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 Today students experienced all of the art and wonder ArtPrize 2015 had to offer! It was a great day to venture downtown and take in the sights of works that are competing for $500,000 worth of prizes. We all have our favorites and to share a few, view the video below:
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 Friday was a great day. Not only did it still feel like summer outside, it was also a day to finally view and celebrate the work students have been doing over the past two weeks. Earlier this summer, the STEM teacher and I took a day of planning to map out quarterly collaborations. Because we see the same students (but at different times of the year), we wanted to really utilize the potential to show them the overlap in our content and glean the most out of the learning experiences. Although it was a bit scary at first because we had never combined grade levels, classes, or thrown such rigorous challenges at our students so early in the school year, it turned out great! It offered an opportunity for older students to coach younger ones, a way for us to show design thinking in action using common language, as well as a chance for students to push themselves to tell stories in interesting ways using technology and learning the science behind how animation works. Here are some of the favorites from the event that will make their way to local and state (maybe even national) competitions:  Students are finishing up their films today so that we can enjoy them as a part of our viewing tomorrow. It has been fun to see students collaborate, create, and communicate their ideas about concepts ranging from making healthy choices to standing up for others. I look forward to seeing which ones move onto competition and how they do when they leave WMS to reach a wider audience!  It has been a few days since the last update. Students have been busy filming their animations and videos since then. It has been fun to see students develop a vision for what they want to do and then act on it. Along the way we have done some peer critiques and used that feedback to push ideas further. Here are some images of the process so far.    I was a little nervous about jumping into video production so early in the school year, but now that we are completing the process, I think it has been a wonderful way to begin our creative journey. By collaborating with STEM, students that I would not normally meet until January get to spend time with me now. 7th and 8th graders have been able to mix grade levels and use their different perspectives to work through ideas and come up with new and inventive solutions. And, overall, students have been able to hold themselves up to a production schedule that will help us in each and ever project we work on throughout the school year.
 It has been very exciting to see students dive into their videos as they work with each other to narrow down ideas, write scripts, and begin storyboards. Today was a day spent on working on scripts and starting the storyboarding process.
One of my favorite resources to use with students to showcase the purpose of storyboarding is the AFI video below: Tomorrow we plan to spend some time finalizing ideas and doing a peer critique before setting production schedules and filming.
 Week two in the BCWMS Art room actually started in the STEM room today. Our classrooms are teaming up for a two week video project where students will use the Design Thinking Process to plan, execute, and share their finished products. After introducing students to the DICE model (Discover, Ideate, Create, Evaluate), they broke into smaller groups and started planning out their collaborative public service announcements that highlight making good choices.
Tomorrow, students will be writing scripts, drawing out storyboards, and planning their production schedules. I am excited to see what these kids do, especially since we are mixing grade levels in the process. I also had the chance to get the larger collaborative dots on display in the smART space outside of my classroom. I am excited for the outcome and look forward to celebrating International Dot Day tomorrow!   Students finished their Dot Day works today and combined them to make larger spheres inspired by the Peter H. Reynolds book, The Dot. Before we made it to the larger work, students completed their individual marks, photographed them, and uploaded them to Artsonia. We uploaded more than 90 pieces today and I am so proud of how quickly my students were able to do it, thanks to Artsonia's classroom mode!  When students uploaded their works to Artsonia, they included how they connected with the story we had read and how their personal dot reflects their personality. Here are a few of their responses.  Christina: "The Dot" story is a story about a little girl that thought she couldn't draw. After her teacher helped her discover a way for her to draw she made more of the dots but every time it was a bit different. She turned a simple dot into art. This connects to me because I also don't think that I can draw but I do like to work with lines so that is my way of art just like the little girl in the dot story.  Ana: The story means that there are many different ways to make a dot, and every dot in the world is different. The purpose of us in class making a dot is that it means that every single one of else is different, thus resulting every dot in this room will be different. While glueing our dots together, means that we are all connect in some way.  Jack: "The Dot" story is saying to start with what you are good at and build from there. I started making patterns and colors and built from there.  Zach: The reason I used pattern for this circle is because it represents me, which this means that I'm fun and energetic. The dot story is saying even though you think your not that good at art, anything can be art even dots can be looked at is art as long as try and have confidence in yourself. After we finished uploading the works online, students then folded their circles into equilateral triangles and began gluing their pieces together. If you plan to do this, you will need 20 to make a sphere. Five for the top, with points towards the center. Ten for the middle, that alternate points up and down. Five for the bottom, with points to the center. Once those parts are complete, you can glue them together. Here are some images of the process:  For the top and bottom, you will need to glue the five together so the points connect to center.  For the center, you will glue ten that alternate positions (pointing up and down). The end result is a fun series of globes we will be able to hang in the hallway for everyone to view! We will make additional ones that are all colors combined with the leftover pieces from each class!  The first week of school is always one that helps establish what the rest of the year is going to look like. For students, they get to figure out where their classes are, who their teachers are, and what is planned for their learning. For teachers like me, it is getting to know the new group of students, establishing norms, and setting the stage for a year of learning. Today was a big part of that. We took our pre-test on Schoology to help see where students are at in their learning. What did they remember? What do they already know? What do they need to learn? I love the instant results I get from doing this test online and that students can also see how they did and where they need to grow in their knowledge of art concepts and materials.  In addition to pre-tests, students continued to make their mark for their Dot Day collaboration and worked on getting their portfolios art-work-ready. We had a buffet of art supplies ready for students to access after their pre-test was complete. It was so easy to get all of the materials out thanks to the nifty organization done this Summer. I look forward to the next 17 weeks with these guys and cannot believe we are already finishing week one tomorrow!  
