Illuminated Manuscripts

7th grade Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts with some Glow in the Dark paint features! And it really works!!!

Perspective

7th grade is finishing up Ancient Egypt, my 8th graders are moving on to Neoclassical architecture and practicing 2 point perspective, my 6th graders are practicing 1 point perspective with this activity.  I love showing them something and they are all "Wow!  That's hard!"  Then, when I break it down and model it for them, they are so confident and excited that they can do it!  This one uses pencil drawing plus photography, I might try so photography perspective shots with them for a play day.

(that's supposed to be his shoe)

;)

Day of the Dead 3D paper skulls

This little gem was a lot of fun!  In discussing formal symmetry and especially being around the actual Day of the Dead holiday, students decorated their skulls, lots of color and details using formal symmetry, then we cut them out, folded the tabs and glued them together.  Lots of fun!  All 6-8 grades enjoyed this one!

Murals with Keith Haring

So, my 6th graders started with Diego Rivera, then eventually we got into Keith Haring.  It happens.  We were discussing and learning about the Mural Movement and everything, I tried a plaster medium and it didn't work out.  So, Plan B, Keith Haring figures based on their own interest-based narrative comic strips.  They LOVED it!!!  It looks really cool down the hallway too!

We used contractor paper from Home Depot/Lowe's and tempura paint.

Hetero vs Homogeneous Grouping

My grad class small group decided on a philosophy for our heterogenous vs homogenous grouping conversation.  

Pretty interesting seeing how all of the strategies and factors that work for gifted can basically be applied to all students to help them achieve.  Why can't we all be considered "gifted" or at least an individual when it comes to learning and then we do what's best for everyone.....  I understand yes there are some exceptionally gifted students, but they too just need individualized instruction.  

Anyway, I put away the soapbox......  here's our philosophy:

Philosophy:   Our goal is to meet the needs of every child.  All students benefit from a combination of grouping.  Homogenous grouping is best used for achievement and providing appropriately challenging material through flexible cluster groups that are re-organized at least every year. Organization of groups should take into account test scores, observational notes, student ability, student interest and pace of learning and strive to engage and challenge every student.  These groups should remain flexible, small and organized and meet for most, not all, of the day with an instructor that can meet the needs of individual students.  Groups should also have the opportunity to collaborate on larger projects and ideas.

Heterogenous grouping is beneficial for social and emotional growth; however, it can have a negative effect on academics and student motivation. 

Fake food vs. Real food with Sharpie Detail

Currently my students are working on a Pop Art artwork and we have incorporated the Real food vs. Fake food debate.  Of course, my kiddos are all about the skittles, but I enjoy hearing they *know* the apple is better (frowny face) but they still desire the skittles.  I can see a Health Class collab or even a Science collab with this kind of artwork.  A friend of mine was telling me about an article where they actually mashed up skittles and literally extracted plastic components.  How cool would that be if students did the Pop Art in art class, discussed the chemical reactions in health and science regarding these foods in the body and then extracted plastic from Skittles in Science!

I also like to show others the difference a little touch up can make in a simple artwork.  Below is one of my examples:

Skittles before sharpie

Skittles after sharpie

I know the difference is subtle in the pictures, but when you are in front of it, you can really tell a difference between the two, regarding which one looks finished.  I always encourage students to put the quality finishing touches on their artwork.

Teacher Models

My students always respect the fact that I do the assignments before them and with them.  They need to see a finished product to get a good idea of what I (the teacher) is asking of them.  They also appreciate the fact that I'm not just telling them what to do and then chillin'.  It helps me too because I can tell whether the material and medium is the right choice and I can chunk steps together for appropriate stop and checks and determine lesson length.

Evaluating GATE Programs

Three reasons to evaluate a program:

Evaluations should focus on providing data on the student’s strengths and weaknesses, supporting the development of student’s skills and promoting exploration and the excitement of learning.  Early in the school year, program standards and evaluation components should be aligned with clear objectives, program goals and overview.  Assessments should also be aligned early in the school year to validate and test the reliability of the program and specific components.  Components should be clearly identified and analyzed regularly throughout the year to measure effectiveness using multiple ways to measure.  Evaluation measures must have rubrics and smart goals.  More than student achievement, pertaining to grades, should be analyzed so that a one-test-fits-all mentality is not implemented during evaluation.  

One reason to evaluate a program is to collect data and information on what is working.  What methods or curriculum structures and strategies are successful.  Another reason for program evaluation is to collect data and information on what is not working, or needs improvement (Coleman).  There are multiple ways to collect this data and information.  A formative evaluation could include teachers, parents, and student surveys showing a reflection and improvement throughout the year.  Formative evaluation components must be done periodically and from day one so that it becomes common practice.  Evaluations, specifically student self-evaluations, can start the student on guiding their own learning experience, provide individual support and also take away social and grading anxiety.  This allows for better tracking of individual student growth regarding the child’s development and achievement.

Additional components that should be evaluated within a program include (Clark):

■ the philosophy, goals, and standards;

■ the procedures for identification;

■ the structure and range of options for delivering the services;

■ the models and curricular modifications being used and their implementation;

■ the resources available;

■ the amount of time that the students have differentiated services;

■ the effectiveness of the personnel; and

■ the involvement of the parents and the community.

A third reason to evaluate a program is the summative evaluation based on the data and information collected and then reflecting on the positive, what needs improvement, making a plan for this identified improvements and then sharing that information with the public, parents and community.  

In sum, a program evaluation is beneficial in order to determine what is working, what is not working and then to make a plan for improvement.

References

Clark, Barbara (2014-04-10). Growing Up Gifted: Developing the Potential of Children at School and at Home (8th Edition) (Page 376). Pearson. Kindle Edition.

Coleman, L., & Cross, T. (2005). Administrative Arrangements, Program Prototypes, and the Teacher. In Being Gifted in School (2nd ed., pp. 286-288). Waco: Prufrock Press.