Classes begin with warm ups for the imagination or a music activity challenge. We then gather in a circle for a class message, demonstrations and class discussions about the lesson of the day. Students are encouraged to ask questions and to summarize directions before being invited to begin creating/performing.
"Give Me Five" is used as a signal to get students attention during work time.
1-Silent voice, 2-Eyes on Speaker, 3-Body Still, 4-Ears Listening, 5-Brain ready to think.
Also, when I say..
"Red, Yellow, Blue" students respond, "I hear you!" or
"Mona" students respond, "Lisa"
Students choose their seats, depending on the materials they are choosing to use during class (there are art centers around the room that gradually open as the year progresses - Drawing, Painting, Collage, Fiber Arts and Sculpture - music centers are being developed). The expectation is that if a seat choice is not working well for you or classmates to be productive, then the teacher will move your seat for the remainder of the class time. We follow voice levels while we work that are posted in in the room. The levels are 0: silent, 1: whisper, 2: conversation, and 3: presentation. We rotate between "1" and "2" during a class to allow for problem solving discussions and sharing ideas. A "0" is used during the final 10-15 minutes to encourage focused work before clean up begins. A "4" voice level is used when we present our work to the class.
Students are encouraged to be independent workers. There are supplies and instruments in the teaching space where they know they can find what they need and/or put equipment away. Students are expected to care for the Muzart room and material as a team effort. They are instructed to clean their space and if time allows to help others clean before they are invited to line up.
During Art weeks when students have completed an assignment, they know to check in with me and we discuss if there is more they can do or we agree that the project is finished. Students also engage in class critiques for ideas on making revisions to their artwork. We use "T.A.G." (Tell something you like about the piece, Ask a question, Give a positive suggestion). Students use the feedback to help guide their decisions as they complete their work. There is an area in the teaching space of additional projects they can work on for the remainder of the class. This area includes "How to Draw" books, Mandala designs, Zen tangle paper and pens, personal sketch books, a "Drawing Drawer" of ideas and picture books to look through.
Artworks are collected in class folders during the duration of each quarter. Individual student Art portfolios are gathered during an Art class at the end of each semester. Students are encouraged to independently finish artworks from previous lessons during this class period and to reflect on their artworks through a written artist statement.