When Pigs Fly

Photograph of Georgia by Christy Berry

Greetings,

Next week my high school students will be creating their own flying pigs.  I wrote about my flying pigs in 2011.  My co-worker wants a “Michigan” pig.  Now, not a pig about Michigan but a University of Michigan pig.  I’m not sure that would fly in my household but they are flying pigs, so anything could happen.  I have written down a formal lesson plan for those who would like to purchase the lesson including which benchmarks are addressed.  Click here to be connected to the lesson.  And remember when pigs fly creativity happens!

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Memoirs of Mr. Turtle

Wow, it has been a long slow road.  But I finally came to the finish line with the applause of Mr. Moose.  Let me tell you how it all started…..

There I was just an idea of Mrs. Berry this past summer.  She had this crazy notion of having students draw turtles after seeing a dead one that was hit by a boat.  Mrs. Berry wanted to keep the shell but it smelt so terrible she put it under a rock by the shore waiting for natural decay and bugs to eat away the inside and leave her the shell.  That night a raccoon or some other animal tore the shell apart to get to the tasty turtle meat. Needless, to say there was no shell after that.  So Mrs. Berry hit a setback, but that’s ok, she found other ways to create me.

As the students were ready for their lesson she showed this amazing video of how she made me.  Please watch it below.

While students worked on their lesson they listen to stories about turtles.  My personal favorite was when the tortoise won the race against the jackrabbit.  Mrs. Berry reminded the students that when they are coloring to go slow like a turtle on roller-skates.  That’s her go to phrase she created.  What the phrase means is that students are to color slowly to be neat, but not so slow that they never finish in a reasonable time.  That is why the turtle has roller skates.  After reading the story she asked the students if they want to be like the jackrabbit and scribble scrabble, or to be like the tortoise and go slow and color neatly but keep working. The students picked going slow like a turtle on roller-skates.

After a few days she did something so turtleriffic.  She had her students critique one another before they finished.  This is what she did.  She had a student come up to the front with their artwork (with their permission of course). She demonstrated how to critique artwork in a kind way.

• She said, “I like how you ….. (she inserted specific feedback -like colored neatly, used several patterns, used more than one type of material-).”
• She then explained that they then were to give a specific example of what still needed to be done.  She said, “Something that you could do is…. (she inserted specific examples- finish coloring the background, add more designs, use more materials).”
• Finally she explained that they needed to finish it with a positive note again.  “I like how you…. (she inserted specific example).
• She said it was like making a verbal sandwich which needed to be filled with specific meat examples and with kind words.

The students were fantastic and used positive words of encouragement to help each other. Afterwards, students finished their artwork and made artist cards.

I suggested to her that Mr. Moose needed to be taken off of the walls because they finished their artwork with quality and all of my cousins needed to be put on wall for moms and dads to see.  That is what she did.

If you want a copy of her lesson of making me please travel to teachers pay teacher by clicking on the link: Turtle Patterns.  Below is her description of the lesson plan.

This lesson is a lesson that has students use a variety of drawing media to create a turtle with patterns.

The digital file includes:
• A Material List
• Michigan Benchmarks and Standards
• Assessment
• Book List
• Other Resources: video link
• Step by Step Drawing Worksheet for Students
• Teacher Examples
• Art Vocabulary Crossword in a Turtle Shape
• Daily Instruction

Students loved creating their own turtles with designs. After this lesson students started drawing turtles in their spare time. My students loved working on the crossword after the project. They became excited when they found some of the art words. They also loved the stories associated with this lesson and giving each other feedback during the critique. This is a lesson is simple and fun for students while they are learning about different drawing materials and the artistic process.

Now, I must go and eat my yummy lunch.

Turtly,

Mr. Turtle

Moose Self-Portraits

Moose fever has been running rampant throughout our school.  It all started two weeks ago when the students were listening to the story Moose on the Loose by Kathy-Jo Wargin and determining the basic needs of the moose and giving a reason for their answer.

The next day when my art cart pulled into the classroom, antlers started to grow out the of the students’ heads.  They had all caught moose fever.  Of course, the most logical thing to do was to draw ourselves as a moose with one of our five basic needs (love and belonging, power, fun, freedom, or survival).

Soon our moose pictures had symbols and pictures that represented what we needed in our lives.  There were so many different kinds of meese.  Some were scuba diving, some were a super heroes, some had really big mustaches, and there were a few pirates, artists, and strong meeses.  We then added color by choosing markers, crayons, or color pencils.

Finally, the moose self-portraits were hung in our school’s hallway, a few were at the Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library, and they could also be found on Artsonia.

If you would like the full digital version lesson it’s for sale at Teacher pay Teachers called Self-Portrait Moose Needs.

