Miro style tissue painting

 Second graders are learning about abstract art by analyzing several different Miro works, like this one, "People and Dog in Front of the Sun." We discovered that reading the title really helps when looking at abstract art, and you definitely need to use your imagination! 

 Next, we found some shapes that Miro likes to use a lot, like stars, spirals, and lines with dots. We drew a sharpie scene using this style, and the really fun part was the tissue painting in the background. It's pretty simple with a colorful tie-dyed effect. Simply brush water over the drawing, lay tissue squares over the page, and let dry. Peel and shake the squares off when dry - the more water you use, the softer the color, and the less you use the brighter the color with a crackly texture.

Thanks to The Elementary Art Room for the lesson inspiration!

Peter H. Reynolds books: Ish and The Dot

On the first day of art, second and third graders get inspired for great things by reading these books with me on our reading rug. Both books focus on overcoming insecurities and self-doubt when it comes to creating art.

My second graders love the book Ish, and made a set of Ish drawings by pulling a stick with a word on it to draw. Their favorite was "your wish-ish", which of course allows you to draw whatever you wish!

Next, we cut out our drawings and made an Ish story collage, which were silly stories that combined our drawings into one scene. Our signatures were, of course, signature-ish.

My bulletin board description

Third graders "just made a mark" to see where it would take their drawing, as did Vashti in The Dot.

Student-created goals for art

   

**update 09/14 - get my newest goals and rubrics on Teachers Pay Teachers: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists

I have been hearing about other teachers making SMART goals over the last couple of years and I have been looking the other way, waiting to be told how that would work in my art room. This year, it's happening! I was very relieved to know that my expectation for this first time implementing these goals is to only use them with one selected group of students, and I decided to try it this year with third grade. I am all about goal setting, but tracking data just seemed so time consuming for a once a week, 45 minute class. I think I may have figured out something that I am excited about and won't be too overbearing.           

What I like about this plan is that it is coming straight from the mouths of the kids, it won't be very time consuming, and it should give the kids a sense of accomplishment in my class, especially for those who just aren't naturally interested in art. I totally understand those kids, because I have zero interest in sports, and we talk about that comparison when I have a student who doesn't want to participate or doesn't seem to be enjoying themselves. I tell them the good things I can get from participating in sports - camaraderie, good health - and they share some good things they can attain from a knowledge of art.
Anyway, last week each of my 3rd grade classes spent the first 3-4 minutes of class brainstorming ideas in small groups, then each group shared their best idea, which became our list of goals. We had to clarify the difference between rules/procedures, which happen every day, and long-term goals, which we work toward. I asked them to think about art lessons in the past that they would like to expand, or techniques they'd like to develop, or historical elements they'd like to explore. The whole process took about 10 minutes, as I typed the list on a document on my projector as they shared, and we all raised our hands in agreement as we finished the list. We set our target date and listed some things we could do to stay focused on our goals.



This is the list for Ms. Clark's class as the students created  it (unedited)


Once the lists were created in each class, I put them into a chart format and each student will add this list to their portfolios. They will now choose the THREE goals they want to individually track, and at the end of the year they will qualify as a beginning artist, a developing artist, or an accomplished artist.



This is the chart from Ms. Hackett's class that we will add to our portolios for tracking.




Looking forward to seeing how this is going to work this year! I would love some feedback from those of you who have experience with this. I foresee some adjustments as we go, but I like how we have begun. The kids were very enthusiastic about it, too.