Arty Party.

Happy Hump Day and my oh my, what a week it's been!  Some of my classes this week have earned an Arty Party, so I've been test-running Art Centers and what a blast it's been.

In my Art Room, each class is expected to demonstrate our BIG FOUR which are: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Ready to Learn, and Be a Problem Solver (and the Bonus: Don't Be a Booger, juuuuust kidding).  If a class shows these positive behaviors during their Art class, they will earn a "crayon" for our crayon closet.

The goal is to earn 9 crayons mostly in ROYGBIV order with the inclusion of pink, black, and white at the end.

Back in the ol' days when I was a Kindergarten teacher, I loved running centers in my room for both Math/Science and Literacy, so I thought giving it a shot in the Art Room could be fun.

I put together an Art Center box for each of my tables...

Each table has about 8-10 minutes with the assigned center activity.  When my teacher timer goes off, they clean, wait for the "switch" cue from me, and off they go to their next center.

Art War is my teacher-created version of Pictionary.  The student in the picture is drawing an illustration of "vegetarian."

Art Terms Tower (aka Jenga), features art specific vocabulary.  Students reach in blindly, pick a block, and if they can define the word on the block, they can play their block.  If not, then the block goes into the discard pile.

Okay, next one up is the Mystery Box.  I had picked up so many awesome and different supplies at this year's NAEA conference (woot woot!), that I was at a loss of what to do with them.  Enter stage right: MYSTERY BOX.

The kids love this activity as there are some super cool tools in the box.  Plus, the inclusion of adjectives and nouns makes it at least somewhat academic, right right?

Roll a Haring and Roll a Picasso I found in the lovely land of Pinterest.  Thank you Pinterest gods!

Hmmm, I don't have any photos of Scratch Art, but that box is filled with 6" x 6" pieces of scratch art paper, which students can decorate and draw into to their little hearts' content.

And the last one is Doodle Dice.  I painted over some old dice and slapped on some line doodles.  Students take turns rolling the dice to create their own piece of abstract doodle-y art.

What do you do for students that reach their goal in your Art Room?  I would LOVE to hear!

Part 3: Art Supports

Just wanted to continue some of my previous ramblings from here and here.  I've taken inspiration from Peter Jackson's Hobbit and broken my posts on Art Supports into three lengthy pages.  Unfortunately for you, none of my posts feature any of the sprightly hobbit-y songs to keep you from falling asleep during those LOOONG shots of the New Zealand landscape.  But, Hobbit you stick around, grab your elevenses, and stick with me, eh?

Sometimes, I have little Art friends who:

A) Need a chill break to regroup and calm themselves

or

B) Choose to continue flicking clay boogers at their tablemates (or other such naughties)

That's when the Choice Chair enters.  This space is in a nice, quiet nook of my Art Room, and gives kids the opportunity to use strategies to calm their bodies.  For some of my students with autism or behavioral needs, this spot gives them an opportunity to regroup and then rejoin their classmates.  The Choice Chair has zero negative connotation, and my students are really kind when a classmate is using the chair.  At the beginning of the year, part of my Art Room spiel is going over the Choice Chair and its use, so the kids have heard from me, it's okay to need a break!

My students love the Break Box.  Sometimes, if a child is having a difficult time (meltdown, sensory overload, etc.), they struggle with verbalizing their thoughts.  There are other times where students ask to use the Choice Chair for a few minutes to calm down, recognizing that they need a break.  This is an opportunity where I would really praise the student after he/she has calmed their body.  My students understand that sometimes we just need a break.

My Break Box contains:

• Breathe Bottle - this is simply a water bottle filled with water, glitter glue, and loose glitter)
• Sensory Balls - these are great for some of my tactile little learners who need a squeeze break
• Sand timers - I have timers for 3, 2, and 1 minute breaks
• Deep Breath Cue Sheet - this is a laminated sheet with cues to take 5 deep breaths

Depending on the student using the chair, I will set out the Break Box (or certain items from the box) and ask the student to start the sand timer.  There are cues posted above the Choice Chair and students know to raise their hands when they feel ready.  The visual cues are extremely helpful for my students with autism, as well as, my students with limited English proficiency.

For the Deep Breath Cue Sheet, some of my students will use a dry erase marker to "X" out each number as they take their deep breaths too.

Whew, that was a lot of information! Thanks for hanging around to read this post (or skim it, or heck, even just look at the pictures).  I think I need a break, but the chocolatey Kit Kat bar type of break of course!

It's a Shire bet I'll be posting some of my other favorite Art Room spaces in the very near future.  That's all for now, Mordor less.

Part 2: Art Supports.

It's Friday, it's Friday, gotta get down on Friday.  Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend...

Thank you Rebecca Black for that lovely introduction.

Let's do this!  Here's Part 2 of my earlier post on supports in the Art Room.

My school has a large population of students with special needs, as we are home to the district's self-contained classrooms.  We also have a large population of military children in our school from the local military base.   These children have lived in so many places, seen so much in their short little lives, and gone through so much familial stress, yet, they are absolutely inspiring young people.

In many cases, we have had military children with significant needs (behaviorally, emotionally, and/or academically) enroll and appear suddenly in our classrooms, and it takes weeks (if ever) for any IEP information to appear.  There have been many interesting Art Room adventures in some of these scenarios.  I have had Kindergarteners who are "runners" in my room (and trust me, a 5 year old is FAST, especially in an Art Room with 4 different exits), older elementary students with significant physical outbursts, and much more.  I worked as a Special Education Teacher and had my own self-contained classroom a few years back, so it's been a blast collaborating and commiserating with our current Sped teachers regarding students' behavior plans and needs.

