New Art and Writing resources available and SALE

 I really enjoy making hand-drawn resources for my classroom, especially when they involve art & writing. I have a couple of new ones available now which will be perfect for the language arts teacher as well as an art teacher. I am having a summer sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop this weekend, on these and everything else. And hey, some things are already free!

Also available is My Goal Plan, an organizer to help students create and keep track of progress with personal goals. It is suitable for any elementary grade and subject area. If your school is anything like mine, personalized learning and student ownership are high priorities, and this resource can help make it fun.

Thanks for stopping by my shop and enjoy the sale! Click here for Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists on Teachers Pay Teachers.

End of Unit 1: what have I learned so far?

Keeping track of what we have learned so far, and assessing ourselves and peers - it can be a time consuming task. I've been working on ways to make these activities not only engaging but also quick and easy. Here are some of the methods we have used and are beginning to use now that we are starting up our second 9 weeks unit - already!

First graders are using a rubric created by Artful Artsy Amy to review their favorite piece from Unit 1, then they are commenting on each other's work using symbols we created in class. Kindergarteners are also learning the Art Walk, when we check out each other's art and offer compliments.

Our first grade portfolios show our word wall progress and our media usage so far.

Second and third graders are tracking artistic behaviors and accomplishments on a chart which we will return to each 9 weeks. We also use The Art Stack critique for ourselves and a peer. 

Here are some shots of my 4th and 5th grade portfolios and rubrics, including self-portraits that show off our new facial proportions knowledge.

Each of these activities only take between 3-10 minutes at the beginning or end of a project or unit - it is not something we do every week, but it does play a big part in student ownership of learning. Keeping portfolios has created a whole new level of respect of our artwork from the students.

On a fun note, here are some pics from Reading Extravaganza, when art students were treated to a reading of "The Day the Crayons Quit" and a letter writing activity.

What's to come in unit 2, you ask? Printmaking, lots of landscapes, K-2 clay projects... and Artsonia, our digital art gallery - Stay tuned!

If any of these teaching tools interest you, please check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists .

My Teachers Pay Teachers Store is up!

I am very excited to have a new Teachers Pay Teachers store! I really enjoy making handouts, rubrics, and especially PORTFOLIOS each year, and I hope that many of you will enjoy using them too. I've sent out quite a number of these portfolios through email, and they were specifically made for my classes - the ones I have listed at the TpT store are a little more universal. There are three levels: K-1, 2-3, and 4-5, each with its own areas for vocabulary, color wheels, personalizing, and lots more.
Also in the store are some rubrics and idea starters, which go really well with the portfolios  - I will be putting more and more of this on soon, along with a few of my most popular lesson plans.
You can visit my store by clicking the tab at the top of the blog, look for the gadget on the right sidebar, or click this link:http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists


Thanks all.

What have I learned so far?

As we begin our second unit, Art is a Form of Creative Communication, I will share with you some of the ways we have wrapped up our first unit with some fun critiques. These first few photos show my second graders filling out a 3-2-1 sheet - three things I learned, two things I like about my work, and one thing I would change. After reviewing all the work in their portfolios, they filled out their own and then we paired up to share our thoughts with our classmates. They really enjoyed this and I hope they will take them home to their parents to talk about some of our art learning so far!

 

The next photos show my first graders completing a rubric about their favorite artwork from Unit 1. Once complete, we did an art walk and students could add hearts, smileys, or question marks (if they wanted to ask the artist a question)at the bottom of each other's rubrics.

 

 

 

The next two are from the 3rd grade project I recently posted about, but I thought I'd include it here too since it's relevant to the topic. First we wrote about our own, then we "art sandwiched" a friend's work.

As I mentioned in an earlier post this year, most of these critique forms were adapted from some I found on Pinterest or other blogs, so thanks again art teachers for sharing such useful ideas. You can also see on that post the rubric my 4th and 5th graders are using on a selected piece from each unit. 

Watching the students compliment each other and express their feelings in these formats has been a real treat for me, and hasn't been as time consuming as I once worried it would be. I am going to try to get some form of this in each 9 weeks!

**Update - you can get some of my newest goals and rubrics at my Teachers Pay teachers store here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists

 

 

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.