Amazon Adventures Ahead!

Kindergarten ventures to the amazon with the Magic Treehouse Series used for the Tools of the Mind Curriculum. In art we created amazing mixed media collages about the Amazon! We broke the project down into four days....
       Day 1: Amazon Environment 
             -I can teach Ms. Foy about the Amazon.  
             -I can create a collaged rainforest with  
              shapes.
          Day 2: Animal Drawing
            - I can teach Ms. Foy about Amazon    
              animals. 
            - I can use lines and shapes to represent an
              amazon animal. 
         Day 3: Animal Coloring
            - I can teach Ms. Foy about Amazon
              colors.
            - I can use color to represent amazon
            animals.
         Day 4: Collage Day
             - I can teach Ms. Foy about the Amazon. 
             - I can create a collage. 
 


   I always start kindergarten students off with a learning target of "I can teach Ms. Foy..." because it really gives them a feeling of ownership and leadership in the art room.  I start with a thumb down, and every fact a student shares my thumb moves up, once my thumb is all the way up (4-6 facts later) that means we have met the goal!!

Check out the AMAZING results from our project!  These pieces were created with construction paper, glue, tissue paper, colored pencil, pencil, and  playcolor sticks!

ARTventure DC ENROLL NOW!!

Hello Parents! 

    ARTventure DC has just a few spots left for each session this summer! Check out the information below and please e-mail msfoysartroom@gmail.com to enroll or ask any questions!   You do not have to be a Bancroft student to attend,  artists from the greater DC area are welcome as well to enroll!!

Exploration Day! BUILDONG/CONSTRUCTION!!

Students in fourth grade are currently exploring the possibilities through a full choice based arts lesson! Within full choice based arts classes, students are designing, and implementing their own art projects.  A choice based room may look like total chaos because there's so many different things happening all at once however, I have found that choice based teaching opens up and raises my students motivation, excitement, and focus during their time in the art room. 

Students hadn't gotten the full experience of constructing three dimensional forms and ffigures, so the last class before spring break, they received a challenge.  They were to work in their table groups to construct a piece of architecture.  Whether it was a house, a museum, an office building, apartments, was up to them, but it had to be three dimensional.

Many students initial reaction was "This will be easy."  or "This is going to be AWESOME!!". 

  Here's a look at how they did!

At the end of the class, we came together to assess our structures.  Students did an open reflection about what went well, what was challenging, and how they would execute their plans differently if given another chance.   I prompted student learning from one of my favorite "fill in the blanks" you might say from Harvard's Project Zero....

         "I used to think _______________________   
                          but now I think_______________________."

The following were reflections from students: 
  " I used to think this was going to be easy, but now I think it's alot harder than I thought!"
  " I used to think using glue would hold all my pieces together, but now I think using tape and hot 
    glue would be best"
  " I used to think I was going to use clay for my next art project, but now I think there is a better art 
    supply than clay to use." 
   " I used to think that building with cardboard would be boring, but now I think it's the best for
     making a building"
   " I used to think the clay only went flat on the table, but now I think it can stand up, it's just hard to
     make it stand up!"
 
Students used this experience and the reflections in order to pause and reflect on the project they were designing for themselves.  Many students made proper changes and adjustments to the supplies they were requesting based off of this experience...Another choice based classroom success!!!

Announcing... ARTventure DC 2015 Summer Camp!!!

Hey Parents!  

ARTventure DC will be accepting new camper enrollment forms starting April 23rd on a first come first serve basis!  Enrollment forms must be completed in full and turned in with a deposit of $125 per child enrolled, per session.  This deposit can be paid by cash, check, or paypal to msfoysartroom@gmail.com

Please e-mail Ms. Foy with any questions, or electronic enrollment form requests(there will be paper copies in the art room upon return from spring break).

E-mail:  msfoysartroom@gmail.com

NAEA 2015! New Orleans!

Every year I am so blessed to attend the National Art Education Association(NAEA) Conference for art educators across the nation.  It's a conference which leaves me feeling energized, motivated, excited, and full of new tips tricks and strategies/methods to bring into my classroom. This year, the conference was in.... NEW ORLEANS!


