Ark: Week 15

What a great week.  TREMENDOUS PROGRESS THIS WEEK WITH THE SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT! 

First, here are a few pictures of Sam 1 working with her 1st graders on the service learning project.  This past week Sam and Ms. Helen worked together and motivated the students to paint patterns (in groups of two) on the back of the boards. As you can see, Sam gave a quick demo to the students of what they could do with shapes and lines (the students really loved watching her paint and they were uber excited to start painting away)!

While Sam was busy working with the 1st graders I was busy with the 6th graders. First I showed the 6th graders a powerpoint of murals on irregular surfaces (which included photos of the Uncle Sam Project). I also did my homework and found other schools/students who have done the same project on carboard--this was a great tactic because I showed the students images of this project that the students all did the same thing--decorate the silhouettes with dots. As a class we discussed how they have a "better project" because they can paint whatever they'd like to about themselves, Ark and their community. The students were really happy and excited that they had their OWN board to paint and could truly express themselves. During the same class I had the students sketch out ideas of what they would like to paint on worksheets that had silhouettes drawn on. The students established what they wanted to paint on their boards which made them feel accomplished and independent. 

The next class the students walked in and Ms. Molly and I displayed all the boards around the room.  The best behaved students were the first to pick the names out of the bucket.   I laughed so hard to myself when the very first name picked out of the bucket was the female student who absolutely hated this project and encouraged other students to also hate it.  She immediately ran to the biggest/tallest board and wrote her name on it and she was soooooooo happy. As soon as all the students selected their boards and we granted permission to them that they could take the boards back, she was the very first student to start drawing right away.  After a few minutes I walked over to her and told her how impressed I was with her eagerness create her board. She told me that she really liked this project and loved her board. I politely reminded her how she used to hate me and this idea and that now it makes me very happy that she loves this project and that she well, likes me a tad bit more. She laughed, apologized and thanked me for "puttin' up with my att-aa-tuuude."  It was a great bonding moment for the two of us and this entire process has been a phenomenal learning experience for both of us. 

Below are some pictures of what has happened this past week:

Ark: Week 14 (I think...I need to check to make sure my weeks all add up correctly!)

This past week I was in charge of all the afternoon classes (3rd, 5th and 6th grade).  It was a very very very busy week--I started a new project with the 3rd graders (face mugs), the 5th graders finished their Role Model projects and the 6th graders finished making their African Animal Masks.

I was excited to take over the 3rd graders because I have built a relationship with the majority of them. The students have been responding very well to my teaching and instructions(we have a lot of good fun with each other). We have been working in clay and I am tying in what they are learning in their content classrooms (African American culture/history) by teaching them about African American Face Jugs that were very common during slavery.  The students are making face mugs and are learning about clay moisture consistency, slip and scoring, rolling coils and will soon be learning about glazes! The students also are required to write a silly story about their silly face mugs.  Some of the stories are too funny and are very creative (great way for the students to incorporate literacy into the art room).

I have been really enjoying the 3rd grade--I have the most fun with them (mostly because they try their hardest and are always proud of their artwork. It's going to be very hard leaving them in eight days....

Below are a few images of the students' face mugs!

Ark: Week 13

During this week the Sam Duo was hard at work with out Service Learning project.  We have been spending all of our free time on priming and cutting out the wood.  Thank goodness we have each other or this project would not have had happen.  We faced a few obstacles--learning how to properly use the jig saw, how to not cut the horses, and not to mention it was quite a work out carrying all the supplies outside.  We are hoping to be finished with the boards next week so the 6th graders can start painting them! We also think that the 1st graders will paint patterns or abstract expressionism on the back of the boards.  All I know time is blowing by us like no tomorrow--though I'm a little nervous we may run out of time with this project I'm staying positive and believing we can finish this project by the end of our placement!

Ark: Week 13

I had to share this! Below are three proud 5th graders and their artwork that was exhibited at Sage Colleges in the Faith Ringgold art show.  They are just too cute!

