Art: Modigliani Chalk Portraits

After our first Art lesson didn't work out too well, I decided for something with less detail.

Modigliani's Elongated Faces.  

I found this at Deep Space Sparkle.

I was quite excited. An Art lesson that can't fail.  Every child will feel like an artist!

I decided to also through in the idea of complimentary colours. The background and shirt colour need to be complimentary.



Step 1:
I showed example to the class of what we were making. This gave students an idea of the features of artstyle - long neck, flat colours with some texture, proportion.

Step 2:
We then discussed the colour wheel and choosing appropriate colours. We looked at complimentary colours and named complimentary colours - red & green, blue & orange, yellow & purple.  I explained that when they are used next to each other, they look brighter.  This was shown on the IWB.





Step 3:
I was led to Kathy from the Art Project's fool-proof technique for making the outline.  It worked like a treat.  I also had this up on the Interactive Whiteboard.

Students were told to keep the lines faint.

I had some students press too hard.

Others I had to do for them, as they still needed practice using a ruler.






We went bit by bit starting with the head.
We looked at proportion of the head, where the chin is positioned on the lines.
I showed students how to lightly sketch, rather than drawing a continuous line for the head.
We then went to the neck, noting how the neck takes up the next quarter of the page.
Finally students did the shirt.  Some had trouble with this as their shirt was too wide or not symmetrical.



The hair was fun to do.

Boys had extra fun with this and got creative in the hair style.  Fringes, parts sticking up, spikey.

Finally, the face.
We looked at how the face was positioned and compared it to our own face.
                      Noses are long and take up much of the face.
                      Lips are near the chin.
                      Eyes sit under the forehead and in line with the top of the nose.





Step 4:
I explained to students how pastels can be used - on the sides, the tip. The were told they can smudge the chalk pastel, mix them gently and that the more pastel on the one spot the darker the colour will become.

Step 5:
Students paired up as they had to share the two complimentary colours (I only have a small supply of chalk pastels).  They started on the background and the shirt.  I was really impressed with how well they were working and how good the art pieces were already looking.



TO BE CONTINUED.....

 

Week 2

I was hoping to have pictures of my classroom and things we have done, but I've been busy. Week 2 is now over. It's just flown by. My class is now in full swing.

Couple of things I forgot:

1. Year 3 need step-by-step instructions and more time to do things. (Last year I was on Year 5)
2. Students bring a lot of stationary in at the beginning of the year - storage is so important

Spelling Program

Word Study in Action

This year, while scrolling through the Internet, I came across a website explaining a teacher's spelling program.  I thought it was great  - it supports my Education Department's spelling list and allows me to use Words Their Way.  So, I will endeavour to use it and adapt it to suit my class and teaching.

The Words

Pre-test Words:
Students will have a pre-test to determine which spelling list they will use during the week
(This may be removed as I experiment with the program, and end up setting groups)

Basic Assigned Spelling Words AND Extended Assigned Spelling Words
Depending on student's ability, they will be assigned spelling words based on the week's spelling pattern.

High Frequency Words
Students will be tested on high frequency words.  From the words they spell incorrectly, students will select 5 high frequency words to learn as homework.

Unknown Spelling Words
To ensure students are learning their spelling patterns, on test day, they will be given 10 unknown spelling words which follow the pattern.

Words Their Way

Words Their Way (by Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, Johnston) is a program that offers a developmental curriculum for phonics/spelling instruction, reading fluency and vocabulary development. The hands-on activities engage students as they actively categorize their ‘word sorts’ and the assessment inventory provides a clear indicator of where each student is in the process of word development. Each stage pattern has its own booklet of prepared sorts, making the process easy to implement.




I have been using Words Their Way for 4 years and it seems to be one thing I can stick to and follow. I see results. I love that I can monitor and differentiate my spelling program for students.


As I often teach Year 3-5, I work between the 'Within Words' and 'Syllables and Affixes' books. These books compliment my education department's spelling program, allowing this program not to become an add-on, but rather a valuable resource.

Spelling Inventory

Assessment is the key to this program. I use the Spelling Inventory every term to track where my students are and what spelling patterns they need to work on. The Spelling Inventory takes a while to administer and mark, however it is valuable. While some teachers worry that students remember the words, I find this isn't the case, and it helps to identify students who are slipping through the cracks.


