Week of October 26th, 2015

The kindergarten students have been talking about farms and landscapes. A group of four of them came to the studio at a time to look at landscape photographs and choose one to draw. They drew it as a group, choosing areas to work on, discussing colors and lines. This particular example is of the farm in winter. These will be used as backdrops with the animals in their block area, to inspire story workshop. 

The first graders have been talking about symbols, how letters are symbols and reading is simply knowing what the letter symbols mean in that order. They looked at work by Aboriginal artists in Australia and the work of American artist Keith Haring. Using a style inspired by Haring, they created multiple drafts of a symbol for friendship. They shared these with each other for critique and when the design was clear, I showed them how to transfer it onto a large canvas donated to us by a friend of the school, Katherine Vitale. Each student will create a rectangle and in the center we will use a quote about friendship one of the students made during their study of friendship in the classroom.

The theme of pirates is still going strong in second grade. I asked, during story workshop, if there were pirates in Puerto Rico at some point, since most of the children in that class are from Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. Ms. Lopez told us about Roberto Cofresi, the "Puerto Rican Robin Hood," a pirate who helped the poor and defended the islands around which he lived. I brought this group in to teach me about him, because they had already had the lesson in their homeroom and I didn't have the experiences that they had. 

The students taught me all about him and the question came up of whether or not he was a good or bad man. Some students felt he was good because, even though he was breaking the law, he was generous and doing the right thing at a time when the wrong thing was being done by the ruling people. Other students felt that he was wrong because he was stealing and he went to jail. This is going to lead to a compare and contrast about goodness and badness in the homeroom. While they talked, I asked them if they wanted to create a portrait of what they think Roberto looked like, so they looked at photos of a statue erected in his honor in Puerto Rico and photographs and artwork of pirates. Working together, they created this image of him. 

Week of October 19th, 2015

With Pre-K 103 and 106, I've been finishing up with the identity portraits. 101 finished earlier, so we were able to move on with our study of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Buffalo, as part of a unit on our identities and where we come from. I brought a group of four students into the studio and we looked at many photographs of Puerto Rican landscapes. The students chose one and we identified the lines we could see. The students drew the lines on a large sheet of cardboard, one line at a time, with a lot of discussion between them about where the lines should go. They then looked at the colors they needed. I had them start with the building and water. We used horizontal brush strokes, repeating that vocabulary word again. It's turning out pretty well. 

Story Workshop is up and running in Second Grade. The walk we took to the Valley the week prior sparked an interest in pirates. (The students were sure that a sign they found on a tree stump was left by pirates.)  The students have been exploring this theme in their centers, creating ships, characters and writing out ideas for fictional stories about pirates. 

Week of October 13, 2015

These are some of the nature mandalas that the pre-k students created with their sorted materials. They found materials using a color wheel and then had to group the colors together when they were creating the mandala. This activity was engaging for all of the students and they were very interested in creating patterns. These two were created in groups of students and then the students had the opportunity to create an individual one of their own. 

We took a walk with 116 and we found that the hornet's nest near the entrance to the Valley had been exterminated. There were still some dying hornets on the nest, so the children, from a safe distance, were fascinated to see the inside of the nest and the hornets moving around in it. On a later walk, Mrs. Christie was able to grab some of the exterior of the nest to show the students and they used it as a natural material for their letter wall collages!

116 found this little tin sign and decided it was evidence of pirates living in the nature trail. From that point forward on the walk, the focus of "What does fall look like?" turned into "What other evidence of pirates can we find?" Emergent curriculum at its best. They found the word "HEL" on one tree and decided it must be the word "help" just unfinished. They found cement blocks halfway buried under the trail. (Jangel- Look at this random stone here!") and wondered if it could be covering the pirate treasure. This is going to be a rich experience if we follow their lead. Ms. Colon is setting up centers to start the students with writing Pirate Stories in Story Workshop. We will collect evidence like scientists and try to study the history of this part of our community. What was the valley nature trail before it became a nature trail? Did pirates sail Lake Erie and the Buffalo River? We plan on discussing this with Ashley Cadwell at his next visit because we foresee so many possibilities of tying in the standards to this rich topic of pirates. 