Ark: Week 12

This past week I was also in charge of teaching the 6th graders about West African masks. I taught the students about my brother, Hans, and how he lived in Senegal, Africa for 5 years. After the PowerPoint and brief discussion I also had the students watch a video about Dogon Mask Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whAY9R-_7ac)The students watched the 2 minute clip, completed a graphic organizer and then discussed what we learned.  The students got their hands dirty with paper mache as they covered newspaper strips over plastic milk gallons.  The 6th grade attitudes have improved and I believe it's because I've taken the time and individually spoke to them about what's going on with them (inside or outside of school).





The 6th graders have also been busy tracing 1st graders--at first they were all, "I DON"T WANNA DO THIS MURAL!!!" and now they are very excited :)  The students' attitudes have also shifted (thank goodness) with this idea.  They were actually having FUN during the tracing and I think because of that they realized I wasn't there to spoil their end-of-the-year-project but to make it better for them! Check out the pictures below!

 

Ark: Week 12

This past week was a great learning experience for me and the 5th graders while working on the Role Model project. After battling with these students for some time with how to use a ruler to make a 1 inch and 2 inch grid I realized it was time for a change up. I had the students walk into the art room and when they all took their seats I informed them that I was a 1st grader and that they had to teach me how to make a 2 inch grid on the big piece of paper. I spoke to the students as if they were teachers (using Ms. and Mr.) and did exactly what they told me to do.  The students realized how hard it was to explain to me the directions--and through this activity all the students completely understood what to do. There was a lot of positive energy and laughter in the classroom. The students felt special because they were directing the class and felt important because they had to be very articulate with their instructions or we would all mess up. After this activity the students had zero problems with their grid and transferring shapes onto the bigger grid (I couldn't believe it!!!!!!!) It was a great learning experience for everyone in the classroom (especially for me--I will definitely repeat this activity in future teaching endeavors).

Ark: Week 11:

The 3rd graders have been relieving their stress from the NYS tests by making Guatemalan Worry Dolls. Before we made the worry dolls, we discussed what worries us and we got to express our feelings. (I informed the students I was worried about not finishing my quilt for ART 521---I laugh too hard because the next class the students came running up to me and asked me if I had finished my quilt!)The students are using fabric, glue and yarn to cover wooden clothes pins to make their dolls. Students have been creating a lot of fun, bright and bold patterns by using different types of fabrics as clothes.  Once the students are done making their dolls they then drew patterns on a paper box (that they eventually cut and glued together). The students all decorated their boxes with crazy and fun patterns--they were all very different (which I loved)!  Some of the students were too cute--they used fabric to make pillows and blankets so that their worry doll could sleep safe and sound.

During this project I spent a lot of one on one time with students. During this time I learned more about the students...as in their personalities, how they learn and their personal needs in regards of how to assist them.  It was a good experience to work with the students one-on-one because it helped build a trust/bond between us. I have also been allowing some of the 3rd graders to come up to the art room during lunch--a lot of the time they just want to talk and socialize about random things with me.  I'm very happy that I am getting along so well with the students--it will be very difficult to leave them one day...

Below are images of the students' worry dolls!

Ark: Week 10

This past week was very difficult.  It started off with me being very sick with the stomach bug. I didn't want to take any days off because I missed last Monday due to car problems.  Because of my illness I wasn't my best and I wasn't a truly effective teacher for the first session of the week. Of course, it was my turn to take over the 5th grade class and I had to teach the students the grid technique. Because I wasn't feeling my best and I had little energy, I overlooked some of the basic steps with the grid technique  I thought the students would have already known how to properly use a ruler....but to my surprise they actually didn't.  The first group of 5th graders who I taught this to is typically the better group, however, they were in panic and had a difficult time with understanding the concept of a ruler.  The following day I had the group of 5th graders that are usually more chaotic and because I learned from my mistakes from the previous day I was a better and more effective teacher. I had to break down the steps and I used to overhead projector to teach the students what they had to do in order to feel confident in their work and by successful.

It's amazing how much I learned this past week. I realized that I shouldn't assume students have already mastered certain skills.  It just goes to show you that students really do learn a lot of information in the art room that they can apply into other realms of education (for ex. measuring with a ruler). It was really good for me to experience this struggle and I'm glad I went through it. This experience opened my eyes and taught me how to be a better teacher and to enhance my communication skills with the students.

