Mrs. Meggles Art Room

Alternative Word Wall - Vocab Word Cloud!

2013-04-09T09:39:00.001-07:00

I don't have enough space in my classroom for a Word Wall, since I share with music. This always bummed me out, but I just found this as an alternative!!! Since our PTC was so generous to give me a SMARTboard, why not make a Vocab Word Cloud and display it during down time on the SMARTboard?

I made this very easily with a word cloud generator online. Check out: http://www.abcya.com/! It's super easy to use and you can save your words in a word document and just add to it as you go. Then, copy and paste into the text field on the website and "TA-DA!", your word cloud is created. Click save to download it to your computer.

Enjoy!!!

No More Incomplete Choice Draws!

2012-10-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last year I was horrified at the amount of paper we wasted on "free draw", which is what the kids do when they are done with projects. This year, I set a goal to prevent this from happening. The first thing I did is I stopped letting the kids use blank paper. We started using Doodle Books.

This is an example of one and can be found at: Oodles of Doodles

Inside are partially started drawings to give the kids inspiration. I only use drawings that are mostly incomplete. I want the artwork to be mostly the kids. I also started some similar types of drawings and started reproducing them for the kids. Some started with only a squiggle on the paper!

But I was still finding that the kids were wasting these papers. So, when I found a student work I thought was the standard for "finished" we had a class discussion and decided what characteristics made it finished. Then we did the same thing for an unfinished work. I hung it on the wall and Ta-Da! Now we no longer have unfinished Choice Draws!

Draw a Picture of a Person. Beginning of the Year Project

2012-09-07T14:28:00.002-07:00

I start the year with an assessment based on Viktor Lownfeld's research known as the Drawing Development in Children. For more on this visit: http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/DrawDev/kiddrawing.html and http://www.d.umn.edu/~jbrutger/Lowenf.html or the Amazon Store for some books on his research. Each student draws a picture of a person. They are encouraged to brainstorm details one might include on a person and details that would make a picture not of a person (such as an alien, as many suggested.) Then students get only one paper and their challenge is to draw a picture of a person. I tell them if they make a mistake to be creative and incorporate it into the drawing. For example, one first grade student drew a circle for a head and realized it was much too large for what he wanted. He decided to turn this into the sun behind him.

This year, I was looking for a different way to do this. I found smART class's blog about colorwheel self portraits and knew it was perfect!

http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/2009/11/color-wheel-self-portrait-mural.html

Each grade was assigned different color of the spectrum. Students used crayons, oil pastel, or marker to create their drawing and their color choices were limited based on their class color. The results were great!!! What I didn't expect that worked well was a visual timeline of student drawing development!

Sorry so dark! The work order is in for lights.

Red-K Orange-1 Yellow-2 Green-3 Blue-4 Violet-5 Pink-6

Signage in my room

2012-08-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

I am the first to admit that I love to find good ideas from other teachers. Especially when it comes to signs in my room. I have a lot more ideas on my pinterest: http://m.pinterest.com/meganesteinlage/ follow me!

Here are some that I finished today:

Art camps for grown ups? Yes!

2012-08-13T19:43:00.001-07:00

While I long to learn more over the summers, many times (this year inluded), it's just not in the budget. But angirl can dream, right? I was flipping through the September copy of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and found an article about adult learning adventures. Naturally, I stopped to read since I can't reist an article on education and I stumbled on Angela Ritchie's Ace Camps. They offer exotic destination sites where you can learn anything from photography editing to multi-media. I may just have to start a vacation change jar for this one! Check it out!

Paper Curling Relief Shapes

2012-07-19T11:31:00.003-07:00

It's was the end of the school year and I am OUT of EVERYTHING! So, what's Ms. Meggles to? Paper curling of course! I knew that I was saving all those paper scraps for something! Our Missouri GLE says, "Create an original low relief paper artwork by manipulating paper. (EG curling, folding, tearing, and cutting)", so I am on target too. Students really worked on motor skills to create the curls around pencils, markers, fingers, paper clips, or by pulling them across CLOSED scissors. The results were really cool, very colorful, and the kids were super proud of them!

We looked at some amazing examples of 3-D and 2-D paper art to give us inspiration. Start here: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/100-extraordinary-examples-of-paper-art/ for ideas!

Doodle Box!!