There are 3 Spelling Inventories:
Primary (for P-3)
Elementary (for 1st-5th)
Upper-level (for 4th-high school)


I will probably start my Year 3s with the Primary Inventory to see where everyone is. If students get more than 20 words correct, they will be tested on the Elementary Inventory.


I record student scores and spelling level and file the spelling inventory. I use the Spelling Inventory Classroom Composite sheet to track the class' progress during the year.

Tips for using the Spelling Inventory

Marking the inventory

After marking the spelling inventory a number of times, I finally got the hang of it and became quite fast. I no longer mark it the recommended way, rather I do what I need to find out what spelling patterns the students need to learn.


If I can see they have many right, rather than ticking every part of the spelling word, I highlight the pattern they got incorrect. I can still tally up the scores and know what area the student needs to focus on. Working smart, not hard.

Sorting students

To help sort students into groups, as I mark their inventory, I order them by their total score. By doing this, students are already roughly in their groups when I transfer their results to the Spelling Inventory Classroom Composite sheet. This makes it easier to see groups and saves time sorting through scores later on.


I have worked with up to 5 groups. It is tricky. I prefer having 3 groups. More manageable. There is a lot of photocopying involved.

The Sorts

There are a number of activities to do with the spelling word sorts during the week.


MONDAY:

Introduce sort.

I always meet with the groups and discuss their words, the word pattern and why the word fits into a pattern. This takes a long time, however is important to be done properly. I like WTW as students really have to listen to the sounds in a word and be active in the process.



TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY

Writing Sort**: Students write the words under the categories.

Speed sort: “How fast can you sort your words?” Students can do this on their own or against a partner.

Picture sort: Students sort the pictures into their groups. I have noticed at times, students just look at the letters as they sort, rather than listen for the sounds and look for the pattern. Picture sort helps students to focus on the sounds and patterns.

Blink sort: A partner says a word aloud, without showing the student the word on a card. The student points to the correct category or names the category that has the same sound.

Meaning sort: Some sorts are a little harder, so meaning sort is used to sort the words, particularly for homophone and homograph sorts, roots, stems, and affix sorts.


**Writing sorts (p.57) - “Writing words as a study technique for spelling is well established. Undoubtedly the motoric act reinforces the memory for associating letters and patterns with sounds and meanings. However the practice of assigning students to write five or more times is of questionable value because it can become simply mindless copying. Where there is not thinking, there is no learning. Writing words into categories demands that students attend to the sound and/or the pattern of letters and to think about how those characteristics correspond with the established categories cued by the key word, picture, or pattern at the top of the column. Writing sorts encourage the use of analogy as students use the key word as a clue for the spelling of words that have the same sound, pattern, or meaning.”



FRIDAY

Test Day
Students are tested to see which spelling patterns they have learnt and need extra support with. I have been known to throw in surprise words which are based off the spelling pattern learnt in the week, to ensure they have learn the concept.

Visible Thinking Strategies: Overview

I learnt about Visible Thinking Routines when I moved to my new school.  It is a Harvard University project, which aims to make learning and thinking in the classroom more visible.

A couple of the strategies I recognised, as I had used them before.  However, Visible Thinking Routines is a focused, yet flexible framework for improving classroom learning in any content areas and developing students' intellectual skills at the same time.  These routines need to be used over and over again in the classroom, making it a part of the classroom culture.  

The Core Routines:

What Makes You Say That? Interpretation with justification routine

Think Puzzle Explore A routine that sets the stage for deeper inquiry

Think Pair Share A routine for active reasoning and explanation

Circle of Viewpoints A routine for exploring diverse perspectives

I used to Think... Now I think... A routine for reflecting on how and why our thinking has changed

See Think Wonder A routine for exploring works of art and other
interesting things

Compass Points A routine for examining propositions

Visit Visible Thinking Routines for more information.

Planning Antics

Every year, I spend weeks searching the Internet for new ideas.  Every year, I am inspired by creative and enthusiastic teachers. However, my hopes of using that amazing program or idea I find never come to fruition  or I attempt it, but it never works out so well.  So I continue on teaching my students in a very boring looking classroom.  Not to say that my students do not improve greatly throughout the year, however creating something amazing in my classroom would be a dream.