Being on the third floor has it's advantages with its tree-top view and skylights.
Each month an artist will be featured in our Master of the Month display. I try to select past or present artists who have some connective strand to what many of the grades will be learning about during the chosen month.
The carpeted area provides a place for gathering at the beginning of class, where we touch base on the previous week and introduce lessons. The meeting area also serves as an excellent place for reconvening together as a group at the end of class to discuss our work.
The art room is a spacious, engaging place which allows students to focus on their work without being overly distracted, while still providing adequate stimulation.
Pictures and magazines provide visual reference tools to help students formulate ideas into reality. A student reference library provides pictorial books to help students gain inspiration or visual assistance.
Various free time activities can be found through-out the room to keep students engaged when they have finished their assignments early. These activities include a free draw area, reading area with illustrated books and art games and puzzles. An ever-changing still life center in available to those who wish to work on their observational drawing during their free time.
Keeping track of the work of 200 students can be challenging! Students in grades 1-5 create a portfolio on the first day of class which stores all their work until the end of the year. Each class is color-coded, allowing me to keep a quick visual reference of each group. Portfolios provide invaluable tools for assessment throughout the year.
The Peirce Art Gallery features a lesson from a different class every few weeks and is located outside the art room, on the third floor.
