Mrs. Miller's 3rd Grade

Thursday, February 23, 2012

For Parents: Art Night Extras

Here is a copy of the Art Night flyer if you need an extra. You can also print from this Google Doc Link. I hope you can all make it!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

In third grade social studies, we've been studying how communities change over time. As one of the culminating activities, students brainstormed items that would be meaningful enough to include in a time capsule to be opened a century from now. What types of items would really show future generations what life was like in 2012?

You can find the Google Doc version HERE.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Math Menus

I recently started using Math Menus in class, tailored to specific skills. This is perfect for those days that I need to complete more intensive interventions with groups of students and I need other kids to be more self-directed. This can be tailored for other math games or activities, also! I'm currently working on multiplication and fractions Menus.

You can find the link for the Google Doc version HERE.

Parade of Objects

For this art activity, students practiced their art criticism skills. We started by just looking at the print, "Parade of Objects" by Jean Debuffet, and responding to what we saw. My favorite response? Lauren said, "It looks like a bunch of robots sitting around the table eating lasagna." :) Students also commented on color, line, and shape.

Next, students focused on how it made them feel. Kolby said it made him feel "stressed". Many students agreed with that idea.

To close the lesson, I invited students to see if they could "make" objects out of the shapes in the art print. Students were quickly able to identify several objects including food items, animals, and other items. We discussed how we can easily make identifiable items without intending to.

Students then took this idea back with them to their seats. We started by just drawing a line design over a blank sheet of white construction paper. No pencils, only Sharpies! This had students worrried. They also had to make a continuous line that covered their paper, no stopping. When students completed this step, they were encouraged to find a few spots where they could identify some objects. Students turned their shapes into dogs, fish, people, etc. They finished by incorporating color, a focal point, and lines as Jean Debuffet did in his own print. Fun! Check out our work below.