Interactive Spreadsheet Quiz

Do you have to have your students take a vocabulary quiz? You can make one rather easily using Microsoft Excel. Here is a screenshot of a quiz I made on basic color theory vocabulary. The students can type the correct vocab word into the cell and press enter. The quiz will tell them if their answer is correct or incorrect by using a formula to say "Good" if the answer is correct and "uh-oh" if the answer is incorrect. The quiz will also track the student's points earned for each correct answer. This format allows the students to take the quiz as many times as they desire until they get the score that the desire. This format also allows for easy grading on the teacher's part.

WebQuests

The inspiration for my WebQuest began with a lesson plan I have for self-portraits where students wear a hat and paint themselves. In preparing the introduction material, I found myself researching online famous paintings with hats in them. I thought that it might be nice to incorporate my students in this research process, and thus, my WebQuest was born!    

Documenting Student Work

As art teachers, one thing that we are responsible for is documenting our students work. With a digital camera, dry erase board and an afternoon, art teachers (even homeroom teachers) can now document students work to help the grading process go smoother and show off the students progress online. 

Step One: 

Set up the digital camera on a tripod and manipulate the lighting to compliment the student's work. 

Step Two: 

Measure and draw corners on a magnetic dry erase board to help yourself know where the piece should be placed to be within the frame of the camera. This will make the process go a lot faster because you won't have to adjust the camera every time you photograph a new students work. 

Step Three: 

Allow a several inch margin on the bottom of the camera frame area to write the class's homeroom teacher's name and grade. Below that, you can write the student's name using a dry erase marker. This will help you identify what student's work you are viewing and will have an automatic caption if you decide to post the pictures in a google presentation saving you time and energy. 

Step Four: 

When you go from student to student, use your corners to know where to put the piece and make sure you change the student's name on the dry erase board. 

Step Five: 

Upload the pictures to your computer. You can organize them by a file for each homeroom teacher and have subfiles for each project the students complete. Now that the pictures are on your computer and in a file, you can use them to create a google presentation. You can post the presentation on your classroom blog to show the parents what the students have been up to in your classroom. 

Happy Documenting! 

Helping Students Study for Art History

As a student, I often wondered why teachers would make it so difficult for students to study for art history tests. On a Friday they would say "learn these fifty something pieces and the test will be at 8 am sharp on Monday, good luck!" I would spend more time making study guides and charts than I did learning the actual material. I would use a mac based program called Pages to make my study guides. I understand that students can learn a lot through doing, but I feel like as teachers, we need to make the "doing" process as efficient as possible so students can spend more time mastering the material.

Consider giving the students the framework and letting them put in the information from their notes. If we have to make a powerpoint to teach our lectures efficiently, we could just as easily give our students a document that they could type in their lecture notes and or print it off and hand write their notes in the blank area. It saves time for students to transfer the information from lecture notes to a study guide, while still allowing them to learn by doing. It also saves the teacher lots of time during lecturing to address numerous questions on things like the spelling of an artist's name, when the movement took place exactly, etc. Here are some screen shots of study guides I have made for art history tests:

Here is an example of an information sheet that teachers could give to students. Each movement is assigned a color and an abbreviation to help the students remember the movement. The teacher also provides the date so there is no confusion about when the movement occurred. 

    

Here is what the same information sheet looks like after the student types their lecture notes back into the study guide. 

Here is an example of the blank template the students would receive before lecture. Each piece gets a page. The teacher provides the title (in the movements color), movement abbreviation, artist (in all caps), piece name and picture of the piece. 

Here is what the same sheet looks like after the student has filled in the template with your lecture notes. 

Stop Animation Film

This is my first attempt at iMovie and stop animation, enjoy! 

Manet vs. Monet Inspiration Chart

Manet vs. Monet

Manet vs. Monet
I. Impact on Impressionism
A. Perfected it
B. Laid the groundwork
C. Technique (hand)
1. Quick brush stokes with individualized color mixed on the canvas
2. Style Identity
a. REFUSED to show his work as an Impressionist
b. "Out of the closet" Impressionist
c. Painting Location
(1) Worked in the studio painting over pencil sketches
(2) Worked in the moment with lots of "brush-on-canvas action"
(3) Famous Works
(a) Olympia, The Absinthe Drinker and Luncheon on the Grass
Olympia
i) http://www.signatureillustration.org/illustration-blog/wp-content/olympia.jpg
Monet spurred a public effort to buy Manet's Olympia for the French nation, believing (correctly, as it turned out) that it would become one of the most important works of the time (http://www.mentalfloss.com/difference/monet-vs-manet/)
The Absinthe Drinker
ii) http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/cgfa/manet/manet34.jpg
Luncheon on the Grass
iii) http://www.artifacts.com/I-Manet.jpg
(b) Impression: Sunrise, The Water Lily Pond, and Houses of Parliament
Houses of Parliament
i) http://www.claudemonetgallery.org/Houses-Of-Parliament--Westminster.jpg
In 2004, an original version of the Houses of Parliament sold for $20.1 million U.S. (http://web.artprice.com/artistdetails.aspx?src=0&idarti=ODM2MDQyNzE1NTg5NzYt)
The Water Lily Pond
ii) http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/upload/img/monet-water-lily-pond-NG4240-fm.jpg
Impression: Sunrise
iii) http://blog.lib.umn.edu/weber511/architecture/claude_monet_sunrise.jpg
(c) Timeline of Life and Works
i) Claude Monet Biography
ii) Edouard Manet Biography
3. Broad, simple, color areas with quick brush strokes


