Tuesday, July 30, 2013

First Project line: straight lines/horizontal lines/vertical lines

Lesson 1 -straight lines ( this  project can be continued throughout the line module)
Time:60  minutes
age: 5+ years
Aim: Students will learn about line and the different types as well as create a continuous project.

What you will need:

  • PVC tape in many different colours( This tape is easy to use and easy to remove)
  • scissors (safety scissors) or a tape dispenser
  • A room or space  where students  can tape their lines
  • music
  • camera
PVC tape










scissors





















Tape dispenser

















 Procedure
 To start off this lesson ,show artworks from  Hundertwasser and  various other artworks that contain line. Discuss the different types of line- horizontal, vertical, wavy , spiral etc.For ESL learners it's important to focus on  the vocabulary words and showing them artworks. You can of course role play  -show different examples of lines to students and ask them to name it or you can ask them to find different types of line you name from different pictures. You can variate this by asking  students to find different types of line  in the classroom or space where you teach.
Introduce the materials  we will be using for this lesson. Teach the names of each material. You can ask students to  recognize different colours if they know any. Talk about safety rules in the classroom and discuss the "Do" and "Don't" s in class.You can let students work  in groups or on their own. Once students finish taping an area you can ask them to swap or change it into a game similar to musical chairs - if the music stops , the students must relocate to a different spot.

Don't be afraid to let students explore any surface they want to create lines with.

Some older students got creative and created a hop scotch zone

Another variation  of Hop scotch.

A rocket.

Even walls have lines.


If at all possible ,let students explore line on furniture.

A unique design on the floor.

Don't forget to write the students' names.
 This is a lesson most students  enjoy . After class, document each work by writing their names on the PVC tape with a marker and don't forget to photograph it. With this class we  kept the lines on until the end of the line module or until whenever the tape came off  by itself.

A variation of this - you can also let students create their own street map
you'll need large sizes of paper ,preferably A0 size
have students work in groups and use pvc tape to tape the differen roads


when students are done you can ask them to paint between the open spaces

Monday, July 29, 2013

First project Line

For new students I will usually start to teach students the basics  first. I will start off by teaching them about line, colour , shape and texture. Keep in mind that your focus will be to teach students art whose first language may not be the same as yours. In their  very first lesson I will teach students about the basic materials we will use in class. They may or may not know them.
 I will teach some of the vocabulary words to students at the start of each class.

To save yourself some time you can download free flashcards from this
website  www.Havefunteaching.com.Once you have printed them, you can download them and re use them over and over or use them in your  art room.You can also make your own word cards to display around actual art materials /equipment from this website-  www.schoolexpress.com

Our first project- Line
This is a continuous project that can span over a month. You can use two 2 hour lessons or 4 one hour lessons. In this project students will learn about the different types of line and focus on each one followed by an art work . The basic theme is still the same but the project or art process can vary. For myself I prefer to change the art process to keep it interesting for me. My firm belief is that if a teacher is interested then the students will be too.
Students will learn about - Straight lines- horizontal, vertical
                                           wavy lines
                                            zigzag lines
You can choose to keep this an on going project , do separate individual projects or do both continuous and individual projects.
First Lesson -straight line- Horizontal and vertical lines
Firstly I teach the vocabulary words for art materials. Spend about 5-10 minutes on that. Role play - ask students to find those objects you show on your flash cards or walk around the room and point out to the various objects in class and ask students to name them. Don't worry if students don't know the names yet. With repetition and practice throughout their time , they will get to know those vocabulary words.

You can of course show  students some artworks to using powerpoint presentation and a digital projector. I use  free legal software from Google- OpenOffice.org
www.OpenOffice.org

Here are some of the artworks I show Students

Hundertwasser- 1975 "Blobs Grow in Beloved Garden





Hundertwasser  - one of his spiral art works




An example of horizontal lines
An example for vertical lines
A photograph showing vertical lines
Hundertwasser poster "Save the Seas" for GreenPeace Pacific Southwest 
and the Cousteau Society


Introduction

 I suppose you are wondering how to start off your first art class especially to students whose first language might not be the same as yours? The key to this is to make the student feel as comfortable as possible , speak slowly and clearly, do not use fancy words or jargon they might not understand,hand gestures and motions help a  lot and of course use plenty of visual stimuli such as pictures /copies of artworks to help the students. Keep in mind first lessons are never perfect and it'll take time for your students to cultivate a relationship with you.I found that showing students samples of artwork or showing students step by step what to do helps  a lot. Students will be able to pick up on the visual cues even though they might not understand what you are saying.Remember to let the students create their own work and remind them that it's important not to copy teacher's sample exactly as is. After all this is art class!

Things you'll need for each class:
  • A smile and positive attitude ( I know this is not always a possibility)
  • A camera or simply  your phone camera( don't use your nice expensive Nikon or Cannon)
  • an apron -paint seems to know when you are wearing nice clothes
  • A file /folder to document your lessons so that you can revise or re use them again
You could also start a blog or create a page on any of the social networks. Post photographs of your students in class and invite parents to have a look. I found this to be an invaluable tool because it gives parents a chance to see what their child creates in class and you can show photographs of students' artworks as examples to your new students.

 To give you an idea take a look at my Facebook page if you have not already.

 https://www.Facebook.com/artineng

Art Demo Day May 2012


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Introduction to Art in English

Hi my name is Leanie. After living in Taiwan for many years, I have decided to start teaching art. I have  created artwork since age 4 and completed a B. Tech degree at Tshwane University of Technology in 2003, South Africa.Firstly , I like to teach and I love art. So I thought why not combine the two? After many years of teaching English in the ESL industry I decided to give it a go. I started with a small group of students in May 2012. My aim with this blog is to share any information about art lesson plans specifically ones for students who are secondary language learners or whose first language is not English.Most of  the art classes are pretty much the same as you would find anywhere in the world ,with one exception, in addition to learning about art techniques and methods students also acquire a second or sometimes third language. Most of the students here in Taiwan are offered Science and Maths classes with English instruction ,however not much attention is given to the Arts.So I would like to give those students a chance.