Welcome Back to School! Time for your Self Portraits 😀

Welcome to the 2016-17 School year! 

The start of the school year is a great time to assess where we are starting from, and reach toward where we want to go. I have many goals for this school year that I am excited about. For one, I need to update this blog more often. I also want to connect with more families through social media including my Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

The start of the school year in my art classes also means it is self portrait time. We create a self portrait at the beginning of the school year, and again at the end. I hold on to these drawings so that we can compare them at the end of the year. It is amazing to watch my students personalities, skills, and ideas develop. It is also a fun way to break in our new art supplies! 🎨

Digital Learning Day

D62 is celebrating Digital Learning Day today by having all staff members compete in a D62 twitter war. Follow me @ms_todorovich to find more exciting things in the Art room. #62learns #62CU

Paper Weaving with 3rd Grade

All of my students have been working on paper weaving the past few months. The students created a warp (vertical strips that connect the weaving) that connected all of the weft (strips of paper) pieces in an AB pattern.

Once they completed their weaving, students added another pattern on top of their simple AB weaving. This is Mrs. Adams class from Cumberland. They did a great job!

click here for presentation

The Year of Technology

I have been very fortunate to be a grant winner with the D62 Mission iPad program this year. Through this program I was able to secure 29 iPads for my Cumberland students to use regularly. I have been working hard to explore new apps, explore the possibilities that Google has made available, and think of the Art curriculum with a new dimension. I have also been able to learn amazing things through a professional learning community. The future is very bright. Be prepared in the weeks and months ahead to get your mind blown by the incredible things we will be creating!

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome Back to School!!! I am very excited about this school year, and all of the creative learning that we will be doing! I have high hopes to incorporate technology into are Art learning environment in new ways, as well as work on some group projects, and creating some new 3Dimensional work. Follow along to see what the 2015-16 school year has in store for you and your friends!

Journal Idea Week 5: Doodle or Zentangle

I have been working on doodle designs several of my 5th grade classes recently. We have looked at how patterns from doodles can connect to make more complicated designs. This is very similar to the art of Zentangle. A zentangle is a design that is created through steps and helps you relax. You can learn more about these here.

I started my design my drawing a rectangle and a squiggle line that divided up the space in pencil.

Next, I started adding different patterns within the shapes.

After filling in all of the spaces, I traced over my patterns with Sharpie marker, and erased. I love how complex the design turned out, and the contrast between curved lines and straight lines. You could add color if you would like, but I think the black and white look nice together!

Journal Idea Week 4: Draw A Mitten

This week has been so bitter cold that we were off of school for 2 days!

Your journal idea for the week is to design a mitten that could keep your hands warm. Most mittens are knit, and have some sort of pattern or design in them. I took the time to draw individual stitches in my mitten I drew in my journal. I also drew different designs within my pattern. Whatever you decide, have fun!