Discovering Art with Mrs. Odom: 2008

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Field Trips

Haralson County Courthouse

ØFree of cost to students & chaperones
ØBathrooms: yes
ØTour guide provided
ØSelf-tour allowed
ØLunch: outside on grass or in gazebo
ØMax #: 65
ØLocation: Buchanan, GA
ØGrade/Age: 10 yrs. Old
ØChaperone-student ratio: 1:10

Piggly Wiggly

ØFree of cost
ØBathrooms provided
ØTour guide required
ØMax #: one class
ØLunch: on bus or at local park
ØLocation: Villa Rica, GA
ØAge/Grade: 3rd grade+
ØChaperone-student ratio: 1:10

Turner Field

ØArts Tour
ØCost per student: $5
ØCost per chaperone: $7
ØBathrooms provided
ØTour guide required
ØLunch: In stadium
ØLocation: Atlanta
ØAge/grade: 4th+
ØChaperone-student ratio: 1:10

Group Lesson Plan

Constellation Creation

Grade level: 2

Class Time: 30-40 minutes

Concepts: Science: Constellations

Objective: Students will be able to explain constellations, why they were created, and make a model of their own constellation to show the nature of the stars.

Motivation: Creating their own constellation

Vocabulary: Constellation, galaxy, Milky Way, Sundial.

Instructional Strategies:
Read the book about the night sky
Ask “has anyone ever seen a constellation at night when they were stargazing?”
Tell them they are making their own constellations with construction paper, rice and glue.
Make the constellation anyway you want it, use your imagination and be creative.

Modifications: I would modify this lesson by offering one on one time or peer help for those who need it.

Assessment: The student’s artwork and our group conversations about what they made.

Materials/Supplies: White rice, 1-oz portion cups, black 12” x 18” construction paper, white glue, white crayons, and A Sky Full of Stars book.

Resources: Gibbons, Gail. Stargazers. Holiday House. New York. 1992.

Closing Statement: This lesson doesn’t end here, there is so much out there to learn, so reach for the stars!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

ABC book

This is an ABC book that I created to represent my life. Each letter shows some part of my life. I really enjoyed creating this project and I feel that students would have fun creating their own ABC book about whatever their little hearts desire.

New Painting Technique

This is painting created using a Swiffer duster. Encourage your students to come up with a unique painting technique other than with the typical paintbrush. It's a fun way for kids to be creative and show off what they came up with. Others may want to try their new technique!

Lesson Ideas

Kids use a blank map of Africa to come up with their creation with it. Here, it was used to represent a lake. Other ideas include the head of horse or zebra. Kids could try this with all of the continents.

This was a lesson about creating collage. The book "The Hungry Caterpillar" was read and used to show how some illustrators use collage as their medium in books.

This lesson artifact was from a lesson about star constellations. Students use rice and glue to create their own made-up constellation. Great way to incorporate art into science!

Lady bug math - such a cute idea! Students make their own lady bug out of construction paper and use raisins to add or subtract the two wings (left and right side).

This is a representation of a pond-life habitat. Other habitats can be created using different materials. Kids love it!

Tree sculpture made out of a wire hanger, wood block and panty hose to go along with "The Giving Tree." So cute!

Philosophy of the Arts in Education

I feel that art is a necessity in schools, especially during the elementary years. As a future educator, I feel that it is my duty to allow my students to be creative and express themselves in their work. To me art should not be an elective that children go to for 30 minutes a day. Instead, art should be integrated into every academic subject to make the material more memorable. I hope to do this in my future elementary classroom. It is so important to teach to BOTH sides of the brain - children retain information and learn much more from the experience if things are taught that way.

