2nd graders begin making printing plate

I gave the printing demonstration to the 2nd graders today. This image shows one of my samples (I will be doing different ones for each of my three 2nd grade classes). While the students did not get as far as printing today, they were able to transfer their face design onto their printing plate (made from Styrofoam) and begin coloring the print with either warm or cool colors.

The steps I had them do include:

1. Outline their favorite face with black marker (some of the students I had marked a face with a star to encourage them to use that face. This was because they either used an example I gave for their face or if it was too complicated.).
2. Raise their hand when they finished, so that I could tape their printing plate on the back of their handout.
   
3. They were then to use a dull red pencil to go over the black marker lines. By doing this, they are pressing into the Styrofoam and leaving a faint image. The red pencil made it easy for them to see which lines they had drawn.
   
4. Remove the printing plate from the back of their handout. Then go over the impressions with the dull red pencil again.
5. Raise their hand and request either warm or cool colors.
6. Begin coloring the face, remembering to blend the colors and emphasize the emotion with lines and design.

Most students at least began to color their plates. Any students that finished were given a book to read on emotions.

Groundhog Day - 6 more weeks of winter

So it's Groundhog Day. Again. At B.T. Washington art classes are labeled as Specials in each grades' school schedule. Students are rotated between art, music and P.E. One third of each of the grades go to each of these three areas. Because B.T.Washington has a self-contained specials department and is a 2-strand school (general and bilingual classrooms), the Specials are the only time during the school day that students in the bilingual program, gifted program, and general classroom are integrated within the same classroom. I have mentioned in my 1st day of student teaching that the schedule is set up so that we see a third of each grade level each day, which means that when I plan a lesson I will teach it three times. This is why Mrs. Carey refers to the repeated days as Groundhog Day's, a direct reference to the 1993 film starring Bill Murray where he plays a weatherman living the same day over and over. So if I mention that it is groundhog day when its any day not February 2, this is what I am referring to.

On the topic of Groundhog Day, see the official site for Phil. He says we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Boo!

Rainbow Fish Pop-up

The Rainbow Fish Pop-up is the first project I completed with the kindergarten class. I did not get any pictures of their book, but I have my teacher sample here so you may see the final results.
Students completed this project over the course of 4 days. During the first day they were introduced to color mixing. They used primary and secondary colors to paint 1/4" stripes in a rainbow pattern (R.O.Y.G.B.P.). For this age group it is important to emphasize proper material treatment, particularly keeping the brush clean between color changes and handling the brush. Also, when you demo tell the students that they want to leave no white spots between the paper.
During the second day, the students made the water paper that the pop-up would be assembled on. Blue paper with blue paints, students were encouraged to use at least 3 different brush strokes, lines and colors.
On the third day the students were read Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. This is a book about sharing, and the students made their pop-up based on this book. They learned about making a pop-up. Then they cut out their rainbow fish from their rainbow paper and begin collaging other elements like seaweed, a starfish, an octopus, and other fish into their background. They will complete this on day 4. They will get a shiny gill and googly eyes too. :)