Art Experiences.
Cooper Home and Fossil Ridge Lesson Five: Creating and Decorating a Portfolio Binder
About the lesson:
In this lesson students will create a portfolio out of tag board and ribbon as a way to store their projects from the semester. We will continue building on skills from previous lessons, like painting and drawing, to decorate the portfolio. These are skills that the students are comfortable with. We will teach new skills about construction and encourage students to creatively use everyday materials to create a useful, three dimensional item. This is an essential skill in life, as we are constantly having to problem solve to create what we need. To make this new skill less overwhelming for students, we will give a demo and assure them that we will be around to help. Students have known that the last lesson would be building a portfolio since the beginning of the semester, it has been a way to remind them that they will get their work back. We will push students to think about elements of construction, aesthetics, and how to add personal style. This lesson will tie all of the lessons together and be a fitting closing lesson to reflect on the semester, making it relevant to the students. |
Essential Understandings
Outcomes
Students will be able to exhibit:
1. Quality/Craftsmanship
-Work is done with care, attention to detail and neat presentation. Portfolio Binder is constructed with ability to house and protect works of art
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
2. Use of Elements and Principles of Design
- Application of the 1-3 elements of art and principles of design is exhibited in student’s decoration of the portfolio binder
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
3. Understanding, Achievement, & Completion
- Student understanding of project requirements. Assignment followed, and work is complete and consistent.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
4. Creativity
- Work expresses a personal connection to the project and exploration of artistic identity. Explores different options and takes creative liberties.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
5. Studio Time and Work Ethic
- Work shows effort and involvement. Student participated in class discussion thoughtfully, was on task, and engaged appropriately with tools, materials, peers, and staff.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
Skills
In the fifth and final lesson with Cooper Home and Fossil Ridge, the students followed the instruction of the teachers accurately, in regards to the creation of a portfolio binder. The students exhibited the desired understandings of craftsmanship, studio safety, and the completion of the assignment. Through decoration of the binder, the students explored the principles of art and design, transferring techniques from the previous lessons, and fostered their creative identity based on their art making decisions. In closing of the lesson, the students assessed their learning through the presentation and discussion of their artwork in a studio critique. Students fielded questions from their peers and staff in regards to their creative decisions. Our goal as the teachers were to promote the viewers into the role of engaging a fruitful dialogue, by carefully formulating questions and redirecting answers. Our true aim through the critique, was to have the students involved and excited to be talking about art.
Every student was very excited to receive their artworks from the entire semester, and to have a portfolio binder to store them in. The lesson was practical, had personal value to the students, and thoughtfully provided a conclusion to the semester as a whole. When all the student art work was laid out, and organized by the artist, it was interesting to see how clear their individuality and unique artistic styles shown through in their work. This was apparent across different projects and mediums as well.
- Artists and designers problem-pose and think critically when making art
- Artists and designers use care, craftsmanship, and attention to detail to create works that serve their intended function
- Artist and designers appropriately follow safety and procedural guidelines to ensure the safety of self and those around them
Outcomes
Students will be able to exhibit:
1. Quality/Craftsmanship
-Work is done with care, attention to detail and neat presentation. Portfolio Binder is constructed with ability to house and protect works of art
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
2. Use of Elements and Principles of Design
- Application of the 1-3 elements of art and principles of design is exhibited in student’s decoration of the portfolio binder
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
3. Understanding, Achievement, & Completion
- Student understanding of project requirements. Assignment followed, and work is complete and consistent.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
4. Creativity
- Work expresses a personal connection to the project and exploration of artistic identity. Explores different options and takes creative liberties.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
5. Studio Time and Work Ethic
- Work shows effort and involvement. Student participated in class discussion thoughtfully, was on task, and engaged appropriately with tools, materials, peers, and staff.
• Basic
• Developing
• Proficient
• Advanced
Skills
- Critical thinking and organizational techniques
- Craftsmanship, attention to detail, and completion of functional portfolio binder
- Creative problem solving and exploration through ideation
- Decoration of portfolio binder
- Establishing a sense of comfort with the studio habits, materials, staff, and peers
- Thoughtful involvement in reflection and critique etiquette
In the fifth and final lesson with Cooper Home and Fossil Ridge, the students followed the instruction of the teachers accurately, in regards to the creation of a portfolio binder. The students exhibited the desired understandings of craftsmanship, studio safety, and the completion of the assignment. Through decoration of the binder, the students explored the principles of art and design, transferring techniques from the previous lessons, and fostered their creative identity based on their art making decisions. In closing of the lesson, the students assessed their learning through the presentation and discussion of their artwork in a studio critique. Students fielded questions from their peers and staff in regards to their creative decisions. Our goal as the teachers were to promote the viewers into the role of engaging a fruitful dialogue, by carefully formulating questions and redirecting answers. Our true aim through the critique, was to have the students involved and excited to be talking about art.
Every student was very excited to receive their artworks from the entire semester, and to have a portfolio binder to store them in. The lesson was practical, had personal value to the students, and thoughtfully provided a conclusion to the semester as a whole. When all the student art work was laid out, and organized by the artist, it was interesting to see how clear their individuality and unique artistic styles shown through in their work. This was apparent across different projects and mediums as well.
Documentation
Complete documentation for this class can be found here. |
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan for this lesson can be found here. |
Reflection.