2012-07-16T11:18:00.001-07:00

Fifth grade students had SO much fun with this project. I got the idea from The Doodle Box Project. Artist David Hofmann uses any old box he can find, deconstructs it so that the flaps become wings, mouths, arms, legs, or anything else!
We went through the website first and I let the kids decide which doodle boxes were stronger artworks than the others. They decided that the boxes with color, lots of pattern, creative features like big eyes, expressive mouths, etc were most appealing. AND they determined that the more it didn't look like a box anymore, the better. So, we used these requirements for their projects.
Students were asked to provide their own box. I suggest cereal boxes, shoe boxes, etc. Anything but a boring corrugated shipping box. Kids also brought in 12 pack soda boxes, and other interesting packaging. I did a demonstration on how to locate the glued flap that closes the box, slide my closed scissors into the flap and gently pry it open. I made a caterpillar for my doodle box example (but didn't keep it). So, students saw me working on mine while they worked on theirs.
This was planned as a fun end of the year project where the kids could strut their stuff, so to speak, and demonstrate all the skills they had learned throughout the year. So, I let them use pretty much whatever supplies they wanted. Many chose paint, crayons, markers, yarn, glitter (ugh-that is the part I hate, but they love!), and other add ons like soda bottle tops.

Overall, the results speak for themselves!

Peter Max Patriotic Paitings

2012-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

One of our power grade level expectations was to have fifth graders study patriotism in art. Immediately I thought of Peter Max, who was a household name in the 1960 & 1970's for his bright bold colors and hippy love art. He was THE artist of the hippy movement. Students started out by watching some videos of Peter talking about his work. Here is the link for the video roll on You Tube that I showed the kiddos.

I also had Peter's book: For them to look through. They LOVED his bright colors.

Next, we learned how to use the wet-in-wet technique with tempera paints. We used a poster-board weight paper and it is a good thing because the paper was so heavy with paint, I am not sure 80 lb drawing paper would have held up.

I showed students how to dip their brush in one pure color and then in another and paint without mixing the two to create a swirly wet-in-wet effect. Here is what the paint trays ended up looking like:

Students came back another day and began to learn about the statue of liberty. I split them into groups and they each got a book about the statue. Some were fiction (with elements of history), and some were non-fiction. They each assembled a list of facts about the statue. Then, I pulled out some clip art of the statue I found on google images. Here is the search I did. Each was about 3x5" printed in black & white. The kids used tracing paper to trace the statues. Even with tracing, each one looked very different!

The kids then used gloss medium to glue down the transparent pieces of tracing paper drawings. The result was very cool!

At the end, we reflected on why the statue made us feel patriotic. Each student wrote one or two sentences, which I displayed with the work.

(stay tuned for the final work pics!)

Andy Goldsworthy Inspired Color Wheels

2011-09-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

The state of Missouri wants us to make a color wheel in 5th grade. But, Who wants a boring color wheel display where they look all the same? Not us!

First, we watched Rivers & Tides, a documentary that shows Andy making artwork. Students gave collective a "WOW!" with each piece of art he created. (That gave me chills!) I encouraged conversation during the movie because some of the dialogue of the movie is kind of conceptual and over their heads. We discussed the "tools" artists use called media. We discussed shapes, forms, colors, and other elements of art while we watched. We also discussed permanence in art and why traditional artists strive for it and why Andy makes art that is so temporary.

Next we went outside. The kids loved collecting twigs in the crisp autumn air. I told them to only collect sticks that are "nature's trash". We never want to take living twigs off the tree.

The second class I set up stations where students worked together to paint as many sticks as possible. Students moved their bodies, not the paint, when they wanted to change colors; and only with my permission. We were a painting machine that day!

The final class we discussed Andy's favorite shape and form. My kids decided that his favorite shape is circle and his favorite form is an egg shape because of the repetition in his works. Then we talked about the order of colors in the color wheel and their proper order. Finally, I let them compose their wheels. Some got inspired by the glue-I think I would nip that in the bud next time, but sometimes when I see them being creative I just let them go with it.

What do you think? I think that the result is a less boring color wheel!

First Week Reflections...

2011-08-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! This last 2 weeks has been a whirlwind. I am finally settling into my crazy schedule between 3 schools. I have learned a few things at the elementary school. First, I need to have more patience. Second, I need to be flexible because the kids love that! And finally, if I assert my needs, administration rises to the occasion.