Last but not least, I allowed the students to have a free-art-day on Friday. I did this to help the students release some stress from the NYS testing they went through all this week. I also brought in my quilt to show the students that I too have been struggling with my artwork but I have to stick with it---and in the end I'll be very successful and proud of my work. This was a good strategy  because I think the students really connected with me on a common level and it was good for them to see that I too struggle with art.

Overall, it was a difficult but a very educational week for me and my students. 

Ark: Week 9

Oh my beloved 3rd graders, how much I love all of you.  I remember the days how resistant they were towards me and, finally, they look up to me as an actual teacher (only took them 3 months to warm up to me). They have been so good and extremely productive! This past week the students wrapped up their Animal Camouflage unit and boy, oh boy, their projects came out AMAZING! I really enjoyed this project and admire how well Ms. Molly integrated a science unit with this project---I will definitely be repeating this project in my future classroom.

Today, the students filled out their self-assessment forms and I was amazed to see how honest the students were.  There are a few students who could improve their behavior and effort and those students  admitted to that on their assessment forms. I spoke to those students and asked them how they could improve their attitudes and effort for the next project. Today was a great reflection day and the students really took it seriously.

The students have been anxiously waiting for me to teach and keep on asking me every day when I will start the clay unit with them (oh they fill my heart with joy). I keep on telling them to be patient and before they know it I'll be teaching them everything they'll need to know about clay.

Here are a few student examples of the Animal Camouflage project.  THEY. ARE. AMAZING. Can you see the animals?!

Ark: Week 9

This week was a whirlwind of emotions for everybody because it was the first week back from spring vacation.  At first the students and the teachers were refreshed from vacation but it didn't take too long for the stress from the upcoming NYS exams to kick in.  The students are really feeling the pressure for the upcoming exams which creates a lot of tension and stress for the teachers.  I am looking forward to the week after all the testing because I believe there will be a tremendous shift in the mentality throughout the school.  The art room has been a chaotic environment lately full of mixed emotions. The students seem eager to do art work but as soon as a challenge upraises they instantly give up.  Persistence is lacking and I've noticed positive attitudes are as well... The teachers are doing their best to rise the students' spirits but it often feels as if the students resist any positive intentions. As Dori from Finding Nemo would say, we all just got to "keep on swimming, swimming swimming".

Ms. Molly and Mr. Mark are my superheros. Today, I introduced the new service learning project to the 6th grade.  I was so excited to share the good news with the students that this year we are doing something different from all the past years.  I made a fun questionnaire for the students to fill out that I thought they would like! Welp. The 6th graders flattened me right out.  I introduced the new concept to the students that rather creating another mural to hang inside the school that we are going to create something that can be placed outside the school in the playground for all to see! (The school requested that Sam and I to base our service learning project around decorating the playground.)  Boy, we're the students AGAINST that. At first, some of the students pondered about it but then were easily discouraged to not like it because of two outspoken students who expressed their extreme dislikes.  The two students were very very resistant and continued to state that "we want to make a mural just like the other 6th graders did before us!" Knowing that the students are under a lot of stress due to NYS exams I remained positive and encouraged the students that this is an opportunity for them to do something different and that they would be the first group of 6th grade to start a new tradition. The two outspoken students  were still against and continued to walk all over me and be extremely disrespectful. They continued on with their negative mindsets which others quickly caught onto.  Before the two students could do any more damage Mr. Mark (their classroom teacher) immediately stepped in and informed the students that they would be doing the same thing but this time the project will be outside for all to see! Ms. Molly also stepped in and told the students that after they graduate they would be able to see the mural outside and so could their parents! Mr. Mark and Ms. Molly continued to explain to the students that this is an exciting opportunity and they should be thankful that they are the first students to do something new! Eventually, the students relaxed and started to become comfortable with the project after I encouraged them to imagine the project as a blank billboard! Some of the students who were against the idea at first started to feel more comfortable with it once they thought of it as a billboard.  FINALLY, the students were thinking of creative ways that they could incorporate themselves and the school into this project.

