Stump the Student
Students finished up their time in the Art Room with me this semester. To finish off the class, students worked on their Final Challenge and Exam this week. In order to get ready for the Exam, students were given a review guide and some went beyond just filling it out to create a guide to help them study.
The day before exams stared, students were asked to come up with two questions based on their review. Then, after breaking into two teams, students played "Stump the Student." The first team action is for students to pick their team names. I required students to use "artful" names and some of my favorites from the day are "McWarhols," "Chick-fil-Art," The Chuck Closers," and "Chuck Far Away."
The rules for the review game are simple: students are placed on two teams to go head-to-head, asking their opponent a question based on the review. They may use images or other props to help visualize their question and they must know the answer to what they are asking. If the student being asked gets the question right, their team gets the point. If they are stumped, then the student who is asking the question gets it right if they know the answer. Then roles change before two new students are up.
It can be an intense game, so ground rules of behavior are also set before we begin to ensure it is fair and all benefit from the question/answer to help them review for their exam. I started doing this a few years ago and enjoy it beyond any other review activity I have tried prior or since.
The rules for the review game are simple: students are placed on two teams to go head-to-head, asking their opponent a question based on the review. They may use images or other props to help visualize their question and they must know the answer to what they are asking. If the student being asked gets the question right, their team gets the point. If they are stumped, then the student who is asking the question gets it right if they know the answer. Then roles change before two new students are up.
It can be an intense game, so ground rules of behavior are also set before we begin to ensure it is fair and all benefit from the question/answer to help them review for their exam. I started doing this a few years ago and enjoy it beyond any other review activity I have tried prior or since.
Exams
For the Exam, students were asked a series of questions that covered the bulk of concepts they learned from this year. From identifying basic color groupings in famous works, to ordering the stages of clay, and labeling the parts of an image structure, students were tasked with being accountable for the terms and concepts they were taught over the last 18 weeks. The best part of this is that Schoology grades it for me, so students and I receive immediate feedback on how they did and what could be improved upon.
In addition to that, they also had to create a GIF using a work from one of our elementary or intermediate art students. I have Ian Sands to thank for this idea. This is one of my favorite things to do to end the term because it gives kids one more tool set before they leave and they get to use that to create something using another BCPS student's work.
Here are some highlights:
In addition to that, they also had to create a GIF using a work from one of our elementary or intermediate art students. I have Ian Sands to thank for this idea. This is one of my favorite things to do to end the term because it gives kids one more tool set before they leave and they get to use that to create something using another BCPS student's work.
Here are some highlights:
Lego Wall Update
Thanks to DonorsChoose and the amazing support of those who gave, we now have the makings of a Lego Wall over by the STEM classroom! I am very excited to get kids involved with making art on this and have Tricia Fuglestad to thank for sharing various Lego Art Lessons on her blog.
One project I hope to adapt for our wall is this one on Rotational Symmetry. It is a great opportunity to showcase STEAM in action, especially since the work will be in a public space. I also think this work, using students as models for character traits is a great way to use Lego to connect concepts to the classroom. The STEM teacher and I are working on a few ideas in hopes we will have a solid plan by 4th marking period.
If you are interested in building your own lego wall, here is where I drew inspiration before getting my project organized on DonorsChoose. It took me about a year of thinking about this before I went to action on it. I started by talking to our building leadership and the STEM teacher, who were on board from the beginning. Then I created the project on DonorsChoose, which ended up being funded by the end of first semester. Finally the boards were installed days after getting the shipment.
It has been really exciting project to have funded and one that has gotten a lot of positive reactions from students. The fist pumps and excited smiles alone have made it a success.
One project I hope to adapt for our wall is this one on Rotational Symmetry. It is a great opportunity to showcase STEAM in action, especially since the work will be in a public space. I also think this work, using students as models for character traits is a great way to use Lego to connect concepts to the classroom. The STEM teacher and I are working on a few ideas in hopes we will have a solid plan by 4th marking period.
If you are interested in building your own lego wall, here is where I drew inspiration before getting my project organized on DonorsChoose. It took me about a year of thinking about this before I went to action on it. I started by talking to our building leadership and the STEM teacher, who were on board from the beginning. Then I created the project on DonorsChoose, which ended up being funded by the end of first semester. Finally the boards were installed days after getting the shipment.
It has been really exciting project to have funded and one that has gotten a lot of positive reactions from students. The fist pumps and excited smiles alone have made it a success.
Saying Goodbye
To finish out the term, I also had students fill out an exit survey. I use this for a few things. I use it as a point of data to reflect on my effectiveness as a teacher and if we met the goals set; I also use it as a way to make improvements and adjustments for the future. It is a nice way to end the class, especially reading the responses I got to what was the best thing we did and anything else they think I needed to know.
I use Google Forms for this because it will organize the data for you in a very easy-to-read way. Here are some of the responses from those sections:
I use Google Forms for this because it will organize the data for you in a very easy-to-read way. Here are some of the responses from those sections:
I had a great first half of the school year and know that this next week with a new group will make way for a great way to finish it out!
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