Calligraphy

My 7th and 8th grade students studied what calligraphy is - basically the art of writing. They also looked at how calligraphy from different cultures look and were used in that society. We mainly looked at examples from China, Japan, Islamic art, and European countries (like the Book of Kells).

Students first practiced how to use the calligraphy tools on lined paper. They thought it was funny how the old-fashioned pens look different. The ink wasn't in the pen, and they had to keep dipping the pen into their Sumi ink. After they felt comfortable using the ink, students wrote out their names on large paper and wrote a quote using the "calligraphy" style of writing.

Art Occupation - Painting

I teach at a K-12 Montessori school in Milwaukee. A concept that can be found in many Montessori schools is something called "Occupations". The idea behind this is that student should spend a period of time developing skills that will help them in a job someday and will help them contribute to their school community. These are things like learning to work with other people, learning to take responsibility for your work, learning to contribute to a larger group, and learning real life skills. One of the goals of this Occupation is that students will eventually run it themselves.

At my school we do our Occupation every Wednesday morning instead of having regular classes. The Occupation that I run is art related. We are in charge of designing and painting murals on the walls in school and making the props and backgrounds for the school play that will take place this spring.

One project we are working on is painting a mural on the wall outside the art room. Our art room is located in the basement of the building, and the hallways around it are very bare. We studied the art of Keith Haring, who has made many murals and art that is inspired by Pop Art and graffiti art. We choose him because he makes art that is very colorful and uses simplified human forms.

To make the mural, first we had to plan out what we wanted to do - each student drew two figure in different positions and colors, then we drew them out all together so you could get an idea of what they would look like in the hall. We then wrote a proposal for the principal to give her an estimate for the timeline, supplies that we would need, and our drawing.

We have started the mural on the walls. We made a giant "paper doll" type of template with limbs that move, taped it up on the walls, then outlined it with pencil. After that, we are painting the bodies in with a color, then outlining the bodies with black. Eventually there will be a floor painted behind the figures and other things in the background.

 Planning our mural.

 Presenting out ideas to the Principal.

Art Occupation - Glazing for the Empty Bowls Project

I teach at a K-12 Montessori school in Milwaukee. A concept that can be found in many Montessori schools is something called "Occupations". The idea behind this is that student should spend a period of time developing skills that will help them in a job someday and will help them contribute to their school community. These are things like learning to work with other people, learning to take responsibility for your work, learning to contribute to a larger group, and learning real life skills. One of the goals of this Occupation is that students will eventually run it themselves.

At my school we do our Occupation every Wednesday morning instead of having regular classes. The Occupation that I run is art related. We are in charge of designing and painting murals on the walls in school and making the props and backgrounds for the school play that will take place this spring.

To start off our group last semester, my students glazed bowls for the Empty Bowls charity in Milwaukee. Artists from the area make and fire bowls. Our school glazed (glaze = the thing you paint on that adds color and makes pottery food safe) the bowls then gave them to the Empty Bowls project. This project collects hundreds of bowls and raises money that goes towards area food pantries. They hold an event where people can come, pick out a bowl that they like, and donate money for it. Then they get to fill their bowl with soup, and eat their soup there. When they are done eating, they get to take the bowls home.

Yea for DonorsChoose!

I wanted to write a quick post about how grateful I am for DonorsChoose.org.

This is a great website that connects generous people with needy classrooms. Since my school doesn't have the funding to give me a budget for art supplies for my classroom, most of the supplies that I have are things that are left over from the art teachers that teach other grades at my school. I tried going to many different stores and companies to ask for donations. I got a small gift card from Sam's Club and Walmart. The best resource that I have found is DonorsChoose.org.

Here is how it works:

1. Teachers create a profile for their class that gives information (but not their specific school).
2. Teachers create a "project" - they pick out supplies that they need from selected online stores and write about how they are going to use the supplies in their classroom.
3. That "project" stays online for a few months. Donors can donate to the "project". Donors can search for projects based off of keywords, subject matter, grade level, or location. Sometimes large companies will also donate to projects.
4. Once the project is funded, DonorsChoose.org orders the supplies for the teacher and ships them.
5. To thank donors, teachers post online: pictures of students using supplies and a letter telling how the supplies were used. For most projects the teacher also sends a thank you card signed by students. 

Christina Forecki's DonorsChoose Account

Because of this great website I have been able to:

• get linoleum and cutting tools with my 9th grade students to make prints
• get acrylic paint (the only paint that I have)
• get paper for drawings and paintings
• get clay and glaze to make pottery with my students

They have made my semester better, and I'm sure my students appreciate the fun supplies that we have been able to use!

December Celebration Painting

To prepare for Christmas break, since that was on everyone's mind anyways, I wanted to research celebrations from different cultures that happen in December. Since my students don't have access to computers, I researched many different cultural and religious celebrations that happen in December. I created a packet that included a summary of that celebration, visual things that represent that celebration, and photographs as reference.

Elements & Principles of Art =  form, shape, and unity

Project Objectives =

•  Students will study celebrations from different cultures around the world.
•  Students will create a sketch to design their art project.
•     Students will create a sculpture that focuses on form, shape, and unity.

