Progress: 5th Grade Checkerboards...The End is in Sight!

Today, Class A finally started finishing up their checkerboards!  A few were able to actually play a few games with a partner.  I'm a little disappointed in the details of their checker pieces.  Quite a few students sculpted these awesome pieces, but then painted them only one color....no other details added.  I had to push and encourage them to paint more.  Pictures to come next week once everyone is finished and I start grading them.

Here is the worksheet students had to fill out before and at the end of the project: Front page was the design process and the back of the page was the rubric and a short quiz to test them on what they've learned so far.

As the students start to finish these up, I've made some mental notes about how I need to change this project next year.

1. I like having them make the slab checkerboards, however next year, I will fire them and then have the students glaze them instead of underglazing them before firing.  In actuality, they didn't break too badly, but I think less of them would have broke if we would have done it the other way around.

2. They will make their checker pieces using Crayola Model Magic instead of clay.  The class that made the Model Magic pieces did so a little quicker than the other class.  Plus, I feel like we wasted clay because it started to dry out in the chunks they were given as they sculpted their pieces.

3. I completely forgot to take into consideration the actual game of checkers.  When a pieces gets to the other side, it turns into a king and it usually is flipped over.  The students began realizing this as they were playing today, and were able to work around this by turning their pieces over or stacking a second piece on top.  However, some students can't do that because of the nature of their shapes.  Next year, they will either have to make a piece that can be flipped, or put some sort of marking on the piece to decipher what direction the piece is headed in.

4. Next year, I will have an example already made to show them.  I've realized that I've gotten quite lazy when it comes to making the projects before I do them with the students.  In my first year, I think I made each project before hand to test it.  I think it will help them be a little more creative if I sculpt some interesting checker pieces. 

Live Christmas Tree Sculptures: 5th Grade Group Activity

So today I was able to try out a pin I found on Pinterest for a group activity.  I did it with those elostreous 5th graders...and it was AWESOME!  They were really into it.  I let them choose their own groups for this and it was a blast!

Here's what we did:

I gave each group a tray with the following: green streamers, tape, wire, pipe cleaners, yarn and foam shapes.  If they wanted anything else for their tree, they had to ask me during "production".

Everyone started wrapping and creating!

I dare say, but I really wanted to keep a few of these students wrapped up all day! ;)

I invited our principal to check out our "project" and she helped out the group on the right make a star hat!



5th Grade Checkerboards Continued!

Class A has now finished their checkerboard pieces (aside from the few absentees) and Class B started theirs today.  I made a last minute executive decision to have Class B use Model Magic instead of the regular clay.  The second set of checker pieces made by Class A started getting bigger and bigger...and I'm afraid some may blow in the kiln!  (They are taking FOREVER to dry...I had them sitting out overnight, not in a bag, and most of them are still cold and clammy on the outside still!)

Model Magic seems to be doing just as good as the clay...I showed the students some tricks with scissors to cut the foam clay and they are using tooth picks to "carve" and add holes/dimples, etc.  This group was also a little more creative with their pieces (though I have come to accept that Class A is the "quick-let's-get-it-done" group and Class B is the more creative group). 

The Model Magic pieces are also a little easier to keep track of...I gave each student a paper plate to write their name on and they have all their pieces on a paper plate.  

Hopefully I'll be able to fire the kiln on Friday this week...it'll be a long, slow firing for the checkerboards and checker pieces!

5th Grade Checkerboards: Part 2

On the second day of the checkerboard project, students painted their bone dry boards with under glaze.  I was tempted to fire them first and then glaze, but that would take more time to get a full kiln to fire, and the kids want to try and have them done by Christmas.  So, we had to be REALLY careful moving our boards from the shelf to the table, and we did have a few boards snap, but it's going to be okay!  I thought that I would just glaze them together, but some of the kids boards warped a lot during the drying process so instead, we are going to glue them to cardboard and felt to give them stability.  

 On the third day (today) students sculpted their first set of check pieces.  They will receive one more day to sculpt the second set.  Some were really creative with what they wanted to make, others not so much.  I decided to do a Christmas themed board and am making Christmas trees (so naturally, about 3 other students decided to do the same).  As students finished these up, I poked each pieces with a needle tool just in case there are air bubbles.  This kiln load will be fired very slowly!

Penguins!  One of the few very creative student checker pieces!

Some basket balls...

One student made bugs for his pieces!  Another very creative set of checker pieces.

5th Grade: Color Wheels and Clay Checkerboards!

My 5th graders have FINALLY finished their color wheels!  Amen to that!  This project took forever...and I'm not entirely happy with the results...I am at least happy that about 80% of the kids know their primary, secondary, tertiary and complementary colors.  Craftsmanship was not at its highest for this project...

This color wheel was probably the best quality one that was made.  I wasn't too thrilled with the creativity of it...as there were a few other jerseys that were made, but his craftsmanship was great!

I really liked this one...This was a lot of work for her to cut out all the little toes!

This one was supposed to be art smocks...

This one would have been awesome if the student had been a little more careful with paint!

Robots...another original design...I just wish he had used the complementary colors to add a face instead of random dots!

Eyes...

Another good craftsmanship piece...just not very creative!

This one was made by a perfectionist...it took him two extra days because everything always has to be perfect!  I had to eventually cut him off and make him move on, so he didn't do the outlining with Sharpie marker.

Loved this one...game controller!

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Now that we're moving on, I decided to go with a clay project.  It's always a risk doing clay with this group because there are so many kids in one class and they are always bonkers, especially when we do something fun like clay!

Today I did a quick demonstration to remind them how to roll out slabs (they've done it before).  I handed out 8" square tracers so they could cut out the checkerboard square.  I also showed them how to carefully put a mark on the clay at every inch around the edge, and use the ruler to put the grid lines in.

All in all, it went pretty well.  Some have extra checkerboard spots, but I can't baby them and remind them to check, especially when it was written on the board!

The only negative thing that happened was that a student decided to take some clay from the classroom (and of course, I decided to spare them the threat I usually give about not taking clay from the classroom...or else you sit out for clay projects). His teacher saw him with during after school and made him apologize to me.  To top it all off...he didn't even want to give me the piece of clay back! *eye roll*  Now I need to decide...do I make him sit out of the rest of the clay project...oooooh!  Or should I make him give a little presentation to his class about not taking clay out of the art room!?  Hmmmm, I think I like that idea better...