SMART+Notebook+Activities



SMART Notebook Activities – Part II – This is an art lesson that takes 3 class periods to complete.

1. Describe the lesson for my grade level 2-4 students, including targeted higher level thinking skills.

Day 1 – Briefly review the topic of portrait composition from a prior drawing lesson as a lead-in and introduce the composite self-portrait project as a way to apply this knowledge and expand upon it in a new way. This is a higher level thinking skill as is observing details in the paintings of a 16th century artist and drawing upon that information for inspiration. The grading expectations are then explained while viewing the slide with the art supplies shown for each part of the lesson. Next, introduce Giuseppe Arcimboldo, talk about who he was and his work. Have students take turns identifying some of the different types of food he painted and the reasoning behind his choices. Students will spend the remainder of this class drawing their self portrait using what they have learned to stimulate creativity.

Day 2 – Finish drawing the preliminary portrait and color it completely. Monitor progress to make sure that expectations are being met including neatness, thoughtfulness, plenty of detail and composition. The hyperlink for Giuseppe Arcimboldo can be referenced if need be. When the coloring is done, a fresh sheet of colored paper can be chosen for the background. The color must work with the composition colors that will be glued onto it.

Day 3 – Form final piece by cutting and gluing shapes, colors, and textures onto background paper. It should look like the colored drawing which serves as a guide. When each student is finished, or for the last 10 minutes of class, display the evaluation rubric slide, review how to self-grade and have them do so. It should then be taped to the back of the final portrait and turned in to me to grade as well. If there is time, students that are finished can volunteer to explain their self-portraits to the class.

2. The standards met in this lesson fall under the Colorado Department of Education Visual Arts State Standards, rev. 2009, and the Colorado Visual Arts Model Content Standards which are a set of curriculum standards within the department of education. These standards encompass grade level expectations for art which include new media technology. The evaluation rubric at the end of my lesson uses grading criteria taken directly from both of these standards as follows:

__Composition__ – Colorado Model Content Standards, Standard 2 – Students know and apply elements of art, principles of design, and sensory and expressive features of visual arts.

__Neatness__ – Colorado Model Content Standards, Standard 1 & 2 – Students recognize and use the visual arts as a form of communication and students know and apply elements of art, principles of design, and sensory and expressive features of visual arts.

__Invent & Discover to Create__ – Colorado Department of Education Visual Arts State Standards, rev. 2009 grade level expectations, Standard 3 – The descriptions on my evaluation rubric that coincide with the standards (exceeding, meeting, emerging and missed) depend upon grade level of the student. This means that the expectations for a fourth grader are higher than those for a second grader doing the same lesson. Therefore, in a classroom setting, the evaluation rubric will be modified for the appropriate grade level with the adjusted standards. You can read the full expectations for fourth graders described on the evaluation rubric slide of the attached notebook.

3. As far as problems, successes, revelations, or reactions while I created the lesson; I had a few problems associated with FireFox and with loading the software, and of course, a learning curve once I began working with it. Successes are that I was able to create the lesson in the end and I have an idea of how powerful and full of potential the software is. It is an interesting and valuable learning experience for me! The main revelation is that I never knew such a broad and deep software application existed for teaching. The over 4,000 items in Gallery Essentials alone is impressive. I believe that a teacher really making the most of the SMART Notebook software, by using it every day with student involvement, creates a whole new atmosphere in the classroom. It almost becomes a teaching philosophy in itself, but only if used to the full extent. It also underscores the enormity of the job of teaching because there are so many resources, approaches, and different ways to do it. Lastly, some of the professors I have had thus far here at Metro State College display reluctance to embrace SMART technology.

4. SMART Notebook software in an art classroom setting is somewhat limited compared to other core competencies because of the nature of studio art. It still has a place however, as I hope my lesson plan shows. My idea for improvement is to offer more flexibility in fill effects and drawing, making it more like “Illustrator”, which is probably an unrealistic suggestion because it is outside of the scope of this application. Also, in the “Arts” drop down in Gallery Essentials which includes a sub-folder entitled “Art”, the items are limited to paintings and one sculpture. This is an extremely narrow if not misleading interpretation. It would be better to have fewer famous paintings, in exchange for broader representation of media and movements, even if the number of items stays the same.

5. The comfort level that I have using these tools currently is moderate. It is apparent that the software is user friendly, and there is support available, but it takes some getting used to. I do enjoy working with it overall, and feel that my comfort level would become very high over a period of time, say one semester, if I was doing lesson plans with it on a regular basis.

6. Lesson is attached so that wiki viewer can download it.