Articles

Article

Personal Pigeon Portraits

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | Julia L. Hovanec

In this first-day-of-school lesson, students engage in a read-aloud of the picture book, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! They also look at the expressive self-portraits of Frida Kahlo. Students then d ...

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Article

Art from the Heart

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | Jane B. Montero and Rob Garrett

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. As art educators teaching elementary students, Jane Brumfield Montero (Michigan) and Robb Garrett (Poland) created an art exchange to spread cheer to stud ...

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Article

Helping Hands

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | Bette Naughton

Fine motor skill development is happening almost solely in the art room. Classroom teachers are required to focus on testing, ELA blocks, and math and science units. Activities that usually would requ ...

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Article

Design with the Cell Phone in Mind

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | Eric Gibbons

For this lesson, I wanted students to create and photograph an artwork that would become the wallpaper for their cell phones. They could express their personal interests if it was school-appropriate. ...

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Article

Editor's Letter: Beginnings

Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | Nancy Walkup

The start of a new school year always seems to offer a fresh beginning. For new teachers especially, meeting students for the first time may offer a challenge. Personally, I always had students making ...

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Article

Co-Editors’ Letter: Curiosity

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Sara Wilson McKay and Amy Pfeiler-Wunder

As former classroom art educators and current preparers of preservice art educators, we see the art room as a place alive with curiosity. We see this in the myriad of ways learners approach making thr ...

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Article

Warhol Flower Prints

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Liz Callahan

Printmaking with first grade—for some, that might sound like a scary idea. I’ve had a real passion for printmaking since college and have tried to pass that passion on to my students. I kn ...

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Article

Extraterrestrial Installations

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Leah Krueger

I’ve noticed the art lessons that really spark curiosity in students have two things in common: multiple tasks that build on each other and the opportunity for students to collaborate with their ...

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Article

Cultivating Inquiry

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Jennifer Bockerman

I wondered how I might provide students with the space to linger in the ambiguity of the creative process; a place where they could play with materials and develop ideas. Students need time built into ...

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Article

Collaborative Public Art Design

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Michael L. Miller

I saw how collaborative public art could transform the lives of people in neighborhoods who might not have much direct experience with visual art. Also, involving local residents in the design process ...

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Article

Exploring Oneself through Artmaking

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | Ben Hoffman

As a high-school art teacher and practicing artist, I explored this question with my students: “How does an authentic studio practice connect us to ourselves, to one another, and to the world ar ...

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Article

Editor’s Letter: Social-Emotional Learning

Monday, April 11, 2022 | Nancy Walkup

I think art teachers have always helped students manage their emotions and develop empathy for others. Considering the emotional trauma created by COVID-19 in our nation’s schools, SEL offers an ...

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Article

Special Places

Monday, April 11, 2022 | Kristina Thomas and Carrie Nordlund

“I want to become an emotion scientist,” says Marc Brackett, founder of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. How can we support our learners to become scientists of feelings, and ex ...

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Article

The Things We Treasure

Monday, April 11, 2022 | Leah Krueger

When I think about all the art lessons I’ve taught, the ones that stand out have their basis in storytelling, memories, and the personal moments that students cherish. Whether life-changing, joy ...

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Article

Symbolic Clay Envelopes

Monday, April 11, 2022 | Katie Brown

It is challenging, with our shortened time frame, to create a clay experience that gives students a chance to be truly engaged in creating something personal. This lesson has given me the best of both ...

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Article

Connecting with Identity and Place

Monday, April 11, 2022 | Abby Birhanu and Lori Santos

Adolescents are on a quest to discover themselves through their social relationships. For this lesson, we wanted to expand their quest to include a connection to place and community. Elements of Indig ...

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