As an art teacher I am lucky to see all the students in our wonderful school multiple times a week. Since art is not a concrete subject and is more open to interpretation finding ways to help students monitor their own progress is vital to their growth. Teaching elementary age students I find making games out of assessing our work interests the students most in engaging in meaningful conversation. The point of these exercises is to help students take ownership of their work by really looking at what they have created while understanding and appreciating the growth in others as well. Opening students up to conversations about their work in a group setting also increases participation by eliminating the feeling students are being “singled out”. The following are my most successful assessment tools:
· One thing I like, 1 thing I’d change: Student will write or show through a sketch one part of their work they are really proud of and one thing they would change or do better on. This is usually done mid project or prior to turning in their work- much like an exit ticket.
· Postcard: Students view others work and write an encouraging note to their classmate about something that stuck out in their work. Students are often surprised what others notice and find special about their work. This can be done anonymously and across grade levels if students wish. Sometimes we take a special “Field Trip” to the hall and pick students work we don’t know to write to.
· Art Critic: Students are handed a slip with images correlating to a way a professional art critic might look at art; A clock for most time spent, a dollar sign for one they would buy for a museum, a home for one they would hang in their own house etc. Students are then allowed to leave these tokens next to classmates work during an in class review. They love seeing how different each others choices can be!
· Hallway Star: Students are given one token and must vote on their favorite piece of work from their class at the end of a project. (yes they may vote for themselves, though they usually do not) The top 4 or so will then get to pick a special frame I made and those works will be featured in the hall. This way I am not the one always picking which work is displayed and the class as a whole feels ownership for displays.
· I Am: We study a variety of careers artists can choose while completing our units ranging from engineers and architects to comic illustrators. Students will create an I am statement that reflects their connection to the career through their piece. Example: I am an architect because I created a variety of symmetrical buildings in my landscape drawing. I am a comic illustrator because I used lines to show facial expression and emotion in a character. This activity can be used as a You Are An statement when doing peer review as well.
Though these are tailored to the art room I believe the basic approach of these activities can find success in the general education classroom as well. I have used a variation of these activities during tutoring times and have found students are welcome to any type of “game” when it’s not labeled as just a “review”.
Posted by Elizabeth Laker, Art Teacher at WES
· One thing I like, 1 thing I’d change: Student will write or show through a sketch one part of their work they are really proud of and one thing they would change or do better on. This is usually done mid project or prior to turning in their work- much like an exit ticket.
· Postcard: Students view others work and write an encouraging note to their classmate about something that stuck out in their work. Students are often surprised what others notice and find special about their work. This can be done anonymously and across grade levels if students wish. Sometimes we take a special “Field Trip” to the hall and pick students work we don’t know to write to.
· Art Critic: Students are handed a slip with images correlating to a way a professional art critic might look at art; A clock for most time spent, a dollar sign for one they would buy for a museum, a home for one they would hang in their own house etc. Students are then allowed to leave these tokens next to classmates work during an in class review. They love seeing how different each others choices can be!
· Hallway Star: Students are given one token and must vote on their favorite piece of work from their class at the end of a project. (yes they may vote for themselves, though they usually do not) The top 4 or so will then get to pick a special frame I made and those works will be featured in the hall. This way I am not the one always picking which work is displayed and the class as a whole feels ownership for displays.
· I Am: We study a variety of careers artists can choose while completing our units ranging from engineers and architects to comic illustrators. Students will create an I am statement that reflects their connection to the career through their piece. Example: I am an architect because I created a variety of symmetrical buildings in my landscape drawing. I am a comic illustrator because I used lines to show facial expression and emotion in a character. This activity can be used as a You Are An statement when doing peer review as well.
Though these are tailored to the art room I believe the basic approach of these activities can find success in the general education classroom as well. I have used a variation of these activities during tutoring times and have found students are welcome to any type of “game” when it’s not labeled as just a “review”.
Posted by Elizabeth Laker, Art Teacher at WES