Last Day!

Today was my last day at Herriman Elementary. We had a little celebration and discussed the projects we had done. The students said they really enjoyed all the projects!

I really learned a lot from the Art Bridge experience. Some of the main things I learned were adaptability, time management, and how to better communicate/act as a teacher towards students. I will definitely apply these experiences to my future teaching! Mrs. Coyle, Nicola (parent helper), and the class were all wonderful work with. I am very grateful I got the opportunity to receive their help and guidance.

Glazed Work!

The slab fish have finally come out of the kiln! The student’s did a great job glazing. The fish look amazing! 

Exquisite Corpse Books!

We decided to have the students do a drawing activity in order to take up some time in between glazing and shoe polishing. The students first folded a piece of paper into thirds. Each section was for a human’s head, torso, and legs. We are going to rotate our papers around the room so that multiple people drew one complete person. The students then cut and combined them all into flip books. The objectives of this activity was

1) Creative break 

2) Focus on detail/ personal style

            The students had a lot of fun with this activity! This activity was great because it allowed the students to collaborate with each other and show some creativity.

Shoe Polish Glazing Technique!

      Today we used a clear shinny glaze for our coil bowls and then we used shoe polish for our owls! I have never used shoe polish before, but it turned out great! The shoe polish is dark in the cracks but then a nice lighter shade on the rest of the ceramic owls. After the polish dries, we are going to spray a clear coat of paint over the owls to make them more shinny.

      This technique of coloring projects was very different than they were used to but the kids had a lot of fun trying something new.  This technique is fast because there is no need to do a glaze fire. This allows the students to take their projects home faster. It is also less expensive compared to buying glazes!

Multi-Method Bird House!

Today we made bird houses using our favorite building methods! The foundations were made with textured slabs and then the students either pinched or coiled to make their roofs. The objectives of the lesson were to

1) Assess student knowledge of texture, and building methods (slab, pinch, coil)

2) Create a house made from multiple building methods

3) Use art to enhance their creativity and description abilities in writing

This was a great project because it was fun and because it was a final test of their progress and knowledge. Even though the project was challenging, the students’ work turned out beautifully! They were all unique and creative. When placed on the shelf to dry after the lesson, all the projects together looked like a little bird house village!

Coiling and Glazing!

The students did a great job making coil bowls and glazing today! We started off the lesson talking about different kinds of glazes and then did a demo on making coil bowls using plastic bowls as a mold. The class would work on the coil bowls while a few students rotated to the glaze station. The objectives of the lesson were to

1) Make a functional ceramic work

2) Teach students the method of coiling and technique of wipe-away glazing

3) Enhance the student’s creativity and description abilities in writing

            The students had a lot to do today, but they all did a marvelous job! Last week some of the students mentioned they wanted to make a ceramic project that was functional, so we decided to make coil bowls. I was impressed at how well some of the students could coil. I saw one student make a coil as long as her table!

            I had a lot of fun interacting with the students today. One student said “I’ll do anything if it’s art!” All the students are so enthusiastic and creative.

Owl Pinching

 

The "Owl Pinching" project was a success! We made artwork inspired by the book Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen. After reading the story to the class I showed the students how to make pinch pot owls. The objectives of the lesson were to

1) Make an artwork inspired by a source (book)

2) Teach students the method of pinching

3) Enhance the student’s creativity and description abilities in writing

The students did a great job with the pinching technique as well as following instructions. I was impressed that they remembered to “scratch and attach!” (score clay together). I loved how all their owls were unique. The students are really understanding detail and the importance of description. There were big birds, delicate birds, and goofy birds. There were ones with braids, scarfs and even Mohawks!

I had a lot fun with this lesson and I think the students got a lot out of it. It makes me happy when I am able to help them learn and form an art project.