Hail to the Chief's (Americana-2nd Grade)

As part of our unit on Americana to kick off the school year, the second graders tackled profile portraits. To connect to the concepts, we looked at portraits of American Presidents found on our currency. We looked at several Presidential Candidate posters as well before the second graders set out to create a Presidential campaign portrait of their own. We also looked a what characteristics a good leader should have and after reading John, Paul, George and Ben  by Lane Smith, the students made a list. Then they chose five things from the list that they though described them. (honesty, independence, boldness, bravery, outspokenness, cleverness, strength, loyalty and so on) After drawing and painting our profiles, complete with patriotic backgrounds, students returned to the list they had made and wrote the Top 5 Reasons America Needs Me in the White House in 2044. The persuasive writings were attached and the whole thing was displayed at the movie theater in October! You can see more on our Artsonia page. 

Neat and tidy!

As I was setting up my room this year I added a little spot on the table for the supply tub. I have been leaving my frequent-flyer supplies on the table for the last year or two and it has really added teaching time to my class periods. I decided to keep people from tugging them back and fort I would make a place for them. That's when it hit me…a picture to show not just where the tub should live but also what it should look like (more or less). Wow! It only took me 16 years. I am amazed at how many times I see the students organizing the totes on their tables at the end of class without even being asked to do so! I took these pictures, laminated them and taped them to the tables. Simple and effective!

I'm Published!!

I am so excited to be published in the January issue of School Arts Magazine! The article is called Redefining Assessment and contains ideas for assessment in the elementary art classroom. It also give you talking points for your administrators about what assessment looks like in our class but in their language! Enjoy! Thanks Nancy Walkup for encouraging me to write it! BTW- that is my son, Bishop in the picture. He is so excited about being my supermodel!

Please take my point!

One of my sweet classroom teachers gave me a bunch of regular #2 pencils because I was almost out of pencils. I appreciate the gift, because hey-free is free- but I have been spending half my life these last three weeks sharpening and trading in pencils during class.

 This is the greatest elementary pencil ever made. The Ticonderoga Oversized Beginners #2 pencil.  It is fat, has no eraser and you only need to sharpen every two weeks or so. The point stays a long time and encourages light lines but still provides good detail. Kids can drop them and they do break. They are NEVER stolen, as a matter of fact, if kids find these outside the art room, they bring them back to me!! No one complains about the eraser because there wasn't one to begin with!! They last forever…four boxes can last me all year if they don't roll under something or get packed in with another supply on accident.

THESE PENCILS ROCK!!!