One-Point Perpsective Cities

One-point perpsective. A challenge in its own to even say. To teach, is a whole other ball of knots. I have taught one-point perspective for 4 years now. Every year, I change and adapt to the technology I have to do it better. This year was probably the best yet. 

So to start, I actually do a study on just the vanishing point and understanding that those diagonal lines go to the point. So we just do shapes the first day. And I show them how to cut them off before they get to the point. Which leads us to day two, city time. I go step by step on how to draw a city using one-point perspective as a group. 

Third day is where the fun really begins and I feel a huge jump in quality happened. CHROMEBOOKS! Thats right, I flipped the second half like a pancake. I put all my demo videos on screen-cast and provided a link to the students. This way, they can pick up where they need help on their own and go at their own pace or re watch steps over and over. Now this didn't solve all the problems but it helped. I love screen-cast because it also allows you around that whole youtube thing. 

But students got to use it for their sketching and then chromebooks again if they wanted to add references to items. 

Lastly, because these are cities they worked hard on, I had them do some writing on them. This time, rather then me trying to teach them and get them to write in art. I asked their teacher to do writing with them. Just gave the basic info on what I was looking for in it. SOOO MUCH BETTER! And finished off with critique! 

At the end I even had these kids self-assess themselves with rubrics and give me notes for next year. One said to just go for the chromebook videos first. Might use that advice to see how it turns out. 

Yes, it has been done before but the reason I am deciding to post this project is due to my technology usage.

Weather Booklets

For the past three years, myself and the 2nd grade have collaborated on a project about weather. I personally love collaborating with my classroom teachers and joining forces to help the students learn. And with the weather it is a great chance to discuss landscape and how to create them with details.

In the past I have done a pop-up card and an abstract work of art. Both, I feel were not the best to display the students learning. THIS YEAR THOUGH. Oh snap.

 I luckily enough had these dense cardboard pieces saved for me over the summer. With the help of prep time, an electric three-hole punch, and just having enough time in class. My students created these awesome little stand up booklets (I choose booklets because it is one page).

Like many projects I do, we sketch! I discussed the horizon line and size changes with them but also what details might help tell the viewer what weather it is. This is one part I wish we had more time on but I wanted to get it done quick. Why? You'll find out.  

        

After just a class of sketching, we created the final cover and a facts writing sheet. The writing, I even demonstrate in my example video, that spelling is not important to me BUT important to their classroom teacher. I mainly cared about the cover. Due to the size of the booklets, the cover paper had to be a bit smaller. 

Next class was putting it all together. This is where the electric hole punch came in. I have about 60 students between my two 2nd grade groups, each needed two. THEN hole punching those writing sheets. I made a set of 5 holes and told them to make a sandwich of their board, facts sheet, and board. Luckily a good number of my students know how to tie knots. I told them to triple tie each one and then glue on their cover. 

End result, a little booklet that stands on its own. 

AND they needed to be done quickly because there is an event at my school called Grand

friends day before Thanksgiving. So we wanted to have the kiddos share them with their grand friends.