Art & Language Arts Online

I’m so excited to be a part of this program! My personal knowledge of teaching the arts is limited, making this opportunity particularly important for both me and my future students.

During the first day, I have already participated in several activities that I could bring directly into my classroom. In particular, I enjoyed journaling. My being allowed to pick the painting that I connected to, combined with guiding questions, made the activity so much easier to participate in than if those elements had been omitted. I can’t wait for tomorrow.

I feel very fortunate to be participating in this program. I already have so many ideas. Living in such a fast paced world, I haven’t sat in front of a piece of art for an extended period of time in so long, I had forgotten its value. I am looking forward to the rest of the week and all the knowledge I will gain.

I really enjoyed spending the day in such a gorgeous environment and learning from the experts. I hope to get over my fear of creating art.

What a great way to spend the day! I have taught the elements of art before, but I have never taught the elements of design. I feel very empowered and I can’t wait to bring this into my classroom!

I really enjoyed learning about the sculpture and decrative arts today. I think I might lie to do a lesson on one of Boulle’s pieces–I’d like to explore how to get the effect of inlay. Also, they are good examples of use of symbols which is addressed in 5th grade standards.

I believe the Theriac Drug Jar that I saw in the decorative arts exhibit would tie in perfectly to the Mystery to Medicine unit in OCR. I could use the history and designs to illustrate the ancient belief in medicinal ingredients such as “vipers flesh.”

I loved making my own sculpture. It was fun, engaging, and creative all wrapped up in one. I will do this lesson in class. I also fell in love with the stain glass art. If anyone knows of a quick and inexpensive way to make them, please post it.

I am particularly excited about using two of Claude-Joseph Vernet’s paintings next year with my students. The Calm and The Storm are contrasting pieces that I believe will launch my students in to a discussion. I was very happy to learn about The Entry Point Approach to discussing art and feel that it will make meaningful conversations easier to create. I believe that having the five “windows” to use as tool will help me facilitate talks and will allow my students access the artwork.

I am so excited about the ALA program. After day two, my mind is racing with all the wonderful activities that I can begin with my students. Since our first unit is Cooperation and Competition, I am planning to have my 5th grade students explore Ancient Rome with the study of the Olympics. Additionally, students are expected to write a persuasive essay after their six weeks of study. To aid in their development, I am planning to examine persuasvie techniques and compare them to propagnda artistic work such as the Reproduction of Cabinet on Stand by Andre-Charles Bonlle and the Head of the Emperor Caligula.

Incorporating play into classroom time is a challenging concept with all the time constraints and pressure to cover all content standards. However, this program has given me a few good ideas. Now that I’ve learned of it’s existence, I will use Model-Magic with my students and allow them time to play with it, prior to creating their piece of art. I will also use Sandy Rodriguez’s idea of having the students act out a scene depicted in a work of art. I will continue to give students an opportunity to play with any manipulative learning tools prior to beginning my lesson.

It is sad to see how play has been undervalued in today’s classroom. I add play whenever scholars are working with manipulatives. During math I pass out manipulatives and allow students 5 minutes of free play with the manipulatives. If they follow directions and everybody works hard during the math lesson they get another 5-10 minutes of free time with the manipulatives. Not only does this allow for creative imaginative time, students stay focused during the lesson in hopes of earning more free time with the manipulative. Another time to add play is during recess. Developing a creative play area on the playground that includes props and dress-up clothes will enable scholars to role play and create their own stories. Setting up a sand (salt,rice) area is another way to encourage play. This can be done at recess as well. Adding measuring cups to tie it into math or cars and other vehicles during a unit on transportation connect to the core curriculum in the classroom. Anytime students are given time to explore and use materials independently they develop a deeper understanding of the material. I often learn from my scholars play. I learn about their thought processes and I learn new ways to use a manipulative or material.