Other examples:

Student Moose Example 4th Grade

Mrs. Berry example

Mrs. Berry Example

1st Grade Student Moose

3rd Grade Student Moose

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Quality World Pictures

It has been a while since, I last posted.  I have been working on last minute fun summer art stuff and lesson planning.  My first lesson for the year will be working with students on understanding what pictures are in their quality world; which means, what kinds of things are important to them.  I also use this lesson to teach procedures to my young students.

What’s in your quality world?  In mine it’s my family and descriptive words of who I am.  I use this teacher example to show my students a little bit about myself.  That way they can get to know me and have a quality example.  The basics of the lesson are thus:

• Teach about quality worlds/images from around the world
• Have students create a border with patterns, images, symbols
• Draw what is in their quality world
• Add color
• Discuss their image and how it relates to others around the world

I have posted the whole lesson on Teacher’s pay Teachers website.  Click here if you would like to travel to the lesson.  Listed below is my description of the nine page lesson:

This fun lesson is designed for the beginning of the school year.  The assessments and objectives are geared towards grades 1-3; however, this could be used at any grade levels.  My students will be using this artwork as a place-mat for their lunch time.

When you purchase this lesson you will receive an electronic file that includes Michigan benchmarks addressed in the lesson, layered curriculum, assessments, materials list, teacher examples, step-by-step instructions, and reference question cards.

This lesson was successful for my students last year; that is why I am repeating the same lesson.  I received several positive comments from parents who still have their child’s artwork from last year.  This lesson is also geared toward teaching procedures in the art classroom.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Uncle Andy’s Cat

Greetings,

I recently used this lesson with my kindergarten students during the last week of school.  They did such an amazing job on drawing their cats.  I was purrrrring with delight.  The lesson was stretched over three days because they were being so careful and taking their time.  As students were working they started making up their own stories and explanations for their cats and what was happening in their pictures.  They were so excited when they finished.  That was the end result.  Flash back three days prior…

Good Afternoon Class….

Good Afternoon Mrs. Berry!

Today was a going to read a wonderful story called Uncle Andy’s Cat by James Warhola.  This book is a great story.  I met him last fall and he signed my book.

We read the story and then start to make our own cats.  I’ve included a short video clip on how to make a cat based off of James Warhola’s illustrations.

Click here if you would like this long lesson please check out my lesson on teachers pay teachers:

The lesson includes: Common Core Standard that are targeted along with Michigan visual arts standards, material list, assessment of lesson, the lesson with step by step drawing instructions, teacher example, and a reproducible example of a cat in a wig.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

How to Make No Sew Rag Dolls

Part of my class was to create a Multigenre Project.  I happened to pick rag dolls.  In a MGP project it’s about depth and not coverage of content.  Click here to be brought to a website that covers more in-depth information on MGPs.  Here is my attempt at this type of project.  Naturally, I pick a topic where I can’t find very much information on the topic.  Please leave a comment if you know of any information about rag dolls.  At the end of this post I included my three documents as PDFs. For the MGP you need a table of contents, an introduction (Lucy’s Letter), at least three documents written in different genres with fact base creative writing. (The doll is not actually missing.) So here is my attempt:

Hi! I’m Lucy,

I wanted to let you know about something called the Rag Doll Project.  This project (which is me) was years in the making.  Rag dolls have been played with over the centuries by children all over the world.  They have been made many different ways and usually out of scraps.  I finally arrived when Mrs. Berry put me together with fabric scraps, yarn, rubber bands, and markers.  Mrs. Berry attended a workshop on how to make no sew (my preferred way to be created) rag dolls.  Since then Mrs. Berry has scoured the internet, library, fabric store, online bookstores, friends, and people in her network for information on rag dolls.  Frankly, there is not a lot of history on us.  We have been found throughout the world but nobody writes about us.  One of us was found in Egypt from the 1^st-5^th AD century.  We are just part of childhood and then we are forgotten, we also fall apart and disintegrate.  So I have here to set the record straight and maybe get attention to me and my fellow rag dolls of the world.

Mrs. Berry put together all of the information she could find on rag dolls.  She included a missing poster for one of my fellow dolls who went missing yesterday.  If you have any information please contact The British Museum.  She is quite delicate, being so old and all.  Mrs. Berry also found a photograph were another one of my special friends was spotted.  We don’t end up in the news or in magazines very often.  She was keeping Lillie company despite her lifestyle.  That’s what we do.  We keep children company and give a sense of comfort.  The little girl was writing home to her mom to describe what was going on in her life. Finally, Mrs. Berry created her own how to guide on how to make rag dolls.  The guide is fairly easy to follow.  She also included a picture map of each of the basic steps.