Three hours later and I am still shocked how negatively the students reacted.  I truly believed they would be excited to do something new.  It's really frustrating for me because I would tell the students something and they would shrug me off. Ms. Molly and Mr. Mark would say similar statements and the students didn't resist them and were waaaaaaaaaaaaay more respectful to them.  I believe that because I introduced this idea it created a lot of tension between the students and I. I believe that if Ms. Molly introduced the project the students would have been 100% all for it! I felt as if I had the majority of the 6th graders letting out all their frustrations and stress towards me because I am a new and unfamiliar person to them.  I also believe that if the 6th graders were in two separate groups (rather than the one large group of all of them) they would have been less resistant. I really wish I video recorded this situation to prove how resistant the students were at first so I could show them after we finish the project that sometimes new and different ideas can led to amazing opportunities   I am happy that the students warmed up to it and some of the students had some great ideas!----thhannnnnkkkk goodness! Molly and I spoke afterwards and she informed me many times that students are extremely stressed and they will be grumpy until the exams are over with.  I know the students will love this project and will be extremely proud of their accomplishments -I also know the two students who were so against this project will be very happy they did it---and I can't wait to make my point of that :)

Ark: Week 8

The 3rd graders have been busy while they paint patterns for their Camouflage Animal project. The students selected a shade or a tint of color as the base color for their entire project.  The selected color was used to paint their animal, background paper and poster board paper. Ms. Molly and I cut the poster board paper into eighths for a specific reason.  With those eight pieces of paper the students would then be able to experiment with funky PATTERNS! The students have been painting away patterns on their trial sheets with tempera paint. After the students finish painting their patterns they then select their favorite which they will repeat on their animals and background paper.  This unit teaches students the scientific topic of camouflage (amazing way to incorporate the common core)! The project so far has been......very demanding, energetic, fun and extremely messy.  There have been several spills but the students really love to paint! Though the classroom is a little bit louder than usual it seems as if the students are occupied with painting.I really like this project and I think the students are doing a great job.  Below are examples of some of the students' patterns.

Ark: Week 7

This past week I was in charge of a new project for the 5th graders! Due to the amount of time and classes we had prior to break Ms. Molly and I believed it would be best to have a quick lesson for the students to work on.  I came up with the idea of the students creating their own Art Book.  The Art Book would consist of guided free-drawing projects for the kids to express themselves and their personalities with using mixed media.  The students can also take their Art Books with them to their field trip to NYC when they get to visit The Met. Also, the students are allowed to take their Art Books home with them during Spring Break. That way, the students can seek their Art Books and have activities to do which encourages them to do art work! I also took the time to come up with other directions for the students to follow while they are out of school (I typed this up and slipped it into their Art Books).

The students absolutely LOVED this project and have really focused on their artwork.  Some of the projects the students did were; create your own title that depicts yourself, select a word and create a quote from it, draw the characteristics of your horoscope, draw your role model, etc.  A lot of the projects incorporated a lot of literacy that the students seem to be oblivious about! The students don't really realize how much reading and writing they are doing because they are focusing on the art work aspect of this project. Above all, the project allowed me to learn more about the 5th grade students which I really enjoyed.  I could tell the students felt special because they shared a lot about themselves to me and it created a deeper level of trust between the students and me. Overall, this project is a lot of fun and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this with them.

Ark: Week 6

Oh my, the little 3rd  graders have been busy constructing away with their building blocks. Ms. Molly really emphasized how she is looking for students who are creative and who don't create animals that reflect the ones that are on the display shelf.  (I thought this was a great move on her part!)  Students seemed to really respond well to this and there was only two giraffes that were assembled (compared to the 10 that were previously assembled last week).

One student I worked with was an absolute sweetheart.  This student was determined to make an elephant and he was such as sweetheart about it.  The student perfectly imagined how he wanted to assemble the animal and would always say comments to me like, "Ms. Samantha, you have a good point", or "Ms. Samantha, I believe we should assemble it this way not that way". He was so delightful to work with and after we glued most of his animal together he gave me the biggest hug.

