Teaching Day 9

So I've finally think that I am getting some kind of hang of teaching at my middle school. 
I'm hanging off of something. 
On Monday I'll be starting my work sample: 
Words into Cartoons. I wanna see if students can turn words into illustrations and if it will help with literacy skills. 

<<I'm not sure why it won't rotate...>>


This is an inspirational quote. 
My teacher sample that says 
"It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot. 


They have to choose a quote and then illustrate it into cartoon form! I'll be hanging it up outside for students to read. 


Words are very powerful but pictures are worth a thousand words! 

Ceramics is working on coil mugs, but this was their previous project 


MONSTER RATTLES! 


My idea. inspired by something I did in elementary school. 
But the idea was to make a rattle with monster attributes and create a story around it. 
<<< he's Fubake... like furobake. owl demon in japanese. He steals stuffed animals late at night, but if you shake this rattle 3 times before you go to sleep he will stay away! :)




***Just gotta keep on keepin on!*** I've got more lessons that I planned out today and more to come later! 

Teaching thought

I've been thinking a lot lately. Being around my new mentor teacher at the middle school...
(Oh, by the way... I'm at a middle school now... I haven't updated in a while) 
But for everyone that wants to be a teacher or if you are a person that wants to help people in general, please think about why you are doing it. 
Now more than ever, I don't think that it's enough to love your subject area with a passion. You have to want to help others understand your passion. 


So I'm vowing:
~ I will try my best to help all the students I can. 
~ I will always have high expectations for all my students.
~ giving up on a student really isn't an option. 
~ I will try my best to be patient with the students who need extra extra extra time. 
~ I will foster a community of students.
~ I will try my best to keep my students in my classroom (even when they are being a pain. because those are the students who need it the most.)
~I will choose my battles wisely.
~I WILL BE AN ART TEACHER 
especially when people say I won't have a job. 

Teaching day ???

I haven't been updating in a while. 
Well. It's been a while since we started a new project. Plus spring break. 
I hope everyone had a nice relaxing spring break :)

Drawing class' current project is inspired by Ben Heines Camera Vs. Pencil photographs. 
Instead of using a camera, students used oil pastels. 
1. They first took a photograph and transfered it by using a grid technique. 
2. Then use oil pastels to color their sketch. 
3. After that's finished take a piece of white paper and alter the image. 


My image was of a park near my aunty's house in Mukilteo. There was an old dude showing off his cool kite windmills. So I altered the walkway with a panda that dug all the way from China!

Teaching Day 7

Contrast
Despite my much less than perfect delivery of today's lesson in 6 period painting, I managed to pull through in 7th period. 
So to go along with my contrasting painting lesson I also had a contrast today. Really junk and good. :)This is my first lesson on my own (planning and everything) for painting class. 

Contrast is the theme and I'm focusing on observational painting with watercolor pencils. 

1. Students chose a fruit or vegetable to draw. 

2. They paint the underlying colors first with watercolor. let dry. and then go over it with watercolor pencils to give it detail. 

3. Students chose another fruit of vegetable with a contrasting texture: in this instance. Rough pineapple and smooth grapes. 

4, Doing the same procedure on a separate piece of paper they then needed to use the original fruit's complementary or contrasting color and the new fruits texture characteristics to make design for the background. 

5. Add finishing touches and paste the whole fruit onto the background! 

Teaching Day 6

"RPR" project
Repetition, Pattern, Rhythm
Our next endeavor is the RPR project. 

1. Students painted a piece of paper with watercolors
2. The watercolors are in random patterns of color blobs
3. Then they look at their painting and find different objects to make out of the blobs.
4. Draw out their objects in pencil and then go over them in pen. 
5. In the background make a rhythmical pattern that moves the viewers eyes across the page. 

This was a fun project for me to do alone. We are getting to the point where the students imaginations are trying to squeeze out everything they've got... 


and some students aren't, but that's just how it goes I guess.


They are supposed to use different pen techniques that they've used in their last project. 

This way they can add detail and texture to their artwork. 


In the end their skills should move your eyes throughout their artwork and give you some sort of rhythmic sensation! 

Teaching Day 5

Observations


Today I had my observation for student teaching. 
It was a work day for the students because of the snow day last week the schedule got mixed up, but it went well. I think it's important for my supervisor to see what we (as art teachers) do on a regular basis. We don't overload the students EVERYDAY with TECHNIQUES! 

Student teacher class:


Then we had class this evening for our student teacher cohort. :) It was a good and productive class. 
I've been having trouble because my students aren't actively participating in class. They are being butts and don't want to answer when I ask them questions. 


My classmates had lots of good advice to give me:


1. wait for them. ask for 3 things and don't move ahead until they answer. 
2. Tell them to get together in groups and discuss.
3. Think Pair Share
4. Tell the students that you are going to call on them and then follow through with it. 


I'm excited to be able to use it in class tomorrow. :) 
Tomorrow is my monster group. well they aren't really monsters... they just need some guidance.  


We'll see how they do!

Teaching Day 5

2 words...

Rough Day

There are lots of reasons why you may not want to teach. And there are lots of reasons why you would want to teach. You can have the best intentions and most optimistic mind going into this field and all it really takes is one kid. One kid that'll make you want to stop and question if you should be doing what you are doing. 

a picture of my friend ian :) who isn't really a kid kid...
but it was a good picture for this post :)

So you sit... and wonder. why why why why.