104 (k) and 106 (pre-k) went on a hike to search for numbers and letters in nature. They decided to turn themselves into letters at one point in the walk. 

Week of October 5, 2015

We have been working with color in Mrs. Bennett's class lately. We noticed that this is an area in which the students need practice. We sorted our loose parts and then we took a color walk! We found leaves and other items outside using a color wheel. (Photos to follow when I upload them from the "good" camera.) We sorted those, just like the loose parts seen here, and then used them for a special project the following week.

 The kindergarten students in 104 went on a nature hike to find letters in nature. We also found that our former swampy pond is now completely dried up AND we found a little clown doll hanging out there. Some of the kids were delighted by the clown and some of them were scared of him. We asked them to tell us about the pond.

Where did the water go?
D- It went in the hole.
L- It dried up. It went under the mud.
T- Someone died over there. Look! A shoe!
Do you think that means someone died?
T- Yes.
J- A bear eat him!
S- Maybe the person with the shoe built that house over there and he died.
D2- I think he died because he sank down in the mud.
They then decided that the clown belonged to the dead man's son, who also lived here and died.

We are finishing up the Identity Project with all of the classes. Here are some shots of Pre-K students figuring out which color to use for their hair and skin tones. We want the students to look closely, like a scientist, when they are using their graphic language, so this is just one example of how they are learning to do that.

Week of September 28, 2015

After spending a few weeks studying lines, I was able to start the portrait process with the pre-k students. The manila paper is the self-portraits they created on the first day in the studio. The paintings are the finished portraits. Our study in lines created such a difference already in how the students look at the world around them and how they use the materials provided to them.

The portraits are coming along nicely. We are attaching the finished pieces to large sheets of acetate and installing them on the windows of the front entranceway to our school!  This way, visitors will be greeted by the faces of all 500+ students who attend Bilingual Center School 33 every time they walk in the door!  Ms. Ulak, the visual arts teacher, is working with grades three through eight, while I work with the pre-k through second graders to ensure that every student is able to create their portrait for our entranceway! 

We have installed one panel so far as a test panel. The students critiqued it with me and I asked some other teachers in the building to critique it with us, as well. We decided that it may need a black border, but we like the transparency of it. I can't wait to see it all installed! 

Camping! September 25, 2015

As I posted on the September 14th blog, the students in pre-k Room 106 were really interested in telling me about their experiences camping over the summer.  This led to many talks and pretend play about camping. On Friday, September 25th, we decided to take the kids out for a camping experience at the Valley Habitat Trail. With their permission, we pitched tents, had a campfire, hiked, ate lunch and had a really fun time.  We brought along a fifth grade class to continue the spirit of collaboration between grade levels at our school. The older students were so helpful with the younger students. They have been studying the environment, so it was perfect for everyone involved! 

Our campsite.

C found a grasshopper.

One of the two  ponds dried up and our big kid helpers were really puzzled by this.
(The adults were surprised, too!) 

Off to the woods! 

We saw many interesting things.

The grass was really overgrown in some spots! It was quite an adventure.

We found this charred wood and the older boys decided that a dragon
must have been there. 

Sometimes the trains pass and you can see them from a safe distance on the trail.

We walked to the other pond, which is still in good condition.

One of the turtles was out! 

We saw someone kayaking in the river.

Some of the students painted outdoors.

We finished our camping trip with smores, discussing the difference
between healthy food and snack food. 

Week of September 21st, 2015

The pre-k students have been studying lines to prepare them for the drawing and writing skills they will gain this year in school. We have been creating lines through different art materials, seeking lines in nature and on the school grounds and learning how lines are used for writing letters and drawing narrative pictures! Below, I've included the summary from our first documentation panel on lines and an image of the panel. 

The k-2 students have been creating self-portraits as part of their annual study of identity. The students drew themselves with pencils, outlined with markers, colored with crayons and then traced their finished portrait with marker on acetate and finished by painting the acetate portrait. So many materials to refresh their memories and get them ready for the school year. We have a big plan for these acetate portraits. Stay tuned.