Thursday, September 22, 2016

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

As art teachers we know the struggle of the left brain vs. the right brain.
photo credit
In 6th grade I feel my students really start to change into I can't draw, I am worried about what others think, preteens. Therefore we spend a lot of time talking about our brains in 6th grade. We talk about how the left side of our brain often gets more "time on task" while our right brain is better at art stuff. We do lots with our brains in 6th grade... and so to start the year I had them create left and right brain drawings.

They started by drawing one thing they love right in the middle of their folder cover. Instead of a brain we illustrated the saying "they have ________ on the brain." Then they add things to the left side of their image that shows how THEIR left brain works. They finished by adding things to the right side of their drawing that shows how the right side of THEIR brain works.
We talk about how playing football is both... memorizing the x's and o's of the plays is left side of the brain while enjoying the act of playing is a right side of the brain activity. We talk about how the measuring and following a recipe when baking is a left side of the brain activity while choosing the colors and frosting are a right brain activity. It really is fun to listen to the kids as they discuss how the activities they enjoy use both sides of their brain.
To finish the assignment they colored the image and handed in some really neat images.  You can check out more of them over at our artsonia site.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Elements of Art Cubes...

Every year our 5th graders study/review the elements of art throughout the year. Therefore, when we start 6th grade I like to have them do a quick review lesson. This year we created element of art review cubes. (you can read more about them here)
Students created an element of art cube illustrating Line, Shape, Color, Texture, Space and Value on each side. (we left form off because we were building a form)  When they were put together, we made this "Elements are the building blocks of art" display.
** Yes, stacking student built blocks did test my Jenga skills**

Monday, September 12, 2016

Get You Thinking Share #3

We are doing all kinds of things in the art room already this year and I can't wait to share with you but nothing is DONE yet. You can see our "in progress" work by following me on twitter @carlisleartclas and stay tuned for updates. Until then I will share another great Friday Share article.

Business Insider published this article showcasing the importance of creativity. They also shared 7 steps to help EVERYONE be more creative. Even as an art teacher I found myself thinking, "I should do that."


A great big thank you to my principal for sharing this one with all of us. 

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Get You Thinking Share #2

This article...


I read this article by Victoria Prooday and it definitely left me thinking... It was even an article that had me reading the comments (Which is not always an enjoyable thing. Why do people have to be so mean)  It is interesting to say the least. What do you think?