6th Grade Art:
This week is the first week of Term F for 6th & 7th grade art classes. That's a big deal, because it's the LAST TERM of the school year! Whoa! It's hard to believe that we're this close to being finished with school!
Also making this week kind of weird was MAP testing. MAP tests are administered during Unified Arts/PE time, so students miss out on their UA/PE classes for two whole days (Can you imagine? Taking a 90-minute math or reading test instead of your art class, and THEN still having to go to your regular math/reading class that same day? Yep. That's what we do. I feel so bad for the students, and I've voiced my concerns many times. But... you can see what good that does...).
So anyways, back to art. Monday we had a "regular" first day of art class. Ms. Heuel (our student teacher) introduced herself and the class, and went over rules and such. Every student received a letter to take home that included an Artsonia permission form. We ask that students get these signed and bring them back, so that we can publish students' work on our web gallery! It's very cool - if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should.
We did not get to have art classes on Tuesday or Wednesday due to MAP testing. On Thursday, we only got to see half of the art classes for a double period (due to MAP), and on Monday, we will see the other half of the art classes for a double period (again, due to MAP). But Friday (today) is a "regular" day. Well, as much as "regular" can be...
During our double period time (Thursday or Monday), we're working on our first sketchbook drawing assignment: a one-point perspective name design using block letters. On Friday, Ms. Heuel has a fun 1-day creative drawing activity that involves creating symmetrical bugs from students' names. It'll be nice to have a little break from all this testing to do something loose and creative!
7th Grade Art:
This week was also the first week for 7th grade Term F art classes. Our schedule is just like the 6th grade classes (see above), so I won't go into all the details regarding MAP again.
During our "double period" classes on either Thursday or Monday, students will begin drawing surreal landscapes that incorporate 2-point perspective box elements. Students will have to have a minimum of three boxes: one above the horizon line, one on the horizon line, and one below the horizon line - to show the different points of view and faces of the form that would be exposed from those different angles. Above, I've posted some of the really cute and creative examples of student work from last term, so that you can see where we are headed. More examples are available on our Artsonia gallery.
Students from Term F will also have their artwork published on our Artsonia gallery once it is completed, turned in, and graded, so be sure to fill out and turn in the Artsonia permission form from the first day of art class!
Today (Friday) in class, students played a fun surrealist art game, called Exquisite Corpse, where students draw part of an image, fold it over, and then pass it on to another student to continue the drawing. This process is repeated until the drawing is completed, and then the crazy (often humorous) results are unveiled!
8th Grade Art:
Eighth grade quarter 4 students are hard at work getting their ceramic pieces ready for Art in the Park! Unfortunately, they are also subject to the same MAP testing schedules as 6th and 7th grade students (see above - 6th grade - for full details).
We are trying to take advantage of the Thursday/Monday double period times to have students fully glaze their mini mugs (they'll have both a colored glaze and a clear coat) and to get them fired by the end of the week next week so that they'll be ready to go Saturday morning (May 3rd) when I'm setting up our tent!
When students finish glazing their mini mugs, they'll continue work on their pixel portraits. We just might get those all finished up by the time Ms. Heuel has to leave us on May 9th!
In other art news...
- Today is the last day to enter a design for the agenda cover contest! Details on this blog post.
- Don't forget Art in the Park is coming up! May 3rd & 4th - Wilder Park, Elmhurst! Our tent will have artwork for sale, with all proceeds going to the UCCA food pantry. If you're interested in volunteering to help us out, please email me.
- The Elmhurst Art Museum K-8 Exhibition is also happening the same weekend as Art in the Park! Museum admission is free for the weekend. Check our list of Sandburg participating artists on last week's blog post.
- Starbucks is having a contest to decorate their white coffee cups! (Too bad it's for ages 18+.)
- Here is an interesting article on why some art students almost never get high grades.
Thanks for another great week!
- Mrs. L.
The 