High Museum Experience

• My overall favorite work of art at the High was New Figuration (1985) by Tony Cragg, a British born artist. It was made up of ordinary plastic forms such as plastic plates, bottles, toys, toothbrushes, lids, etc. The shape of it was almost like a snake on the wall but with a head and arms like a human. It took up an entire wall in the gallery and made me feel like my students and I could easily try to recreate in the classroom.
• A work of art that I really liked but wouldn’t take home was Rocking Chair (1895) by H. Wilson from West Virginia located in the American Art: 18th to Mid-19th centuries gallery. It was a painted bent wood rocking chair painted bright red, which is my favorite color. I liked it because it reminded me of the mountains and being out in the country like I grew up. It felt cozy.
• A work that taught me something that I did not know was Piano (1822-1845). It was a beautiful mahogany and brass piano in the American Art: 18th to Mid-19th centuries gallery and was built by Thomas Gibson. In the 19th century, there was a rise in the merchant class and the women were more leisurely with their time. I learned that during this time, the addition of a piano to the parlor in a home was an indication of wealth and status. However, a suitable case was even more important than the instrument itself and was therefore made separately by leading cabinetmakers.
• A work of art that felt very sad to me was Hallelujah Door (1993). It was a painted wood relief by Herbert Singleton and located in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. It depicted a New Orleans funeral, which is usually joyous, but it showed mourners, including a mother, and the grave diggers. Funerals in general are just a sad occasion to me so this is why I chose this artwork.
• A work of art that identifies a historic moment in time was Life in the South (Negro Life in the South, ca 1870). It is oil on canvas painted by Eastman Johnson and located in the J.J. Haverty Memorial Gallery. It represents the eve of the Civil War and shows blacks in the interior yard behind a tavern in Washington, DC. Slavery was not big there; however the presence of them in the nation’s “shared capital” was very controversial at this time.
• A work of art that reminded me of something was My Parent’s Farm (1980) by Mattie Lou O’Kelley. It is oil on canvas located in the Fay S. and Barrett Howell Gallery. It reminds me so much of my grandparents’ farm that I spent a lot of time on as a child. There is an old white farmhouse in it, just like theirs, barns, cows, horses, gardens, a creek, hay fields and men plowing. Every bit of that was on their farm and makes me reminisce about those good old days.
• A work of art that shocked me was Translating Substance No. 16 (2005) created by Richard Jolley. It is located in the American Modern Art Gallery and is made of hot sculpted glass. To me, it looks like Adam and Eve maybe but it’s shocking because they are completely naked and there is a head lying on the ground at the man’s feet. It’s also shocking because of the ornate glasswork – I never knew glass could look like that which is pretty amazing!
• When walking through the High Museum there was two galleries that were drastically different – the folk art gallery and the contemporary gallery. The folk art was very easy to understand – the art told stories and had emotions. However, the contemporary art did just the opposite for me – I could not understand hardly any of it. Some of it was just one color on a canvas or a bunch of blocks put together in an odd shape. As for the rest of the museum, it was kind of like the medium between the two. Some was easy to follow and admire, while some artwork was just strange to me. I feel that the High does a good job of presenting all kinds of art to its visitors though.
• My favorite gallery was the American Art – 18th to mid 19th centuries Gallery. It was made up of lots of beautiful furniture, silver, crystal pieces, and American paintings. Everything in it contained a lot of detail and great wood work. It stood out to me because it shows me where I came from and tells the history of the nation I live in. I was amazed by everything in it! 
• By far the most meaningful part of this experience was seeing artwork by an artist from my hometown displayed in the High Museum. When walking through the folk art gallery, I was admiring all of the great woodwork and stories told through the art. Next thing I know, I walk up on two wood relief carvings by Leroy Almon from Tallapoosa where I was born, raised and still live. I recognized the name but wasn’t sure if it was him so I came home and looked him up. Turns out, it was him – I never knew he had such talent. I had always heard talk over the years and used to ride by his house as a child and think a crazy person lived there because of all the bright colored art and odd things in the yard. I was just amazed at his work in the museum. One was a carving of the Ten Commandments – he put a spin on it that made them so easy to understand. They were compared to modern day sins and depicted in his work. I find that now I appreciate folk art a lot more and was glad that I got to learn more about a man that I lived only 5 minutes away from and never knew.

