Friday, August 30, 2013

High School Art Room Rules & Objectives Boards

Yesterday I made a pretty big dent in getting some classroom posters and displays done.  Well, not bulletin board displays, but my objectives boards.  You can see what my objectives board looked like on this previous post.  Previously I used laminated pieces of paper to write the objectives on and change out.  I did it religiously at first, but honestly started slacking as the year drew on.  With the addition of my new dry-erase board, I'm hoping it'll be easier for me to change objectives daily!

Now, I have the objectives that will be down the left side of the board.  I wanted to keep the "Mona Lisa" prompt on the front board because it's easy to point out as a reminder to everyone, and I minimized the art jobs portion.  I minimized the jobs from 6 down to 4...my jobs used to be: Pass out and collect supply bins, pass and collect artwork, wash tables, dry tables, clean paint brushes, and sweep the floor.  The kids never really had to sweep the floors, and I only have one broom, so it seemed pointless to keep that job.  Now each person at a table will be in charge of a job for their own table, instead of the whole classroom (pass out and collect supply bins, pass and collect artwork, wash & dry tables, clean palettes and brushes).

Here is my high school room objectives board.  I used the Hawaiian print duct tape to add a border around the dry-erase board...and then it dawned on me...why don't I use the duct tape for a border on my bulletin boards instead of the staple borders???  I'm CONSTANTLY re-stapling and fixing those borders from the kids rubbing on them...  These boards will each contain the bell ringer, objectives, homework assignment and exit slip question for each class.
I didn't have enough dry-erase paper to do a third board, so I turned this movable white board into the electives objective board.

Finally, the other thing I accomplished yesterday was getting my rules posted in the high school room.  I've had this pin on my Classroom Management board for a while and as I was surfing through to find quick and easy ways to post my rules, I decided to steal from it!  Copying is the highest form of flattery, right?  Well this inspiration came from a 2011 post from Mr. E.  I liked how he used the bright colors and the way he organized the rules so I borrowed!

I don't have my rules all displayed in one space, though.  There are three bulletin boards in this room, of which I plan to devote one to each high school class, depending on what topic we are covering at the time.  There are also two bulletin boards near the door, but they aren't really in clear site, so I didn't want to put all the rules there.  Much like my elementary classroom, I tried to place the rules where they would make sense.

My rules are as follows in my syllabus and on-line for parents to view:

Classroom Rules, Expectations and Procedures – What Mrs. Impey expects from you…
1.     Respect your peers, their artwork and their feelings.
2.    Respect other teachers, school property and supplies in the classroom.
3.    Be on time to class.
4.    Be prepared for class.  Bring a pencil, your sketchbook, your folder and any assignments with you every day.
5.    Ask questions.
6.    You will be evaluated in terms of the effort you put forth, critique participation, art projects, quizzes and homework assignments.
7.    Work until you are asked to clean up.  Clean-up will commence no sooner than five minutes before the end of class.  Clean up your area and check to see that “community areas” are clean as well.
8.    If you are absent it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to discuss with me how we can work together to catch you up.
9.    Come to class with an open mind, lots of creativity and the willingness to have fun!
 
Consequences
1.     Being tardy to class three times will result in a write-up.
2.    Any student who refuses to work will receive an automatic write-up and a visit to the office.  A call home will also follow.
3.    Any student who does not follow the rules, expectations and procedures will receive a warning.  On the second offense it will be a call home.  The third offense will result in a write-up.
4.    It is your decision on how well you complete your projects, classwork and homework. Your grades are a reflection upon yourself, your attitude and your willingness to try your best.  If you do not complete your work, it will reflect in your grade.

What you can expect from Mrs. Impey…
1.     I promise to offer constructive and positive feedback.
2.    I promise to review and discuss all rubrics before an assignment is begun.
3.    I promise to listen to your ideas and input for art projects during the school year.
4.    I promise to foster a safe and fun environment for you to create art in.
5.    I promise to provide you with the tools you need to achieve success on an artwork, including visual examples, rubrics, supplies and resources.

We are not all artists, nor do we possess the same interests and talents, likes or dislikes.  We do, however, all possess the ability to be positive and to put forth an honest effort, which is all that will ever be expected.  If your attitude is positive, the class and your artwork will be great!  Thank you for your cooperation and the promise to participate to the best of your ability!  I am looking forward to an awesome year of artwork and memories in the high school art room!

And here are the simplified, classroom versions:


 
Clean-up rules near the sink..."Are you prepared?" in the window outside the doorway...

And I added the exit slip sign...

My travel tote for between classrooms...right now it has dry erase markers, eraser and cleaner, highlighters, colored pens, a small box cutter and extra Post-It notes...

6 comments:

  1. Great idea with the duct tape. I'm really interested to see how that dry erase material holds up. I only have chalkboards in my room and they drive me nuts.

    A little constructive advice from 8 years of working with middle and secondary students; I'm not sure if I would use the phrase, "we are not all artists." I get what your mean, you don't expect them all to be super skilled at art or want to do it as a career, but I can see kids turning that around on you and saying they can't do something because they are not artistic.

    Art is about creation and expressing ideas, emotions and beliefs right and every student can do that, and put full effort into that regardless of skill level.

    Just a thought...hope I didn't offed.

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    Replies
    1. Nope, not offended...maybe a reword...I'll have to think on it...

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    2. How about this...

      We might not all be the next Vincent Van Gogh or Leonardo da Vinci but we all possess the ability to be creative, positive and to put forth an honest effort, which is all that will ever be expected. We all have different interests, likes and dislikes, and that’s OK! If your attitude is positive and you incorporate your interests into your artwork, everyone will enjoy art class! Thank you for your cooperation and the promise to participate to the best of your ability! I am looking forward to an awesome year of artwork and memories in the high school art room!

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  2. Yes that is great! That put it in a very positive light and makes it clear that you expect EVERYONE to put in their best effort.

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  3. Very Nice!! How do you keep track of who's turn it is for the jobs? I need to start doing this in my high school classes and not sure how to start? Also, what do you do for your exit tickets??

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