I also worked with a lot of other students and we were all having a lot of fun.  Gluing the blocks together kept the students focused and under control. The school had a meeting in regards of the 3rd grade's attitude and highly needed discipline acts due to poor behavior. It seems as if the students finally understand that bad behavior and attitude will no longer be accepted or tolerated in the school.

Last class session I helped some of the students assembled their animals.  While helping the students I instructed them that in addition of writing their name on their pieces that they should also write on the block descriptive words such as body, head, tail, leg, body 2, leg 3, etc. I noticed that the students who wrote down the descriptive words didn't need my assistance with reassembling the animal back together this week. Reflecting back on this project and if I was teaching it I would have instructed all students to do this just so the students had a better mental recollection of their animals.

The animals are really coming alive and anyone can tell that the students are having a lot of fun! I even gave into my temptation and started building with the blocks. It's really funny to see how the students visually depict the animals and how out-of-whack some of the proportions are! I can't wait to see how the students paint their animals in camouflage patterns.

Ark: Week 5

3rd Grade: NEW PROJECT! The 3rd graders are building away with wooden blocks of all different shapes and sizes.  The first class Ms. Molly and I encouraged the students to have a "free day" with playing with the blocks.  It was really fun to see the students release their imagination by building with the blocks.  (Boy, was it loud too!) Students were building abstract pieces, buildings, houses, cages, caves and the list goes on...

The second class session Ms. Molly informed the students that they were going to use to wooden blocks to build an animal! Ms. Molly also informed the students that the students needed to figure out how they wanted to assemble their animal in this class and next class we will actually glue the blocks together. At first the students were really excited about the project and then Ms. Molly and I started to notice a major issue.  Whatever animal one student wanted to make the rest of the students also wanted to make it. Not to mention, the majority of the students assembled the animals that were on display on the shelf. There was a variety of animals on display such as crabs, horses, and (the most popular animal) a giraffe. It seemed as if ALL the students wanted to make a giraffe just because it was the biggest animal they could see.

Reflecting upon this week I learned a few things about introducing a new project.  Though it is significant to have a teacher's example present for students to visually comprehend the new assignment I believe it would have been best if the examples were taken off the shelf and tucked away. I believe that there would have been a larger variety of animals thought of by the students if the examples were tucked away. I also think I would have really excited the students by telling them that they should create their favorite animal and to keep it a SECRET from the rest of the students. I believe this little game would have influenced a larger variety of animals and the students would have felt more ownership with the animal they were making.

Overall, it was a great week.  The 3rd graders are the toughest group in the school (when they were in kindergarten they actually made their student-teacher cry. Hey, they aren't capable of doing that to THIS student-teacher).  I worked individually with a lot of the students and they LOVED it. I was thanked with lots of hug that left me with the wonderful flu (but the hugs were very sweet and meant a lot). Some students came up with ideas for animals such as an elephant, flamingo, fox, bobcat, rabbit and lion! I'm looking forward to how the the project turns out next week!

 

Ark: Week 4

This week was a lot of fun! The 3rd graders for the most part finished their animal drawings and poems.  At first we noticed that the kids were having a difficult time with the requirements of their poems.  Ms. Molly informed the students to be as creative as they'd like and that poems do not have specific structures like paragraphs do.  After she informed the students about this the students were really creative and made me laugh a lot with their poems.

I could tell the students were enjoying the rhyming aspect of poetry.  But still, there were a few students who were stubborn and refused to do any work.  I sat down with these students individually and together we worked past their frustrations.  There was one student who is very challenging and often refuses to do any of his work.  So I made a deal with him, I'd write the poem if he verbally told me what to say and promised not to distract his classmates for the rest of class.  He instantly took up the offer and within 5 minutes we were done with the poem and he "quietly" focused on his free-drawing artwork.  (This student typically distracts other students with his body movements or by shouting across the room.  I feel as if this situation was the first time were I really established trust with a student who has been very stand off-ish towards me.)