I found that in the first week the kids are all adjusting too. I went in to it immediately expecting them to respond, be focused, etc in art class. That was an unrealistic expectation on my part. They are adjusting to a new teacher, in some cases, new classmates, and a new schedule...for anyone that can cause you to be less focused. By the second meeting, the students were much more focused, and it seemed that they were remembering what the behavior expectations for school.

Fifth grade getting inspired by Arshlie Gorky's abstractions.

Kids were refreshed by my flexible approach to the art projects. I heard a little bit about their former teachers expecting them to be "perfect" and do it "her way". This hurts my heart! After all, the art room should be the one place in school where kids can make projects their way! I had to remind classes of this. "If I wanted a photograph of a person, I would give you a camera. Draw a person the best you can. I want a drawing." This relaxed them! "You want to make your cityscape with flying lollipops? Sounds great! In art, anything is possible!" I could see a sense of excitement come over them...and it spread like wildfire. The creativity was so awesome it made me want to cry with pride. I released something in my students. I am helplessly addicted to teaching art!

Finally, I am learning that when I tell my principals things that I need and want, they jump to accommodate me. This is a bit different from the high school, where administration has so many teachers and students to handle. At the school where I am teaching in the cafeteria, my principal is working on getting me a portable sink and has ordered me a dry erase board on wheels with storage! So, I am learning that she who asks may receive, so I will have to keep that up.

I think it is also important for me to stay organized. Writing things down is really helping. I switched from an electronic planner (my phone) to an old fashioned planner and it is working better for me.

Whew. Hopefully I will have more to share with you soon!

Day Before School Prayers, 8 p.m. Bedtime!

2011-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

I sooooo have many other things that I should be doing right now, with school starting tomorrow, but it is therapeutic to put it out in the world. My classrooms are as ready as they are going to be for the time being. I am finding I am a perfectionist. I want everything to be like its been there lived in for years...the impending start of school has forced me to quit nesting and just put down the to-do list and be ok with just ok. The students will have comfortable spaces and lessons prepared for them. So, that is good enough. The posters didn't all get hung, the procedure signs didn't get made. But, I will still be a good art teacher!

Once I let it go, I actually feel great! But I am still going to bed early so I can be at school bright and early at 6 am. (sigh)

Pray for me! I pray my instincts kick in and I work out things last minute when they come up. I pray that I stay on time. I pray my kids show up on time. I pray that I don't forget anything. I pray I keep up with journaling so I can stay organized. I pray most of all that I can make kids better people through visual art. I pray they learn something about themselves. I pray that they are proud when their work is hung up. I pray that their parents get excited and buy frames for their artwork. And most importantly I pray that God provides the guidance, patience, and inspiration that I need to make this a terrific year.

Art Room Organization Pics

2011-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

I found this fantastic blog called the Teaching Palette. I haven't fully explored it yet, but check out this photo show on Flickr that art teachers shared about organizing an art classroom. FANTASTIC!

Organize Your Room!

Happy Cleaning!

Intro to Design Students Alter Books

2011-08-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

As a summative assessment for my Intro to Visual Design students, I allowed them to do an altered book. My librarian was pruning away books that were just going into a dumpster or into teachers' private collections. Rather than throw them away, I thought it would be a great lesson on recycling, re purposing, and creating assemblage multi-media type work. It was cathartic for some students who chose subject matter that they hated so they could symbolically cover the pages with things they liked better. Other students chose subjects they enjoyed so they could incorporate the subject and writings in the books into the compositions. Students were challenged with creating 8 spreads (two open pages). They did not have to do anything to the outside, but if they did, they were awarded extra credit, and almost all the students did. While we worked I allowed the following you tube playlist to loop on the projector. Students who were stumped and not sure how to continue, could check out a video for ideas.

I also have a few books that I shared with them (I'll post the names later as they are in my classroom and I am at home).
Here are their creations:

Checkout this site for transition songs

2011-07-27T16:28:00.001-07:00

I remembered this song my cooperating teacher used to sing when I student taught and I found a site with lots of other good examples!

http://www.songsforteaching.com/cathybollinger/itstimetocleanup.htm

My Children Books Wish List Keeps Growing

2011-07-26T17:48:00.001-07:00

I just had to share...

http://amzn.com/w/3I1BLG4914Y49

Just in case someone is feeling generous!

Math in the Art Room

2011-07-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have always thought I wasn't very good at math. So, when it's time to do cross curricular with math, I instantly freak...until I found this website! There are tons of explanations and standards put in plain English so I can easily incorporate math concepts into my lessons. LOVE!!

