Hello! I love giveaways and thought it would be fun to have a summer art teacher giveaway in honor of reaching 400 likes on Facebook. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog or on the Facebook post about it answering this question: “What is one tip you would give to art teachers (or other classroom teachers) to make the beginning of the year go smoothly?” or “What do you do with your students in the first weeks of school?” If you are a first year teacher, “what would you like to know more about in regards to the first days of school?” Winner will be announced 6/29, one week from today.
Here is what one randomly selected winner will receive:
1. A DVD copy of The Hero of Color City
Another popular resource is the Art Discussion Cards set.
Personally, I really love my Powerpoint about stuffed animals in art.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog or on the Facebook post about it answering this question: “What is one tip you would give to art teachers (or other classroom teachers) to make the beginning of the year go smoothly?” or “What do you do with your students in the first weeks of school?” If you are a first year teacher, “what would you like to know more about in regards to the first days of school?”
These answers will be compiled for a Back-to-School blog post later this summer. Good luck!
(Product links are Amazon Affiliate links.. which help pay for the blog, professional growth, art supplies and this giveaway!)
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My students begin the year by making and designing their portfolios to keep their artwork in throughout the year. They take great pride in this project and they love to have their classmates sign their portfolios at the end of the year before taking them home.
I give my students paint brushes and paint on the first day of school!
Make sure that students learn something and That they get to do some art on the first day!! The first day is everything!
I teach middle school and routine is everything, but we start the year by filling out an “about me work sheet” where I learn a little about them, make our “agreements” and all trace a hand on the same page, and then get creating! This year I think our first project will be “the If my life were a movie poster” project…. 🙂
-Hillary
I Always go over rules and expectations but then start our first project. Last year I started with a DOT project for International Dot Day. This way I had a quick project to hang up for the hallways!
My students each create an all about me puzzle piece and they get put together and hung in the hallway!
I preplan projects for each element by grade level. Doing so, I can spead out projects that require major prep time on my behalf and group projects that require similar supplies. Since I am always cold in the fall and winter, running the kiln is an added bonus then.
I always go over rules and procedures, and talk about what art is, and read the book “Art is..” and older kids decorate their art folder.
The first day of school we paint. I go over the ruels using meams. Then the students get to paint. It makes going over the rules fast because the students want to have enough time to paint.
A great way to start the year off right is by diving into creation right away! Students are excited to be in your room – put the tools in their hands and set expectations by doing!:)
Rules and routines are the first things we go over, but even more important is practicing those routines. I work in an urban school. I also do a dot day project at the beginning of the school year
I usually have the students participate in a school wide collaboration project….impressive for open house night a couple of weeks into the school year!
Think very carefully about your routines and procedures for you and for the kids. Be sure you keep them easy to be consistent.
Smile first! Rules and procedures next . Then get right into materials and make some art! I have kinder do an u instructed self portrait to get a baseline of skills. I save it to show growth at the end of the year.
A quick 5 minute reminder of Art room rules and we dig right in to creating Art. . . Usually something quick like a Zentangle or an optical illusion the kids love to create.
I started this year by introducing my rules and procedures with pictures of funny memes. My middle schoolers loved it.
We discuss inspiration for art. How some artists find it by looking at other art or around the world they live in or the emotions they are experiencing. We talk about memories and reality versus dreams and creations that combine them. I have my students recreate a memory from their summer to share that they are excited about or that they felt was special and unique and that could motivate them on tough days through a drawing project on their sketchbook cover. The next day we create a place we think that would be fun to go that might combine parts of our favorite place, places we hope to go and things we love to do or would like to do at some point. These follow the first as a back over. Students place their works next to one another and students do a gallery walk. Students then discuss the works and we learn about constructive criticism and artists statements. After the critique we write an artist statement for each. The last day of the week, we talk about assessment. I see my students for 5 days in a row, making this easier, but have done it with seeing students once every 4-8 days. Hits many topics, vocabulary, and critique and assessment processes. We use this information to begin the building of our sketchbooks for the year. I cut 4″ x 8 1/2″ tag board tents for name plates and have the students write their names on day 1 this helps me learn/ remember names after the break and we use that name tag to bind our sketchbooks so everyone’s name is in the same place and so that it helps me along the way. I have students store sketchbooks in a table portfolio that’s color matches the color table for easy passing out and retrieval. A tip, give yourself permission to teach the same concept with a variety of lessons versus every student learning the concept with the bane project. This makes better bulletin board displays, kids pay closer attention to the displays because they are looking at the projects they didn’t do and applying learned information to that, and your art show works are going to be of a wider and more varied range or works versus all being the same works repeated. Also, don’t be afraid to do the same lesson but use different colored paper or different sized and shaped papers to make it easier to i.d. No name papers with their class stack.
I play a draw me something game. Fold the paper in fours so you get eight boxes total. The I give a topic. Draw me your favorite food, your family, you like to do etc. I get to know the kids in a fun exciting way!
One tip to make the year go smoothly- label all supplies in a kid friendly way and give a tour of the room/scavenger hunt. Then, gradually give the kids responsibility for getting and returning supplies. Less running around for me to do, kids have ownership, and builds a sense of community!
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Dole out assigned seats. Teach and practice silent signals. And most importantly we always always start a project.
I work hard to make sure as I unpack the art supply shipments that everything goes in its proper place–staying organized is really key for me. The art room gets pretty chaotic very quickly so I need to have a system for knowing where all of my supplies are. I also start very low-key in terms of materials–markers, pencil and crayons. Paint can wait until the students have gotten the routines of the art room down. And as far as a first class, I like to have the students help create a collaborative bulletin board so the school has some color and we can advocate for art right away, especially as back-to-school night is early in our school year. Many years I have focused on “The Dot” since International Dot Day in September 15.
I’ve taught for 18 years, but this is my FIRST year teaching my passion…ART. I’m very excited to start of this year and likes a lot of the comments above (may implement some of your ideas). I will definitely try to stay organized, implement routines for the classroom, & stay positive through this NEW adventure. Yay!!
We play a game with the art supplies. I have a “mystery box” with the supplies and media; the students take turns reaching in the box to find an item and then we talk about where that supply is located in the room and the correct way to use it and clean it. We then start an art project that is inspired by the student’s name (different projects for each grade level).
I start by making table tag seating charts and going over a few procedures including what we would do in fire and tornado drills. Then we definitely start a project, even if it is just the very first steps.
I teach preschool children in a low income preschool in Ann Arbor, Mi.
I like to start the school year off by bringing in real works of art from the downtown district library and hang the art work in our classroom. We talk about what colors, shapes, images and feelings the painting evoke in us. Then we learn more about the artist and artwork and try to design and create our own one of a kind artwork inspired from the art the kids are exposed to in the classroom. I try to bring in a wide variety of artwork that really expresses emotion and color so young children can relate and learn at the same time. They love learning about new artists and ideas! Me too. 🙂
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Procedures, procedures, procedures. Practicing these intensely at the beginning (with refresher throughout the year can help keep things running smoothly (ish) & the kids take responsibility because they know what to do & what’s expected.