Playfully,

Lucy

Rag Dolls

missing rag doll

Lillie with rag doll

I have made a short video to watch on how to make a no sew rag doll.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Winter takes a Vacation

Looking for Syrup

Winter must not have told anybody that he was leaving for vacation and putting Summer in charge. For the weather has been very warm all week with highs in the 80’s.  So with flowers springing out of the ground and the trees blooming, the frogs and bugs have come out of their slumber early.  My family also shed our winter wear and heading out to the local nature center.

Normally, we find that the sap is still running and the sugar house is in full swing.  This year didn’t find sap in the buckets, only dead bugs.  We were to late this year. But there was still hope.  We headed over to the visitor center to explore and touch many different dead things.  It was fun to feel and examine animal pelts and how they fit into our environment or how we fit into theirs (depending on your point of view).  We did a lot of looking and experiencing today.  We were building background knowledge and having fun!  Before we left the center we borrowed a net and bucket dipper to find some tadpoles.  We walked out to the marsh/pond area and started to search.  They were allusive but finally we found one. The girls looked at it and felt what it was like before putting it back into the water.  We said our goodbyes, return the net and dipper, and then headed home.  Even though winter took a vacation we still found something we could do.  We will return later in the year to catch frogs instead of tadpoles.

How our little adventure translates into the classroom:

• Science:Study the life cycle of frogs and examine them and their features at different stages.

• Social Studies:  Study the history of making maple syrup.

• Art:  Draw something you saw while you were on a nature walk.  Or take photographs of your adventure (see Animoto video above).

• Language Arts:  Write about your adventure (see example above).

• Reading:  Find a book about the outdoors and read it together as a class.  This could be done before or after depending on how you want to scaffold your lesson.

Enjoy the warm winter weather!

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Panda Bear Painting Art and Writing Lesson

My students are in the process of creating their very own panda bear pictures this week. as part of a very larger unit on the China. For this lesson you will need a variety of pictures of pandas (I call this the idea sheet).  I used Google to find cute panda art.  I found several images that I copied and pasted onto another document for my students to visual different possibilities.  I also pasted a real picture of a panda bear.  The idea sheet is to assist students to make a decision on which direction to start.  The students also have freedom to create their own panda if they choose.

Students will be drawing and painting their picture.  Students are able to choose colors for a background and design.  Again, students are allowed freedom to choose what is placed in their painting (As always, content is G-rated). Students are then to create their own panda pictures and then paint them.

At the end students are to write a poem or story about their panda.  My personal favorite are acrostic poems because they are short (time wise) and students are successful in this type of writing activity.  I do give the students the option of writing a story if they would like.  In the past, I have had a few elect to write a story.  The important part is that they are writing about their art.

Here is a short Animoto video on creating a panda.  Since, my daughter is my guinea pig I have included hers in the video.  I promise, I did not prompt her to say what she said about the base coat, just for her to repeat what she said.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Mind Mapping Assessment That Makes Sense, Part 1 and 2

Screen Shot of Christy Berry's Prezi

My assignment for my writing class was to create a mind map of the article Assessment That Makes Sense, Part 1 and 2 by Steve Peha and summarize what was written.  I might have gone overboard on making my mind map and summary (summary below).  A mind map is a way to incorporate a main idea and ideas that are formed around that main idea.  It’s a visual representation of ideas.  How I organized mine was with the main idea and then part one on the bottom and part two on the top.  I then bubbled out each article to a main thought.  From there I further dived the information into content and examples.  This format is followed for each article.  The process would have been much faster if I wrote out the information on paper and scanned the document for my professor.  I think in mind maps when I am reading or organizing information so using a Prezi format fits this assignment very well.  However, it is terribly time consuming, especially with a Macbook and no mouse.  The handwriting font was picked because I still wanted a feel as if it were written by hand.  Click here to visit my Prezi.

Steve Peha is the author for Effective Learning Series.  I was looking at articles from the Effective Learning Series; specifically, issues 34 to 39.  These issues focus on assessment.  The examples are directed towards writing; however, the general principles could be applied to any content area.  The articles look at what is authentic assessment, what it is, what it is not, and how do teachers put it all together.

As with everything I am looking at the articles with a wary eye and asking myself does this make sense?  I would mostly agree with the articles because I already have background knowledge that supports what is written. There are few places I would like to know of the background information that supports the claims.  For example, from issue 37 Steve Peha said, “If we use criteria merely as another form of grading, we’re confusing the issue and hurting our kids.”  I need more information on this statement.  I recognize the format is snippets of information presenting in a newspaper; however, I would like to know of data that backs up these claims.

