Black River Falls has been part of an art idea exchange for years! At and exchange teachers from pre student teaching to grade 12 gather and chat, share their favorite lessons and collaborate. We just hosted the 31st annual exchange-most years it is in BRF but it has been in other towns as well. This is my favorite day! I love to hear what other art teachers are thinking about and doing in their classrooms.
Click clack moo is a lesson that I did not come up with it was the brainchild of student teacher and dear friend Tiffany Beltz. This is a very successful lesson for 1st grade in learning how shapes put together make a form. I found an old dinosaur typewriter in storage and the kids get to take turns "typing" after their work is done and their table spot is clean. I pray that the typewriter never runs out of the tape inside because they love it.
1st graders got the opportunity to learn about contemporary artist Tyree Guyton. They loved looking at the bright and fun art that Tyree created on Detroit's rundown streets. We read the book Magic Trash and we were so inspired we created some houses of our own using recycled materials.
I only teach one class of Third Grade which is weird and hard at times for planning. But I get to give them tons of different opportunities because there is only one class. When I display their work I always write on the display "This work is created by Mrs. Dahl's favorite 3rd Grade class!" They get a kick out of it when they see them in the hallway. Yesterday being the 100th day of school we had the opportunity to create a portrait. My friend Sarah and her husband Greg had gifted me thousands of old photographs. So I had third graders pick their favorite and showed them how to make it into a frame, drew portraits of the people but then extended the lesson by doing a writing activity. I let the kids take there photograph, writing and artwork home right away. The kids were in love with this and I got wonderful participation and comments. Jackie said " Mrs. Dahl so I get to take my man home?" "This is my favorite day ever I am going to put this picture by my bed." Definitely a great lesson!
Today is the 100th day of school and the second graders are loving mixing 100 colors for their chart. I allowed them the freedom to work on what shape they wanted and I did not get hung up on that their squares were all the same time. This lesson was great for conversations at the table. Students were asking a lot of questions to each other like "What is the name of that color?" "How did you make the color?" I love it when they talk about what they are doing.
1st graders put the finishing touches on their Jim Dine inspired art and we also got to mix our own colors to make ice blocks for outside. Last week when we painted real wood the kids were over the moon excited about getting to paint on wood (seriously they were popsicle sticks) but they were so excited. This week when we were able to finish their wood masterpieces and they got to mix their own color for water that we froze to make ice they were so excited. I got comments like "Mrs. Dahl this is the best day ever!" I was also told many times that I am the best art teacher they have ever had. (Well they have no clue if I am the best art teacher they have ever had because I am the only art teacher they have ever had!).
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AuthorI am an elementary art teacher in a small town in Wisconsin. I am currently the President of the Wisconsin Art Education Association, creator of funky junk, a wife, a gardener, a DIY diva and a mom of two furry kids. Archives
January 2016
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