Math for the left and right brain

Comprehensive, dynamic content

“Love it! My students and my own children can't wait to get on the computer, and I then have a hard time stopping them from using the site!”

Special education teacher,
Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S.A.

Read more testimonials: parent | teacher

Grades Pre-K to 8

Art Songs

2011-07-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for music about art for some time. I think I may have found it. It was recommended by Mini Matisse (a fantastic art teacher blog, I might add). Check out Songs in the Key of Art! Its on my wish list for right now until that full-time pay starts coming in.

Deep Space Sparkle-This blog is AWESOME

2011-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this blog quickly. I think it is absolutely awesome!

http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/

My Student Wins Congressional Art Competition!!

2011-07-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

This past spring, I encouraged my high school Introduction to Visual Design students to enter the annual Congressional Art Competition. Here is the link for the House's website on the competition. Students may enter an original 2-D artwork to their local congress representative. Each rep chooses one artwork to be hung at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.! I thought it would be a good experience for them to enter. They would learn a little about deadlines and working independently, which for my Freshmen and Sophomores, is a skill they will need later in high school and beyond. I had about 15 artworks submitted! Students got extra credit for simply entering a framed artwork. I was so excited that so many of my kids used their own time to participate.

Madeline Marquart and Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer

In April, we got word that my student Madeline Marquart won the MO-9th District competition! Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer paid for plane tickets for Madeline and her mother, Dawn, to go to Washington D.C. for the show opening reception. The Academic Boosters at our high school was generous enough to help Madeline with some other expenses while she went on the trip. Madeline was also able to take in some of the sights in Washington D.C., visiting many museums, monuments, and even taking a tour of the White House!

Here is a link to her artwork on the House's Website. Her artwork will hang in the Capital for 1 year.

Madeline Marquart and her artwork "Firecrackers!"

This was a once in a lifetime experience for Madeline and will look exceptional on a college application. She was just 15 when she won! I have to say I feel like I won the award too because I am so proud of all my kids just for entering.

Video of the Cannon Tunnel with Madeline's work and other winners across the US.

If you are interested in entering your kids' work, check out this link. Or feel free to ask your local representative's office for information.

Totally Jealous of this classroom!

2011-07-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

One of the schools I will be teaching at, I do not have a classroom. So, I will be teaching in the cafeteria. Bummer! So, this made me very jealous. I will continue to look for blog entries from teachers who do art on a cart for organizational tips. Wish me luck!

http://www.artismessy.org/?p=528

From Art is Messy Blog:

I like to give my kids access to most of my art materials. In order to do this, I organize the supplies into three cubby areas: collage and sculpture, drawing and paper and finally printmaking and paint. I find that it helps to organize the room this way because always know where to look for the materials that they need.

In addition to the different material sections, I keep other supplies like pencils, sharpies, erasers, crayons, markers and colored pencils in different areas throughout my room. I like to have my materials in different areas because I feel it helps those kids who have difficulty sitting still. It gives their movement justification.

I also create bulletin boards for each grade level I teach. I put examples of the artwork that we have studied so the kids can look at it during different points of the project. I also try to include art vocabulary on these boards as well.

Soon I will have more for you!

2011-07-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that I haven't been better ab out posting. I have much to share from the Spring semester and many ideas to explore for the fall! Stay tuned for more from Mrs. Meggles Art Room!

Just Jokin!

2010-12-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

Just a joke for all you artists out there.
Happy Day!
Mrs. Meggles

Altered Books...Im writing a lesson

2010-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am writing a lesson to do an altered book project with my kids. You guys HAVE to check out this lady's site. It is FANTASTIC. I am getting such good ideas and I can't wait to do this project with my kids now (and make the example, for that matter!)

Happy Winter!
Mrs. Meggles

http://karenswhimsy.com/

Fall at my new school was a blast!

2010-12-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

I started teaching high school in a quaint town in Missouri about 35 miles south west of St. Louis in Fall of 2010. What a journey it has been! I have learned so much and the more I learn about being a teacher the more I find I have to learn! The kids are inspiring and heartbreaking, stubborn and exciting. It was rewarding and humbling at the same time. I am so blessed!

