Getting it all done before the end of the year.....

I am trying to fit everything in so that everything gets finished by the end of the year....

It is quite a struggle... I don't know what happened to the time. When I got back I made a list of everything I need to get done in each grade level. 1st grade has 1 more project, 2nd grade has 5(!), 3rd has 2, 4th has 1, and 5th has 3. I haven't ever had this problem so I am really struggling with it.

I tried to do a one day project for 5th grade to get optical illusions in and it didn't work out. They just can't seem to get it done in one day- so we will be spending 2 days. My problem is that if I don't teach them this year- I can't start it next year with them. They will be in 6th grade. 2nd grade if we don't finish I can always pick it up with them next year.

I have tried making projects smaller, combining, and less detailed. And I still don't think that everything will be able to fit in. :( Combining they seemed to miss the point of the projects.

Any suggestions on what else to do????

Student reactions to the field trip

I was blown away at how much they enjoyed the field trip.
I heard them say things like, "I never get to go to Minneapolis", "The sculpture garden was so much fun, I wish I could have spent more time there", "I really like to see art work in person", "It was relaxing", "I felt like to could use my creativity to take pictures in a new place".

My question for the rest of you, do you have any other ideas for a photography field trip? New destinations?

Back from Maternity Leave!

Wow! My maternity leave flew by. Came back on April 12th.... very busy time.

It was tough to come back but I am really enjoying being back now.

It is super busy because I have to get a piece of artwork for each student for SPAC (ready by the 29th!) and they aren't done. Then there is also the art show to put together.

Also, there are quite a few projects that need to be completed by the end of the year. For example 2nd grade has 5 projects to finish by the end of the year!!!! I don't know how to fit it all in.

So much to do and only so many hours in the day.... at the end of the "work day" all I want to do is be at home with my little girls. So I am struggling with being a mom and a teacher too. I will get it down and it will be the end of the year. :) I need to some how get more organized and figure out how to fit everything in to the work day or things that I can work on at home when she is sleeping.... just now I don't like to bring things home because they end up being put on the back burner and then I have to scramble in the morning.

Rachel any thoughts on how you handled it for the new Mommy???

Field trips are beneficial!

I just wanted to take some time and reflect on the field trips I took my students on this week. If anyone has taken any size group on a field trip, you know how much work goes into it... request a bus, schedule tour time, coordinate timing, permission slips, chaperones and chaperone paperwork, field trip groups and procedures, etc. I thought I was crazy for taking two in one week, which wasn't the original plan, but it just worked out that way.

The first field trip, I took my photography 1 and 2 students to the Minneapolis Art Institute to view two photo exhibitions, and the rest of the gallery. Our second stop was at the Sculpture garden at the Walker. I was really nervous for this second part, because we had to rely on the weather. I can't tell you how excited the student were about going to the sculpture garden. As soon as the bus doors opened, it was like a stampede of students running towards the cherry on the spoon. I didn't realize how many student don't get to see places like this. I'm sure they know about that sculpture, have seen it in magazine, and were completely "star shocked" to see it in person. They were so involved, engaged and on task (they had assignments at both locations, including creating photographs).

The second field trip this week was taking 12 students to the Missota Art Festival. At this festival, which occurs annually, students attend workshops taught by conference teachers (including myself), view and critique art from other conference students, and listen to an artist in residence.

In taking some time to think about the events of both field trips, I am amazed at how much the students loved their experiences. I feel like to have also connected with them on a different level and have fostered their creativity by giving them opportunities they might not ever have. I have concluded that even though field trips are a TON of work, a lot of stress and worrying, they are well worth seeing the reactions on the students faces.

Part: My next blog, I plan to get student reactions and share those with you

Belated March Post

An update on my professional goal: My goal this year is to stay on schedule with the curriculum maps and adjust lessons as needed to stay on schedule. At first glance it appears that I am not doing very well at this. All my classes are a month behind schedule, except 4th, they are on track. I still feel that I am doing better than last year and that I will be able to fit everything in before the end of the year. All my classes have some extra time at the end of the year when nothing is planned on the curriculum map. The art teachers have done this on purpose because of the nature of learning. Sometimes things take longer than expected, or there are delays. I am still very aware of how much time I have left and what needs to be done and the extra days at the end of the year should be sufficient. The elementary art teachers did talk about the 5th grade map and have agreed it needs some tweaking. We added 2 new units this year and those have taken longer than expected. Some of the projects towards the end of the year may not get done, but as a team we have agreed that our new unit, Principles of Design, covers the concepts that those last projects would be covering. So the students will not miss out on learning, we just put the learning in a new unit. I have been able to follow the order of units in the curriculum map. Last year I did some juggling to avoid doing clay at the same time as other classes, etc. This year I have been able to stay in order and it has worked out fine. One thing that I am trying to remember is that sometimes you need to take the extra time to make sure the students learn things well and have time to practice them. That sometimes puts a kink in my lesson schedule and my instinct is to rush through things so we can stay on schedule. I have to keep reminding myself to take more time if the class needs it. Sometimes my dilemma is that if we slow down we'll need a whole extra day to finish. Or we'll need half of an extra day and then what do I do with the other half of the class period? Start the next lesson? Or do a mini lesson? What do you do when this happens in your classes? Do you cut the project short? Or adjust the next lesson to take less time? And what do you do if at the end of the year you didn't fit everything in?

I usually like to use a game or SIOP type activity for review at the end of a unit but not for introducing new material. The week before quarter break I used a SIOP type activity to introduce new material and it worked pretty well. I did something that I am sure has a real name but I called it "You are the Expert". I divided the students into groups of 4 and gave them twenty minutes to read a section of the textbook and prepare a presentaion they could give to the rest of the class. They could use markers, whiteboard space, anything they could find in the room, for the presentation. Twenty minutes kept the groups moving and the presentations came out pretty well. The only problem was that the presentatons were pretty much dominated by one student. If I do this again (which I am pretty sure I will) I will give the kids all hour to prepare and require that each member of the group is responsible for a part of the presentation. It is widely known that I am an expert in must if not all subject areas (just ask me) but I do not feel using this activity denied students access to my superior intellect. I was able to supplement and/or interject as needed.