Substitute lesson plans for the art room....

I was just working on my sub folder for the art room, and thought that I would share what my sub folder entails with everyone. Located within my sub folder are of course all of my class lists and seating charts. On each class list, I highlight any helpful students, as well as any students that may pose a problem. A map of the school and emergency procedures is also helpful. On the map, I point out the adult restrooms, cafeteria, teacher's lounge, etc. A copy of my discipline plan is a necessity as well. After that, I place my lesson plans.

I personally do not like to have the subs that are in my room continue with whatever lessons that I am working on with my students. I have had many projects ruined because a sub thought that they knew what they were doing. Instead, I have some generic lessons that any grade level could draw. These are the ones that are in my sub folder this year:

1. Pretend that you have been shipwrecked on a deserted island. Draw a picture of what the island looks like, what animals and plants are on the island, and how you are going to survive until help arrives.
2. Imagine that you are an explorer, tracking a never before seen animal through the jungle. What does the animal look like? Add lots of details, such as where the animal lives (in the trees, on the ground, cave, etc.)
3. Design a new shoe for a famous shoe company. Feel free to include some high-tech gadgets.
4. Be like Phineas and Ferb, and invent a really cool contraption. What will it do? How will it do it? Why do we need it?
5. You are a world famous astronaut, and your space shuttle has crash landed on a planet that no one has ever seen before. Draw a picture of what the planet looks like, as well as any inhabitants (aliens) that may come to greet you. What do they look like, as well as what do they eat and where do they live?
6. Create a flag that represents Lakeview Design Center. Remember that the school mascot is the lion.
7. Create a drawing of your favorite meal. It can be anything that you want, just make sure to add lots of details.
8. Become a video game designer and brainstorm a new idea for a video game. Draw out the characters, settings, etc. Add lots of details!
9. Your family has won the lottery, and you get to design your new house. What will it look like? How many rooms will it have? Draw it out for everyone to see!

Please feel free to use any of this information in your sub plans if you would like. Please know that you should always have a sub folder ready in case you are out unexpectedly. It is a pet peeve of teachers around the world to have to find plans for a sub in the room next door because the teacher didn't leave any.

Children on the blog...

Today I was reminded of a very important and sensitive issue. One of my co-workers created a website for her class that showed pictures of some of the students. Showing children's pictures on the internet, namely through a personal blog (such as this one) or a website is a definite NO-NO! There are many, many legal issues associated with this. This is the reason that you do not see pictures of my students on this blog. The only way that you can show a picture of a child that is not yours is if the parents give you permission. I would have them sign a written permission slip, just to cover yourself even more. Please be mindful of this when working on your blogs or websites.

I have a very colorful classroom. A couple years ago I was asked to move classrooms, and I agreed as long as I got to paint my new one. I proceeded to paint it a very bright and somewhat obnoxious green -with the thought that if another teacher couldn't stand the color, I might not have to move classrooms again:) Anyways, after painting the room "Gecko Green", maintenance workers came to my room to fix a crack in the wall. After they were done, I had a green wall that was smeared with white caulk. Not a problem (or so I thought) and I proceeded to paint over the caulk, and the paint beaded right up and rolled off. It is two years later, and I still have a green wall smeared with white. Normally I cover it up with vines and leaves (for a jungle theme), but this year I had a parent who introduced me to some amazing material. It is called sintra, and it is a type of pvc plastic that is in sheet form. You can cut, mold, drill, sand, sculpt, and paint it. I got a 4x8' sheet for about $25 and using a small saw, cut out flower petals and centers. I then boiled the shapes in water and formed them into interesting curves and shapes (you can also use an embossing or heat gun) and spray painted them. When dry, I hot glued the pieces together and then glued them over the annoying white caulk. I see lots of future projects coming to life in the art room! Thank you Lori, for introducing me to sintra!

Bulletin Board Time!

It's back to school time, and I have been very busy in the art room. This year, I decided to change my class theme to a garden and bug theme, so the following two boards were born. The first board is my behavior board. Each pocket corresponds with a seat in my classroom. In the pockets are card that can be pulled based on the behavior or each individual student. It is located next to the door, so as each classroom teacher comes to pick up their class, they can easily see if any students have misbehaved.

The second board is located outside my classroom door. I decided to add quotes about art, in hopes that it would give classes something to discuss and think about while waiting in the hallway.

I am currently working on two more boards, one of which is a No-No board and the other is about the elements of art and principles of design. I will post pictures when finished.