I have now taught an art unit to the sixth graders, and it was a great experience. I was able to employ some principles from my Special Methods in Art course, it was integrated with math and science, and though parts were direct instruction, the nature of the unit (abstract painting) was very student centered. First, for a math problem solving lesson, the students made scale drawings of how their lumber would be cut to construct the stretcher bars (wooden framework); adults cut the wood, and students then hammered their pieces together and stretched the canvas on them. A color wheel lesson followed, stressing that it was design and not art, with a discussion of the difference. The kids did well on the assignment, but my classroom management was mediocre: some kids decided to get really messy, and overall cleanup took so long we couldn't go to the computer lab for our scheduled time! My cooperating teacher gave me some hugely helpful hints on tightening that up, and the next lesson went smoother. For the first painting lesson, I modeled mixing the paint (acrylic) with a gloss medium to create glazes and instructed the students to use at least two colors that day, at least one of which they needed to mix themselves. The results were remarkable! Their behavior was much improved too, and I had a strict plan and schedule for cleanup, so the whole thing was a dream. The second session of painting began with a review of vocabulary (such as abstract and nonrepresentational) and a color theory lesson with examples of analogous and complimentary color schemes, and of how colors change in relation to each other. The kids then continued painting with these ideas in mind. For this second session, my cooperating teacher stepped out and my faculty advisor from the university sat in and did a formal observation. All in all it seemed like things went smoothly, the kids behaved themselves, and I was able to deliver the content in a coherent way while managing the class. Now I can't wait for some math!
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