What worked well for this art experience? Why? What worked well for this art experience was the motivation. Every student was very excited to receive their artworks from the entire semester, and to have a portfolio binder to store them in. The lesson was practical, had personal value to the students, and thoughtfully provided a conclusion to the semester as a whole. Through its entirety, the students were actively engaged with their projects, and worked vigorously. They shared thoughtful stories, and experiences, and tried their best to expand upon the techniques they had learned throughout the semester, more so than any lesson prior. I had students ask about different methods to create art, like techniques to make a pink and blue sunset in watercolor, other students who begged to continue working, and many students even exclaimed that they really liked how their artwork turned out. This had occurred somewhat throughout the semester but was much more prevalent in this lesson. The atmosphere was relaxed and had a positive energy while remaining productive and centered on art making. I strongly believe these successes were due to incorporating elements of a choice based classroom into the lesson. We accomplished this by setting up each desk as an art station in which the students could use any combination of mediums they had learned throughout the semester, to make the artwork with which to decorate their portfolios. The learning felt organic and the student involvement was genuine.
What didn’t work well for this art experience? Why? Overall, the lesson was a success. The student involvement was evident, and I felt this was the most excited the students had been while making art. However, what didn’t work was our order of operations, and accounting for the disparity in the students’ abilities to complete the construction portion of the task. We had assessed the process and felt that it would be a smoother exercise than it ended up being. If I were to go back, we would have made the portfolio binders immediately, and insured their completion. This way any unanticipated issues could have been addressed and handled at the beginning of the class, instead of near the end. In regards to body language and communication skills, Anna and I have improved on the verbiage we commonly use while giving instruction, but it could still be more authoritative and sure. Individually, this semester was my first real experience conducting classrooms and teaching lessons. I learned so much about, clarity of instruction, accommodations for student learning, and how to engage with students on a personal and professional level. Continuing to hone my skills as a teacher, and develop them further, will always be my objective. I feel they improved greatly from where they began, but their growth will continue to require new experiences and thoughtful reflection. Overall working with Cooper Home and Fossil Ridge was a powerful experience to my development, and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to share my love for art, and to be a part of the students' lives.
What would you do differently? Why? In reflection of the areas we could improve upon, Anna and I started the lesson with creating decorations for the portfolio binders, but in retrospect should have ended with that process. Many of the students became engrossed with the process of making the art and didn’t want to participate in the construction of the binder until their artwork was at a level they deemed presentable. We watched the time carefully and felt we could extend this portion a bit longer than we had initially intended, we were delighted at how engaged they were with their artwork, so we allowed the students to continue. We also began going around individually, to help the students that had finished early with their artwork, to move on to the next step. However what happened next was that students began finishing in clusters, and at various times. They each sought individualized help, and we began to be pulled in every direction. Most of the students were unable to construct the binder without aid, to a level we hadn’t anticipated, and this created a mad dash to the end of class to make sure every student had a well-constructed portfolio binder. In this regard we were successful; we remained very friendly and helpful, paid attention to each student and their specific needs, made on the fly adjustments, and worked efficiently to complete the task. Every student left the class on time, with a beautifully decorated, and functional binder. They also had their works from every lesson throughout the semester housed inside their binder for a safe travel home. However, to get to that point became a tricky situation. I felt Anna and I handled it with professionalism and grace, but it could have been avoided all together, if we had started with the construction and then decorated to the bell instead.
What didn’t work well for this art experience? Why? Overall, the lesson was a success. The student involvement was evident, and I felt this was the most excited the students had been while making art. However, what didn’t work was our order of operations, and accounting for the disparity in the students’ abilities to complete the construction portion of the task. We had assessed the process and felt that it would be a smoother exercise than it ended up being. If I were to go back, we would have made the portfolio binders immediately, and insured their completion. This way any unanticipated issues could have been addressed and handled at the beginning of the class, instead of near the end. In regards to body language and communication skills, Anna and I have improved on the verbiage we commonly use while giving instruction, but it could still be more authoritative and sure. Individually, this semester was my first real experience conducting classrooms and teaching lessons. I learned so much about, clarity of instruction, accommodations for student learning, and how to engage with students on a personal and professional level. Continuing to hone my skills as a teacher, and develop them further, will always be my objective. I feel they improved greatly from where they began, but their growth will continue to require new experiences and thoughtful reflection. Overall working with Cooper Home and Fossil Ridge was a powerful experience to my development, and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to share my love for art, and to be a part of the students' lives.
What would you do differently? Why? In reflection of the areas we could improve upon, Anna and I started the lesson with creating decorations for the portfolio binders, but in retrospect should have ended with that process. Many of the students became engrossed with the process of making the art and didn’t want to participate in the construction of the binder until their artwork was at a level they deemed presentable. We watched the time carefully and felt we could extend this portion a bit longer than we had initially intended, we were delighted at how engaged they were with their artwork, so we allowed the students to continue. We also began going around individually, to help the students that had finished early with their artwork, to move on to the next step. However what happened next was that students began finishing in clusters, and at various times. They each sought individualized help, and we began to be pulled in every direction. Most of the students were unable to construct the binder without aid, to a level we hadn’t anticipated, and this created a mad dash to the end of class to make sure every student had a well-constructed portfolio binder. In this regard we were successful; we remained very friendly and helpful, paid attention to each student and their specific needs, made on the fly adjustments, and worked efficiently to complete the task. Every student left the class on time, with a beautifully decorated, and functional binder. They also had their works from every lesson throughout the semester housed inside their binder for a safe travel home. However, to get to that point became a tricky situation. I felt Anna and I handled it with professionalism and grace, but it could have been avoided all together, if we had started with the construction and then decorated to the bell instead.
Slideshow.
This slideshow presentation highlights some of the student artwork from the lesson. A complete analysis of the images shown and how they correlate to the students' learning can be found through accessing the documentation link above.