and order in the classroom. Oh, the trials and tribulations of the control-freak art teacher! The...
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The Art of the Classroom: Color-Coding for a Calm Milieu
I have discovered that color coding my classroom not only saves my sanity, but it creates a sense of order for students who have no choice but to dwell in this sometimes crazy and chaotic world. My...
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The Art of the Classroom: Grow Where You’re Planted
Grow where you’re planted! I love this expression, especially entering my 9th year of teaching art at my home school. Last year was my very first year teaching only in one building. What a gift!...
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Back to blogging and back to school
I started this blog last summer while participating in an online course about blogging for educators at the Art of Education. It helped me to think about what I wanted to communicate with a blog and...
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Charming 3D Gingerbread Houses
So, just how do you present the art-making process to your students? Do they follow along with you step-by-step? Do you give them materials and let them go? Or are you somewhere in-between? I am...
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Transitions as easy as 1, 2, 3 – literally!
If you teach elementary – or have ever taught elementary – you know that some of the most difficult times of the day can be transition times. Cleaning-up at the end of a lesson, putting away materials,...
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A Fun And Engaging Way To Teach Elementary Students To Judge Art
Do you avoid teaching kids to judge art like the plague? Evaluating is one of the highest orders of thinking, according to Benjamin Bloom, and judging falls in that category. But when it comes to...
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The Beauty of Standards-Based Objectives in the Visual Arts
As soon as I wrote that title, I thought back to my formative years of teaching elementary art. I never could have imagined myself finding beauty in crafting objectives, activities, and assessments...
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“What Are We Going To Learn Today?”– 3 Simple Ways To Let Your Students Know...
“What are we going to learn today?” “I’m so glad you asked!” Call me corny, but this is how my students and I are going to start each lesson this year. If you read to the end of this lengthy post,...
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How To Let Students Choose Their Own Seat and Stay Sane Doing It!
Life has been a whirlwind the last few weeks – participating in STArts (Skillful Thinking in the Arts – I need to write lots about this), going to pre-service meetings, and throwing myself into my...
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Prezi.com: Make Your Presentations Zoom!
If you’ve ever heard that you would learn as much from a student teacher as they do from you – well, it’s true! Last year I had my first student teacher, and boy did I learn. A lot! One of the...
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