Types of Government Continued

With ongoing testing I've definitely fallen behind on my blog, YouTube, and curriculum development.  We jumped back in this week by introducing warmups that I created to address types of government.  We discussed the proletariat and communism by viewing and analyzing  Vladimir Pchelin's "Lenin Assassination Attempt".

You can check out the warmup HERE, see all of the warmups at this SITE, and hear all the details by watching my VIDEO (coming today).

As always, feel free to reuse, share, and change to fit your purposes.

Types of Government Visual Art Warmups

I always feel that Social Studies and Visual Art are the easiest subjects to integrate.  They connect so closely addressing issues of culture, history, and how our world works.  I really wanted to create some warmups that could be completed in the Social Studies classroom but the State Standards for Social Studies are almost as vague as the State Standards for Visual Arts.  One of our wonderful Social Studies teachers helped me by sharing her curriculum and I thought I would start with a series on types of government.  Feel free to use, share, alter for your own purposes.  I will be adding more to the list as I go.  I'd like to come up with two for each of the following types of government.  Check out all of the warmups HERE.

Design Bootcamp

Every field and content area has it's own vocabulary.  Learners need to have a grasp of content specific vocabulary to successfully navigate the curriculum.  But really, who wants to spend art class copying definitions?  Most of my students have never had an art class and if we focus on formalism they'll never take another.  I do need students to be able to discuss their work and the work of other artists with each other and me.  I implemented Design Bootcamp as our introductory unit in each class.  It's a 2-3 day, focused, activity that helps students collect written and visual definitions.  We get in there, get what we need, and get out.  Students then have a collection of resources they can use throughout the class.  I've created a page with all of the resources and processes I use.  Feel free to use, change, and share.

Design Bootcamp

Circuits, Mondrian, Fractions, and On to Degas

It's testing season and I'm not just the art teacher but our building's technology coach.  It's the type of job that you never knew you didn't want.  In all actuality, I'm pretty good at it and it's not a complete nightmare.  But, with state testing it's required me to be out of the classroom a great deal and now I'm in the proctor's seat for the next 5 days.  I always take my absences and changes in the schedule as an opportunity to do something cross-curricular.  I like to squeeze this into my curriculum at least once a quarter.  Check out this lesson blog for ideas on how to combine circuitry, Mondrian, Degas, and fraction practice.

Ciruits, Mondrian, Fractions, and On to Degas

I missed my students and classroom but this was a great way to keep students engaged, studying art and technology, and out of trouble.

I'm really looking forward to being back with my students to help them create connections between all the different activities that they completed.

Where is my blog going?

I've been doing a great deal of thinking lately about my online presence and how I want to share my work as an art educator.  I love sharing lessons, activities, and tips on being successful in the art classroom.  I hate including standards.  I feel like a great number of my posts look more like a lesson plan I would submit to an administrator rather than an activity I'm sharing with other teaching artists.  Be prepared for some changes but expect to see more videos, blogs, and resources on great activities you can implement in your classroom now.