Celebration Research

Name of Holiday	Country It Started In	People Who Celebrate It	Main Reason For & Ideas Behind Celebration	Date Celebrated
Hanukkah	Isreal	People of the Jewish religion	Celebrates a miracle that is recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible. It honors the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem for Jews. Called the “Festival of Lights” because every day you light a candle	November 27 – December 5
Bodhi Day	China & Japan	People of the Buddhist religion	Also called the “Day of Enlightenment”. A way to celebrate the historical day that Buddha experienced enlightenment.	December 8
Soyal	North America	Hopi and Zuni Native American tribes	The main purpose of the ritual is to ceremonially bring the sun back from its long winter slumber. It also marks the beginning of another cycle of the Wheel of the Year, and is a time for purification.	December 21
Yalda	Iran	People of Iranian (Persian) descent	Celebrates the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil.	December 21
Pancha Ganapati	India	People of the Hindu religion	Honors the god Ganesha (patron god of the arts and culture).	December 21-25
Yule	Germany & parts of Europe	some Germanic tribes used to	A time of feast and animal sacrifice to honor Odin, other gods, and the king.	December 21-January 1
Christmas (Christian holiday)	Europe & Middle East	People who celebrate the Christian religion	A time to celebrate the birth of Jesus (son of God and the Savior in the Christian religion).	December 25
Christmas or X-mas (commercial holiday)	Europe	People around the world (mostly Europe & North America)	A time of happiness, generosity, and good feelings which usually includes eating food and giving away presents.	December 25
Kwanzaa	Africa	People of African American descent living in North America	Celebration that honors African heritage in African-American culture	December 26-January 1

Steps =

1. Have students choose a celebration to be inspired by (and write it down).
2. Have students create a sketch of what they want their painting to be about (keep in mind that it needs to be inspired by the celebration they choose).
3. On a large piece of paper have students lightly sketch out what they want to paint with a pencil.
4. Go over with the students how to care for a brush, how to protect the tables, and how to mix colors (maybe go over color theory before this project). 
5. Have the students paint the objects on their painting the main color that they want it to be.
6. Have the students paint details on their paper to make objects look more realistic (maybe go over value before this project). Have them paint - look for smooth strokes instead of streaks and that the entire paper is covered.

Relief Sculpture

My 7th-9th grade students learned about the history of relief sculpture - from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the Italian Renaissance to the dawn of American realism, then made their own!

Project Goal =

•     Students will understand that there are different ways to create sculpture.

•       Students will create a relief sculpture that demonstrates their understanding of form.

•     Students will use the elements and principles of art (color, form, emphasis) to skillfully create a relief sculpture.

Elements & Principles of Art = color, form, emphasis

Steps = 

1. Teach students about the history of relief sculptures in art. 

1. Give students the challenge of creating their own relief sculptures inspired by the idea of "what are you thankful for".

1. Have students plan what they are going to make by writing and drawing out their idea. They should include: write down 3 things that they are thankful for, list something that illustrates each idea, write down their final sculpture idea, draw an outline of what the picture looks like, and write out what parts of the relief sculpture should be raised.

1. Draw an outline of your picture on the paper (doesn't have to be very detailed).

1. Roll up pieces of newspaper and tape them down to get height (about 1/2-1 inch tall). This creates the "relief".

1. Cover the entire paper with paper mache paste and newspaper. Use small pieces to help them stay smooth and flat. 

1. (Before this step, demonstrate to students how to care for brushes and use paint.) Paint the entire paper by painting different parts the color they should be.

1. Paint on details by adding more colors (this will help the "relief" parts stand out). Adding tints, shades, and tones to make it more interesting and realistic looking.

Paper Mache Letter

My 8th grade class used paper mache to make large, 3-Dimensional letters. While looking for lesson plan ideas, I found a fun lesson on Blick that uses paper mache paste and newspapers.

Project Goal =

• ·      Students will demonstrate an understanding of the elements and principles of art (form, texture).
• ·      Students will create a sculpture by manipulating materials and the paper mache process.
• ·      Students will paint the surface of a sculpture inspired by their own visual ideas.

Elements & Principles of Art = form, texture

Steps =

1. Have students design the shape of a letter on a piece of paper using a pencil (with a minimum of 2.5" wide in all areas and a maximum of 14” x 22” long).
2. Trace it on 2 pieces of cardboard, and have them cut it out. (Make sure that they write their name on both parts.)
3. Have students glue Dixie cups to one letter that is face-up (stagger them from upside- to right-side up).
4. Glue the other letter cut out that is face-down.
5. Cover the entire letter with at least 3 layers of paper mache paste and newspaper (hint = if the last layer is with brown paper towel you won't have to worry about covering up newsprint with many layers of paint.).
6. (Make sure you go over how to mix paint colors, how to care for paint brushes, and to protect the tables with paper before this step.) Have students paint the letter with designs that show their interests and personality. They might need to paint multiple layers to cover up the paper completely and not have the paint look streaky. 

 (I appreciate the Doctor Who inspiration, Emma)

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Starting a New Semester - Welcome 2014!

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a long time. I have been very busy making new projects and lessons for students, running my art Occupation group, and finding new ways to organize my classroom. I have had an interesting first semester and sometimes feel like I am learning more than my students - just about different things! Below is a picture of something that one of my students left me at my desk. I appreciate those moments when you know that you affect a student.