During the conference I attend sessions which cover a wide variety of topics, some favorites from this year included exciting new ways to teach vocabulary, helping students use failure as fuel for creativity,  information on the new National Art Standards, ways to assess in arts education(no worries, no multiple choice testing here!) and also hearing from fellow art educators such as guest speaker Tim Gunn, and art educators from across the country.

What else happens at this conference?  THE EXHIBIT HALL!  All the companies who create art supplies come to model, inform, explain, and most important GIVE AWAY their products.  It's a giant room where art teachers get hands on experience with different supplies or new ways to use old supplies...There are also a million raffles and contests to enter to win big time prizes.  Now, winning one of these is about a 1 in over 3,000 chance, so imagine my surprise when I won a Akua Pin Press for my classroom(middle picture below)! It couldn't have come at a more convenient time since fifth grade is beginning to print their lino-cut blocks!!!!  Other awesome vendors included ELMERS who I got a T-Shirt and 30-pack of glue sticks from, and of course SAX Art Supply who I do 90% of my classroom purchasing through!

Left: Giveaway totals after Day #2   Middle: My Akua Pin Press from Speedball    Right:  My living room floor covered with total giveaways!!! Dublin (my brittany spaniel) was not quite sure how he felt about the art supply invasion! 

Now of course, in addition to attending the conference I had a chance to see the sights of New Orleans, I bought some art from local artists in the French Quarter, and venture around with my roommate who was...... MY MOM!  She is happily retired from teaching 35 years, and came along on the adventure with me! A favorite spot was Cafe Du Monde in the french quarter the beignets(french donuts) were DELICIOUS and the atmosphere was good as well! 

Left: Me and my Mom at Cafe Du Monde    Right: Plane ride goodbye to New Orleans!

Now, a SUPER HUGE BANCROFT ROAR and SHOUT OUT to the Parent Teacher Organization(PTO)!!!!  They help me in affording this trip each year by supporting me financially for my airfare and my half of the hotel.  Without such a supportive and inspiring group of parents, I don't know where I'd be!  This is a trip which truly rejuvenates me at a high burn out time of year, and brings me back feeling like it's the first day of school all over again!  THANK YOU PTO!!!

Another ROAR to my wonderful administration who provide the funding for my conference registration.  I'm very lucky to have the support from school administration to further develop myself as an educator!

Mix It Up!

                                                                                                    Every year when the book fair comes to our school in spring and fall, I make sure to find some books that would be great additions to my classroom and curriculum.  I set them aside, and families who come into the book fair see them labeled as art room wish list books.  Well this year, I got a GREAT addition to the art room (SHOUT OUT to Anastasia and Nora whose family purchased the book for us!)  the book is entitled "Mix It Up".  I'd heard wonderful things about using this book to teach color theory, and people were right!!  Check out the projects first, second, and Pre-K 3/4's did through inspiration from this book! 

I'll admit there was a good amount of prep work to this project but the first and second grade LOVED it!  Above you can see I cut news paper into individual sheets, and gave students a 6x9 inch piece of paper.  On their tables they had markers to write their names and tape along the edge by their seat (5 pieces varying in length) for them to randomly place on their paper.  There was one cup of each primary color and white with Q-tips in them and some extra Q-tips on the tray for "Mixing it up" as we called it.  The Solucryl paint I use is AMAZING!  The colors are SO vibrant and beautiful!  Check out our results!

Pre-K 3/4 students also had the chance to dive into the story "Mix It Up" and loved using this kind of paint for the first time in the art room this year!  A surprise I discovered was with this kind of paint, they are SILENT while they are working!  Really the only thing I heard all class was the names of the colors they were making!  Check out some of their work!

 

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!

The Parent Teacher Organization at my school is WONDERFUL!  They do a great deal of fundraising to support not only the students but also the teachers and staff within our building.  Coming up us probably the most fun and amazing event, okay... so I might be biased on this matter but check it out... and Save the Date!!

Hope to see you there!!!! 

*if you are interested in making a donation to the event, please contact me via e-mail; msfoysartroom@gmail.com, or visit the Bancroft Website to donate now!