You get frustrated and question. 

But then you realize. That this student is one of the reasons for being a teacher. 

They are the challenge and they are the ones that need guidance the most. So what to do?

Consider the outside influences.

Consider the people around them. 

Consider EVERYTHING. 

and set that kid up to succeed.

I don't mean just give them the grades. I mean curbing their behaviors so they can succeed. They need to work harder which may mean you need to work harder too! But never give up on them, because sometimes you're the only one that believes. 

Teaching day 4

Value Assignment Project

1. find a 12 x 12 paper

2. get two objects and draw them! 

3. Make sure that the objects go off of 3 sides of the paper. (this makes an interesting composition!)

4. if there is empty space, then fill it with awesome shapes and lines! 

5. split the paper into 4 sections

6. Use 4 different techniques to fill each section with dramatic values! 

Students are evaluated by their RANGE OF VALUE.

They must have a WIDE range of value and 4 different techniques. 

Practice worksheet>>>

Techniques include:

Hatching

Cross Hatching

Ebony Pencil

Color Pencil

Stippling

Scumbling

So this is what the students are doing. It's pretty self explanatory and pretty easy to figure out. It's also easy to elaborate more on! 

Teaching Day 3 & 4

 This week. Has been a long long week... 
Personal Logos

Students all know brands and logos so I decided that for my work sample we'd do our own personal logos. 


Students wrote a "Bio-poem" about themselves and chose words that represent them to illustrate and combine into a logo. 
I wanted students to feel what it was like to make their own logo and the processes.
Unfortunately this lesson didn't go over as well as I wanted it to and I learned that high schoolers can be even more immature than I remember. 

on Day 4 my supervisor attended my class to watch me teach. I was pretty nervous but I think it went alright. Though I did get comments like I was weak, I should be more mean, and I should be louder... I think I'm pretty loud but you know how it goes. 


Students made 5 different logos and picked one to put on their portfolio. 

Student Work>>>

Dremel Time

I found a new hobby :)


So I bought this... because it was suggested somewhere... :D
haha it's an awesome drilling tool and super fun to use. 


So Alex and I went strolling on the "beach" coast thing, "sound" ... yah. and we found lots of awesome cool shells. it reminded me of home (except it was FREEEEZING) 


and this is the result >>> 
dremel + shells = awesomeness! 
It's got a hole at the top to become a necklace :)
I hope to do more creative things with shells so I guess I have to go back to the Seattle area more often ;) 

Teaching Day 2

About me circles. 
This is supposed to be a day project. 
I wanted to get to know the students and I did this project was something I did in High School. 

About me Circle:
1. Think of 5 things that describe you.
2. The whole circle must be colored with color pencil
3.You cannot use words to represent your symbols. If you like baseball draw a baseball. Don't write baseball.
4. Use neat and awesome craftsmanship! 


My example: Things that represent who I am
1. I'm Japanese
2. I love my family
3. I like to write/draw
4. I like animals! (I want a dog)
5. I love bacon... :D
Over acheivers could do more than 5. so my 6 is I love outdoors. :)


Many of the student work turned out super nice! I love it! It is displayed in our foyer just outside our classroom for all to see :D

Teaching Day 1

So I've decided that this will also be a place to update how my classes are doing. :D
Perhaps I'll post some pics of what kids are doing (of course not their actual work... cuz that's not really allowed...) But I'll post examples etc. 


Right now I'm just teaching two drawing classes and helping out in Stashia's painting classes. 


Day 1 (drawing) 
Super fun! I really enjoy teaching!!! :D 
We made name tags in drawing and I really enjoyed talking to everyone. All the students seem like nice kids and I can't wait to teach them actual projects. 

The name tag requirements:
1. Name in bubble or block letters
2. Fill the whole paper
3. You MUST have 6 colors in your name tag


I gave them one color pencil each... 


They had to talk to each other yay!
But they were cooperative and talked and borrowed colors from each other. 


Yay teaching!

"Making" New Friends

Well hey! Long time no see! おひさしぶり！
So yesterday i decided to paint... and failed! haha but I found lots of felt sooo here are my results!



They don't really have names yet. but if you'd like to suggest some names tha'd be cool. 


I love making things. I feel like it validates me as an artist somehow. :D

These are very simple to make and are really good for sewing practice. Basically here is what you do:


1. Have a picture of what you want to end up with in your head. Do you want it to be fat? skinny? big head? small body?


2. (i don't measure... or plan out...) so cut your desired shapes out. remember your friends would probably appreciate all of their limbs... so don't forget them! 


3. Lay all parts out and sew together parts that will be stuck on the same big felt. (don't worry about limbs those will be sewed together when you sew the two bodies together.) So parts like the eyes and the face would be sewed together now. :)



4. I use elmers glue to keep the limbs in place while sewing the bodies together. 

5. Stuff!!! Give them guts!!! and give them BRAINS!!! 

Now you have yourself a new friend!!!! and now you can make your own army of feltish friends!!! :D 

Have fun!!!

(>>> fail painting... I forgot what I wanted to paint after I started painting... :P I'll get it one day :)