Back-To-School Night for the elementary grades happens on Monday night (that's tomorrow). So, my students have been furiously finishing up projects started during the first 2 - 3 weeks of school.
To make our floor of the Jefferson building more inviting and colorful, I decided to hang up some finished work. The art classrooms were given 5 large fold-out velcro boards and 4 pedestals for displaying art work. So I ended up using all of them, and a few more flat velcro boards that were attached to the walls. Here are a few of the boards as they look finished. The students walk through the hallways and repeatedly stop to see where their work might be. I have intermingled all of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade work; so for the students to find their work, it becomes sort of a scavenger hunt. They love it!
On three of the pedestals, I placed some of the sketchbooks standing up so parents could see the drawings the students are coming up with. Each class--regardless of grade--starts with a 10 minute drawing: I give them a buzz word and they draw the first thing that comes to mind when I say the word.
On the last pedestal, I placed a pen and a sketchbook. On the front of the sketchbook, I wrote "draw something". Throughout the sketchbook there are buzz words (the same ones I gave to the students during the first 2 - 3 weeks) for any passersby that may want to draw the first thing that comes to mind . . . When I checked it this morning to see if there were any drawings in it, only the words "I love u" were written on the first page--decorated and in large script. I feel this is a good sign, at least it's positive and hopefully this will spur others into drawing more things.
In my classroom, I changed the quote board to reflect something new. Where it had originally said, "Welcome Artists!!", it now says, "Artists Make Ideas Come To Life!!".
The students and me are starting to really work as one now, which feels amazing! This was the first week where the classroom felt like a working studio instead of a regular school classroom. The students have figured out where everything is, and they don't have to ask me to get what they need. The only thing they have to worry about is the making. I think they appreciate the ownership I have given them in the space. I am a facilitator, more than a teacher, and I love it! I help them achieve the finished products they want. And in the process, a mutual respect is born. Check out one of my 3rd grade classes--my most challenging class--in action: cleaning up the space before they leave for their next class. Everyone's helping! What an incredible sense of pride!
The 2nd graders are working on collaborative cityscapes (see the second image above). Between 3 and 6 students are working together on each cityscape. It's fun to watch the students navigate collaborative relationships and working together. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but there is always a great deal of learning that takes place.
The 3rd graders are working on cardboard printing plates (see below). They have each designed a cardboard plate that we will begin printing next week. Each student will make 5 prints off their plate, then we will have a print swap. So the students will be taking home 1 of their prints and 4 prints made by their friends.
The 4th graders are creating factory/machines based on a video I found here on Etsy. They are using recyclables as their materials and working in groups of 4 or 5. Once their factory/machines are finished, we are going to use their iPads to animate the factory/machines in action. I told them their factory/machines had to create something that they think the world needs more of. Their factory/machines are creating everything from polished marbles to poofs of joy. Check out the video below. You can imagine how excited the students were to begin their creations after they watched this!
I have opened my classroom up during lunch for students wanting to work after they eat (see below). I have issued hall passes to each of the teachers (very official looking: made out of cardboard and colored paper), the students have to arrive together (no trickle-ins), and they aren't allowed to bother me at my desk. They must work on their project and save their questions for class time.
This little experiment that started out with 4 students has grown to about 25. I play dance music and the students work. I can almost hear my teacher-friends groaning out loud--across the world--thinking what a mistake this is for my sanity. But it seems to be going really well. I'll let you know how I feel about this idea more towards December . . . As for now, the students are happily making lots of really inspiring things. And that makes me really excited about the potential of this job and where this might lead. More to come!
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