Past projects 4
Nurture my 7th Graders Creative Spirits
Funded Nov 9, 2024Thank you so much for supporting my arts elective course this year. It has been excellent to use the new colorful resources with students so far in our fall sketching unit. We have been able to use the colored pencil packs for observation sketches of natural items. It was really fun to see students develop their use of observation and the practice the element of value and texture. These types of activities are an experience many students haven't been exposed to in their public education. It was fun to watch students challenge themselves to sketch items like shells, pinecones, pineapples, lemons and fall leaves. I also am teaching students how to make their wonderful drawings more complete by using the donated flair pen outlining and black sharpie in addition to color.
Most recently we have begun to practice watercolor in class. Just last week students practiced the technique of outlining with the watercolor pencils before the addition of brush and water. This makes a nice bridge from my sketching and observational practice to help students sketch their watercolor ideas before they use the paintbrush. The watercolor paper (500 sheets) really allows me to practice watercolor with my students, without it we simply could not use this medium. I am very appreciative for all the above gifts to our students creative expression.
Lastly, on a personal note, as a veteran NYC teacher who is mostly a social studies teacher, I really appreciate the support of these materials, so that I can offer this arts elective to students who would otherwise get NO ARTS EXPOSURE. I was recently dismayed to find out our school's only full time art teacher received NO $ for supplies for our school (she serves over 400 students). I was saddened by this because it reflects our city's under-appreciation for supporting the arts for our students. It upsets me because I see how important the arts are to students, they are able to relax and be creative for a brief time in the school day. They are able to use different parts of the brain, support their mental health, and use their visual skills. Some of my students don't even know they actually have natural artistic skills because they have not been exposed to any arts practice. In a city like NYC with so many arts professions and art programs this isn't properly connecting school with future career options, this is in my opinion a missed opportunity.
I am indeed very grateful for arts contributors like you! Thank You”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gibson
Media Arts and Identity
Funded Sep 20, 2022We are so appreciative of the painting, glue, markers and especially the boxes. We had an amazing time creating 3-D physical representations of our unique identities (both inside and out). Students explored the ever important concept of self-identity and designed and implemented their mixed media assemblage. Also as a history teacher I was a bit hesitant and fearful of painting with students since I do not have an art room, but the students were so excited to paint. They were responsible with all the materials and respectful of our make-shift art studio. The best moments for me was seeing all the focus creativity and the experimentation with painting. A second best moment came when we presented to our students in the library a few weeks ago. Students shared about their lives with other visiting students realizing they had similar interests and cultures. It was really powerful and something that has inspired me to continue ways to integrate the ability for students to investigate who they are and find ways to authentically express themselves. During the post reflection analysis students were able to discuss why examining identity more is important to breaking stereotypes, fighting against hate, learning about self confidence and being proud of our unique personalities. Again thank you for your generosity and support of the arts.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gibson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.Supporting Wellness Through Creative Journaling
Funded Dec 16, 2021My students have been enjoying and experimenting with all the wonderful art materials as part of my Advisory Curriculum. Thank You! I have been working at student bookmaking with students over the years and it was really great to focus more on art and getting students to be a bit more creative. They were very overjoyed to have such a colorfully bright assortment of paper, color pens, and the giant glue sticks allow us to paste collage and other materials very easily. I have learned a lot as a teacher this year conducting advisory with three of my classes. The books allow me to share my passion with them and I think the endeavor of art as a creative outlet is very important to expose to all students. Many students of this age unfortunately are not offered visual arts as a subject and I am blessed to have the ability to try to add this as much as I can in my career of teaching history. Additionally I have also used the art materials for our many social studies projects. They help inspire students to also create an amazing piece of work. Our next step on our advisory journals is to design our cover, continue working on past pages and future pages.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gibson
This classroom project was brought to life by Clorox and 11 other donors.Illustrating the Story of America: Student Bookmaking Project
Funded Oct 19, 2018There is nothing like opening a blank book with the goal to inspire a young imagination. Over the last few months, thanks to the donations of books and ink pens I have been able to see my students turn a blank page into a vision of historical understanding. We have created our table of contents and first two chapters of our books about the early history of America. As we develop each chapter students find no two pages will be alike. I predict as we move along in the project students they will also find some pages they are more proud of and possibly put a bit more effort into as their inspiration took off. I have already seen the pride and ownership begin to take hold.
During our Friday workshops students enjoy a creative break from the normal routine. They are able to experiment with the many uses of tracing and colored paper, creating flip out pages, designing word art, and thinking about layout designs. They are honing in on their illustration and color choices, creating miniature maps and deciding how to author their text.
We have been able to discuss bookmaking, design elements, and allowed some reflection on historical concepts, events, people they are considering how to present. Next, we will work on cartooning and each student will design a graphic novel version in our chapter on the American Revolution. In the coming month, I am also excited to introduce editing partnerships and gallery walks to elicit critical and supportive peer feedback.
It hasn't always been easy for all students to let go over the idea that they aren't "good at art." I seek to show them there are so many different ways to convey a story and many different skills that could shine. The students who excel at the arts are reveling in the joy of a book challenge particularly because they don't have access to a regular art class in their scheduled curriculum. Thanks for supporting this work in our class this year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gibson
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Arts Funder and 5 other donors.