Art in Education

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Global Warming Diorama

This is a diorama that I created to represent the impact of global warming. The picture does not do it much justice but I feel the overall vision of it speaks for the issue. The shoebox is divided into two sections: sort of like a before and after, and then covered in plastic wrap to represent the ozone layer surrounding the Earth. The outside of the box is painted black to represent outer space - it's like we're looking from the outside in to see what's going on on Earth. The left side of the box has a huge iceberg made from cotton and water with grassy hills at its edge. The ozone layer on this side has no holes in it. The right side, however, has holes throughout the ozone layer. The water level has risen significantly covering part of the hills at its edge. The iceberg has melted and broken apart as well. I painted a styrofoam ball to represent the sun beaming down through the ozone layer, which is allowing more and more of its harmful rays to pass through. I feel this is an issue that everyone needs to be aware of and that's why I chose it for my diorama project.

Color Bingo: An Imaginative Art Game

Color Bingo is a game that I created in Microsoft Word to incorporate art in the classroom in a fun and creative way. It is played just like any ordinary bingo game but with a twist. When a color is called out, players must recognize the color on their card and then decide whether it is a primary, secondary, neutral or intermediate color. Based on their decision, the player will choose the correct token to be placed on that color (P for primary, S for secondary and so on). To get BINGO, all colors in a row, either vertical or horizontal, must have been called and have the correct token on them.

Mixed Media Seascape

For this project, I decided to create a seascape. It's summer time and the beach is calling my name so I thought - why not imagine I'm there for a little while? In this project, I used oil pastels to create the palm tree, beach and sky. I then used watercolor paint for the ocean water and crayons for the sailboat. I had a lot of fun creating this. It's not the best looking but I am very proud of it. :)

Handmade Necklace

This is a necklace that I handmade using plastic and paper beads. I also created a pendant using a seashell and rhinestones. This is a really neat project to do in the classroom because it allows for true creativity and personal touches. For boys, they could make a similar necklace without the pendant. For mine, I wanted it to be all about me. I used pink, which is my favorite color, ocean colors and a seashell because I love the beach and an 'A' for Ashley. :)

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Self-Portrait Collage with Poem

I really enjoyed creating this collage of myself. I wasn't sure where to begin and how to do it but once I got started, it was easy to finish. I wanted to add personal touches to make it more about me such as the wedding ring and name poem describing who I am. It was a really fun project that I think is an excellent activity to incorporate writing and art in the classroom.

Chapter 17 Quiz

Chapter 17: A Sequential Curriculum for Grades 3 and 4
Quiz
_________________________________________________

Match each answer to the correct sentence by writing its letter in the blank provided.

1. ____ Third and fourth grades are usually called this.
2. ____ These colors are adjacent on the color wheel.
3. ____ Folding, crimping, pleating, fringing, weaving, braiding, and curling paper are ways to create this.
4. ____ The paper that remains after the shape is cut out.
5. ____ Students at this age can describe how _____ can be used to show distant spaces.
6. ____ Printmaking process.
7. ____ Experimentation and manipulation with this is key in understanding how it works.
8. ____ Third and fourth grades are the stage of beauty and ____.

a. Clay
b. Collage
c. “Golden Age of Child Art”
d. Plastic foam meat tray print
e. Analogous colors
f. Negative shape
g. Realism
h. Horizontal lines

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

My Philosophy of Education

I feel that each child reserves the right to an education and as a teacher, it is my goal to give them that. Every student should feel at-home in the classroom so that they may continue to develop intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, manageable, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. In order to be an effective teacher, I know that I need to be as highly educated as possible, in tune with today’s society, a motivator and guide for student learning, a successful classroom manager, and enthusiastic about sharing my love of learning with my students.
My students will develop a better understanding of themselves, their peers, and their environment through open communication in the classroom. The sharing and accepting of individual opinions and thoughts will always be encouraged. Not only will this help them to learn more through discussion but it will also improve their social skills and help them feel better about themselves by knowing that they are in an environment where they are always accepted.
The curriculum taught in the classroom will be developed around the students’ interests, which will stimulate their want and need to learn. Through dialogue and open communication, the students can come up with things that interest them or things they feel they should know. Student goals will be set that will improve my teaching and the strategies used to teach them. When students have ownership in the curriculum, they are motivated to work hard and master the skills necessary to reach their goals.
Teaching is a process of continual growth and learning. The only way to be successful at it is to constantly strive to improve yourself, encourage student involvement, and maintain an effective curriculum. I know that I can do so and plan to work on it everyday in the classroom.