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Chinese Dragons, and Geometric Man from Mars
Planning... ugh!... sometimes a project just takes longer than you anticipated.
What with the difficulties built into following directions step by step, and having 30-35 minutes of time every six school days, then throw in a couple of snow days/delays, and you have a project that should have been finished in time for the first week of February's Chinese New Year. I should have started it two weeks before our winter break!
I adore the Chinese dragon the third grade students made from a pattern passed down to us from their former art teacher. I made only one mistake... I think. But it was a big one. In the interest of time, I thought I'd save us a couple of sessions by having all the details of the dragon's face, cut out of brightly colored papers, done before the students walked into the classroom. Not until I began thinking about hanging the dragons on the walls of the hallways did it occur to me the error in judgment I had made.
With the exception of the nose part, which I provided in three different shapes and colors, all the other face parts are the same color. Which means all the dragon faces, except for the noses, all twenty-somethings of them, look alike! AAGH!
Initially I was thinking, it's okay, the kids will take them home, and it won't matter that each one looks alike because every kid takes his own dragon home, and they won't ever be seen together again. But I forgot about the small detail .... that, before they took them home, the dragons would be hanging on the walls.
Okay, done and in the past. I learned from it. "Move on!" is my motto.
On the other hand, I gave the freedom to choose colors and patterns to my kindergarten students as they worked on a shape/line/color project called "The Geometric Man from Mars," an idea I borrowed from another elementary art teacher a couple of months ago.
Below you can see the results from one kindergarten class. The students had to draw the figures using only the shapes they had learned about in kindergarten (circle, square, rectangle, triangle). Also, they had to use an AB, or ABB, or AAB line pattern in the background. The shapes and patterns they were learning in their regular classroom... I simply used what they had learned and carried it over into their art work.
The one extra instruction I gave them had to do with primary and secondary colors. After I taught them about secondary colors, I told them they could choose one of those colors to be their A color and one to be their B color. As you can see, they did a pretty good job with the final product! Not all of them followed the same pattern in their coloring as they had done with their line pattern. They're learning, too.
If you have worked with a kindergartener lately, you can appreciate this. Most of them don't like pressing hard on their colors, and they don't often think to color or draw to the ends of their paper. These students worked very hard to fill their paper with lines and color. And just a few months ago, many of them could hardly write their own names. My hat is off to all those grade level teachers of kindergarteners. What a challenge that age group is, and what leaps and bounds we see from the beginning of the year to the end of the year!
One of my favorite parts of demonstrating drawing or painting happens at my drawing table, beneath the camera sitting on my table. The camera is connected to the projector you see here. In the photo above, one of my kinders showing his classmates how he selected green and orange for his pattern choices, and how he colors from edge to edge of the paper. I found it is very helpful if kids get to come up to the table to demonstrate. It's a great form of classroom management. Everyone wants to get picked to come up, so they are extra mindful and alert waiting for their turn.
Here's what it looks like from the table's perspective... everyone, no matter where they sit, has an unobstructed view of the lesson.
This school year is flying by... anyone else feeling that?
I can't believe it's March already. Spring is in the air, and my dogs got a mini-trim today, which means I trimmed their faces and their back sides, and left the rest of their coat alone in case it gets cold again.
Spring is in the air, and I'm thinking, time to start going back to the gym... I haven't been in months, and it shows. Boy does it show!
A special note to my J-land friends: I've been reading in your journals, and commenting in some... I am sorry I haven't been around to visit as regularly as I have been in the past. I hope to be back in my routine by, let's see... June?
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Hi Bea-LOVE THESE DRAGONS!!!!!
I thought maybe WONDERER(love the play on the word) would be a good choice for a new name for your journal.
I remember you used to have a piece saying you were wandering and wondering....and now you seem to have come to a place where you no longer wander as you have found something you had been searching for.Now you look at things in wonderment,your journal brings wonder to
all who read it, AND you are WONDERFULLy and fearfully made :-) Love Shauneen
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I opened your journal and the first thing that I see is this wonderful kaleidescope of colors that are just dazzling. Bea, I swear you are one of the most talented and creative teachers that I have ever known. Your entire approach to teaching your students is the standard by which all teachers should teach. I spent a long time in the classroom and just as long working in the education policy arena in my legal work and I'm not just saying this because I like you a lot. I've spent the last 25 years involved in education in some way and I've devoted a great deal of time to studing the pedagogy of teaching and learning, and you are a master at both. I hope that your principal realizes what a diamond you are.--Sheria
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I'm playing catch up on alerts Bea. I'm so glad to see you are able to find a bit of time to come on-line again. I love it when you share all yours and your students creative hard work with us. The dragons looked so friendly and colourful too. We all learn by our mistakes that's for sure and I know others will eventually benefit from these that you mentioned above. Who was to know though...except your own inner critic. They could be called a 'family of dragons'. Lol!
Looking forward to more inspirational entries. Well done to you and the children.
Love
Jeanie xxx -
Talk about sharing your talents Bea, this is wonderful - and the dragon's face looks great, how creative! Yes, I feel the year flying by too fast, I think it's because of a lack of "real" winter. Hey the gym can wait! xoxo CATHY
http://journals.aol.com/luddie343/DARETOTHINK/
3/19/08 3:27 PM
How on earth!
And I can't beleive that they each get one to take home! you are awesome!
love,natalie