Here are a few things we studied this fall: (in reverse order)

DUCT TAPE UTILITARIAN ART

I had one week left in the semester, but wanted to end it with a bang. I ordered a bunch of colored duct tape and introduced form to my students. We talked about utilitarian art as one of the earliest forms of art. They were challenged to create a utilitarian object that has three-dimensional form and a colorful graphic-entirely out of duct tape! Students did some research in the computer lab to find templates, step-by-step instructions for their ideas, and images of objects they wanted to make. They did NOT disappoint! I got all kinds of creative things!

MANGA SELF PORTRAITS

Manga is a style of graphic narrative that originated in Japan, but has become popular in the United States and now originates here too. Students were inspired by the style and used it in their self portraits. They applied large emotional eyes, small noses and simplified mouths. Artists also thought about mood in art and attempted to apply this to their portrait through facial expression and color. This was a very popular project this semester, even with the students that thought that Manga was sort of dumb when the project started. “Mrs. Steinlage! I was just doodling Manga on my paper in my last hour and everyone thought I was so cool because I could actually draw it! Thank you so much for teaching me this!” ,One student commented to me during the project. (Made my heart melt! That’s why I got into this career!)

GULF DISASTER TESSELLATIONS (thanks to Ryan Snider for the skeleton of this lesson)

Students did research on the gulf disaster in the library to begin this project. They looked at news stories on youtube.com, articles on nationalgeographic.com, and searched for images that photographers had taken of the BP gulf oil disaster of 2010. Once they learned a little bit about this catastrophic event, they were challenged to think about the impact on the gulf coast. We discussed the economic impact, the impact on animals and plants, and about the rescue & relief efforts by watching an episode of Billy the Exterminator “Billy Does the Gulf” (A&E channel, August 2010). Then they learned about imagery and how we can take ideas and turn them into images. They learned about symmetry through the process. Students created a design using the gulf disaster imagery they chose around the edges of a 4.5”x4.5” piece of paper using ebony or 6B pencil. They folded a 18”x18” piece of drawing paper to create a grid of 12 squares. They transferred the 4.5”x4.5” square to the larger piece by creating a rubbing mono print (turn the paper over and rub). They continued this process by folding and rubbing onto neighboring squares until they had a full paper of repeating, rhythmic, symmetrical design. I challenged them to use only complementary colors to complete the drawing and they had to crosshatch the two colors together someplace in the composition (throwing in some color theory and colored pencil technique in there too!)

CHAOS & ORDER CITIES

We learned linear perspective with this project. GLE’s call for just one point perspective, which I prefer to begin with since it is less confusing for first year art students. But rather than creating a boring city scene, students were challenged with incorporating elements of both chaos and order. In their journals, students looked for news articles that represented the chaos or order in the world and wrote about it. They reflected on the chaotic events of their lives and thought about what held order in their routines. All of this helped them prepare for the theme of their composition.

COLOR MIXING SHAPES

I threw this lesson in last minute because I wanted the students to have a small background with color before they moved on to the Chaos and Order City. They created a color wheel from scratch using protractors (yay! Math cross-curricular!) Then they filled in the color with watercolor (next time I will use tempera, but my order wasn’t in yet, so we used what we had). Students got extra credit if they created a tint (using water) and a shade using black incorporated into their design. Also, I did not want them to use boring circular shapes. I challenged them to come up with something more free form or interesting than the boring circle. They rose to the occasion!

LINE VARIETY-HIDDEN IMAGES & EXPRESSIVE LINE (no photos) (credits to Abigail Birhanu for this lesson)

Students explored line variety and the meaning line can express in artworks through first using as many lines types as they could in an abstract design. Then, they applied this same technique to hide a Dürer reproduction in a new environment. They used only ebony pencil and/or sharpie and must include an entire value range, so they were learning line for value, as well.

GLUE AS LINE (no photos)

We started out with line. First we studied contour line and I did an easy project to ease them into the procedures in the art classroom and accustom them to my classroom rules. Glue was mixed with acrylic paint and students flowed it out of the bottle to create natural thick-thin & lost and found contour lines. I used live flowers for them to copy. They had the choice to create realistic type drawings or more graphic/abstract options. Then they colorized them with chalk pastel or watercolor. (This is actually an elementary project, but look at how awesome they turned out!!)

Ready or Not...Here They Come!

2010-08-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

Posters are hung, expectations established, dry erase boards prepped, and tables arranged. Tomorrow the kids will come in ready to learn! I feel prepared, but I am still nervous!

There are a few things I still need:

1. step stool

2. kleenex

3. antibacterial pump

4. dry erase crayons (cool! thanks crayola!)

Wish me luck!