Below are a few snapshots of the Behavioral Command Center in my room featuring the card change visual, timer, and behavior pocket.  Our school is a PBIS school and additionally uses a card change system to encourage good choices.  Every student starts on a green card at the day's beginning.  If students are choosing to channel their inner gremlins, I've got a few ways to address their choices.

Students will receive 2 warnings before a card change.  If I am in the middle of instruction or a demonstration and don't want to stop my train of thought, I will pass a student a "Stop Sign" as a warning.  Here's an example I found online for a stop sign warning.  I used a different stop sign template, but I can't find the link, darn it!  If the behavior persists after an additional warning, either verbal or visual, our naughty little friend will receive a card change.

To easily communicate with classroom teachers, or if the student is transitioning to PE or Music after Art, I always fill out one of the card change slips below to inform the teacher of the student's card change.  If you're like me, there's a good chance you'll have a whirlwind afternoon and forget to touch base with the classroom teacher, so the card change slip is a good way to ensure you stay responsible!  

I'll usually do the hand-off and give the card change slip to either a) the student (but always touch base with the teacher to make sure the student was honest) or b) the classroom teacher and or/Specials teacher the student is transitioning to.

I hope you had a happy and healthy holiday and that you're lookin' forward to the NEW YEAR. Partyin', partyin', YEAH.  Partyin', partyin', YEAH. 

My apologies, can't get darn Rebecca Black and her synthesized voice out of my head.

Part 1: Art Supports.

Hi ho, Miss French Fry here.  In an earlier post here, I mentioned that I would like to delve a little more into some of the behavior management and supports I use in my Art Room.  So, here goes.

Before working as an Art Teacher, I spent four years working as a Special Education Teacher, specializing in students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.  These poor kids have gone through so much in their little lives and come to school with some serious baggage.  In my current position, my school has a large population of students with special needs, and my background in Sped. has certainly been beneficial.  Here's why I love teaching Art: ALL of my students "get" it.  Art provides my students with special needs an opportunity to shine, work on their fine motor and gross motor skills, and  develop their self-efficacy.  The Art Room is THE place where individuality and uniqueness are welcomed.

Let's get down to the visuals!

I am a big fan of homemade posters and my room is chock full of them, all of which have a purpose.  For example, children coming to Art feeling anxious and wondering what's on the agenda for the Art day, can check the  "What Are We Doing Today?" board before getting down to business.

The magnets below are laminated magnetic photos I created and use on my whiteboard with every lesson, so that students can check on supplies needed for projects.  My students are very diligent about checking the magnets and if I ever forget to update them, they are quick to remind me!

I use the Yacker Tracker below (occasionally) to monitor voice volume for the classes that contain some Chatty Kathys or Chatty Charlies.  I try not to overuse it, and regularly use music to maintain appropriate voice volume in the Art Room.  I am a big fan of Pandora's John Williams station (go Star Wars, go)!

Below are my sink signs I created with the help of miniature versions of Andy Warhol's banana print.

 

Drying rack reminder...

No matter what age the student is, I ALWAYS have at least 2-3 kids ask me where their wet paintings should go when they finish.  Really kid? You think I want your wet painting?  I am trying to problem-solve a solution and will be sharing it soon.

And, to those of you that are teachers, Happy Well-Deserved Winter Break! To those of you that aren't teachers, sorry you don't get 2 weeks off.  Just one more reason teaching truly rocks.

Miss French Fry's Art Room.

Welcome to my Art Room version 2013!  I like to switch up my room a little bit every year because A) the kids notice and always like ooh-ing and aah-ing over the changes, and B) I get a little bored and need a decorative outlet, and my own home can only tolerate so much.

My theme this year was somewhat "crayon-y," "crayon-ish,"...hmmm, "crayon-esque?"

My art room is a former gym locker room so it is very twisty and turn-y in the entranceway, so bear with me.  We've been doing quite a few Dia de los Muertos projects, so there are some fun 3rd grade skellies on display in the Art Room entrance too.

Below is my "What are we doing today board?"  Before EVERY class I would have students asking me, "what are doing in art today?," and while I love their excitement, I found myself continually repeating, "wait until the whole class is in the room," or "I will tell everyone when the class is here," or on my tired art teacher days, "HOLD YOUR HORSES."  So, here is my solution.  It's a large, old bulletin board I picked up at Goodwill, covered with white dry erase material, dolled up with some borders, and VOILA:

The reading rug where I will often gather students to read a story and introduce our next lesson before transitioning to the art tables.  Behind the book shelf is my art trading card board, which students may use if they finish a project and have extra time.

I worked as a Special Education Teacher for a few years before transitioning into Art Education, so I have some tools I use for behavior management in my room, such as the Choice Chair, which is for kiddos who sometimes just need a break.  Each class also has an Arty Party pocket, where they must work together as a class to demonstrate safety, respect, learning, and problem-solving, and in turn, earn a "crayon."  When classes earn 9 crayons, they have an Arty Party (which might mean a special project, a dance party, or more).

     

Here are some more snapshots of my room, including one of my favorite teaching tools: my "What you need" magnets.  The magnets are color photos I took of supplies around my room, laminated, and then added some sticky magnet backs.  These magnets are super helpful for students with special needs who benefit from visual supports for following directions.

The art tables color coded with baskets showing students' jobs

What You Need magnets

The Got Time? Make Art station

Art Room Jobs

              

Inspired by http://mrspicassosartroom.blogspot.com/

                 

            Got the idea for the Cool Art fridge from http://mrspicassosartroom.blogspot.com/.  I adore her!

   

                                            And of course, no art room is complete without a shelf of crazy art teacher props.

In future postings, I am hoping to write a little more about classroom behavior management, as well as, some tips I picked up during my Special Education days, so stay tuned.  Until next time, Get Smart and Make Art!