Thank you, Erica! As a part of the Art Teachers group on Facebook, I decided to get involved with a swap organized by Yolanda Brown. I was paired with Erica from Illinois and I am so thrilled with the goodies she sent me! I hope she likes what I sent her, too. Finishing Clay and Making MarksStudents came back today with the same can-do spirit they had on day one! We finished up our bowls now that they are leather hard, by adding in details and smoothing out any rough edges. We will be glazing them as soon as they are fired.
We also got working on our circles to celebrate Dot Day! We watched the animated version of the story, The Dot before diving into our projects. Tomorrow we will add some other media and upload it to Artsonia by the end of the week.  Well, after what seems like half a lifetime of Summer vacation, we started back up in the BCWMS Art room today! It was a great day filled with meeting new students and picking right back up with the ones from last year. Here are some of the highlights from our first day back: Clay on the First Day!Clay on the first day in the BCWMS art room is no secret. I have blogged, presented, and posted about it time and again since we started the tradition about five years ago! Today was probably the MOST successful start to the year using clay. The kids were on fire as they recalled vocabulary from last year and showed off their slab-making skills. I am very excited about our use of the clay bowls this year and how we have rethought our Empty Bowls event for 2016. I will post more details on this as we get deeper into the project.
Testing Out Dot Day IdeasLast year was the first year we participated in Dot Day on September 15th with our collaborative paintings. This year, I am working on a new idea and thinking more 3D for the collaboration. I worked on this prototype yesterday. The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds is a celebration of making your mark and seeing where it takes you. In the spirit of that adventure, students will be making circles that they create designs on and then build them into a larger sphere in hopes they see how much more they can be and accomplish when we work together and support each other as a team. These will then hang outside of the classroom in our smART space. After School Art students got a jump on making their individual circles today in class.
Tour the RoomI am so thankful to be starting my tenth year at BCWMS as the Visual Arts teacher! As my twelfth year of teaching gets underway, I am so excited to have found some new ways of organizing my classroom and decorating the space to make it more efficient and user friendly. Enjoy a little peek into our chaos below!  Here is a view from my desk. Equiped with my ELMO and computer, I am ready to take on the day. I like having my students set up in groups and enjoy the collaborative efforts that result in this set-up.  I updated this bulletin board this year. I also found a new home for the drying rack in this spot next to the painting supplies. I am still in the process of figuring out the right layout and labeling, but I know it is a better solution than years past!  I am probably most excited for this area! I created detailed lists of what can be found in each cupboard. Last year a student helped create the colorful labels. I think this will help selection of materials move smoothly throughout the year!
 This is where students keep their computers when they are not in use. I also purchased the paper containers this year in hopes they will be a neater solution to year's past. I also bought the dress form, which is currently sporting my Gelli Arts apron, in hopes we will have another fashion designer enter their works in competition this year.  This is a fun area of the room. These guys help me watch over the kiddos and keep them on track.
 Our participation in the Scholastic Art Awards is one of my highlights of my career. Since 2008 we have had more than 80 works from BCWMS recognized at the regional level with four National Winners. This year I made a bulletin board for the hallway outside my classroom inviting all interested students to get involved with ways to get started. I hope everyone had as fun of a start as I did today! Good luck to you and your year of Artventures!
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August 2018
 Janine CampbellTeaching Visual Arts since 2004 and making images since picking up a crayon.  Categories
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