New to Teaching Art?
Here are the important tips about teaching art that you won't find in your first year teacher's survival guide.
1. Only leave out on the table the supplies that you want each grade to use. Little kids are like bloodhounds that can find a marker in a crayon stack, and it only takes one marker to mess up a project!
2. Never give your kids the color black, unless you are using it specifically, or their work will be 90% black. I'd also go ahead and pop out all of the black cakes in the watercolor palettes.
3. Demonstrate how to do absolutely everything, from using a glue stick properly to how to do the project, step by step.
4. Start the year off by immediately telling the kids that they will always, ALWAYS, only get ONE SHEET OF PAPER. Unless you want to singlehandedly destroy the rainforest, do not hand out paper like it's candy. Instill in the kids that their work is precious and should take time and care. And if they make mistakes, they need to think of ways to work with it.
5. Get used to the idea that other teachers/faculty may not "see" you as a teacher. They often don't realize how exhausting it is to plan lessons for five different grade levels, handle art supplies & projects and plan for contests and competitions. In all, being an art teacher is just as exhausting as being a "regular" teacher. And I would know, I taught high school English.
6. If your school is big into technology and social media, make sure that you set up a Twitter and a blog. My blog is through Blogger and I update it weekly, including my sample projects and descriptions of our activities in art.
7. BE CAREFUL with photos. Never take a photo of a kid. And familiarize yourself with your district's policy on photographing their art. We're only allowed to photograph art if it is in a group with other student work...like a collage or mural.
8. As an elementary art table, make sure that you either buy or check out a ton of art related books. Books such as The Noisy Paint Box, Art and Max, What Makes a Rainbow, The Dot, The Day the Crayons Quit, The Girl Who Heard Colors, Beautiful Oops and more!
9. Make sure to: make each table a color, dismiss quietest and cleanest tables first, give a warning near the end of class about time, leave enough time to clean up, put a line of tape down on the floor in front of the door so kids line up straight, have your incentives ready to go for students who are making good choices, use the school rhetoric (PBIS) and keep your art supplies organized.
10. Put lemon juice in your water, lemons have more vitamin C than oranges. Get used to the idea that you'll be sick a lot during the first year. Take vitamins daily and cut back on sugar.
11. Make a sub tub full of possible lesson plans broken down by grade. Include rosters in your sub tub as well as materials, your schedule and information about the school. Also keep folders for professional development, take pictures of student art for your professional portfolio and maybe even keep a diary. Write down funny things kids say, there will be a lot of silly quotes!
12. Get plenty of erasers and hand held pencil sharpeners. Don't let kids use an electric sharpener to sharpen their pencils. Need to make sure kids take their time and do their best? Have them do their project in pencil first, before adding marker/colored pencil/crayon.
13. Put the kids to work, have them pass out papers/pick them up, fill jars with water, pass out paintbrushes, etc.
14. BUY A BIG CARPET. Start class by having the kids come and sit on the carpet. I read a story to my little kids, maybe show them a video, demonstrate the project and then we get started.
15. TELL THEM TO PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE BACK OF THE PAPER, CONSTANTLY.
16. Look into using Go Noodle for little kids (fun site with dances/songs/etc.), look into using Square One Art for fundraising, think about making different powerpoints for each project, and if you don't have a certain book, look for it on YouTube! There are a ton of read aloud books on YouTube. Look into doing Dot Day.
17. Be aware of art teaching workshops, both in your city and in the state (and perhaps even the country). Join TAEA!
18. Enjoy everyday.
For more helpful ideas, check out my Pinterest board!
1. Only leave out on the table the supplies that you want each grade to use. Little kids are like bloodhounds that can find a marker in a crayon stack, and it only takes one marker to mess up a project!
2. Never give your kids the color black, unless you are using it specifically, or their work will be 90% black. I'd also go ahead and pop out all of the black cakes in the watercolor palettes.
3. Demonstrate how to do absolutely everything, from using a glue stick properly to how to do the project, step by step.
4. Start the year off by immediately telling the kids that they will always, ALWAYS, only get ONE SHEET OF PAPER. Unless you want to singlehandedly destroy the rainforest, do not hand out paper like it's candy. Instill in the kids that their work is precious and should take time and care. And if they make mistakes, they need to think of ways to work with it.
5. Get used to the idea that other teachers/faculty may not "see" you as a teacher. They often don't realize how exhausting it is to plan lessons for five different grade levels, handle art supplies & projects and plan for contests and competitions. In all, being an art teacher is just as exhausting as being a "regular" teacher. And I would know, I taught high school English.
6. If your school is big into technology and social media, make sure that you set up a Twitter and a blog. My blog is through Blogger and I update it weekly, including my sample projects and descriptions of our activities in art.
7. BE CAREFUL with photos. Never take a photo of a kid. And familiarize yourself with your district's policy on photographing their art. We're only allowed to photograph art if it is in a group with other student work...like a collage or mural.
8. As an elementary art table, make sure that you either buy or check out a ton of art related books. Books such as The Noisy Paint Box, Art and Max, What Makes a Rainbow, The Dot, The Day the Crayons Quit, The Girl Who Heard Colors, Beautiful Oops and more!
9. Make sure to: make each table a color, dismiss quietest and cleanest tables first, give a warning near the end of class about time, leave enough time to clean up, put a line of tape down on the floor in front of the door so kids line up straight, have your incentives ready to go for students who are making good choices, use the school rhetoric (PBIS) and keep your art supplies organized.
10. Put lemon juice in your water, lemons have more vitamin C than oranges. Get used to the idea that you'll be sick a lot during the first year. Take vitamins daily and cut back on sugar.
11. Make a sub tub full of possible lesson plans broken down by grade. Include rosters in your sub tub as well as materials, your schedule and information about the school. Also keep folders for professional development, take pictures of student art for your professional portfolio and maybe even keep a diary. Write down funny things kids say, there will be a lot of silly quotes!
12. Get plenty of erasers and hand held pencil sharpeners. Don't let kids use an electric sharpener to sharpen their pencils. Need to make sure kids take their time and do their best? Have them do their project in pencil first, before adding marker/colored pencil/crayon.
13. Put the kids to work, have them pass out papers/pick them up, fill jars with water, pass out paintbrushes, etc.
14. BUY A BIG CARPET. Start class by having the kids come and sit on the carpet. I read a story to my little kids, maybe show them a video, demonstrate the project and then we get started.
15. TELL THEM TO PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE BACK OF THE PAPER, CONSTANTLY.
16. Look into using Go Noodle for little kids (fun site with dances/songs/etc.), look into using Square One Art for fundraising, think about making different powerpoints for each project, and if you don't have a certain book, look for it on YouTube! There are a ton of read aloud books on YouTube. Look into doing Dot Day.
17. Be aware of art teaching workshops, both in your city and in the state (and perhaps even the country). Join TAEA!
18. Enjoy everyday.
For more helpful ideas, check out my Pinterest board!
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