A Dog That's More Than Blue

Blue Dog is an art teacher staple. The wide eyed pup by Cajun artist George Rodrigue has traveled  all over the world and to many classrooms.  I find it's a fun lesson to pull out when classes are losing motivation after the holidays.

For one, it's a dog, and kids love dogs! And two, the students can really have some fun making Blue Dog tell a story. This gives me an idea of whats current in their minds, a great tool for developing future lesson plans to meet their interest.

Here are a few of my favorite examples from this year.

A new edition to this lesson was the creation of a MEGA blue dog, that accompanies the artwork in the hallway! Thank the art gods for butcher paper and the lamination machine!

Happy Friday!

Art Rocks!

So this year my classroom theme was Art Rocks! We hit the ground running with a very elaborate project in 5th grade, bring on the life size electric guitars.

The students started by learning the anatomy of a guitar, and drew it at a 12 inch scale in their sketchbooks. They later enlarged their drawing to be a true to size at 36 inches.

The students then painted on cardboard and with help cut them out. We collected boxes and bottle caps school wise for the guitars and knobs.

Now that we are done I decorated the whole hallway with them. It's like a 5th grade teacher Battle of the Bands! 

The results were so amazing,  we celebrated with an Air Guitar Competition this afternoon!

Happy Halloween!

Bored of Your Boards?!

Here is my favorite, it's cute to see the kiddos and teachers  all respond to it with the same fondness.

2015

2014

and remember  "You do your best work if you do a job that makes you happy." -Bob Ross

A Few of my Favorite Things

So I really love my room, it has this beautiful big window and tall walls of bulletin boards. But there are a few additions that make me smile the most everyday...

Having a Word Wall has been a project I have been wanting for my room for a long time, But not just a space filled with words on a strip, but something visual that tied students back to the lesson plan, So began my wall, where after each lesson I add a new word or repeat one with a picture from the lesson drawn along side it. I find the kids are retaining the vocabulary a lot faster with the image attached.

And my pride and joy, the Comic Corner. I really wanted to have a reading center in my room and what a better way to combine art and literacy!? Graphic novels have made a huge resurgence in the art field today. Spot the new Archie! The revamp of that series is awesome, and I love getting to share it with the kiddos. 

For anyone wanting to start a comic center of your own, ask your local comic book store about Free Comic Book Day, it's usually the first Saturday in May, and it s a great time to score a dozen plus free books for your center. And clear blinder sleeves taped back are a cheap way to keep the comics clean from everyday messes.  As of today I have more than forty books and only 3 have had to be mildly repaired from general wear.