Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Dot by Peter Reynolds

I love this story.  I keep a dot in a gold frame above my desk.  Sometimes I need to remind myself why I became an art teacher. Every once and a while a student will ask me "what's with the dot" and I gladly tell them the story. 

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Google Earth


Google Earth:  A different way to explore a landscape.

I’m always trying to find a new and exciting way to teach landscape.  Google earth offers a showcase that allows you to explore the earth and a variety of landscapes.   This showcase is an excellent anticipatory set for opening up a landscape lesson. 

Here is an example of what I see from the majority of my 6th grader when they draw a landscape without any directions



After exploring Google Earth’s Showcase, we can generate a discussion about foreground, middle ground and background.  My students will have a better understanding of horizon line and perspective.  At this point, we can move into a landscape lesson where my students will have the tools they need to create an accurate and exciting landscape. 

A picture is always worth a thousand words. Google Earth gives me just the pictures I need to help my students understand the world around them.  

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Proportions of the Face:)



Here is my first attempt at video instructions.  The quality of the camera is a bit of a problem but hopefully my next video will be better.  enjoy.