Week Three

A lot has occurred in the art room this week! I posted earlier this week about the Balance drawings students were working on and they are now complete and will be uploaded to the Virtual Art Show this weekend (as well as more images of the class flags). I believe I've said it before, but the VAS is used to showcase strong examples from each project and I try to take photos of everyone's artwork at least once.

Thursday students wrote their first artist statement. I explained to them that artists will generally write a few paragraphs about their artwork if they are exhibiting it in a gallery explaining to the viewers their thoughts about their work and why they created in. In creative arts, students will write an artist statement after every project for a few reasons: 1) To let the viewer know about their intent for creating their artwork. 2) To show me what they've learned about the culture or content we studied in order to create this artwork. 3) To further practice their ELA writing skills. Creative arts is a class that ties in to just about every other middle school content area, so I try to make the connections clear to my students!

I'm including a few photographs of completed drawings. I have a handful of students who are not quite finished, so I will be pulling them for ELT next week to provide them additional time to complete their drawings.

 

I'm excited for students to dive into their next project, the Kaleidoscope Name Drawing next week. Check out my social media pages for images of their progress throughout next week!

Week three of I&I had students building and testing their marshmallow launchers. I was impressed by the many different designs students came up with, all of which were successful! You can see some images and videos of the marshmallow launchers on my Instagram @msstrasserart_fcps. This was students' first experience using a design log and working through the design process. Thursday most students began working on a design process playlist, a mini-project that I'm excited for students to work through. The playlist allows for students to experience several different design challenges at their own pace and even selecting which order they would like to complete them in. Most of the lessons in I&I are designed for students to conduct their own research and spearhead their own learning, allowing for students to take their time and work at their own pace. Look for more snapshots on Instagram and Twitter as they begin sketching and building!

Final Two Weeks!

We have EIGHT (including today) days left! This second semester has completely flown by. It feels like just yesterday I was meeting all my new students!

We've been incredibly busy in the art room this past month. Students finished their watercolor paintings (which are absolutely GORGEOUS) and moved on to learning about Indonesian shadow puppets. Students worked in small teams to create their own scripts and are currently assembling their puppets. I'm thinking students might need three more days to complete this project, so maybe Thursday and Friday will be presentation days!

Shadow puppets in the making.

Shadow puppets in the making.

Shadow puppets in the making.

Instead of shadow puppets, Purple Class learned about the art of STOMP! which is a group of performers that use their bodies and found objects to put on a theatrical music performance. In small groups, students created a performance that conveyed a theme without vocals, so they had to use their acting skills, props, and costumes to help the audience understand their concept. Students had a great time putting together their show and performing them last week. We've since moved on to a Passion Project. Students are given the choice of selecting any art form (visual art, theater, dance, music, or literature) to create a capstone project that demonstrates their passion in art. As the other three classes complete their shadow puppets, they will move on to a final Passion Project, too. We will be making art up until the last day of school!

Below are some photographs of what's been going on in the art room lately. Watercolor paintings will be added to the Virtual Art Show soon, and I will post again once students have completed their puppets.

Artwork on display in the hallway.

Artwork on display in my classroom.

A group performing their STOMP! show.

A group performing their STOMP! show.

A group performing their STOMP! show.

I don't write about my I&I class often, but they are working on a really neat project currently. They have been building cardboard arcade games, and they've been getting super creative with it! Tomorrow will be their last day working on this and then they'll have a day to play each other's games. Below are some in-progress pictures.

Welcome to Second Semester!

Welcome new students to Creative Arts! It was a pleasure getting to meet all of my new students yesterday. Due to the shortened school day, we briefly discussed what students could look forward to throughout the semester and I gave them a tour of the classroom. When we return to school, we're going to dive right in to our first project. Students will also be completing an "All About Me" activity and a creativity exercise so I can get to know a bit more about them and see them express their creativity. I will be sending home a syllabus (via email) this week to explain classroom procedures and what to expect in Creative Arts. This blog is a resource for both parents and students to use throughout the semester. The Creative Arts tab is where I post slideshows and necessary links (which are also accessible to students in Schoology). The Contests tab lists out information for art contests in the area. Stay tuned for a few additions to that page! If you would like a preview of the projects students will complete in this class, the Virtual Art Show is where I display some of the unit's best work. I also use this blog as a resource for parents to learn more about what is happening in the classroom. I am working on making sure I update the blog on a weekly basis, so check back every once in a while for a new post. I tend to post more frequently on Twitter (@StrasserArt_OMS) and Instagram (@MsStrasserArt_FCPS) throughout the week, so follow me on social media for frequent classroom updates.


Welcome to my returning Red class to Invention & Innovation! This is my first time teaching I&I and I am excited to learn more about various technologies alongside the students. This course allows students to learn about technology and invention in a hands-on experience. Each unit consists of a challenge for students to prepare for and complete, involving building and crafting. I am excited for this course because it is very much a creative outlet, just through a different platform than visual art. I will be sending home a syllabus this week for you to look over. I will also be sending home early next week a paper copy of the I&I safety pledge that needs to be signed by both the student and a parent/guardian to ensure that everyone is aware of the rules and potential hazards in this course. Class will meet daily in the art room, but some projects require us to use equipment in the technology education lab. I will occasionally posts updates on my blog of what students are working on in class, but social media is definitely going to be the better place to check for I&I updates.


Stay warm on this windy snow day!