2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b. develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

Textbook: Gardner's Art through the Ages. Fred S, Kleiner, Christin J. Mamiya, Richard G. Tansey. 11th ed. 2001.

Element of Art: Line

Lesson Plan of the Week: Art History + Photoshop

Lesson Plan for Art Education 

Subject Area

Lesson Plan: “Art History Related”

Course: Art

Level: 11^th and 12^th  

Class Time Length: Three 45-minute periods

 

Unit Title and Unit Goals

Title: Digital Imaging 

Goals or Concepts: Students should explore a new medium through practicing a variety of introductory Photoshop techniques. The students will incorporate working with appropriated images, personal artwork and images from pop culture to create a visually interesting composition. Students should be able to communicate these ideas and techniques at a basic level.

 

Standards:

1.1 Use adobe Photoshop to create and 11” x 17” color image

2.2 Use the elements and principles of color and design to communicate ideas

3.3 Utilize subject matter, techniques and ideas in their own pieces

 

Instructional Objective:  After looking at examples of famous works from art history and discussing what goes into developing a famous work of art, the high school students will design, construct, and embellish a digital image that incorporates at least one image from art history, one personal image (drawing, photograph, etc) and one pop culture reference.

 

Materials/Media

Supplies/Tools/Equipment:

Gardner’s guide to Art History

Adobe Photoshop

Printing lab

Personal images

 

Other Resources: Reproductions of a variety of famous works of art (Mona Lisa, Starry Night, Marilyn, etc).

 

Instructional Procedures and Design:

Set

Motivational Strategies: The teacher will share a brief history of cultures known for their progressive art making and background in collaging. The teacher will explain techniques of these peoples as relates to the making of a digital collage. The students will be informed that their work will be included in their class portfolios.

 

Vocabulary:

Collage: A form of art in which various materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric are arranged and stuck to a backing.

 

Key Questions:

How can you make a successful digital collage?

What are some settings to be aware of when printing?

Why is it important to flatten an image?

What are some downsides to using images from the Internet?

 

Classroom Strategies-Instructional Preparations/ Suggestions / Safety:

1. Teacher should set up visuals and examples
2. Review information on collaging and Photoshop techniques
3. Prepare discussion questions about digital imaging
4. The teacher should make copies of Photoshop toolbar explanation handouts
5. The teacher should reserve the computer lab for the three class periods
6. Present motivational information on discussion of topic, using prepared questions as a guide
7. Teacher will demonstrate basic Photoshop techniques
8. Teacher will review Photoshop toolbar handout
9. Teacher will assist students in construction of collages as needed
10. Teacher will assist students in flattening the final image and check that all settings are appropriate for printing

 

Learner Involvement-Student Activities/Procedures

1. Students will view the visuals
2. Students will listen to the teacher’s presentation and participate in class discussion (guided by teacher’s prepared questions) on digital imaging and collaging
3. Students will attentively listen to the teacher as they demonstrate basic Photoshop techniques and methods
4. Students will look over the list of progressive steps on how to create their own digital collages

 

Practice and Review: Teacher will rotate computers, reviewing methods like layering, erasing, and transforming images that students will want to include in their digital collages, as well as monitoring the room to make sure that the internet is being used properly, and as necessary, assisting students in the construction of their images.

 

 Learning Environment: (Classroom set up/class layout of supplies, etc.) Students will work at own computer to help each other create imagery based incorporating images from different sources. For demonstration they will watch on the projector as the teacher demonstrates basic Photoshop techniques. They will place their finished pieces in their class portfolios. Students will remain in seats until dismissed.

 

Closure:

Clean Up:

1. Students will log off of computers and put the chairs back where they found them and wait to be dismissed.

 

Ending Comments: Address the importance of properly saving their images to a jump drive and NOT the desktop since it clears files every 15 minutes. Inform students they have two more class periods to finish their images, so not to worry if they are not done.

 

Alternative Activities:

Special Needs Considerations: May have special needs create a collage and scan it into the computer and do minor photo editing.

 

Addressing Diversity: Students will study art history and pop culture in the US.

 

Evaluation Strategies:

Formal: Use a rubric to identify use of proper construction, design, and imagery of final pieces.

 

Informal: With the class, orally review key concepts from goals and objectives. Have students show their images on portfolio day.

 

Re-teaching: Most would occur in process since students can make as many images as necessary. Can troubleshoot problems as they occur.