Now, that I have addressed my wary eye, let me say what I found interesting in these articles.  I found the Steve Peha’s statement in Issue 39 to be most profound,” Students who are not exhibiting strengths need different work to do.”  I do this in my classroom; however, I never thought of it this way.  I take an art lesson or concept and zip it up or down depending on the grade level and who is in my classroom.  I also adjust what I do from classroom to classroom depending on the students.  The nature of my content area also allows for students to work at their level on a project.  The last statement that struck a cord with me was from Issue 36 where Steve Peha said, “There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing something is wrong and not knowing what to do about it.”  I think this quote is a life quote, not only in regards to education.  It is important that if you know what is not right to have a plan to make it right.  Without the plan students shut down and their motivation disperses.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry

Wooden Box

Three Penguins Gruff by Mrs. Berry

As the weather becomes chilly and the snow is falling my students have worked on their own winter tales with penguins at the theme.  The follow tale that I am going to tell you is true with a few embellishments along the way.  Every good story has them.

by Christy Berry

Once upon a time, there were two teachers who loved penguins.  Mrs. Forsman’s second grade classroom was on the top floor and filled with warm sunlight from the large wall of windows.  Every day at the same time Mrs. Berry traveled with her cart to her friend’s classroom.  This cart contained the most amazing bottles of creativity, challenges, talent, paint, and glue.  There were also paints, brushes, scissors, and yards of color parchments.  On one particularly chilly winter day the cart held something special.  This special surprise was in a wooden box that would change its size each day.  Mrs. Berry gathered the students close on the carpet and revealed the box.  She explained that right now the box was small but soon it would grow in size.  She placed the box next to her while she showed the students her little black and white friend named Chilly.  She asked the students if they thought penguins were artists.  A great debate ensued.  The chime of the bell stopped the debate and they all said their good-byes as they departed for the afternoon.

The next day came and Mrs. Berry brought her cart with the most amazing trinkets and things; most importantly the wooden box.  Today is was a little bit heavier and fatter.  It was still easy to move and Mrs. Berry placed it next to her as the students gathered around.  A few notice the box and remembered the debate.  Today the students created a live action art picture.  “I’m Foreground!” exclaimed one student.  “I’m Middle-ground,” another student stated.  “I’m Background,” said the last student with enthusiasm.  Afterwards all the students gathered in the foreground and looked at artwork from famous artists.  At the end of class the art teacher packed away her box into the cart.  It was a bit heavier than before.

The following day Mrs. Berry returns and exclaims, “My, my.  You have become bigger.”  She carries the box over to the carpet and the students gather round.  She takes out her large book and all 365 penguins spill out from the pages.  As she reads the penguins and words dance among the children and they spot Chilly.  After all the penguins climb back into the book they say good-bye to Chilly.  Mrs. Berry gives the students instructions on how to create their own picture.  Again, the bell chimes and everything is put back onto the cart.

The students were so busy the next day with cutting different sized penguin bodies and painting that they didn’t notice how the box started to creak and expand.  Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Forsman both noticed and smiled at one another because they knew what was feeding the box’s rapid growth.  Now while Mrs. Berry helped students create their picture, Mrs. Forsman began the student’s writing journey.  She masterfully helped the student develop their own penguin stories.  The words began to flow and stories spun around the students.  Mrs. Forsman used her purple editing pen to help students with words and structure.  By now the box was rocking and getting much heavier.  At the end of class, Mrs. Berry could hardly put it back on the cart.

The next when Mrs. Berry came she brought a different cart and the larger wooden box.  This cart had a plug and side doors.   She unlocked the lock and took out the contents one by one.  Each student received a very silver rectangle box with keys and a screen.  Soon the sound of tapity tap filled the classroom as students filled their box with words and characters.  One by one, Mrs. Berry took each student and recorded their voice into the story.  Student images were also digitally captured and placed within the story.  Mrs. Forsman worked with students to navigate the student’s silver box.  It was a beautiful dance to see between the teachers and students.  The music enticed the wooden box to rock and it grew.  As the music swelled the box fell off the cart and expanded.

Finally, when the project was completed the box stopped growing.  It was the size of large elephant crate.  On the outside a stamp appeared.  Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Forsman, and the whole class stared at what was in their room.  They all read it together, “Inside me you find knowledge, creativity, wisdom, collaboration, fun, and a whole lot of penguins.”  They all laughed.

The End

Mrs. Berry's Prezi: Penguins of Different Sizes

If you would like make your own box grow click on the link to the lesson Penguins of Different Sizes.  You will be directed to my detailed lesson plan on Prezi. If you would like to watch one of the Penguin stories click here. This project was a collaboration project between Mrs. Forsman and me.  I am going to give much credit to Mrs. Forsman for all her help with this project.  She helped the students with their stories and writing.  She also set up computers and was extra helpful with the students’ editing and technology questions.  Without her we would only have the illustrations for the stories.

Artfully,

Mrs. Berry