ArTechTivity

Over the years I have developed a number of “choice menus” that give kids options for more directed learning while also allowing the openness for bigger choices. My Studio Choice Challenge is set up in levels and is based on a gamification model. I have been creating versions of this for several years. But it has a LOT of different centers involved.

This year I wanted something similar, but more focused. I needed something for the kids that had already done my “around the room” games to have the next level of exploration. I wanted them to see and use a variety of my resources that seem to get hidden and under utilized in my centers. I wanted them to act like artists to create in a studio… but knew they would just sit around and do nothing with out a bit of guidance. So I created a drawing bingo.

Set up like a bingo card it has 25 different drawing related short activities. They ranged from making a value scale, or a chalk pastel sunset, to drawing a still-life object or creating a zentangle flower. I gave them between 5-8 days to finish as many as they could. They worked in their sketchbooks and I would circulate the room “signing-off” on things they had finished.

If they rushed through the task or did it incorrectly (such as not having enough values in the value scale) then I would give them feedback and have them re-do or fix as needed. AT the end of the unit they turned in their bingo card and each project was worth 5 points. My grading of the points depending on how many days I set for this unit but the goal was one project per day. I also offered a new store bought sketchbook for any kids that did a “Black out.”

Since my drawing bingo worked out well to have 7th and 8th graders explore all the drawing materials. I decided to do a collage bingo. I might do a paint one… but not sure I want all those balls in the air at the same time. My tables were already set up for 6th graders to do collage around the room, so 7th and 8th graders would pick a table each day to create collages from the bingo style choice menu.

Collage bingo was a lot messier and for some more confusing, since many of them were completely new to collage. Because of this I did make a slide show of examples so they would know what a black out poem was and I still did daily demos on blocks that seemed most confusing or the ones the most kids were interested in figuring out.

Other times I would just provide books or invite kids to look things up on our classroom Chromebooks. At the bottom of this post I am providing my bingo pages for you to adapt. Many activities were in class type things, so if you are going remote, like I am… then you will want to change a few things. P.S. I can’t share my slide show, because it uses images that I found online and used in my class under the fair use policy, but it would be a copyright infringement to publish other’s images in this way. In this time of very generous sharing, please give credit when you use someone’s work and don’t take it and resell it on TPT!

Now that we are suddenly and with little preparation… going to online school… I am working on a digital art bingo for my students working at home. I will share that when it is ready to go! Feel free to adapt the resources below for your age and school situation.

Drawing Bingo: https://www.artechtivity.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/drawing-bingo-cgaub-2020.pdf

New semester and 150 new kids to get to know and introduce to the TAB art room. Taking a start from Melissa Purtee when she discussed “good art” with her students, I also decided to pose this question. But I took a little different approach.

First I had them make some art. My 7th and 8th graders got together in groups of 3-4 and received a bag of sculpture stuff. “Art challenge in a bag” is something I have done many times before and I already had the bags prepped. They had about 15 minutes to make an animal/creature. We had a points system with points for using all the materials, bonus for NOT using tape, adding color, etc. After they created, we talked about what characteristics “good art” should have. Then they had to decide, did they make good art? The answers were happily a resounding yes!

I had 6th graders do a similar series of art and discussion, but we did the “roll a drawing” game before having our discussion. Overall, I was very pleased with the first day and the kids all enjoyed their first day in art.

The next day we talked about what is an art studio and how should we use and share this community space. After talking about the general idea of a studio, what is in it and how it is used, I told them that this is their art studio. But it is shared by 150 kids every day. I compared the community studio to the idea of sharing a room with a sibling vs having your own bedroom. What is different when you share? Then, together in small groups then whole class we discussed safety, respect and responsibility as it applies to the art room. We used that to design our “community agreements” aka group norms aka class rules. This all period lesson was much more tedious for all of us, but it is necessary in my high needs school to set clear expectations.

Thursday and Friday we did Artistic habits around the room. Click to see more. Which went well and the kids were engaged.

Then we were hit by the ” Snowmageddon” … no school Monday or Tuesday… then 2-hour late start on Wednesday and Thursday… and 2-hour early dismissal on Friday. So we continued with some artistic habits centers, as well as taking in some Bob Ross. With more snow, this weekend, not sure when we will have school again… but eventually we will get into Draw around the room.