Another group of 3rd graders had Art the following day and were working on the same project.  I assumed that the students were allowed to be just as creative with their poems as the other 3rd graders...I was wrong.  After working with the students for a good 20 minutes and helping them make fun and creative poems I overheard Ms. Molly informing the students that they couldn't be doing what I told the students to do.  I was very confused and didn't really understand why this group of 3rd graders didn't have the same instructions as the other group.  Looking back, I wish Ms. Molly had informed me about the change up prior to the group entering the classroom because I would have properly instructed the students to do the work as she had wished for. I felt uneasy about the situation because the students who I worked with really enjoyed their poems and when they had to re-do it they were frustrated and butted heads with Ms. Molly.  I felt as if I was the catalyst for their disagreements. I wasn't informed of the new instructions (nor were there class instructions in the beginning of the class of what was expected of the 3rd graders that day).  I guess I need to constantly ask questions about what the students should exactly be doing prior to giving out instructions. Also, I believe she should had informed me about the change up so it wouldn't have set us and the students back....I felt a little embarrassed about the situation but for the most part all of the students completely finished their projects and were able to enjoy free time!

Below is my favorite poem...it made me laugh so hard and the student who made it was very proud of both her drawing and poem! I'm sure you will also enjoy it...

Ark: Week 3

This past week the 3rd grade students were finishing up their animal poetry paintings.  After the students finished using watercolor they were then informed they were required to use temperate paint to paint the actual animal.  Though the students were excited to use paint (!) a lot of the students became frustrated with their artwork because the temperate paint covered all of their fine details they had drawn with pencils (their animals looked like big blobs).  I reassured the students, "NO WORRIES! We can fix that and make it all better with fine-tipped markers!".  At first the trickery 3rd graders didn't believe me, but have no fear, I gained their trust by physically demonstrating/showing them  what to do.  (Thank goodness my plan worked because if it didn't I would have forever been on the 3rd graders "Bad List".)

As I reflected upon this experience and if I was in charge of this lesson I would have altered a few components.  Initially,I would have introduced a different medium such as markers or colored pencils that the students could have had more control over rather than using thick temperate paint.  The students were so proud of their animal drawings until they started using temperate paint...it was obvious that the students went from loving this project to--wanting to rip it to shreds. I also would have encouraged the students to use a pencil and to draw the details (again) into the animals. Last but not least I would have encouraged the students to add in a funky or creative component into their drawing from their poems.  (For example, draw a polk-a-dotted rock, stripped grass,  checkered sky, etc).  The students were too concerned with exactly copying the image from the magazine. I believe that the students should have been instructed to alter the original image to make it their own. I believe this instruction would have encouraged students to be more creative with their artwork and open minded to abstract forms of art.

Ark: Week 2

The 5th graders have been discussing inequalities throughout the country and world.  We have held in depth conversations  discussions about racism which the students seem to have a lot to say.  Based from our discussions students were instructed to artistically depict an inequality or an injustice concept that they would like to change.  From there, we will use their visual depictions and screen print the images onto shirts in future classes.  This project seems to have many artistic components (drawing, painting and printmaking) while it also reflects numerous topics the students feel strongly against.  Below are some examples of the students artwork--can you determine what the students are trying to protest?!

Ark: Week 1

The 3rd graders have been very busy with their new art project.  Ms. Molly started the class by handing out books with a common theme; animals. After five minutes, or so, Ms. Molly collected the books back and turned on the Smartboard. As a class we discussed what the books were about animals and much of the literature were poems.  After some scaffolding (provided by Ms. Molly) the students established what the new project was...an ABC poem book depicting animals!  Again, as a class we listed an animal for each letter of the alphabet on the Smartboad.  After the students finished this task they were then instructed to write their names on a post-it note and to also list their top three animal choices.  While making their decisions the students were also informed that they will be drawing a picture and creating a poem about their selected animals.  At the end of this project all of the students' artwork will be bonded into an ABC poetry book!

Below are a few student examples of the animal drawings.  We focused on drawing the basic shapes of the animals' silhouettes.  Though some students were discouraged because they didn't like their drawings I kept the students on task and encouraged them to not stop.  The drawings are too cute and made my day a little brighter ...I'm sure they'll make you giggle-Enjoy!