Today I had an interesting idea to about drawing a Thanksgiving Feast still life.  The students were to draw one object as the focal point.  These were just line drawings to think about still life in that way.  I'll add photos.

Westward Expansion Letter

As a part of my graduate class, I created a podcast telling a story and details of a woman moving across the country during the Westward Expansion to introduce to the students.  I forgot how engaging storytelling can be; I told the woman's story.  I will let the students listen to the Audacity file.  That should work.

Festival of Trees

http://youtu.be/RGO7jYF6Zog
  This is an annual fundraiser for Caroline Hospice House.  The Caroline Hospice House
provides care for dying patients.  This fundraiser includes decorating Christmas trees, touring Christmas trees, and auctioning off trees to raise money for the organization.  The Town of Port Royal always buys a tree, and I help decorate the tree with child-made ornaments.  This last week has been getting ready for the tree decorating.  This year the tree display will be down the street at The Shed.  I'm taking 2nd and 3rd graders that made the ornaments to decorate and see the trees.  We will be going on Dec. 6.  This is the first time the students will get to see the tree they decorate.

 I want the students to see there are many ways and places that art is used.  There are many reasons to make art also like raising money for hospice care.

Four students helped me decorate and create this video.  Thanks to Eliana, Alan, Mackenzie, and Skylar.

Art Show at LowCountry Medical Group

  This show has been hung for about 2 weeks.  It will be up for the next 3 months.  I like the students' art to be hung, so they know their art is important.  This year I thought about videotaping the show, so the students that can't get there will see it.  Here it is. 

Observing Another Art Teacher

  How infrequently that I get to see other art teachers let alone watch them teach?!  I was lucky enough to observe a new teacher starting in my School District.  It was fun to watch her teach and interact with the students.  The students were kind enough to humor my "art teacher questions." I enjoyed looking around her room and seeing how she organized procedures and the lesson itself.  I've observed other teachers before, but never an art teacher since I started with the School District about 12 years ago.

Veteran's Day Program

Today was an interesting day preparing for Veteran's Day program.  The program was student-led.  Our 2nd and 3rd graders created stars and letters thanking our veterans for their service.  We also drew the 5 flags for the Armed Forces.  The students also interviewed veterans to find out about the military and why people joined.  I wanted the students to see how art makes connections with writing and interviews to present information they learned about veterans.  Happy Veteran's Day.

First day

I have subscribed to http://www.freetech4teachers.com/  and http://www.classroomchronicles.net/.  I'm not sure what to write in this blog.  Will continue tomorrow.