Teaching Art to Middle Schoolers

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Some art making in the process at Tucker!

I'm starting my second full quarter at Tucker Middle School in Georgia. I have had my ups and downs with all that comes with starting over but for the most part I am inspired by the challenges I face daily with middle school students. They are growing individuals who just need people with a little more patience and some love... With that said, I try my hardest every day :) in 6th grade we are working on our President Caricatures, each student chose a president out of a hat and is given a packet with lots of facts about the president and what was happening in that time frame. The students love this project because they learn how to draw a cartoon using exaggeration and humor. For the most part kids are really successful with finding the characteristics that make their president unique so that their drawings are recognizable!

7th graders are working on their idiom illustrations which are always a blast. They need to choose an idiom and illustrate it the way it would look or be imagined by someone who had never heard it before, ex. Cats out of the bag, piggy back ride, one foot in the grave. They have thought of some very original ways to represent their idioms! Here are some pictures of the students working with watercolor mixing since we will be using watercolor once the illustration is drawn.

8th graders are working on mixed media portraits inspired by Florian Nicolle. The portraits are of people involved in any civil rights movements. The students are using a method of printmaking, painting and drawing to create their portraits! I'm excited to share some outcomes!

Monday, October 13, 2014

New School, New Chapter

So I moved to Atlanta with my husband who got into Emory University for a two year program. I was super sad to leave Mountain Ridge, but also thankful for the experiences I left with. I am also thankful that I found another middle school art position in Atlanta! The school is Tucker Middle School, and so far I am really loving it. I am starting this quarter off with high expectations and a new regiment of behavior management. Students will be working hard daily to stay on task and be the best they can be so they can be rewarded on Fridays. Here are some photos of the visuals I made to help with the new method.