First Day In Art Class- "Painted Papers"

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Hi everyone!  It has been a while since I have written a blog post.  Since my last post: -I've bought a house. -Graduated from grad school. -Had a baby.  and as we all are--- currently surviving a pandemic.  But I am excited for the new school year, nonetheless. With the start of another school year comes the dread of creating a fun and engaging lesson for the first visit. I don't know about you, but I always have a hard time coming up with something interesting. This year I stuck with something simple yet fun.  I teach upper elementary, so each grade level did the exact same lesson-- Kwik Stix "Painted papers" using Analogous colors.  I always start my first visit to art with my rules and expecations video. Back when Bitmojis were a hit in the classroom, I made a video explaining the rules of the art room. Its only 5 minutes, keeps the kids' attention, and I don't have to say the same thing one million times--at two schools.  Next, we reviewed analogous color
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What's New in the Art Studio?

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New year, new ideas- right? It's only my second year, but I was so excited to try new things in my classroom. Last year, I had such a hard time getting everyone settled in once it was time to start. My classroom is on the 4th grade hallway. Transition time can get crazy when they are switching classes. So, by the time my students get in the art studio, they bring chaos into the Studio as well. I had to come up with a way to get their attention in the hallway while making sure they were ready to go in quietly.

 This year, I came up with the idea of giving out Art Jobs in the hallway. I have three jobs in the studio:

Orator (RED CARD): begins class by starting the classroom chant.

Distributor/Collector (YELLOW CARD): distribute and collect a given material at the beginning and end of class. (One card for each material/item used)

Clean Up Captain (ORANGE CARD): watches for four "star students" who are being great examples during clean up time. These four students earn a point in Class Dojo.

 I present these jobs to the students as "work cards" in the hallway. Students are only granted a job if they are: 1. Facing forward in the line. 2. Standing on the white tiles. 3. Quiet in line. Since I've began doing this, students are much more alert in the hallways before they are greeted to come in. They want to be the good example in the hallway so that they can also be a helper in class that day! Not to mention- if helpers are awesome at doing their job they get a Dojo point- which they LOVE!

 Of all the jobs, the most unique is the Orator. First off, the Orator STARTS class. When I close the door and turn the lights down, the Orator is in their spot and waiting for students to settle down (which doesn't take long because they are excited to see their friend begin class). The Orator remembers to wait for respect and attention from the audience before they begin the chant. They read off the chant line by line and students repeat. While some are shy at first- we always encourage one another to speak loudly and confidently. They may shuffle up to the board with their tail between their legs in the beginning but when they finish they always walk back with pride.

 Being the Orator gives students the opportunity to be the leader of the class while teaching them public speaking skills. ... and let's be honest- its never too early to learn that!

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